Guardian's Redemption

Chapter Twenty Nine

Ashley sat with a blue bowl that had two apple cores and another piece of fruit in her lap while her eyes were scanning the activities outside the window. She had declined the meat that was offered to them. They were in a small building just in side a tiny mall area. The sign on top of the building that had once contained numerous shops was split in half with the letters L.E.T left. The people on the other hand had maneuvered vehicles to build walls around the parking lot and had setup tents for homes.

She hadn't had a chance to explore this encampment for her thirst for food was too over bearing. The group spared what they could. Her eyes went to her companion who stood in the window. He was watching every detail of the beings in the camp. The man was constantly worried, never trusting anyone. He had ate only one apple and nothing more.

"It seems peaceful," Ashley said aloud as her eyes went back to the camp. She began watching a mother and her two kids. "They have structure and a couple blocks to themselves as well as this little strip mall."

"It's a show." Ben coldly remarked. "Don't let them fool you."

Ashley snorted at her brother in law. "How do you know its a show?" She wasn't being defiant. Her interest was to understand how he came to that conclusion.

The man looked over at her. "That mother is shaking. Not a lot like that old couple we ran into. You have to really focus on her right arm, but she is hiding it well. If there is no meat then what do they eat for protein?" He had a point. Ashley saw the garden that was growing very poorly behind the building on the edge of the parking lot. Only a couple apple trees, lettuce, and other rows of fruits and vegetables.

"Then we should leave," Ashley was watching the right arm of the mother but she couldn't see the shaking.

"Yes that has become an issue." Ben said. "I see some statutes placed in various locations that are all turned our way. I think they are to alert of our movement but I'm not sure. I believe they are from the earth naturalist that leads them. Our only exit..."
"Is the door we came in," Ashley finishing Ben's words. The man nodding to her.

"The other door behind us is locked." Ashley's eyes caught movement in the camp. Four men wearing worn camouflage that no longer fit the desert terrain were making their way toward her. There was no sight of their skin as they got closer and their gloved hands were gripping the AR-15 rifles. To have ammo to those weapons in this day and age was rare but still a possibility.

She was getting restless. The people were friendly to them as the pair had been escorted through the encampment. Men and women pointing at the travelers for the sight of seeing human beings still alive was a joy in their lives.

Ashley began to wonder how long this group had been here. Was it since that awful day that the woman couldn't remember or had they slowly come together on their own journeys. There had to be close to a hundred people here and with that many people where did they get the meat. Ben and Ashley did not sense any animals for miles only the gardens they had behind the building they were in.

The guards knocked on the door before opening it. That was their warning to the pair. "You have been ... invited to join Kevin." There was this tension coming from the group of armed men. She looked back at her companion who gave a nod.

They never took their equipment from them this entire time, even now. The guard led them from their place of station and across the camp. Ashley was trying to grab every detail of her surroundings. The movement of the children to the small twitches of the guards that were positioned everywhere. A fight broke out between two women as the group went walking by. She could see the lines of fatigue and worry across these people's faces. She wanted to help them.