Deadland Rising (part 3 of the Deadland Saga)

Temptation (Chapter 8)

All of New Eden gathered around us, and I found myself fidgeting. My breath circled in tiny wisps of fog in the freezing morning air, and I hugged myself to keep from shivering.

Justin held up his right hand, and the conversations hushed. "Repeat after me."

The nine sole Fox survivors raised our hands.

"As a citizen of the New Eden province ..."

"As a citizen of the New Eden province," we answered in chorus.

"I pledge to defend and support our province, with all that I am..."

"I pledge to defend and support our province, with all that I am..."

"With the highest level of integrity and honor, I give this oath of fealty."

"With the highest level of integrity and honor, I give this oath of fealty."

Justin smiled. "Welcome to New Eden."

Cheers erupted. Someone patted me on the back, and we found ourselves swarmed by people welcoming us into the community. I glanced to Clutch at my side, and he wore a genuine smile. He wasn't exactly a people person, yet there was no mistaking his demeanor. He looked at me, and I returned his smile. He shrugged, and I knew why he was happy. I sensed the same happiness.

We belonged somewhere.

It wasn't Camp Fox, but it still felt good. Safe.

Even Jase looked happy, though he was a consummate extrovert and handled attention like a fish in water. He still wanted to return to Fox Park, but like everywhere we'd been, he'd quickly acclimated to New Eden. It seemed the younger the person, the more easily they adapted to change, and it made me wonder what we lost as we aged.

Justin made his way down the celebratory line and stopped in front of me. His smile was wide as he held out his hand. "New Eden is lucky to have you."

I accepted his hand. "We're lucky to have New Eden."

He shook Clutch's hand next. "We have the start of something good here. I know it. We'll talk more later. I need to get back and send your names to the capital. We keep track of all citizens. Seeing the lists grow gives everyone hope."

"What's the number up to?" I asked.

"Four hundred and seventy-three at New Eden, counting you. We're one of the smaller provinces. Colorado has the largest with nearly ten thousand. Over eighty-seven thousand across the new, combined country. We're hoping to have found and tracked at least a hundred thousand by the first of July."

"You think that many made it?" Clutch asked.

Justin nodded. "I'm sure of it. The problem is we're all scattered right now. We need to pull together to build a foundation."

"How's the rest of the world looking?" Clutch asked.

Justin shrugged. "Australia was the least hit. They're still at twenty-plus percent, and they're the ones who reached out to us and are connecting the rest of the world. They're still trying to get data on Europe, Asia, and Africa. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

He bowed out and headed down the street.

"A hundred thousand," Clutch said softly.

"Yeah," I added, just as softly. "The human race might have a chance after all."

"Why the long faces? Today's a big day."

I looked over to see Sarah pushing Charlie in a wheelchair.