Success of the Broken Banner

Chapter 17: Innocence

Hours blurred into an endless stretch of desolate highway. Kilo's abrupt turn onto a dirt road jolted me back to attention. Vacant land stretched out as far as the eye could see. "What's with the detour?" I asked, unease creeping into my voice.

"There's a base up ahead," Kilo said, his gaze fixed on the road. "Heard it was overrun with Lurkers after the explosion. We clear it out, we've got a place to hole up for the night. You can get in some target practice too."

The truck hit every bump, jostling us in our seats. Finally, the base came into view and Kilo brought us to a stop. I jumped out, following right behind Echo, and took in the abandoned compound. "Uh, I don't see any Lurkers," I said, turning to Kilo.

"Any minute now..." His eyes gleamed, like he was savoring some private joke. "Now!" That's when I heard it - the unmistakable, guttural growl of Lurkers. A horde, closing in from all sides. Kilo spun, a rifle shoved into my hands.

Back to back, the three of us formed a circle. Bullets flew, Lurker bodies dropping as we laid down a withering field of fire. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else. Then, suddenly, silence. We stood panting, surrounded by a ring of motionless bodies.

"Good target practice, huh?" Kilo asked, swiping at the sweat dripping down his face. "Didn't even have to set it up myself."

"Alright, time for a sweep," Echo called out, his voice steady as he lowered his weapon to his side. "We need to make sure we haven't missed any stragglers. Amelia, you're on the clinic and the chapel. Kilo, take the barracks and admin. I'll handle the mess and storage."

Without another word, we broke apart, each of us racing off in a different direction. Our mission: hunt down any lone Lurkers that might still be loitering in the shadows of the base. Echo's and Kilo's sectors erupted into the occasional distant gunfire, their sweeps clearly not as quiet as mine. I moved swiftly, silently, my senses on high alert, but so far, I'd encountered no signs of trouble.

The clinic was a world of its own, the air thick with the scent of antiseptic and something darker beneath. Examination rooms lined the hall, their doors standing open like empty mouths. Shelves groaned under the weight of medical supplies - enough to last us for years, maybe even decades. Tools, meds, trauma kits... it was a treasure trove of everything we could possibly need to survive.

The chapel, though, was something else entirely. The instant I stepped across the threshold, a sense of peace washed over me, the kind that seemed almost wrong in a world gone to hell. Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting kaleidoscope patterns across the pews and the floor. At the far end of the room, a podium stood beneath a massive cross, its presence both comforting and haunting. The stillness here was a balm to my raw nerves, a stark contrast to the danger that lurked just beyond these walls.

I finished my sweep and made my way back to the truck, my footsteps echoing in the sudden quiet. Kilo was already there, a military uniform tossed in my direction before I could even ask what was going on. I caught the heavy fabric, my eyes narrowing at him. "What's this for?"

"Your new uniform," he replied, no trace of a smile on his face. "It's a hell of a lot more protective than those threadbare jeans and t-shirt, kid."

"But isn't this...I don't know, stolen valor or something?" I asked, feeling a pang of unease. Taking on a soldier's uniform when I wasn't...it didn't sit right.

Kilo just shrugged, his gaze scanning the empty base around us. "You see any cops around to arrest you? The rules, Amelia... they burned up right along with the world. I'd rather you be safe than sorry."

I nodded curtly, laying the uniform aside in the truck bed for later. The waiting game began, our eyes fixed on the storage buildings until Echo finally emerged.