Zombie survivor

[94] The turning point

The group of survivors dragged Jean and his team into what looked like an old meeting room. A long, dusty table sat in the center, surrounded by mismatched chairs. The windows were boarded up, allowing only thin shafts of sunlight to filter through the cracks. Jean's team was forced into chairs at gunpoint, with the surrounding survivors keeping their weapons trained on them.

The man with the crowbar, who appeared to be the leader, leaned against the table, his eyes narrowing as he studied them. "Alright, start talking. Where the fuck are you from?"

Jean exchanged a glance with his group. Akira's hands gripped the edges of her chair tightly, her knuckles white. Chloe sat rigidly, her jaw clenched. Evan looked like he was about to pass out, and Blake adjusted his glasses nervously.

Jean cleared his throat, keeping his voice steady. "We're from East Kelowna. We're part of a scavenging team."

The leader raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "East Kelowna? You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Jean said firmly. "We're not raiders or anything like that. We're just trying to survive."

One of the other survivors, a wiry man with a machete, snorted. "You don't look like raiders, that's for sure. More like a bunch of scared little shits."

"Exactly," Chloe muttered under her breath. "Because we're not raiders."

The leader's gaze lingered on her for a moment before shifting back to Jean. "If you're from East Kelowna, why the hell are you here? What do you want?"

Jean hesitated for a moment, trying to gauge their reaction. "We were scavenging for supplies. Food, medicine, anything useful. We didn't know anyone was here."

The room fell silent for a moment as the survivors exchanged glances. The tension was thick, but it seemed to be easing slightly.

The leader let out a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand across his face. "Alright, say we believe you. Why aren't you just staying in East Kelowna if it's so great?"

Jean hesitated before deciding to push for more information. "I could ask you the same thing. Why are you still here? This place isn't exactly safe."

The leader frowned, his grip tightening on the crowbar. "You think it's safer out there? You never know when you're gonna run into raiders—or worse. Staying put is the only way to survive."

Jean leaned forward slightly, his expression earnest. "It doesn't have to be. East Kelowna's rebuilding. They need people to help. There's a scavenging team—about twenty of us. We can escort you back. Strength in numbers."

The room erupted into laughter, the kind that wasn't entirely amused. The wiry man with the machete shook his head, grinning. "Yeah, right. East Kelowna didn't let us in before. What makes you think they're gonna roll out the welcome mat now?"

Jean furrowed his brow. "They didn't let you in?"

"Nope," another woman said, her tone bitter. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. "We tried. A week ago, when we heard about the place. But they turned us away. Said they couldn't take in more mouths to feed."

"That was a week ago," Jean said quickly. "East Kelowna was hit by raiders around the same time. I bet things have changed since then."

The leader's eyes narrowed. "What do you know about that?"

Jean glanced at his team. "We joined up with East Kelowna four days ago. They were hit hard, but they're trying to rebuild. They need people—more hands to work, more scavengers to bring in supplies. If you came with us, they'd take you in."