Lost in the Echo (Major Revisions in progress!)

The New Group

"Welcome to my home." Dash said to us walking backwards, arms outstretched. He was glad he could say that, it seemed. 'Not many visitors?' I thought as I slowly followed the boy. Everyone stared at us and whispered amongst themselves. 'Whispering make a come back or something?' These people seemed to live for it.

"Your boss, we should go there." I said in a sort of pushy tone. I didn't want to be out in the open more than I had to be. Dash nodded and started walking fast through a crowd that had gathered.

The strike team walked into the crowd and dispersed everyone. Reluctantly they all went back to what they were originally doing before they stopped and stared.

"Autumn, stay close." I whispered as I pulled her back to me. "This place isn't ours, we need to be extra cautious."

"Says the person that got us shot at." She answered as she pulled her arm from my grasp and caught up with Dash. 'They attack us I'm saying I told you so.'

We went through a set of double doors that once belonged to a school. The hallway was dimly lit and echoed with the sound of leaking pipes, but in smelt of honey and sweet tea.

"Did schools always smell so sweet?" I muttered. The women beside me chuckled. "So I'm not the only one that thinks so?"

"Its to mask the stench of death." She responded shaking her head.

"Oh..." That didn't help me put my mind at ease.

"Down the hall there is our morgue, basically. We take the infected bodies elsewhere to burn." She explained pointing to a fork in the hall up ahead.

Before the fork we went through a door to what looked like an office, just with a major hole in the wall.

"Just through the double doors there, is X." Dash said excitedly.

"X?" Autumn asked curiously. Finally showing some sort of feeling besides excitement. That girl drives me up the wall sometimes.

"That's his name. That's what we've called him since the beginning," Dash replied looking back at her.

"But that's just a letter silly." Autumn goggled. He smiled a bit and opened the door.

"It may be just a letter, but there's a story behind it. There always is." A strange, tall but stalking man, about forty-something, said standing against the back wall smiling at us. It made me tense, but Autumn being Autumn said hi and went to shake his hand. 'You're going to be the death of me Autie...' I thought watching her smile and listening to her talk.

Every time Autumn met someone new, she HAD to tell them basically her life story. Only problem is she's still alive. There's more story to be told. I pity the poor soul that gets stuck with her in the afterlife. Knowing my luck, it's gonna be me...

"X, I brought you two women that wish to be taken in. In exchange this one, I do not know her name, will teach us how to shoot. She will train us to use our weapons. Correctly." Dash said with his even more excitement in his eyes.

"One. I will find my own place. I don't do well with crowds." I admitted, almost instantly regretting it as I glanced over at Autumn and got nothing but evil stares.

"Nonsense. You both are welcome, but you must first pass our test." X, as they called him, said calmly and friendly like. I shook my head but was only met with more evil stares from Autumn and sad pleas from Dash. 'What kind of test?'

"Oh? And what's this test?" I shifted my weight to my right hip and crossed my arms. He smiled as he looked me over. That didn't sit right with me...

"A test of trust. To see if we can trust you with our lives. And thus seeing if you can trust us with yours." He said as he stood up then leaned over his desk using his arms to keep him up. I stayed where I was but everyone else shuffled a little uneasily.

"And if you can't?"

"We will show you the door." He replied smiling.

"And kill us while we have our backs turned then raid our bodies for what you need or want." I finished then walked over to his desk. "You can't truly think I'm that stupid or naïve. Please, that insults the both of us. Wise leader." I mocked a little. His smiled dissipated and I could hear Autumns discontent with my statement.

"Syl.." She began.

"No Autumn. He can't truly think us that dumb." interrupting her gave me a sort of joy. "So, what are your true intentions?" I stared at X and he stared back.

"There is a rival gang, the Sirens. We need fighters. However, we would be sending everyone to their demise." He explained.

"So you need expendable people to throw at your opposition."

"That's part of it. I hear you took on five people and took them all to the ground, with only a bow and unarmed at that. You have skill and I want to put it to good use." X finally said.

"Expendable and skillful. That's what you take me for?" I questioned.

"You're also a woman. We are in dire need of those. If you look around many of ours are too young to safely bare children." He snapped his fingers and two larger men came up from behind us and grabbed our arms. 'So we are their toys now are we? I don't think so'

Quickly I kicked back and hit the one holding my arms right between the legs making him let go and ran to Autumn. I jumped up and kicked him square in the jaw, freeing her. Then things got a bit more interesting when a group of tall, muscular men surrounded us and blocked any path of escape. 'Shit.'