The Fight to Survive

Chapter 9: The Safe Zone

Chapter 9

Nick stared at the man in front of him for a few moments, observing everything about him. He was definitely military, that much Nick could tell by how he presented himself. He was an older man, probably in his late 50s, with short cut gray hair and a face that had a long scar running down across his right eye. His jaw was square, and his body was built like a machine. He was solid, and his arms looked as if they could rip a biter's head clean off of it's skull. Though he looked friendly, his face was stern and Nick had no doubt that this man was not someone he wanted on his bad side. Reluctantly, Nick reached out and shook the man's hand, feeling his firm grip and matching it with an equally firm shake, almost as if to show power.

"I take it you people have come a damn long way to be here. Fuck, you guys look like you've been through hell" the man said.

"We have. We've lost a lot of people trying to get here" Nick replied in a tone that almost said 'this better be fucking worth it'. The man picked up on this, and flashed a cocky smirk.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that shit anymore. Trust me, these walls will keep anyone out. The only people dying in here, are the ones we kill ourselves" He said. Nick didn't have time to react to this, as the man quickly changed topics.

"Damn, I've been rude haven't I? I'm sorry, my name is Sergeant Brown. I run this place. My boys and I set this place up in the beginning." He explained. As he did, he motioned for the group to enter. After a moment of silence, and reluctance, they stepped inside the gates, and as soon as the last person was through, the gate closed behind them, sealing them in and creating an impenetrable barrier between them and the outside world. As soon as they stepped in, Nick noticed that the area was anything but luxurious. It was a wide open field, with three large homes on the far end, and various small shops, mainly made out of rotten wood boards that resembled a shack, set up throughout the field, however nobody was manning them, and they didn't appear to be selling anything. The next thing Nick noticed was the tents. In one section of the field, a large cluster of tents was situated, and Nick had a feeling that those were the homes of most of the residents.

"This is it?" Zac said as he looked around. He had been expecting so much more out of the place which boasted safety and security. The walls were nice, but they didn't even have homes to live in. It looked like the only people living well were those in charge.

"Excuse me?" Sergeant Brown said, stopping in his tracks and turning to face Zac.

"The people live in tents? There's no homes, except for those three? This is bullshit" Zac said, clearly unimpressed.

"You better watch your fucking mouth. It's better than what you had out there, so quit bitchin" the Sergeant turned around and kept walking. Nick found it curious that there was no grand tour, but even more curious that there were barely any people around. Nick glanced over at Noah, who had the same look on his face. Something didn't feel right. Other than the people who greeted them, and a couple more armed guards by the gates, Nick saw nobody. No civilians. No women or children. He grabbed Kelsey's hand and slowed his pace, creating slightly more distance between himself and the armed men leading them through the area.

"I don't like this Kelsey" He whispered in her ear. He kissed her on the cheek, to make it seem like they were having a casual conversation.

"I don't either. Something is wrong. And I definitely don't see a doctor." Kelsey replied. The worry was now clear on everyone's face, as they approached the only other building that was in the area.

"Where is everyone?" Jack asked, speaking up as the group came to a halt by the entrance to the building. It was worn down, and was located right on the wall, essentially becoming a part of the barrier keeping the rest of the world out.