After The End

Chapter XII

The sun rose in the east as it always has. There was a cold brisk breeze in the autumn air as the sunrays began to peek through every crack and crevice. By now Gavin had been awake for a while as he prepared himself for the day. Once he kissed Grace goodbye, he walked outside to see the early birds had already started their day as well. As he walked down the street, he saw a small force preparing to head east. Nick was with them as he went in search of Kyle. As Gavin patrolled the city, he found Sarah and Xavier talking on their front porch. Gavin thought about approaching them but decided against it as he viewed Xavier in a sour way. As he continued walking, he saw Suzy preparing to go on a run with several others, however, she looked nervous as Scarlett was still looking for her. Finally, Gavin made it to Tyler's office. Gavin walked in and sat down in a seat near his desk. After a few minutes, Tyler walked in as he said, "Good morning Gavin. I know you're wondering why I asked you to come in today. It's because I have to let you know what is about to happen. As I'm sure you know from your 'friend' Xavier, we're planning an attack on the Islanders. It'll be a two-part operation. The first part will consist of several small groups locating and killing as many natives as they can. When they feel it's time, they will retreat and regroup in the hopes of luring them closer to the mainland. Once they're close enough, we will be sending in the majority of our forces onto the island. However, there are a few people of interest that we want to remain alive". Tyler then pulled out a file from a drawer within the desk. He handed Gavin the file as Gavin looked at the photos within. At first, he saw a small, darker skinned man who appeared to be standing on a beach with several people near him. Tyler said, "Our first target is a man simply known as Omar. Our scouts haven't been able to find out much about him other than he assumes the leadership role of the island. We want him alive simply to understand his motives and if he cooperates, we feel as though he could be a valuable resource to us". Gavin looked at the next photo which featured a tall, black man who appeared to be nothing but muscle. He appeared to be angered. Tyler said, "Jackson Foles. This is a lesser priority target but nonetheless, if we can incapacitate him, I would rather have him alive than dead. Although he carries a tough appearance, our spies have discovered he's extremely afraid of death by hostile. Or as you know it, being bitten. I feel like with the right methods, he can crack under pressure and tell us all we need to know". Finally, Gavin looked at the last picture, which was a picture of Ronny. Tyler said, "Finally, we have Ronny Patterson. Since you know him personally, a description isn't needed. However, we feel he's a priority target due to his survival skills. Our spies followed him on his travel in search of Jackson. Also, during the firefight, he proved effective with minimal weapon usage. We want to find the motives that push him to his limits. We also want to see what kind of reaction he'll have to seeing you". By now Gavin had full control over his anger, as he didn't even flinch when seeing Ronny's picture. Tyler said, "Now that you know everything, do you have any questions"? Gavin looked at Tyler and said, "When will Phase Three start"?

Meanwhile, on the island, everyone began to wake up after the partying and celebrations they had last night. Ronny didn't sleep at all as his head was filled with questions, as well as anger for both Omar and Jackson. Thomas hadn't slept either. Thomas said, "Do you think we might be fighting for the wrong side"? Ronny said, "Kyle told me my group was broken. That Mount Vernon wasn't what they had hoped. I think there is no right side in all of this". Thomas said, "What should we do"? Ronny simply walked out of his tent in search of Omar. Omar was sitting in the center of the village as he waited. Ronny said, "Omar, can we talk"? Omar smiled as he said, "Of course Ronny. But let's make this quick, I'm getting ready for our attack". Ronny looked around and said, "Do you wanna tell me about your human slaughterhouse"? Omar's smile faded as he pulled Ronny out of the village and said, "How do you know about that"? Ronny said, "So no one else here knows their eating humans"? Omar said, "Ronny, I told you. In this world, you had to do strange things to survive. What's more abundant than humans? Do you think I did this for fun before the world went to shit"? Ronny said, "You killed my friend". Omar was taken back by the statement as he said, "It's unfortunate that happened. But your friend was fighting for the wrong faction regardless". Ronny said, "And your only solution to that is to kill and eat them"? Omar said, "They're dangerous! We can't let them leave and if we kill them then they're just dead. Why die in vain when you could use them". Ronny said, "Not everyone is dangerous. My group is there. My whole group is there. We're not dangerous". Omar said, "You cannot speak for your whole group. At least your friend didn't die in vain. At least I didn't leave his corpse to rot in a forest". Ronny was disgusted, "Is this your twisted way of saying you were being nice"? Omar said, "I'm being nicer than those fucks at Mount Vernon. They'll kill you and leave you there. They won't bury you or cremate you. Even if your one of them and you die on the battlefield. They won't come back for your body or help you back if you're wounded. I know because we take the corpses back with us. I know it's fucked up Ronny, but it's the reality of our situation. And when this battle happens. I'm not gonna hold back on anyone, regardless if you know them or not. And if you try and stop me from protecting my people, I won't be afraid to kill you. You've been a great asset, Ronny, but don't think that makes you immune to my rules". Ronny was unsure what to say as Omar continued, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to rally my people". As Omar walked away, Ronny stood still, watching Omar walk back to the center of the village.