The Revival

04| New Introductions

As Nathan sits up groggily he's pleased to find that he can actually see the space in front of him. Not that there is much to look at, though. The insides of his tent only contain a blow-up mattress, which he's currently lounging uncomfortably on, and two overflowing backpacks. Currently, Nathan finds himself staring at the zipper door, a single flap open to let in some of the fresh afternoon air.

Though he doesn't believe he'll be able to succeed, Nathan attempts to stand on his feet, pushing himself with weak arms off of the bed. The mattress in question dips underneath his hands, sinking almost completely to the ground with the pressure. Still, though, Nathan grunts his way into a standing position, pressing a concerned hand to the side of his stomach.

As he tries to make his way towards the door opening, Nathan relies heavily on his right leg to carry his full weight, feeling a searing pain shoot up his left with every step. With enough effort he finally manages to make it to the zipper, using the hand not clutching his side in anguish to undo it the rest of the way. Not willing to kneel down and unzip the door in its entirety, Nathan only opens it enough to climb out, trying his hardest not to fall.

Making his way out into the open, everything around Nathan comes to a stop as six sets of eyes come to rest on him. A girl that looks to be about his age comes rushing to his side, looping her arm through the one pressed against his side to lead him over to a log. Nathan doesn't question the gesture, happy to have someone to take some of the weight off of his movements.

"I can't believe the poor guy is moving," a man says, letting out a low whistle of surprise. Nathan turns his head to meet the source of the noise, gaining a small nod of respect from the voice in question. "I thought for sure you were going to die in there."

"That makes two of us," Nathan mutters under his breath, his words strained as they leave his lips. Nathan's throat is so dry he's surprised he gets out any words at all, let alone a whole sentence.

The girl next to him seems to notice the struggle in his voice as well, leaving him alone on the log for a moment before returning with a thermos of water clutched tightly in her hands. Without a word she lifts it up to his lips and helps him begin to drink. Nathan lets the girl assist him in drinking every last drop, his throat only feeling marginally better after the contents are long gone. Right now it didn't feel like any amount of water in the world could cure him.

Taking an extra moment to regain himself, Nathan finally allows his eyes to take in each individual in front of him. None of them are familiar, but everyone looks concerned. "Who are you people?" Nathan asks them this slowly, surprised to find that his speech has actually improved.

"I'm Tyrone, but my family just calls me Ty. I was the one who found you a couple weeks back." He looks to be in his mid-twenties, but Nathan can't quite tell from all the way across the campsite. When he lifts his hand up in a friendly wave, Nathan takes note of his official military uniform.

He can't help but wonder if Ty ever knew Jacob.

Moving on, the woman sitting by the bag of food speaks up next. "I'm Simone. I was the one who didn't find you." All Simone does is give him a small nod of acknowledgement, getting to her feet to stand by the man closest to Nathan and handing him over a piece of jerky.

"I'm Craig. Nice to see you awake, son." As the man speaks, he takes the jerky from Simone's hands with a grateful smile, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "And the boy right over there is Lex, Simone's son."

Upon hearing his name, Lex lifts his head from the ground and smiles, giving Nathan a gracious nod. He too has a uniform on, leaving Nathan to wonder which side of the battle these people were really on. They hadn't harmed him yet, and had even nursed him back to health. Could they really be on the side of the Rats? Or worse yet, the Revival?