"Jess, look." Drew points ahead of us. I turn my body to look forward and see a giant camp. There's barbed wire fence surrounding it. The camp is filled with posts to tie up your horses, stalls with every kind of merchandise, tents everywhere, even a couple buildings are standing, the list goes on and on.
Our horses pace are both at a matching trot. We glance at each other and then back to the camp, "We'll need somewhere to stay the night." I say quietly to Drew.
"What if they don't let us stay?" Drew asks.
"I'm sure we can give them something in return." I suggest.
Drew shrugs, "Worth a shot."
We trot through a gap in the barbed wire fence that looks like the entrance. Almost everyone we pass gives us kind, welcoming looks. Our horses hold their heads high as we trot on through the giant camp. Some children run past us and some people ride their own horses past us.
"Who do you think is in charge?" I whisper to Drew.
"I don't see a main building, or uniforms. Also, no one who looks like they would be in charge." Drew reports back as if I can't see that, "What do you say we ask someone, rather than marching through like we're about to kill everyone soon."
I chuckle, "Fine."
I stop my horse and climb off, before grabbing the reins. Drew does the same. We both lead our horses through the camp and I spot an old lady, sitting with crossed legs outside of a tent. She knits some black gloves and in a large pile is every piece of clothing, of every colour, of every size beside her.
I slowly walk my horse over to her and stop in front of her, "Excuse me?" I say. She looks up at me with kind eyes.
"Hello, young lady. What piece of clothing would you like? I'll take any trade." She gestures to the pile of clothes beside her.
"Sorry, we aren't looking to buy some clothes." Drew says quickly.
"We were just wondering who your leader is here and what sector this is?" I ask her, kneeling down in front of her.
She puts down her knitting, "Ah... I see. You're new here." She realises, taking off a necklace from around her neck. It's her code. She hands it to me. I take it and read it:
Sector: 7
Leader: N/A
Name: Susan
Last Name: Willow
"No leader?" I ask, confused.
"What?" Drew takes the code from me and reads it.
"Oh, everyone is the leader." Susan confirms. I give her a confused look, "This is sector 7, we've never had a leader. We would rather peace and equality, over a big boss and being ordered around." She nods while speaking. Drew hands her code back and she puts it back around her neck.
"Are we able to stay here the night then?" I ask.
"Oh, of course. We welcome anyone who means no harm." She smiles at us kindly.
"Thanks." Me and Drew say in unison.
"There is a couple spare tents near the edge of camp." Susan says.
Me and Drew nod, before turning, "Thank you, Susan." I say to her again quickly. We both get back on our horses and ride around the edge of the camp.
"Well, that's convenient." Drew says, while trotting beside me.
"I have a bad feeling about this." I say, looking down at my black and white pinto.
"Why? They all seem so kind and welcoming." Drew says, looking my way.
YOU ARE READING
The Dark Side
ActionA click sounds from somewhere and within seconds everything around me sets on fire. I step back and hear the roaring flames from all around me. But, when I step back there's a harsh gust of wind in my direction. I glance behind me and see the fire o...
