THE NEXT MORNING THE FORMER STUDENTS WERE IN FOR QUITE THE SURPRISE. They had all resumed the daily course of life as normally as they could after the abrupt departure of Clementine and AJ, as well as the manifestation of the recent events. Mallory had pushed aside her deeply woven grief for the time being to help Violet find out the next plan of action.
It had to have been Autumn, with the breezy chills that swept through the courtyard even though the sun was bright in the sky. Soon enough Mallory figured that the leaves would start changing as well if she guessed correctly. However, she also knew that if they were entering the colder seasons that meant winter wouldn't be long now. They would have to try harder to find food when it was already proving challenging. Most animals would disappear until spring rolled around, and she feared what would happen if they didn't plan ahead.
"I say we get rid of the safe zone and branch out farther into the woods," Mallory declared. "There could be a whole area of untouched land that is booming with animals. Of course, if we did this, we'd have to start sending out the strongest who can survive staying out in the woods a couple of nights if needed."
"That doesn't give us a lot of options," Violet mumbled. "Most of us are too young."
"So we alternate. Groups of 3 or 4. That leaves two of our oldest to help run things here." Mallory stated matter-of-factly. She had no idea what she was doing, but she was trying and she hoped the others would appreciate that. "Or we start finding or making weapons and training everyone. Even if they stay back, they're gonna need to know how to defend themselves."
Violet was silent as she scanned the courtyard. Mallory could tell she hated the idea of forcing the youngest to fight, as she did too, but she didn't know what other options they had. If there was a chance that someone older died, then she needed to be content that people like Willy or Tenn wouldn't be left defenseless. Hell, even she acted on a whim when it came to attacking anything other than the undead. They never had run-ins with a member of another unfamiliar group, that guy at the train station was the first she had ever actually injured.
They had been lucky so far, but with recent events Mallory understood that they had to evolve if they were going to survive any longer. This world was unforgiving, and losing two of their most precious members on the same night proved that. Sometimes it was easy to forget what kind of world they were living in, considering the shelter they had and the somewhat peaceful days.
