The Infected

A Decision To Be Made

Today is the day. I have been a free agent working with both Team Awesome and Pandemic since the two tribes where established following the fall. I work with both tribes helping them trade much needed supplies. The infected now outnumber the humans at least ten to one and both groups are struggling. A few weeks back, I suggested to Michael, the leader of Pandemic, that it might be time to form an alliance with Team Awesome who I normally just call Awesome. I'm starting to think that the only way we are going to survive is if all the remaining humans come together. We can't keep fighting each other and the infected; it's a waste of resources. Much to my surprise, Michael agreed with me. First thing this morning, I set out and headed for Awesome's camp, it's located about two miles from the outskirts of Pandemic's camp where I have been staying for the past few weeks.

The sun has just reached the treetops as I reach the each of the camp. A fence runs around the outside of the camp. Before the rise of the infected, this was just your standard suburban neighborhood. Most of the houses had vinyl siding and were of a similar layout and design. I mean it wasn't anything special then, but now held one of the last remaining human encampments. The fence was relatively simple, but this morning I couldn't help but marvel at its ingenuity. The survivors had repurposed their dog-eared privacy fences by sharpening the tops of the boards. This created spikes all around their camp to serve as a way to deter the infected. I knew that this fence was only the initial layer of defense Awesome had. I reached the gate and knocked four times. This was the signal for the gate to be opened. I heard the gate creak as the guard pulled the gate open. He swiftly closed the gate behind me and without saying a word went back to his patrol.

I continued into the heart of camp passing people busy at work tending their gardens and working on food storage and weapons maintenance. It truly was amazing what this community had accomplished in the few short months since the fall. I made my way to the central control room. They had rewired the old home security cameras to monitor the perimeter of the camp for any breaches. I always enjoyed visiting the control room when I was in Awesome's camp. I entered the control room and quickly looked around to see who was working today. I was excited to see that Sam was working. Sam had been in her last semester of college as a computer science major when the pandemic broke out. She stood at around 5 feet tall and was a very petite person, but it was clear she was in control of the room. "Hey Sam", I said as I entered the room, "How is the defense looking today?" She looked up from the screens in front of her startled. I wasn't supposed to be in Awesome's camp for at least another week. "Jordan!" she replied "I would say that everything looks clear, but considering I missed your entrance into camp, I'm not sure I would trust me right now". I couldn't help but be enthralled by her emerald green eyes. She called someone else over and asked him to take over the control room while she stepped out for a while. I tried to tell her that she really didn't need to leave the control room just because I was in camp. We had become really good friends since the fall. She was originally from Syracuse, New York but ended up stranded in Charleston after the first wave of the virus without any way to get home. I found her a few days after the fall fighting off two infected who had trapped her in her apartment while I was doing a sweep for survivors. I figured she would fit in best with Team Awesome so I brought her to their camp. She's the one who set up their surveillance system and keeps it up and running. She really is a genius when it comes to anything technology related.

As we started walking towards headquarters she asked "Why are you in camp so soon? I mean I'm glad to see you, but you normally only stop by every two weeks." I couldn't tell her the real reason I was here; it would only scare her. "I need to talk with Carter" I said. I then giggled and added "though I'm glad to see that you're keeping up with when I come to camp." She blushed slightly and turned away. I knew that she had a crush on me and if I was being honest, I liked her back, but now wasn't the time for a relationship. It was just too risky and there were too many other things to worry about. We finally reached headquarters, it was on the back of the control room, but we had walked the long way around and taken a couple of detours so that we could catch up some. Sam bragged about how she had changed the layout of the cameras to maximize their coverage after one camera went out last week and how she had set up a power storage bank so that they could harness their excess solar energy. I loved when she talked all nerdy. Now I had work to do. As I knocked on the door to headquarters, I said, "get back to work Sam, I wouldn't want there to be a breach because you were slacking off with me." She laughed and made me promise that I wouldn't leave camp without stopping by to see her. I nodded my head as she scampered back to the control room, her blonde ponytail blowing in the wind.

Just then the door opened, it was Ben, Carter's head of defense. "What are you doing here?" he said angrily. Ben really didn't like me. I calmly replied and asked to speak to Carter. He slammed the door in my face, and I overheard him say to Carter "That annoying two-timing trader is here". A few seconds later the door opened, this time it was Carter. "I have a message from Michael" I asserted, "I need to talk to you alone." Carter nodded and asked Ben to leave the room and then held the door open for me to enter. I tried to remain calm, I'd never been in such a crucial position before. I mean sure I had negotiated between the two tribes before, but this time felt more important, this time the fate of the human race might depend on what I said. 

A/N: Please leave a comment if you see where I've made any errors. I love to tell stories but my grammar isn't always great. I'm going to try and update at least once a week. Please let me know what you think.