Finding A Safe Haven

Chapter Nine

"Then we are on the same side", the one wearing a zebra printed bonnet waved his hand around on their base. "Welcome to the Force"

"Force?", I asked in confusion, and not after long did Takumi blurted out a question that would make everyone walking by turned to the two of us.

Could what he said be the truth?

"I thought this group was a ghost"

The one beside the first guy stepped forward, his hands coming down to the holters of his belt where a gun is strapped. His sharp gaze unnerved you in a way when it eyed you before going to Takumi's. "Do this place looks like a ghost town?"

He walked closer, looking at our faces and circled us, examining and judging Takumi and I like we're in some kind of military conduct. Then he stopped to asks the question I can never know if it's the way to get us here on board.

"How many zombies have you two killed?"

Takumi was the one who answers first. "Too many to count"

He nodded a little and went to speak to you, he is so close now from where you stand. "How about you? How many?"

I looked at K and I found him wanting for me to tell the truth in his eyes. Behind him, I could see Aera being approached by the girl who brought us here and a boy offering her a juice pack.

"Not a lot, but I already know how to kill to protect myself enough", I fought the gaze of that guy with the same intensity.

He seemed satisfied with my answer, nodding a little towards the two guys behind him, one wearing a black sweater and the other one, the bonnet head.

He began asking again. "How many people have you killed?"

It was a question I do not have an answer to and as I think about it now, I don't have the guts to kill living people. Unless, the desperate situation calls for it. And now, my ears perked up at Takumi's turn.

He is truly the survivor I know.

"Five", he spoked out, like it doesn't carry a heavy point. And he did not dare to look at me even if I'm looking at him in question.

The interrogator grins. "Why?", he asked.

Why? Why does it feels like even to this day, I still don't know many things about Takumi?

His full name was something he could never even give me.

"Why?", his voice seems to be in disbelief at the kind of question. "Why did I kill at all? When they were not zombies and is breathing?"

The guy doesn't seem to like the obvious sarcasm. "Tell me or you and that girl will find yourself out of here"

"I had to. I had to kill them in order to save my brother", Takumi replied and I can see him clenching both of his fists on his side to which the guy did not fail to notice.

He then turned to the other two who have been suspiciously quiet the whole time. "They seem okay enough to be part of our Force especially this fella", he pointed to Takumi who moved closer to me. "I like him. His face and everything"

It's too shocking for me when I felt his hand squeeze mine in reassurance for a second and remain stoic when the guy faced back again at the two of us, an infuriating smile on his face. Or was it supposed to be friendly?

I couldn't be sure. Everything is uncertain now no matter how I tried for any part of my life to be sure, it'll always throw a problem or worse, a zombie. And now this.

"Jay Sanders at your service", the guy finally introduced himself, extending out his hand to Takumi and I don't know if it had been my imagination but there's a hint of admiration in his eyes. "I am the owner of this base and this two...", he urged for them to go forward.

"...can introduce themselves to you because I have something better to do", he ended then left, entering the door from the porch, where several calls for his name can be heard inside.

Shaking his head on Jay's hasty exit, the one wearing bonnet returned his attention on you completely. "My name is Ethan, I'm the leader of this misfits and this one here is the second in command, Jake"

The Jake guy only gives us a shy smile.

They seemed nice enough, I thought. Their faces were of the ones I think could be trusted and what with the other teenagers working their ass off in all corners showed that they had this place fully controlled and assembled in every assign jobs.

Leaving Takumi to listen to them, I let my eyes roamed in the whole promises, my heart feeling lighter as I saw a large field peeking from behind the big house, a small plantation next to it, storeroom next to wooden huts and there it was, a small pond in the grove further in sight.

And further behind of all the section, a barn with pigs playing in the mud, making me think of a 'bacon' the instant I see it. I couldn't help it when these days, all we could scavenge was canned foods nearing their expiration.

"Seeing to it that I already told you everything you need to know about us", I return to the conversation between Takumi and Etham who waved for Jake. "I have to cut this meeting short for I have a plan to study and he'll show you around instead"

Jake nodded towards the older guy before Ethan walks off, entering the same door as Jay and the second-in-command walk forwards, glancing at the two of you.

"Follow me newcomers. I'll give you a tour", he says, clasping his hands around his back. "While it happens, I'd like to ask some question. Is that okay?"

Takumi and I began to follow him, Aera who was talking from the girl before runs towards the two of us. The smile on her face was so big I couldn't resists to take her up my arms and saw Jake looking at her curiously.

"Is she your sister or?", he gaves Takumi a look and the latter doesn't look impress at his insuniation. "Oh, right.. just her sist-"

"We only met her one day alone, nearly killed by a pack of zombies", I told him.

Jake brightens. "So you were kind of her saviour?" Then his smile faded. "Wish I could do the same for my bestfriend"

There is a slight hint of regret and you know better than to ask. Except for somebody who doesn't care about privacy.

"What happen to your bestfriend? Killed or taken by then?", Takumi asked with no nonsense voice.

Jake startled out Ara out of his sudden kick in the wall we walked by. "Taken along the others and now they must be treated like an animal lab rats there"

Then Takumi asks again. "What's his name?"

"Benjamin"

My feet had stopped, hearing a very familiar name from my past. Is it him? Or just another guy who had the same name? It couldn't be. I wasn't even supposed to think of some people from the past, it'll only bring me hurtful memories.

Within an hour, Jake tells to us how this small community is working despite of them all being young. Everyone has a job to play. No slackers allowed. Night guards is appointed to almost everyone led by a guy named Leo. Training sessions for athletics by Joshua. The surveillance group monitoring the outside by Jay Sanders.

And the last, the one I was interested about. The scavengers group led by the girl named Hannah.

"She will be the one leading you to your rooms", Jake informed the two of you, reaching the end of the tour. "As much as I want to stay, I need to help the leader with something"

"To help with what?", Takumi questioned.

"Nothing you need to know about", Jake murmured before turning on his back and called for the girl. "Hannah, come here"

Nothing you need to know about? Something is not quite right in that statement. Takumi must have seen my expression because he too looks so confused and a little suspicious.

"Do you think its safe here?", I murmured and can't stop the smile on my face at Aera.

He hesitantly looked around. "I don't know. All of this many people in our age in one place yet no one of them has his face"

I nodded a bit, feeling the nerves hit me as I remembered I still didn't reveal the truth of Takashi and before I can try opening my mouth, like from the previous tries, there is an intervention in the form of the girl who brought us here approach.

Now that I have more time to look at her, I noticed the long sword strapped behind her back.

"The newcomers that I brought here", was her greetings giving you a welcoming smile after Jake excuses himself. "You've already been briefed, I hope?"

I nodded, clueless on how I should act around here.

Smiling still, she looked at Takumi then to Aera waving at her cheerfully. "Follow me and we'll get your tired bodies a room"

We followed her inside one of the doors available in the mansion, my eyes watching the rooms we walked passed and most of them occupied by teeangers, doing their tasks where they were so busy - they didn't even look at our way.

Once we got onto the second floor, Hannah stops at the farthest door, and motioned inside the room with metal boarded windows, a double-bed and thankfully, it had its own bathroom.

"This is only the available one in this floor and the others were already occupied", she then close in on one of the cabinets, making me and Takumi exchanged surprised look at what's inside.

Guns and bullets. Lots and lots of it were there for us to use at our own will.

She picked up a small knife and unceremoniously throws it at my way. "We're making sure every rooms here is full of this", she paused, nerved by the glare Takumi had thrown to her when he was the one who caught the knife.

"....just in case something happens"

He didn't care about that. "Did you really have to do it? Can't you see she's holding a kid?"

She only shrugged. "You needed to be alert here at all times and well, it was just a test. It's not like that's the worst that can happen"

Taking a step into the new room, I ignored the tension between the two, tossing my bag into one of the beds and settled Aera who jumped on it, cheering me up a little.

"Do you like it here?", I asked her, removing some of the dirt leaves in her hair.

She nodded a little, smiling. "Yes, I loved how there's so many people here and they were all friendly to me!"

"Did you already make friends that fast?"

"Yes. To that girl", Aera pointed to Hannah "And a boy named Joshua, he said that was his name"

When I looked back at the girl, she slumped herself against the door frame watching the kid in interest while Takumi let himself fall on the other bed, silent and eyes on the ceiling, clearly thinking.

And then it was silent for a moment, letting me know the other person was a stranger along the new place we find ourselves at. Could we ever be safe here?

Hannah breaks the quietness with a question. "My group will go in the run later. Did perhaps any of you wanted for me to look for something?"

"Look for my brother and I'll thank you with my life", Takumi spoked out, still staring at the ceiling.

Knitting her eyebrows in confusion, Hannah turned to me instead. "Brother? What does it mean?"

Guess it's time for me to reveal when did I last saw his brother until I still have a chance. "Takashi, his brother he have lost and I once met with the two boys on the run before"

The result of my revelation was instant. Aera jumped in my lap at the shock she have gotten from Takumi who shots up from his bed and looked at me his eyes held a hint of betrayal and surprise.

"Is it for real? You know where he is and you haven't said a thing to me about him?", is what he said in anger before he shoots out of the room and Hannah watch him dubiously.

"I guess I should go now lest the situation got more problematic", she said leaving the room immediately and I don't know what to feel, hating it how Takumi didn't even let me explain first.

And once again, I'm back to the first days of the apocalypse, alone in my own mind. It leads for me think back on the first time I met Nicholas.

Right there, laying in the bed with Aera playing with my hair, I realised I miss him. I miss everything about him.

I even miss Takashi and Howard who I did fail in the end.

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"We're here, kids!"

The three of them looked away from the inviting water, their eyes shifting to where Rainier is waving to them while Zander controlled the boat, leading it towards the distant outline of the shore.

Two tall stone gates peek above the treeline and on top of it, there are barbwires wrapped around tightly and even this far, they could see some ripped clothes in there.

Probably from the zombies who attempted to get in.

"That's our home," Rainier says. "At least until this apocalypse is over and today, it will be yours as well"

All is quiet as the boat sails to the dock. The smell of salty sea air is invigorating in the three boy's nose. And for once, they think this could be some sort of paradise.

Being on the boat has been the most restful hours in the past few days the three of them could get. Now the anxiety is kicking for reaching land. Especially knowing land is where the zombies live.

As they stopped at the dock together, Nicholas looked to his two friends who were both jaw-dropped at the sight of their new home. They couldn't even muster any words to say. He kind of understood because even him, can't believe it.

"At last, I could think we could be safe in this place", he spoked out too soon.

Rainier turned to them. "Let's get everything inside fast. We don't know what will be waiting for us before we reached the gates. Help us carry all the weapons and supplies inside"

Without any complaints and still-too-dazed on what place they've found themselves in, the three obediently helped.

The five of them works hard to pull the many duffel bags, knapsacks and boxes out of the boat. The three boys were a little surprised the two men were a literal workhorse, heaving up the heaviest bags yet they were not staggering and they tried their best to keep up with the two.

As they approach the shore, the immense building looms beyond the stone gates and Nicholas imagines that once a King had reign there inside the castle. This building sits on a sloped hill surrounded by evergreen trees and brown foliage with several paths leading to the short dock.

Fortunately on their way to the gates, no creatures has appear other than a squirrel running back to his tree. In front of their new home, they could see three vehicles when Zander opened it up to see it's a black van, a pick up truck and a motorcycle.

"How did you manage to get this kind of place?", Nicholas wonder as the stone steps leads them up to double-carved woods and small camera swings back to their direction, giving him an impression there's someone inside.

Rainier answered. "We found a family here and they gladly let us in because of our former jobs"

"What kind of jobs? Military or police?", Takashi asked, looking at them still holding all the heaviest package.

"Military combatants", was Zander's answer before the two-wooden doors open wide and the five of them entered inside.

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