Chapter 3

On the way to Caro's supposed safe-hold I couldn't help but to think about how easily his team was able to dispatch the mutant we encountered. The precision surprised me, their teamwork made it seem like an easy task.

Do they always have someone on watch, or was it because their leader was out in the forest? I thought to myself. Something about this seemed too perfect, like it was only a front to something much darker.

Is it Caro I don't trust? No, if it was him then I wouldn't have bothered coming all the way across this damned country to get to the community. I scanned the scenery around me, unable to get rid of the uneasy feeling in my chest. Maybe it's just the group, maybe they're hiding something from even their leader. That would explain this feeling. A voice and an arm around my shoulder made me jolt slightly, my thoughts having made me zone out slightly. I looked over to see it was Caro who had put his arm on my shoulder, his face expecting a response. "I'm sorry, I was a bit..." I paused, "spaced out, can you repeat that?" I smiled shyly a bit embarrassed to have been caught off guard

He chuckled and repeated himself "I said, how long have you been on your own?" His eyes gazed into my own, practically looking into my soul. It suddenly felt impossible to not trust him.

"I've been alone since the beginning, not counting a few times I traveled with someone that had a common destination," I broke his gaze, feeling a bit uncomfortable about telling details of myself. "What made you decide you wanted to create a group, not to mention lead it?"

He kept his arm around me and cleared his throat. "Well... I think it's still possible to get past this shit storm we're living in now, so I made the step to try and make civilization again. Eventually the mutants that were created by whatever the fuck was in those bombs will all be killed, as long as we keep them from infecting us that is." His face light up suddenly and he looked forward, "We're here Gale!"

I looked ahead and saw a few small cement buildings with various species on the rooftops with rifles. So he does keep the place guarded! I smiled and looked towards him, "So this is that community of yours! A bit smaller than I expected to be completely honest."

He laughed and shook his head slightly, "They all say that at first, don't worry the buildings are just the start, they all lead to underground sanctuaries we built for ourselves." As we neared one of the first buildings he looked up at the guards on the roof. "No worries boys," He turned towards a female cheetah in a tank, jean shorts, and combat boots, "And girls! This here is Gale, he's a friendly! Possibly even a new addition to our community!"

I nodded at them in acknowledgement. They smiled but never lowered their weapons, not the most comforting thing to have a gun pointed at you. Caro finally took his arm off of me and turned to me with the most genuine smile I had seen in awhile and said with excitement, "Welcome to Blackburn! The beginning of civilization!"

I walked into the building, Caro entering behind me. Could this be it? Is this place really safe? Do I want this to become my new home....?

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