Someone had slapped together a bunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The jelly was keeping well enough, and people kept bringing back peanut butter jars for some reason. There were almost 100 unopened jars stacked in a corner of Washaki. There were boxes and boxes of fruit gummies to augment the snack. It was like a middle school lunch.

Aside from those back to eat lunch, and those too lazy or scared to wander around, the dorms were pretty deserted. Ava had really whipped up the looting lust in the residents. Edwin found it odd that she was absent from the dorms herself. He was pretty sure she had spent the last couple days around the premises.

After lunch, Edwin split ways with Dan and the other’s Ava had attached to their group. Dan was on duty, fixing up people who staggered back to the dorms, injured from run-ins with the owls, or the centaurs. More than a few groups had decided to risk the owl hell hole that Prexy’s Pasture had become. Edwin could not understand why. That was about the last place he was willing to go right now. And apparently the centaurs were roaming the streets anywhere north of Grand Ave. To hear others tell it, there was an ambush around every corner that way.

Edwin left with his crew in tow. Their destination was the hospital. He felt obligated to tell Chuck the news about the police camp. The camp was overrun and the police sent fleeing to who knows where. Any protection plans they might have shared with Chuck were as good as dead right now. It would give them time to figure out how to manage going forward without waiting to be rescued.

They cut through the buildings in a north-eastern line towards the hospital, passing by the large sports stadium and several smaller sections of student housing. They arrived without issue and greeted Chuck at the door. The people sheltering at the hospital gathered in the entrance hall as word spread of their arrival.

Edwin shared the news and an uproar swept the crowd. No one wanted to believe that the police were not going to save them. After all, those officers had already promised aid was on its way. Edwin suspected that the hospital’s situation was getting dire. They were probably running out of food, and sanitation was going to be a huge issue with this many people and no one really leaving the building. The news he brought would loom over some of them like a death sentence. And they reacted accordingly. Angry shouting and harsh denials. Several people started to yell insults at him. As if it was his fault.

Chuck stepped up next to him and yelled, “quiet! Quiet down now.” The crowd simmered down, if only momentarily to listen to Chuck. “What in the hell are you all crying about!” Chuck pointed at a man who looked ready to start shouting again. “No Jerry. This is not how we do things. No more shouting, no more whining. Buck up. It’s time to put our boots on and get to work. It’s time now that we get to surviving.”

Chuck's words shifted the mood. He delivered them hope however meager. Edwin backed away, and Chuck turned to look at him. “We are going to be on our way, if you guys need help or something, you know where to find us,” Edwin said before turning and motioning for his group to follow.

It was past noon and the sun was high overhead. The breeze was at a minimum and Edwin felt the heat beating down on him. Beds of sweat dripped off his forehead. His backpack, which he had loaded with half a dozen things that might be useful, now seemed too full, too heavy. His back was slick where it pressed against him.

The group did their best to keep their attention sharp, but they were closing in on the dorms and their lunches were really settling in their stomachs. A nap sounded sublime at that moment. As such their wariness lessened, eyes drooped and gazes shifted downward. They trudged on in silence with their thoughts pleasantly back at the shaded dorm.

The dorms came into sight and it was crowded once more. As they got closer they noticed Ava standing among a knot of people. Where she pointed people set out to carry sandbags into position. Barbed wire was being strung across the road between the buildings. Several groups were trying to haul large chunks of rubble from the ruins of Orr Hall. They had ropes secured around the chunks and teams were working to move the debris. Ava had kickstarted the residents into fortifying the perimeter.

People exchanged greetings with Jason and LJ and they passed by. There were several U-Haul trucks parked near the center of the open space and people were pulling supplies out of the open backs. The bustling activity drove thoughts of leisure from their minds. While plenty of people were resting in the shade, most were working hard.

Edwin was planning to take a break and relax for a bit but now he felt he should get out and move again. The police camp was going to be prime loot right now and the longer he waited to approach it the more chance scavengers would have to pick at it. If nothing else he really wanted to find more 9mm ammo. He turned to address his team.

“Hey guys, gather up real quick.” They formed a loose semi circle in front of him. “So, I’m planning to head back out, and see if I can pick over what’s left of that police base camp. I figure there will be some useful stuff there.You’re free to hang around and join the people working here, or come with me if you want.”

Someone called out to Jason, a guy Edwin didn’t recognize came running over and shoved a half-full plastic bottle into his hands. A fifth of rum, courtesy of Captain Morgan. Shaun perked up and stepped closer. Jason seemed conflicted for a second, before he half stifled a groan and unscrewed the bottle.

“Looks like I’ll be hanging around here,” Jason said before upending the bottle and taking several large gulps from it in one go. He smacked his lips and burped before thrusting the bottle in Shaun’s eager hands. Who’s eyes were glinting with anticipation. LJ took the bottle after Shaun, and Edwin turned to Teresa. She shrugged and said, “I’ll go with you.” That was one person, and Zoey chimed in that she would go as well.

LJ proffered the bottle to Edwin but he turned it down. He needed to run up to his room. He told Teresa and Zoey to go grab anything they needed and then to meet him by the bus stop over on Grand, just next to the dorms.

Edwin walked quickly towards White Hall. He bounded up the stairs to his room and unlocked it. Stepping in put his shield and spear by the door and unslung his backpack. Opening his closest he tossed a crumpled black sports duffle bag at his door where it fell in a heap. Stashed high up in his closet on a shelf was a box. He took it down and grabbed the smaller box inside. It was half empty, and contained the rest of his ammo supplies. It rattled gently as he stuffed it into his backpack. Edwin was worried about the noise but he would rather be safe than sorry. He had already spent a third of his ammo on those squirrels, gone in a flash. He had previously had enough magazines for him and Zoey to each have two, and they had swapped to the second one each was carrying. He would make sure she reloaded her other one before they set out.

One last check had Edwin spot a blue bottle on the counter next to the door. It was his sunscreen, something he had negligently forgotten to apply the last couple days. Spending hours out in the sun when he normally passed his days secluded was a one way ticket to terrible sunburn for him. He wasn’t the whitest guy around but he’d already been out under the sun half the morning. He liberally applied it to his exposed skin and then put on a black logoless baseball cap. He switched out his water bottle and then put his backpack back on. The bullets rattled as he moved. He draped the duffle bag over his shoulder and let it hang behind him. He picked up his spear and shield on the way out.

Edwin made his way down the stairs. There was a side door from the lobby that led directly towards several large trash boxes, and beyond it the bus stop. A metal pipe smashed into his forearm as he pushed the door open. It struck him with a loud crack, and his hand went limp under the impact. He dropped his shield where he had it pressed to the push bar on the door. Someone else’s hand came into view, holding the door wide open.

“Fuck!” Edwin shouted and backpedaled away. His right arm came up to clutch his broken left. Thomas stepped through the door and let it close behind him. Someone else in the lobby called out but Edwin ignored them. Thomas was leering, and he stalked closer without a word. He hefted the four feet of steel in his hands and lunged for a second strike.

Still reeling, Edwin jabbed out with his spear on instinct. Thomas halted and batted it aside. Edwin continued to retreat backwards into the lobby and glanced out of the shattered windows to his left. He ripped a chunk of concrete free from one of the outside support pillars which ringed the building. Thomas was stalking towards him now, wary of his spear. Edwin sneered and without any hint sent the fist sized hunk crashing into Thomas’s skull. An audible crunch signalled that his attack connected.

Thomas collapsed like a bag of potatoes. His body went limp as he folded to the floor. Blood welled up from the fracture in his skull. Pooling and then dribbled down to the floor. A fist sized dent was visible where the concrete struck him.

Seething Edwin clutched his broken arm and stomped towards Thomas unsure of what he intended to do. People were shouting and he was only vaguely aware of others moving around in the lobby. The commotion brought people in from outside, the lobby started to fill up as they crowded around to catch a glimpse.

Ava strode into the lobby while Edwin towered over Thomas’s prone form. Edwin gingerly clutched his arm to his chest. Dan pressed himself through the crowd a moment later. He grabbed a cheese stick from his pocket and peeled the plastic before holding it out for Edwin to eat. Aware of all the eyes on him, Edwin leaned forward and bit half the stick off in one bite. It was a wonderful feeling, as he ate the cheese, to feel his bone fix itself. When he finished swallowing the last bite, only a lingering soreness remained. A phantom pain, as his body was confused by the sudden reversal, still mustering itself to deal with a critical injury.

Edwin breathed easier. Ava interjected herself here. She approached and smiled demurely. “Could you please explain,” she asked him. Dan knelt down to inspect Thomas.

“This little fuck!” Edwin snarled and punctuated his words with a kick to Thomas’s ribs. He rolled over from the force of the kick without a sound. “Jumped me when I walked out the door. He smashed my arm with that pipe. Then he chased me into the lobby. So I hit him in the head. Now I’ve got half a mind to finish the job before Dan gets him back on his feet.”

The crowd watched the drama play out with eager interest. Everyone knew Edwin was the guy with the magic concrete power. Though none of them really knew much else about him.

When he mentioned killing Thomas, it turned a lot of them against him. To them, killing someone was murder, it wasn’t something you just did. They were all raised with an ingrained cultural aversion to killing their fellow man. However circumstances had changed and when considering how they would handle it, people among the crowd found themselves agreeing with Edwin’s thinking.

If some guy smashed them with a steel pipe, and continued after them, they would want to settle that issue too. There was no jail, no court, and no police, it was lawless out here. Whispers spread through the crowd. People did not know how this should be handled. They could jail Thomas and have someone be his minder. They could exile him or they could kill him. Not to mention how Edwin’s actions should be handled. It was self defense but without Dan it was a crippling injury at minimum.

Ava read the mood and decided to shift the sails, the dorms were her ship to command. The winds of public opinion would hold no sway. “Daniel,” she spoke in an imperious tone. “Heal Thomas. I want to question him. Edwin you may return to your task.” She turned to look at the gathered crowd. “And the rest of you, return to work. I will sort this matter out.”

People listened to her and started to shuffle out of the lobby, Edwin glared at Ava. Dan rolled Thomas onto his back. For a head or neck injury that would have been a dumb move but Dan needed access to his mouth. Dan sprinkled rice small krispie chunks into a water bottle and shoved the open end into Thomas’s mouth. He plugged his nose and forced him to swallow reflexively.

“I think you should kill him, Ava,” Edwin said with a deadly calm. “He looked ready to kill me just a moment ago. Might have even managed it if he wasn’t so retarded about it. I’m not going to just let him walk away so that he can come back after me again later.”

“Edwin, relax,” she said. “We are not going to kill him.”

“Why not? He fucking tried to kill me,” Edwin repeated louder.

“Here,” she said, trying to compromise. “I will keep a tighter leash on him. I will make sure he does not bother you henceforth. Is that acceptable?”

“Hell no!” Edwin spat. “It’s not acceptable,” he sneered mockingly. “Lock him up or break his legs or something at least. He attacked me for no reason. He’s a psycho.”

“That is taking things too far I am afraid,” she countered him, ignoring Edwin’s mocking.

“No it’s not. Lock. Him. Up.”

“Edwin,” she said sharply, her calm demeanor slipping away. “Enough. I said he won’t bother you again. Locking him up would just be a waste of time for whoever has to watch him, and we can’t just kill him. I will make sure he’s kept under control and watched while working productively ok?”

“If he comes at me again, I'm killing him,” Edwin stated flatly before turning and striding towards his dropped shield then the door. Ava watched as he left. Her arms crossed as her foot tapped a rapid beat on the floor.

Edwin was seething internally as he left the building. He wanted to lash out and hit something. A small ramp led down to Grand from the garbage area, Edwin stomped down the ramp and turned left to the meeting spot. Both girls were already there and Edwin’s mood was easy to pick up on. When he drew near they both gave him questioning looks.

Edwin took a moment to try and forcibly calm down. He sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Fucking Thomas just broke my arm and I bashed him in the head for it. Little fucking rat jumped me out of nowhere. So yeah, I’m pissed,” he said to answer their unvoiced question.

“Did Dan heal him?” Teresa asked. It was obvious that Dan had attended to Edwin, so he had been there next to a wounded Thomas. She wanted to know if Edwin had tried to prevent Dan from fixing Thomas.

Edwin unslung his backpack and took out the bullet case. As he counted out 16 to give to Zoey he replied, “Yeah, Dan was working on him when I left. Ava says she’s gonna keep him on a tighter leash or some nonsense. I,” and he paused. “I think I should have maybe just killed him though, right?”

Teresa looked stoically, but did not have an answer for him. Zoey spoke up, “I think you did the right thing Edwin. You shouldn't kill someone. It’s wrong. There must be other options. We could kick him out of the dorms.”

Edwin shook his head and handed the bullets to Zoey. He took all the rest but four from the box and began slotting them into his empty mag. “Kicking him out would be the worst option. He would just jump me at a later date. Probably with a gun. Then I’d be the one dead. There’s something wrong with him.”

“Then we could lock him up somewhere. Keep him under guard in a room. Tie his hands up,” she replied with some heat.

“Maybe, but that’s more on Ava than me. She decided to give him another chance and she pretty much rules the dorms. So, that’s just how it's gonna be.”

Finished reloading, Edwin stuck the spare mag into his pocket and shrugged his backpack on. He would never trust Ava. Not after what she did to him. So he fully expected to be ambushed by Thomas again. He would need to be on alert all the time going forward. Thomas did not strike him as particularly cunning. His impromptu ambush had failed spectacularly. As long as Thomas never got a gun or powerful skill he favored himself in a straight up fight.

Zoey clicked her last bullet into place, and slipped the spare mag into her own pocket. “Time to go then?” she asked, interrupting Edwin’s brooding. Teresa was staring at the gun in Zoey’s pocket. She looked away when Zoey turned to her, seeing that Edwin was only half paying attention. Neither person answered her, but as they started to walk along Grand Ave to the east, she trotted along behind them.

They passed by the church from earlier and the man on the steps watched them warily until they were out of sight. The march was tough going, the air was hot and dry. The wind was absent. They paused after twenty minutes for a water break. Then they turned south from Grand and went towards where Edwin had first tracked the battle back towards the police camp. Half a dozen seagulls and crows were picking at the first corpse they happened upon. There was a trail of them leading over to the camp.

“Zoey, scan those things,” Edwin whispered to her while they hid around the corner of a building. She peeked out and turned back to him a moment later.

“They’re normal as far as I can tell,” was her answer.

“Ok, we’ll go check him out, look for guns, ammo, or anything else you think might be useful,” Edwin instructed.

Walking over scared the birds off and they discovered a partially consumed corpse. The cause of death was still evident, as the head was disconnected from the torso. The man was a sickening mess to look at, and Zoey quickly excused herself to wait ahead of them. The man’s gun was still clutched tightly in his fingers. Checking him over revealed no extra ammo or magazines. Edwin had to break several fingers but he pried it loose and handed it to Teresa. She accepted without complaint.

“You know how to use it?” He asked. She nodded in turn. Her response was good enough. He nodded in return then jerked his chin towards Zoey. She got the message. They stood up and left the corpse behind quickly.

They followed the carved path of destruction towards the camp. The deep clawed footprints from the walker made following directly in its path a little difficult. One set leading forwards, a second set leading backwards. The dirt, concrete, pavement, and anything else the foot had stepped on it churned up and left an impressive imprint.

They stopped every now and then to check the bodies they came across. Zoey kept her distance while they looted. They found several extra 9mm magazines and Edwin stashed them in his duffle bag; of the three, only one was loaded. He kept that one in his pocket next to the other spare.

Soon they could see the smoking ruins of the camp. The overpass had collapsed, the surroundings a mess of craters and the nearby buildings pockmarked with blast marks. Rubble littered the streets as they approached. Bodies littered the area. The police had suffered significant casualties in their futile attempt at asserting their authority.

The makeshift vehicle barricade was shattered. Which gave them easy access to the camp. It was a mess past the barricade. The tents were wrecked and the ground torn up by the raking lines of fire from the mech tank. After entering they split off to search in different directions.

A lot of the camp was destroyed. What had not been destroyed had been stolen during the raid yesterday. So Edwin set to digging through the wrecked tents. It was slow going. An hour later all he had to show for his efforts was trash. Broken guns, ruined food, and smashed water jugs among other things. He did find a stash of cigarettes and some clean toilet paper. The cigarettes were in a large box filled with 20 packs. He stuffed it into the duffle bag since he had nothing else to take. They would be valuable to certain people.

He had one tent left to inspect before he was going to call it quits. He bent down and grabbed a hold of the sad looking tattered canvas. With a heave he dragged it free and felt his breath catch when he saw what was beneath it.

Underneath the canvas was a corpse, which Edwin found himself numb to viewing. What had his attention was the large, matte black rifle. Stepping towards the weapon, Edwin noticed the man had two bandoliers draped across his chest, from his shoulders. He was loaded up for an extended engagement, yet it looked like he had died without firing a single shot. No matter how this man had prepared himself he had died. Stray shrapnel had punched dozens of penny and quarter sized holes across the man's body. It was gruesome.

Edwin snatched the gun. It was covered in dried blood which flaked off as he ran the tent fabric over it. He ensured the safety was on before he set it down and sallied back over towards the man. He needed ammo for his new prize.

The bandoliers were trashed, and Edwin did not have the will to remove individual bullets from them. So he searched the man’s pockets and came away triumphant with two spare magazines. 30 bullets loaded in each. He found himself staring at the deadman for a moment while he savored the small sense of excitement. This was another card in his corner. An ace in the hole he could grab in a pinch. Edwin decided to hide it from the girls. If others found out about it someone might steal it from him. Better to be safe than sorry. He tossed the gun in next to the cigarette box and covered them both with the tp rolls.

Without disturbing the man’s corpse further Edwin scanned the rest of the surroundings but found nothing worth investigating. He decided to meet back up with the other two. He found them back where they had entered the camp. Zoey was sitting with her back to a ruined car. She looked pale and lost in thought. Teresa looked annoyed. Rather than sit and stew in her thoughts she had taken to pacing in a circle around the car Zoey was leaning on. Teresa had scavenged a holster for her pistol which she’d attached to her right hip.

Edwin walked over towards them. Teresa ceased her steps close by, watching him. Edwin did not look her way, instead he took a moment to look towards the horizon over the town, to the west. The sun was on its downward arc, the day approaching its end.

“Let’s head back,” Edwin said without a greeting. Neither replied but Zoey climbed to her feet.

The mood was somber. The weight of their actions in stripping the dead hung heavily. Leaving the camp, Edwin made to follow the highway back into town rather than retracing their path through the ruined mech trail. That would hopefully save them some time.

They walked along the desolate highway, and soon found themselves passing the Walmart before the town really started. On the stretch of road between the Walmart and the town proper, were several indistinct figures meandering in their direction. Both groups spotted each other at the same time. Edwin held up a hand and the other two stopped. Down the road, the figures stilled as well.

“Think they are some of us?” Teresa asked, turning to look at Edwin.

“Maybe, but let’s walk off the road, whether or not they are friendly will be obvious,” Edwin replied. “If they leave us alone we can just take a wide path around and get back on the road later.” Left unsaid was what might happen if the figures moved to meet them.

Edwin led them off the highway, they hopped the guard rail and finagaled their way over a waist high barbed wire fence which ran parallel adjacent to the road. A gentle hill covered with boulders and scrub brush greeted them past the barriers. Down the road the other group started to copy their actions. Edwin saw this and sighed. Might as well meet them on the highway, and so back over they went.

Both groups approached one another by walking. As they drew nearer, their antagonists became clearer. Two young men, probably around 18-20, both were as unshaven as Edwin. One looked nervous. His eyes darted back and forth. Each one held a crowbar loosely at their sides. They were dressed in hoodies and jeans. One with a light blue hoodie, the other wore a black one. The hoodies both had a solid purple circle crudely painted on their chest. The nervous one was chewing on a fingernail.

Edwin managed to fit both his spear and shield in his left hand and palmed his right over his pistol’s grip. He flicked the safety off. They squared off around twenty paces from one another.

Edwin did not recognize either of them, but that did not mean they were not part of the dorm group, he did not know a lot of people. But, if you asked him to guess, he was pretty sure they weren’t. The painted purple circles hinted at something else going on here.

The one in the blue hoody took a step forward. He swung his crowbar in two lazy diagonal strikes. His eyes fixed on Teresa.

“Hey babe,” he drawled. “Fancy meeting you here.” His nervous looking friend snickered, before returning to chew on a different fingernail.

Teresa did not look amused. Her hatchet was clenched tight in her left hand as she used the other to undo her holster’s binding.

“Whoa, hey! All I said was hello,” he blurted out when he saw her threatening to draw a gun.

“Hello to you too,” Edwin said blandly. “If you don’t mind, we'll be on our way.”

The guy narrowed his eyes and shot Edwin an angry glare. “I wasn’t fucking talking to you. You can get lost.”

Edwin pulled his pistol out and pointed it at the ground between his feet. “Actually you can get lost,” Edwin returned with the same bland tone.

“Fuck this, they got guns,” the nervous guy yelped before turning and sprinting off.

“Well ain’t that some shit,” the second one said sardonically, ignoring his friend running off. “I guess you’ll be on your way then.”

Edwin told the other guy to get going first. They waited while he set off on his original path down the highway. Edwin put his pistol away and set off back home. They walked for a bit before Zoey suddenly spoke. “That guy is following us.”

Edwin glanced over his shoulder but didn’t notice him. Zoey assured him he was there, about two blocks down the road. Edwin shrugged. The residents had not been at all subtle, and anyone who got even close to the dorms would realize a large group was living there. So there was no reason to hide their destination.

From a block away, Edwin could hear the raucous noise coming from Washaki. What sounded like half a dozen instruments and people shouting lyrics echoed through the empty streets. The noise eclipsed any ambient sounds.

They took a turn at an intersection north from Grand before turning west once more onto a smaller road that ran straight to their destination. The small road squeezed between the fraternities and the dorms. The dorms were the tallest buildings around and the damage done to the facades stuck out sorely. Edwin had not really taken a moment to appreciate how ragged White Hall looked. Between stray damage from that aerial battle and the massive damage the wizard had caused, a lot of the rooms within the dorms were uninhabitable.

As they made their way through the ruins of Orr Hall, the extent of the fortification efforts became clear. The rubble had been hauled into a rough line with gaps in between. Sandbags lined those gaps knee high. Parts of the road were sectioned off with barbed wire. Everyone was out and about, milling around the square in the center. Laughter and the clinking of bottles were audible, mixed in with the loud music coming from the dining hall.

An alert looking older man and a bored girl were standing and sitting respectively at one of the sandbagged gaps. The man locked onto them as they came into view, while the girl ignored his quiet words and continued to gaze up at the dimming sky. The man had an extendable baton drawn at full length in one hand and looked ready to fight if they meant trouble.

The sun had sunk further down and now cast long shadows down the road, obscuring Edwin, Zoey, and Teresa’s features. The man was unable to recognize them until they got close. When he did he recoiled slightly and seemed disgruntled.

“Hello, Edwin isn’t it?” He called out loudly.

“Yes sir,” Edwin replied. “What’s your name?” When he got close to the man he leaned his spear against a chunk of rubble and extended his hand. The man grasped it firmly and shook.

“Albert.” It was easier to hear him over the background noise now that they were closer.

“Nice to meet you Albert,” Edwin said as he shook the man’s hand. “If you don’t mind though, I’d like to put my stuff away and grab dinner.”

The man agreed without a fuss and the trio entered past the two sentries. The girl hardly spared them a glance. The meandering groups outside were loosely gathered which let Edwin thread his way through. He bee-lined towards his room in White Hall. He wanted to stash away the rifle before anyone could try and check their spoils.

Edwin walked into his room and ditched his spear and shield by the door. He placed the duffle bag into his closet and got to work unloading the rest of the day’s spoils. After a bit of work the wall to wall desk on one side of the room now bore three pistols, half a dozen spare magazines, and a dozen complimentary ammo boxes. Most of them were partially empty.

After Edwin finished sorting everything out someone knocked on his door. He patted the pistol in his pocket and stepped over to answer. It was dark on the other side of the door so he saw nothing through the peephole. He opened the door slightly and found Zoey standing there holding her shield with two hands.

“Hey, you ready to eat?” She asked him.

“Sure, just give me one sec. You can come in if you want.” Edwin stepped back to make room. Zoey followed him in and noticed his gear splayed out across the room. He motioned to the small armory he had established on his desk. “I wanted to get a quick tally on what all I’ve got. I figured we could go over the stuff you guys found while we eat,” he explained when he saw her curious look.

“Ah,” Zoey said in understanding. “Uh, Edwin. If it’s alright. Could I leave my stuff in here?” She gestured to her shield and bag.

“Yeah, sure. No problem.”

Zoey strode over and placed her shield and bag down on the desk before she opened her bag and started to pull things out and hand them to Edwin. Zoey added two more pistols to the collection as well as a couple boxes of 9mm ammo that she had found in the camp. Edwin was hoping Ava wouldn’t get wind of how much firepower he had stocked up. He would rather not hand it over. Though he was considering spreading them out to the others in his group. If they ended up in a predicament where having the others better armed would have saved his life, he would feel a real fool to have held them back for no real gain.

“Do you know if Teresa found any other guns besides the one she had holstered?” Edwin asked her as he absently used his finger nail to pick at some dirt stuck on one of the pistols.

“I’m not sure,” Zoey replied. “We split up pretty quickly when we got to the camp.”

“Fair enough,” Edwin said with a shrug. “Did you find anything else interesting?”

“Just a lot of fucking dead people,” Zoey answered flippantly.

“Oh, right,” Edwin replied unsuredly. Zoey had been affected by the corpses more so then he or Teresa had been. “Are you doing alright after all that? We saw some pretty nasty stuff.”

“Let’s just go eat. I don’t want to think about it anymore.” That, Edwin could agree with. He had done his best to ignore the gruesome sights he had encountered today. He would prefer to put those thoughts out of mind and focus on making sure he avoided ending up in a similar state.

Edwin finished a rough estimate on their combined ammo stockpile and left it at that. They made their way down through the dark hallway towards the dimly lit staircase. The light from the sun barely peeked through the windows that faced in the opposite direction. Teresa was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, her arms crossed. Her pistol was still in it’s holster. She had ditched her hatchet and bag somewhere.

Teresa tossed her hair to the side with a flick of her head and huffed air through her nose. “Finally, I thought I’d have to come get the two of you.”

“I was going over everything I got today,” Edwin answered her unasked question. “Let’s go find some food. Also, if you see Jason, let me know. I want to talk to him if he’s not too wasted.”

Both girls nodded in agreement and they set out towards Washaki and the food within. More people had spilled out from Washaki into the warm evening air. The crowd was subdued somewhat as the musicians were in the middle of relocating outside. The impromptu band consisted of several people wielding guitars, one with a violin and another with a trumpet. They did not play well together, but they played loud and with vigor, so the crowd ate it up when the trumpeter started a brassy solo. The other’s joined in wildly to his rendition of a popular song Edwin recalled hearing a couple years ago.

They skirted the crowd and found themselves at the entrance without a fuss. As luck would have it Jason came stumbling out of the doorway right into Edwin.

“Hey!” He cheered and swayed towards them. He spoke with a slur to his words. “Guys! Great to see ya, how’d it go? Find some good stuff?”

Edwin recoiled as Jason gestured widely and sloshed the vodka bottle in his hand. LJ came striding out behind Jason. He smiled when he found his friend jabbering with Edwin, Teresa, and Zoey. The noise of the crowd quieted for a second before a different tune kicked up, led by the violin, and the crowd roared in response.

“Oh shit. Oh shit man. No way,” Jason said with a look of excitement. “I gotta go. I love this one.” He took off towards the music. LJ said goodbye to them and made his way after his friend.

“What did you want Jason for Edwin? I don’t think you’ll get much from him at the moment,” Zoey said drolly.

“It can wait until tomorrow,” Edwin decided and led them towards the food.

Washaki was rather empty but there were clear signs of the party that had just been going on. Chairs and tables cast about. Leftover bottles and trash strewn around. Vomit in several corners, and more than a few people passed out around the edges, or in one case, right by the entrance.

A long buffet was laid out across several tables and so the trio set to scavenging a meal from the remains. There were more than enough sandwich supplies for each of them to cobble together a meal. Bags of every chip imaginable were available to compliment the main course.

Soda, alcohol and juice cans were everywhere in sight. Hundreds of beer cans littered the tables. They found a set of clean chairs with a table and tucked in. While they ate, Edwin prodded Teresa for the details of what she had gathered at the camp. She claimed to have only found one additional gun and some spare ammo. Edwin offered to give her some ammo and spare magazines. She already knew most of what he had stashed away as they had found it all when moving towards the camp together.

As they were finishing their meals, Ava came striding in. When she caught sight of them, she bee-lined towards them.

“Hello, Edwin, Teresa, and Zoey,” Ava said, nodding her head to each of them in turn. “Might I have some of your time?”

“Yes, sure, please do,” Teresa said in a hurry. Edwin took the last bite of his sandwich and Zoey quietly sipped from an apple juice can she had taken.

“Wonderful,” Ava said with a smile and seated herself smoothly next to Teresa, opposite Edwin and diagonal to Zoey. She was prim and proper as she sat. Her hands rested on top of one another in her lap. She was dressed in a knee-length black pencil skirt and a stylish white blouse. Her skin was unblemished. No dirt or grime anywhere. In a word, she was clean. Each of them besides Ava still had stains and blood smears on their skin. Their clothes were ratty and torn from tangling with the squirrels. They all looked like they had gone days without a shower. Each of them wondered how she managed to be so clean.

“So, how did your outing go today?” Ava inquired. Her voice was cheery and her smile bright. She zeroed in on Teresa when Edwin did not reply. Teresa looked taken aback by Ava’s sudden focus.

“Well,” Teresa sputtered out. She paused and took a deep breath before continuing in a more normal fashion. “We got some good stuff. But we ran into a couple guys on the road back. They seemed like they were going to start something but we scared them off. Zoey thought she saw one of them following us back here.”

Ava’s expression didn’t slip as Teresa delivered some worrying news, instead she let her face take on a perturbed cast. She hummed and mimed chewing on her lip. “That is no good. I am most happy that you were not bothered by them overly much. I shall warn the others to keep their eyes out for strangers. Was there anything that stood out about them?”

“They had some purple dots painted on their clothes,” Edwin answered bluntly.

“Ah, I see. Some sort of group identification perhaps?” Ava answered with a question. Edwin shrugged. It probably was a gang sign or something. Someone was organizing out there and they did not seem inherently friendly.

“That matter aside, what was it you said about some good stuff?” Ava asked after the silence stretched.

“Yeah, the stuff. The stuff we got,” Teresa babbled as she refocused. “We found some pistols and a ton of bullets. You said you looked it over right Edwin? How much did we get all together?”

Edwin wanted to groan but he had figured this would happen. So he decided to just share what they had. “There’s the two you have.” Edwin counted out on his fingers. “I found three today, and four yesterday. So we’ve got nine total. I’d like to say there’s only three spares. Since I figure Shaun, Jason, and LJ can each have one on top of the ones we’ll each be keeping.” Edwin did not share with her his rough ammo count as he hoped to fudge the supply later.

Ava’s dainty eyebrows were raised as she regarded Edwin. “An impressive haul. I presume you have them stowed away safely for the time being?” Her expression settled to calm inquisitiveness.

Edwin turned his head towards Teresa, indicating she should speak. “Oh, yeah. My other one is tucked away in my room.” She picked up his signal after a moment.

“Mine should be safe for now too,” Edwin finished after Teresa. “Especially if word about them doesn’t get out.”

“That is great news. If you do not mind my asking-” and here it comes, Edwin expected this, but was curious what her initial strategy would be- “would you be able to ensure their security for the time being? I believe handing out firearms could create significant issues within the hierarchy around here. Only as a temporary measure of course. I would be eager to borrow one myself if you would be so kind.”

“What?” Edwin glanced around and noticed everyone was looking at him. He realized he had voiced his thought aloud there. “You want us to safeguard the guns for now? You don’t want them handed over? You don’t have a trusted few people who you’d like to be able to enforce things better?”

“Edwin,” Ava said, giving him a look he did not recognize. “You are my trusted few. While I might have a handle on the others for the time being, they are rowdy and wild to the extreme. I fear someone would seek to gain power over everyone else if they gathered sufficient force. However because of our cordiality, and your perceived strength, they are kept in line. So yes, indeed, I am asking that you keep the guns safe. You are the big stick I can wield to keep people in line. I doubt anyone would be willing to risk the backlash earned by being caught invading your room. You threatened to kill Thomas earlier in front of a crowd. Your words were not taken idly.”

Taken aback, Edwin had no response. Zoey spoke up in his silence. “That’s very kind of you Ava.” The older girl beamed at Zoey. Zoey smiled back meekly before continuing. “Speaking of, I want to know what you ended up doing with Thomas. I heard he attacked Edwin for no reason. If we’re so important. What did you do after someone went after one of us?”

Edwin rubbed at his chin, he liked Zoey’s question. It gave him some time to think as well. He had no idea what Ava was playing at, coming across so frankly. That he had a widespread reputation for being strong and working with Ava was news to him. Was she lying and this was just an oblique angle of attack in some plan to control the group? Uncertainty was a weakness in conversation with Ava, pressing the attack, trying to set her off balance was important. Zoey was leading the charge for him.

Ava’s brows furrowed, her mouth quirked sideways, and her eyes settled on a spot between them. A vacant part of the table. “Ah yes, Thomas. I have a regrettable bit of news regarding him.” She crossed her arms and frowned deeper. “Once Thomas was revived, he lashed out violently. In his rampage he injured several people. Thankfully Dan was able to fix those injured.

“However, in a most unfortunate turn of luck Thomas ran off before anyone could restrain him. I have since posted people to be on lookout for him or other dangerous elements. Beyond that I warned everyone here about his unhinged state. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness. I intended to punish him with parole. Yet I erred and now we have an additional complication.”

It had been a long day, and Edwin had spent it in intermittent bouts of life or death conflict, under varying levels of anger and annoyance, and when he could catch his breath, in pleasant moments of respite. From near the beginning, since yesterday really, there was the inter-team drama, and jockeying. Which seemed to have calmed down for now. There was the fight and then flight with the size shifting squirrels. Following that, he had been ambushed by Thomas, and then accosted in the street returning home by unsavory strangers. That was on top of spending nearly two hours picking over the mutilated dead.

It all added up and culminated in Edwin exploding. “Are you fucking! Kidding! Me!” He raged and jumped to his feet. His hands balled into fists. He did not yell directly at Ava, rather into the air above her head. He had expected unpleasantness from her company, but this was beyond the pale. Ava said Thomas had just run away. What kind of bullshit was that, Edwin wanted to know.

Nope, Edwin decided. He was done with the day. He had finished eating and would not be disturbed for the rest of the night. He would barricade his door and sleep with the pistol under his pillow. Rather than stamp his feet and rage Edwin strode away from the others without further comment. Seething internally as he tried to work out what Thomas was likely to do next.