Ash was sitting around the canteen area where the military distributed food to refugees in a small open area. It was usually always crowded but today not many people were hanging around. Ash had been keeping his distance from Rhys ever since he joined the group. Even if they did pick him up, it was very obvious that they were planning to leave him behind at the beginning. He didn't know what made them change their mind he also didn't know whether he should be grateful or suspicious. Not to forget to mention that Rhys's face had been thunderous ever since the refugee camp came into view. Ash could literally feel the atmosphere turn cold and suffocating with the murderous gaze that Rhys shot him. even with all the anger directed at him, for some unknown reason, Ash was not regretting joining the team. It increased his chances of survival by a large margin. Dying was not on his list and Ash was willing to do or endure any hardships that might be thrown his way. The refugee camp was a good opportunity since they were new people who didn't know him. If push comes to shove, he could just jump ship. Unlike before now he had an option 2 for survival. Of course, it was his last resort since he already likes and trusted the people he came here with.

A small group of strangers came and sat down a few tables away from him. after they grabbed some food with their daily tokens, they started chatting. Although Ash knew it was wrong, he sneakily listened in on the conversation. It was both for information gathering and to relieve his boredom.

They arrived at the camp 71 days ago. At first, they were kept in inside a fence wall in the name of isolation and then when they were acknowledged as uninfected, they were permitted entry. The place had a much higher number of survivors than in the Tesco. Around 200-250. They were the ones who noticed the infection earlier on and took appropriate measures. For the number that was residing there, the camp itself was not that well organised. Management was severely lacking. All the buildings were already occupied to the brim. Lot of people had pitched up tents and were struggling to find comfortable living spots on the ground. Fights constantly broke out between the residents and there wasn't really anyone who could stop them. The strong still had the say in important matters. People hadn't yet resorted to stealing as the military still kept their eyes on everything.

As soon as they arrived, they were explained to how the camp operated. Everyone received two meals a day. Which could be exchanged with tokens. One was given for free while the other had to be earned. Any significant task contributed would earn a token. When their team arrived, they were tested for aptitude for raids and without surprise most of the members were chosen instantaneously. Ash was left out along with the children, elderly and the medics since his stamina was not the best. This made him receive a lot of teasing from his comrades. Instead he was given planting duty in the small fields that the military created. Biyu chen was send to the medical ward and the children were being thought by Ms Nolan needlework. That's how it led to this situation where he was sitting alone, bored and unenthusiastic during his break.

The voices of the people on the other table were suddenly lowered as they changed the topic from matters about their personal lives to something more serious.

"Did you hear about that new raid team. I heard they were only formed half a month ago." A young boy in his late teens said with amazement lingering in his voice. His eyes were glittering as if he found his new hero.

"Of course, Elis. Who hasn't?" a girl similar in age, sitting next to him, sighed and placed her hand on her chin. "Quite frightening if you think how quickly they advance. Don't you agree Zuri? Maybe they are superheroes in disguise or took some kind of drug to make them super-duper strong."

"Nonsense." The more mature girl in her mid-twenties responded with a scoff.

"I heard they captured another one alive." The boy, Elis, clapped his hands together in excitement. He really was acting like a hardcore fan. "Isn't that amazing. I wish I could join them and see how they operate."

"Why are you so excited. It is better to kill them all off rather than capturing them, no matter how beneficial they are for those lunatics." Zuri chimed in with a hint of anger laced in her voice. She obviously despised the capture of those things. "And do you have a death wish kid?" she shot Elis a hard look that made him flinch slightly.

Ash quickly figured out what they were talking about. Recently Kyle and his team had been going outside the walls regularly with other refugees from the camp and few times they even captured a live zombie and brought them back under the orders of the chief scientist. After they arrived here, they were notified that the camp hosted a research lab and that several scientists were constantly working to find a vaccine or cure for the virus that was spreading rapidly. Human population was dwindling by the day and if nothing was done, they would soon face extinction.

Capturing live Zombies was indeed a difficult feet. Ash himself was feeling deep respect for his comrades for their ability in the field. Although it was for the benefit of science there were several residents who were dissatisfied with keeping Zombies inside the camp with them, even if they were in cages and heavily secured. It was only with the military's assurance to take responsibility and the promise to keep them safe that the restless crowd calmed a bit.

While the groups conversation was dragging on another acquaintance of theirs came running and stopped in front of them out of breath. He took several calming breaths before he joined them at their table. The girl next to Elis jumped up to her feet as soon as she saw him and rushed over into his arms as soon as he was seated.

"So, how did the thing you were looking into go Chase?" Zuri asked lowering her voice further and scrunching up her nose in annoyance at the lovie-dovie sight in front of her. Instead of watching that she quickly shoot a look around her. Her eyes lingered on Ash's back several tables away and observed his slumped eating form and made sure that he wasn't listening in on them.

"Nothing much came out." Chase placed an arm around his girl and narrated what he heard. "I finally was allowed to meet the second lieutenant, but he didn't know much of what was going on either." Chase's face crumpled with a deep frown. "He kept insisting that Mason must have left with an unregistered raid part and gotten lost outside the walls."

A loud sound of a slam filled the air and Ash turned to look surprised. If he pretended not to hear even such an obvious sound, then it would become apparent that he was eavesdropping. A sight met with a toppled over table and a woman with fiery red hair standing with her hands clenched. Her face had almost turned the same shade as her hair. The rest of the group seemed surprised but soon mirrored her expression as they waited for someone to address the elephant in the room.

Surprisingly Elis was the one to break the silence, "there is no way that brother Mason would do something so reckless, especially without telling us first."

"Obviously!!" Zuri shouted at him not knowing where to direct her anger at. "Those lying bastards. I want to know what they did with Mason. Did they throw him out because he was weak? Or did they feed him to the zombies they keep as pets. Her voice was increasingly getting higher with the rise in anger. A small group of onlookers were already forming due to the commotion. Elis quickly shot out of his seat and covered her mouth in an attempt to prevent her from talking any further. There was a bit of struggle but eventually she calmed down and sat back down and glared at every one of the onlookers.

Her and Ash's eyes locked for a moment and he quickly withdrew his gaze before he fell into thought. The girl, Zuri was angry because of the disappearance of her twin brother. It's been a few days already. Ash had noticed that group several times near the lieutenant office just to get a chance to talk with him. It seems like getting an audience with him didn't really help.

People were a bit sceptical. Mason wasn't the first one nor the last one to go missing. Ever since they came, a total of 2 people had been reported missing and then there are the few that were never reported since they didn't have any loved once to look for them. Another woman who had regularly smiled at Ash had vanished like smoke yesterday. She was nowhere to be seen at her post or her dwelling spot. But it seems like no one has noticed yet. 'This place is a bit sketchy. Something is definitely going on.' Was the girl right and were the people taken to be fed to the Zombies? Then this would be like a human pen.

"Hey you!" Someone shouted from behind him. Ash looked around quickly and noticed that the place had gone empty again except for the table in the rear and him. The girl must have chased everyone away. So, there was no mistaking it that they were addressing him rather than anyone else. Ash looked at their table and cocked his head in confusion. "Yes?" Inside he was panicking whether he got discovered eavesdropping on them.

Seeing that they got their attention, the whole group stood up in union and came over to his table. Without much of an introduction the plopped down beside Ash and then stared at him unashamed. "Can I help you with something" They didn't say anything and just kept staring for a while as if assessing if he was worthy. Finally, the more cheerful teenager girl could continue the serious facade and grinned widely before introducing herself, "Hey, I am Lina, this is Elis, Zuri and my boyfriend Chase. We have been friends and neighbours before all this shit happened. We have managed to survive together so far."

"Oh, Okay?" Ash was confused as to why they had come over, especially in such a cheerful mood.

"We have a small favour to ask of yo-" Chase started saying when he got interrupted by the other woman, Zuri.

"Aren't you close with 'that' raid team?" She said with a sharpness in her voice. It was obvious that she was restraining herself in order not to lash out at him. From the conversation before, Ash had already figured out that Zuri was not the biggest fan of Kyle's team. On the other hand, the boy who was looking at him with glittering stars in his eyes was a fanatical fan without a doubt.

Ever since they arrived here, Ash had quietly withdrawn from the rest and only held small conversation with Jule, Biyu Chen and the children. They were the least known members of the team. He had even set up his tent further away in order to blend in with the residents of the camp. So, he was surprised that these four knew he was part of them. "How?", 'how on earth do you know.'

All of them pointed at the crazy fan boy, Elis, which made Ash sigh. Elis looked at his friends at their betrayal and pouted. "Hey!!" He complained but didn't seem upset. It was true that he had been observing the team a tad bit too closely. He had noticed that other than the raid members there were also a few others, like the Chinese nurse, the two kids a few years younger than him and this guy. Ash? He seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the members. Most of them he liked and conversed with without trouble, then there were few others which he totally avoided. He didn't know what had transpired between them but from observation he knew that he had a special place among the others. It had made him both jealous and excited. Since it meant that you didn't have to be supper strong to be part of them. It seemed like they put more focus on trust. Every one of them were very familiar with each other. It was obvious that they had gone through life and death situations together and thus tightened their bonds. He ignored their snickers and snorts, instead he grabbed a hold of Ash's arm, "Please introduce them to me." He said with begging eyes.

Ash was speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to respond to that at all. Luckily, he was saved by Zuri who swatted at Elis's head and gave him a glare. Once he withdrew, she turned her focus back on Ash, "We need to meet with you leader guy. I believe his name was Kyle?" She had only chased away her companion to make the exact same demand, except her gaze was more hostile than the cheerful look of the former.

"I-I" Ash stuttered for a moment, taken by surprise at the intensity of her look but soon pulled himself together, "What business do you have with them?"

"None of your business-" it must have been a natural defensive reaction as Zuri realised a bit late that the person they were asking for help was also part of the team and he would know of the matter eventually either way. Seeing the hostile reaction, Ash frowned. His impression of these four in his mind fell greatly. He decided not to waste any more time with these people. So, he just stood up without another word and started walking away. He could hear bickering behind him, but he paid no attention to it as he made his way back to his field with a sigh.

———————

Rhys had been to a village raid nearby and just returned back. The familiar gates closed behind their team and he sighed. These walls were giving him the creeps from the moment he saw them. Based on his memory, this would be were one of his comrades die after returning from a raid. The man dead in his arms with a clear head shot was still a haunting memory to him. He remembered feeling devastated and angry beyond measure. All that anger was then directed at the culprit, Ash.

Rhys already noticed that the boy was keeping his distance, mainly because of his own hostility directed at him. He didn't know if that was a good thing or not. 'Should I keep him close to me so that I can prevent that tragedy or keep him as far as possible so that their members don't even have a chance to interact?' All this worrying and thinking was giving him a terrible headache.

He walked with his friends back to their tents. The camp was nothing grand. It had a well build wall and military protection, but otherwise the management was messy and the people untrustworthy. He was thinking if they should keep staying here or just move on. The safety of the walls were giving his friends some time to relax. They were slowly getting back to their usual cheerful characters. He didn't want to ruin that just because these walls were giving him nightmares, along with another person. His eyes unconsciously wandered around their residence spot in search of a certain someone. He couldn't spot him at his usual place which was sitting on the fallen log deep in thought. Ash had been keeping to himself or mingling with the other strangers of this place rather than sticking with them. It annoyed Rhys to no ends but he concluded that it was for the best and let him be. That log was the only place close enough for them to spot him without searching. It was also were Ash spend his time talking with Jule.

'When did those two get close anyway.' Rhys thought with annoyance. His irritation only intensified as he couldn't find the boy no matter how much he looked around.

"Rhys you should come and rest." Kyle called from inside the tent seeing that his brother was standing outside frantically searching for something. He sighed. He could guess what he was looking for. Kyle could really not figure out if he hated or liked the boy. His ever action and words were contradicting each other to the extreme. Kyle was surprised that none of the others had catched on to the situation."

Without giving him a response, Rhys threw his bag to Kyle and then rushed off. Kyle slapped his forehead in exasperation and went back to his lovely wife with a shake of his head.

Rhys had been looking for a while without any luck. 'Was he conspiring with someone how to kill his friend. Is he betraying his comrades? Was he kicked out while they were away? Did he go missing like the several others?' Several similar thoughts flashed in his minds until he spotted the familiar flash of Ash blonde mane which had caught his eye from the very first time they met. As soon as he laid eyes on him, his heart became calm and then turbulent. There was a group of 4 people hanging around him. They seemed very cheerful and friendly. Ash was actually smiling. Not his half-hearted smile but one where he was really enjoying himself. 'Who are those four? Why is he so friendly with them? And...' his eyes turned hard as he noticed the girl with the fiery red hair have her arm across Ash's shoulder while poking his cheek with the other hand. She was making some kind of hideous remark which made the boy blush deep red. 'who the fuck is she?' What happened these few days that they were away for him to find people he put his guard down around.

Ash had been living with their team longer and he hasn't shown such a carefree look ever. Rhys didn't know where this ugly feeling came from. 'I must be feeling pissed because of that woman. She is very suspicious.' He frowned deeper as he quickened his steps towards them. 'She must be the mastermind who will brainwash Ash into betraying his friends.'

Before he knew what, he was doing he had already pulled the two people apart without much effort. As soon as they were separated, he pushed the girl away and pulled Ash behind him in a protective stance.

Ash was confused as to what was happening. What is Rhys doing here. Wasn't he supposed to be away on a raid? Also why is he showing so much hostility towards Zuri? Did she do something to offend him?

Ever since that day they four had been constantly coming to find him. At first it was awkward but then they all slowly eased into each other and Ash found their constant nagging and teasing enjoyable. They had also successfully convinced him that as soon as the members return, he would help then set up a meeting with Kyle. But right now before he could even introduce them, Rhys was showing obvious contempt for them. This was going to be a problem. 'Also why is he standing in front of me as if he is protecting me from some dangerous threat.'

Seeing the person, Zuri quickly recovered after the initial shock. Elis was already gaping with hero worship written all over his face. "It's Rhys, right?" Zuri asked, " I am Zuri. We have something to ask Kyle. Could you maybe-" before waiting for her to finish, he just grabbed Ash by the arm and dragged him away. 'wasn't that rude?' Ash wondered shocked. He looked back and saw that the four were equally surprised. Seems like Rhys broke the outlook they had of him. 'More importantly where the hell is he taking me?' Maybe all the brooding he has been doing since they arrive here is finished and he came to a decision. Ash was certain that Rhys had been avoiding him just as much as he was avoiding the other. So, what is he doing right now?

To his surprise, nothing he expected happened. When they got back to the tents, Rhys just up and left him while mumbling to himself. As soon as his figure vanished into the tent, he heard a loud clash as if something was thrown on the ground followed by angry curses.

Rhys was angry. But why? 'Did I do something wrong?' Ash decided that he should go and hide away for the rest of the day. He really should find a way to appease Rhys soon. He could keep avoiding and being on his toes all the time around him. It was taking a huge mental toll on him. Yes. Getting Rhys's forgiveness is his first priority. Maybe tomorrow he will be in a better mood. 'I will also mention Zuri tomorrow to Kyle.' Having made up his mind, he hurried away from curious prying eyes.

The next few days for some reason his workload increased drastically. He hardly had any time to catch a breath nor get a glimpse of Kyle or Zuri and her friends.

After four days of no luck, unexpectedly, Kyle called him to his tent to tell him something. "Ash, it's been such a long time since I last saw your face" Kyle was smiling eyes to eye as if he was genuine haply that he finally got to see him.

"Ah, Yes?" Ash was confused as the show of happiness.

"I called you here for a very important matter." Kyle ignored his confusion and continued while patting his shoulder heavily.

Ash quickly remembered Zuri and thought that this is a good opportunity to bring her up, so he mustered up his courage to interrupt Kyle. "I also have something to tell you.?"

"Hmm??" Kyle tilted his head curiously and motioned him to continue.

"There is a girl who is looking for her missing brother and she wants to ask you a few questions." Ash got right to the point. "She asked me to ask you if it was possible for you to spare a few minutes for her. Apparently, it's something important."

"Oh, sure. Just leave her name, I will ask someone to go call her over later today." Kyle promised.

Ash was relieved at the quick acceptance and relaxed a lot. Kyle was so much easier to converse with than Rhys. How are they brothers? They are nothing alike. Kyle was so friendly and easy to get along with, he wouldn't do anything to harm me-

While he was internally raising Kyle on a pedestal while pushing Rhys further down, he heard what Kyle had to say and his jaw dropped.

"You have been requested to join the next raid with Rhys and his team."

"What!!!!" Ash had been enjoying his peaceful days inside the walls. He made new friends and the work he was assigned was usually not too hard. No one had thought of taking him outside after they arrived here. After all there were stronger and more reliable people within the other residents so letting him stay here was fine. 'Why all of a sudden? And Requested? By who????'

"Biyu Chen said something about running out of medications and drugs. So, you are to go to the closest hospital to retrieve the items." Kyle was closely watching Ash's expression, so he mostly knew what was going through the boy's head. He also didn't understand the sudden request Rhys made. Why bring him somewhere dangerous? Recently Kyle was finding it harder and harder to understand what his brother was thinking. 'Oh well, Rhys will keep him safe....I think.'

"When are they leaving?" Just as soon as he finished his words, a certain someone appeared before him and stood there silently waiting for anything else Kyle had to add. Ash glanced at Ash and sighed. This feels like deja vu. The last time he stood silently like this, Ash got dragged off on a raid without warning. A foreboding feeling filled him, and it came true as soon as Kyle scratched his head in embarrassment and wished him a safe trip.