After briefly bringing Luke up to speed – while at the same time omitting many of the details of the previous days to safeguard his secrets –, Danny told the survivor about his plans to leave this place shortly afterwards. He said that he needed to let the people back at the settlement know that the factory had been cleared and that it was safe to come here and fetch the much needed supplies.

“Okay. So, when are we leaving? I cannot wait to be done with this damned place.” Luke asked with anticipation.

“…I think there’s a misunderstanding. You won’t be coming with me.” Danny said while raising an eyebrow.

“…what?” The smile on Luke’s face faltered for an instant, fear of being abandoned slowly transpiring through his eyes despite the man’s best efforts to hide his inner turmoil.

“Going back to the camp on foot will be dangerous and I won’t be able to watch your back if I bring you with me right now,” Danny added to calm the anxious man shortly after.

“…are you sure you can’t bring me with you? Given how well you dealt with all those monsters,” Luke said as he gestured to the door of the room, hinting at the many undead that once prowled the factory grounds, “I am sure you are more than up to the task. Hell, there were probably hundreds of them! I doubt I will be under any danger if I go with you.” He insisted, hoping to let this place behind him as soon as possible and the terrible memories associated with it as well.

Yet, Danny was firm in his decision. Shaking his head sideways, he let his thoughts known.

“No. It is best if you wait for the convoy that will be coming here soon. They will be better prepared and will be able to escort you safely back to the camp together with the supplies,” Danny smiled and patted the older man on his shoulder, giving him a smile to reassure him as he spoke. “Also, It will definitely be more comfortable travelling in the trucks.”

“Besides, now that the horde of zombies have been dealt with, there’s not much danger in remaining here alone for a few more days while you wait for the convoy to arrive. You’ll be fine. Just make sure to keep your eyes open and I doubt you’ll run into any troubles,” Danny explained, pointing out some of his motives for leaving the man behind.

Luke would only slow him down, given that the former real estate agent would not be able to keep up with his pace. In addition to that, Danny had to keep consuming soul crystals periodically and he did not want to bother being secretive about it as well.

Travelling alone was way more convenient, though he did not say that out loud. He had pointed more than enough reasons for leaving Luke behind already. He didn’t need to be rude as well, saying that he didn’t want the man’s company.

“…I see. I’ll do that then,” Luke conceded after listening to Danny’s sound logic and after he saw that he would not be able to convince the younger man.

If there was nothing he could do about it, and if there really was not much danger in remaining behind, it was best to stick to the plans of his savior. Even if Luke disagreed, there was not much point in arguing about it. It would only serve to aggravate his benefactor given that Luke himself had no power to change how things were or to enforce his views, so it was best to roll with what Danny wanted and earn himself some extra points with his benefactor.

Seeing that Luke had been swayed, Danny nodded his head before adding, “Don’t worry too much about it, Luke. We will be back in a few days at most. We can’t have all those supplies go to waste after all the effort we went through after all.” He smiled and patted the man’s shoulder once more, trying to appease him and reassuring him that there was no chance that he would be left behind, forgotten.

“Just a word of caution though,” Danny stopped and stared into the survivor’s eyes, gripping the man’s shoulder firmly to emphasize his point. “Even if we cleared the factory thoroughly and I am pretty sure that none of those creatures remain, try not to wander too much. Just in case, okay? You never know.”

Danny’s was being sincere with his advice.

Now that he had done everything he had set out to do at the factory, there was nothing else he wished to hide from Luke’s eyes. There was no harm in letting Luke roam around the compound if he so wished, other than the danger to Luke himself from any random zombie Danny might have missed, as unlikely as that was.

Hank would be soon setting foot in this place anyway, and the commander of the settlement seemed to have a more discerning eye and shrewd personality than the frazzled survivor in front of him. Whatever clues Danny had left behind regarding his personal prowess would soon be under the purview of the leader of the survivor’s camp.

Danny was confident that there were no more undead within the factory. Even in its close vicinity none of the usual walking corpses could be seen as he had been meticulous in his purging of the mindless creatures. Yet, one could never be too careful.

It would be a crying shame if Luke got himself killed after all the trouble Danny went through to keep him alive. After surviving the downfall of the factory survivor’s camp and enduring all by himself for so many days in that tiny room, dying just as his rescue was finally in sight would be truly tragic.

“I’ll be careful. Don’t worry.” Luke nodded. The seriousness on his face pointing to the fact that he took Danny’s warning to heart.

“Good,” Danny patted the man’s shoulder one last time, “I’ll make sure to close the gates behind me when I leave for the settlement. Just hold on tight and we’ll soon see each other again.”

“Stay safe,” Danny said and put his right hand forward for a handshake.

“Thank you. You too. By the way, before you go, is there any chance I can meet your companions? I would like to thank them as well for saving me.” the survivor asked while he shook Danny’s hand.

Danny’s heart almost missed a beat at the unexpected question. Thankfully, however, he managed to recover his bearing within the second, answering Luke immediately after. “I am afraid not. They are outside the compound already, securing the perimeter. We need to leave as soon as possible so that we may bring the good news to our people.”

His answer had been so impeccable and without delay that Danny almost convinced even himself of the existence of his alleged ‘companions’ despite entirely knowing that he was full of shit.

His quick thinking left no room for Luke to doubt his answer.

Surprised at the speed with which he had improvised a response to Luke’s unexpected question as well as how fast he had recomposed himself, Danny wondered if the empowerment of the soul gems extended to his mental faculties.

Had the crystals improved things like his speed of thought and memorization ability as well? Was it affecting his brain’s ability to process information? It was something worth pondering over later, though he had no idea how he would check or test something like that.

After saying his final goodbyes, Danny left the factory and started running towards the survivors’ camp.

Since it was still fairly early, he thought that he probably would be able to reach the settlement before nightfall. He considered delaying his arrival a little bit more to make it look like he took more time to complete his task, but decided against it in the end.

There was simply no point to any further subterfuges.

Hank would be able to find out exactly when Danny left the factory once he questioned Luke, so any extra delays would not be able to trick the settlement’s commander. It would only add to the lies Danny had to keep a track off, making it harder for him to keep up with his charade.

Besides, Hank and Luke both had no way of knowing that Danny was travelling on foot, so there was no reason to hide how fast he could travel the land. For all they knew, Danny had a bike or a car stashed somewhere that he used to run around. Therefore, it was best to just head straight to the camp and collect his reward.

And that was what he did.

Later that day, Danny found himself facing the very same makeshift walls he saw when he first found the settlement.

“Hey there Joff. Are you on gatekeeping duty again?” Danny asked as he approached the improvised gates of the camp, interrupting yet another argument between the charismatic old guard and its younger and headstrong partner.

“Danny, my friend! You are back!” Joff exclaimed with an honest smile on his face.

“A little bit worse for the wear it seems, but still in one piece. That’s good!” Joff commented after checking Danny up and down. His tattered equipment betraying the fact that his outing had not been a peaceful one.

“Yeah. It takes more than a few zombies to take me out.” Danny mirrored the guard’s good mood with a grin as he patted his chest plate with mock confidence.

Even though he had just met Joff a couple of times before, he was entirely comfortable around the older man. They were already trading jokes and speaking with one another as if they had known each other for years already.

“Good, good. We need more people out there trimming the numbers of those monsters if we are to reclaim what we lost.” Joff said stepping forward and patting Danny on the back, as a proud grandfather would his accomplished grandson.

“Come, come. Sit down. Tell me more about your travels.” He said, enthusiastically pulling another chair for Danny and offering him a place to sit close to his own chair.

One might think the older guard to be entirely starved for gossip and entertainment given his overly enthused response to Danny’s arrival, however, that was just how Joff was. He was easy to befriend and hard to dislike.

“Sorry Joff, but I can’t,” Danny refused the older man’s polite gesture with a sad smile and a shake of his head.

“I have to go and meet Hank and brief him about the mission he gave me.”

“Oh, that’s right! How silly of me. Well, go on then, don’t let me hold you back. You can tell me all about it later,” Joff responded without missing a beat. Not a trace of discontentment at having his offer refused showing on his face.

“We can grab that drink you offered me that time later on if you want. After I’m finished with Hank.”

“Heh, now you are speaking my language! Go on now, don’t you dilly-dally,” Joff said as he shooed Danny away with his hands playfully. “Let’s not leave Hank waiting. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find you after my shift is over.”

Nodding his head at the friendly gatekeeper, Danny entered the camp and made his way to the Command Center to find Hank.