Chapter 100

William knew some facts about Walkers from an outer perspective that was unnaturally close or distant depending on how he considered them. Getting them Outside meant dangers or Darks, or where they wouldn't be like people, but killing machines. Who among them would care about some young kid Outside? Almost none.

For a long time, surviving and discovering what this world was about came to him like Dann and his crimson. It was both cursed and experiencing the real deal. Unlike most recruits in similar shoes to his, William had unexpected differences and opportunities, even if they weren't sounding fine.

For some recruiters, it might be useful. For others, it was lacking a lot of potential because he was already old. William pitied most of them anyway, knowing that some options had no good outcomes, and some things made sense or not depending on timing or people.

That was why some options should remain as options, similar to how Outside remained chaotic, stagnant, and out of view. William learned to trust and see it better in the last two years, but it was fairly stagnant as well due to the sheer peace he had with himself. It wasn't as if he was learning the truth in the Federation either. Roshwell was just another camp in his mind.

Here, partially due to Ellie, a new perspective mashed with the previous knowledge that some warned about.

Common sense of the Outside was how William described his shortcomings, which were big gaps for the likes of Ellie or that angry brat that considered him a poor moron. From clothes to words, or the way how one felt or talked, some things were more prevalent than others.

Luke answered and described it a little bit when they met, but there was no inherent value to how a Walker should act or talk. He thought that William was unfortunate yet normal if one saw Outside alone. For the Federation, those like him were less than ideal. It was far from being idyllic.

Kingdoms had simple premises with history and weight on royalty. A nation with socialistic, democratic, or communist approaches had their contrasts and goals. Neither of them survived in their former glories, terrible consequences, or ways. Humanity lost much more than just people and history. They broke apart and fell for Walkers, giving them their reigns, albeit they too might get broken. Now, there was no way to rely on the former creations, let alone models.

There were new consequences where choices influenced the whole board if one wasn't careful. Harsh in reality, or worse than that in any capacity, it was often about compromises, killing, or surviving.

William, thanks to his hand or anxiety, couldn’t care less about the politics. Nowadays, though similar to the distant centuries, people have some firm resemblance to leadership. It worked for some people who clung to that old hope in a way some might not like, but it was better than nothing.

To William's surprise, the current popular belief that Ellie described was flexible and satisfactory. The Federation was closer to how things were before, yet Walkers were still rulers, yet not apparent to everybody. For regular families in the Federation, that felt like a miracle and some Walkers did not mean more than a police.

That meant some other locations and people could change and shift, holding onto different opinions or practices. It wasn't about Walkers alone, so that pushed some boundaries apart across the globe, or gave some leeway for regular people.

William saw one such point; the world. There wasn’t just America. There was humongous Asia with Europe being fairly close. And Africa was supposed to be even bigger than North America, which he found unbelievable. They had their settlements and people, living or surviving, and also holding their own Walker forces. Unfortunately, most of that was so far away that this land had never dealt with them besides Walkers visiting, or some business trading being feasible.

Besides that, looking at things locally wasn't wrong. Many regular people had meaningful positions, while some Walkers might be less than some of them. It was inevitable when one viewed a million people on a single large island, or how some Walkers had their talents in multiple layers.

It wasn't all that different from the former United States of America, which was full of strange places that William marveled about. That place had separated distinct massive areas, with spaces between the Zone that had rare lands of freedom or safety.

William believed that rules worked like laws and values between people. It was a tool. A machination to make people sane and less worried about the distant future. It was often about their company.

Everything changed after the Dawn. Then, through the coordination of nations who hit the common bottom and hopeless reality, humanity crawled around, found some footing, or fell off.

It was no small feat to keep going. Even in defeat, it was good to see some yearning for life. Even some small branches could become stronger when they were put together, so more than half of the human resources at that time were put to the foundation of the Federation, which led to advancements in many possibilities ever since.

Ellie spoke about it as if it was common sense. It was. Here. Outside, this ideology was seen as haughty, unnecessary, or fake, which made Wiliam realize many things at once.

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Even among the reluctant people, the harsh truths remained. Humanity might be no more for them than packs of wolves, so it was important to keep them safe and fad, otherwise they were going to eat each other.

William wondered if the Federation held some pessimistic opinions. From Ellie, it didn't seem so in the slightest. He considered those who used to live Outside—or knew what was going on there—as realists or hopeful fanatics for survival and life. That was good, considering the Federation was a safe haven, and getting out was stupid. There shouldn't be some Lunatics, or bandits, or so on.

Every place should have people who hope, those hesitant over some loss, or those who live for the sake of it. There were miners, lumberjacks, builders, farmers, and so on. They were needed at any stage of the nation, grief, or loss. It was about resources. If one part faded, the rest would follow.

The Federation was not only one singular entity. It was an accumulation of merits and history of more than two centuries. How come, when the Dawn was younger than that? Well, William learned that reality was often disappointing, while history might be even worse.

Humanity was hardly calm even before the Dawn happened. East or West, or races and wars, many things happened because of greed, hate, or discrimination. Resources were a suitable idea to see problems or wars. He understood it very well, the same as fear, loss, or desire.

The harsh reality made worse things into flaws. For some, the nature of humanity did not change. Creating something better from it was silly depending on perspective. That was what William took from Ellie's monologues, which he found surprising considering she wasn't from Outside, yet he felt like she described Outside, and talked very well about it.

It wasn't about the most magnificent motherland. Having many interests across the globe was worth more than some land, and there were similar places in many corners. William learned about them through rumors and propaganda. Japan, India, China, and a few other places looked out for themselves until they couldn't.

Hoping for better links, places, and resources, followed new links and hope for people and recruits. It might be a distant dream, but the world could open up again, which Ellie hoped to happen. Hopefully, it would work after Walkers would see eye to eye.

Distance was the main problem, but their names remained standing, bearing letters from the past and centuries of history, which was a great motivation for the rest of humanity. Traveling and helping across the globe was feasible for Walkers and impossible for the regular population, so it was good to think of it as a massive existential win.

The Federation was the top dog of this hemisphere and had the most resources simply because of its size, population, methods, and decades of effort. In estimation, it held a sizable chunk of the remaining population, which was known to be in the tens of millions scattered around the globe like ant colonies.

Unfortunately, that point was rather dubious, and Ellie wasn't sure what was right or not. Statistics and research on such a scale were kind of vague. Discovery, rumors, and research ensured they would never die off, but one would never be able to see everything because of Darks.

William could only imagine what sort of life was on a different continent. Was it more bitter because of unique Darks, their evolutions, needs, and variety of species in different lands created worse monsters? The land was concerning. William figured that the Federation took a huge safety net by being in the middle of the ocean. Moving with countless efforts, it was grueling work until it paid off, even if it could be for naught in the grand scheme of the whole Earth.

In any case, wasn't this place far too detached and hard to save if the worst would come? William had this doubt that some crazy Incursion would crack this place apart. Yet it never did, so how come? Was it because Darks couldn't get here? That was obviously wrong thanks to these Rifts which were made through spatial torrents, or movements of some Darks.

That view from the helicopter showed many things, and some struggles and facts clicked for him. Darks attacked where people flocked together. Capital cities died off quickly, and cramped or densely populated countries became a mess. People scattered and that went on for decades, or forever.

Many parts of this past weren't precisely documented, because of lacking data in abrupt chaos. The destruction and lack of care after the Dawn caused a strange period akin to a gap that created a big wound. Only through physical and widespread research with teams of Walkers and scientists alike, it was slowly clearing up.

The Dawn was not simple. Darks were the same. Walkers were trying to oppose them like fools armed with a single gun, opposing an army of lions. It was intriguing that they did so with such fervent success without being blatantly blown to pieces and extinction. They were still people. Humans. And people were problematic and might never really change even with power that no humans should have.

Was it about learning, or were scientists right that people couldn’t learn from their past mistakes?

William believed there was some stupidity in bravery and survival. This world was in shambles, and people weren’t winners. They were animals; some were stronger, others weaker, and most tried their best regardless of morality or any questions.

Breathing in and out in large strides, holding an old diary that seemed unused for decades without being part of the library, William took a new scent of this home into his mind. He walked away into the streets of the Central District without hesitation. Clouds were pretty across the horizon, looking rather far and out of reach thanks to many surrounding buildings. In less than a quarter of an hour, there would be just stars and a wounded red moon.

Eat… or not? I would definitely appreciate some water first. Where do I get it in the middle of an ocean? It is not drinkable. Salty and all, one can't take it for granted. I tried it before, William thought as he walked around the bustling streets.

Maybe a new set of clothes would not hurt either, eh? These are the best clothes I have, so maybe that... asshole looked at me weird because of that? What a dick. Well, I don't think Ellie's gaze was any better, or that cunning and harsh man named Burton thought about me much worse. So what? And that asshole, hm! I don't like being taken lightly. William looked at himself and assumed the worst because people around him wore quite fine clothes.

He didn't care much about it, but something in him had new doubts. This was already good in his book, so after a pondering look, anything would be better than a worn-down long-sleeve shirt and trousers, let alone some shoes with a hole at the bottom.

Thus, he decided to take a look around the shops, and see if he could buy something for a few credits, or if he was a complete idiot for assuming they would be enough for clothes.