“Well, that didn’t last long.” [Ryner]

Ryner muttered while sitting at a table in a dark room. The only source of light was the fire coming from a portable gas stove placed before him that was heating up a pot.

“I thought we would leave soon, but I didn’t think we would get kicked out within the day.” [Ryner]

“… I’m sorry.” [Jessica]

“Why are you apologizing for something you didn’t do?” [Ryner]

He asked Jessica who sat in front of him, appearing forlorn.

“Yeah, but… It kind of feels like it is. I mean, I WAS the cause of it.” [Jessica]

“No, it’s because of their stupid rules. I mean, sure, someone died, but it wasn’t our fault, and definitely not mine.” [Ryner]

“…” [Jessica]

“Okay, maybe it was a bit my fault…” [Ryner]

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Several hours earlier…

After having accepted Ryner and Jessica into the Caravans, Omari and Carmelita decided to give them a tour of their home. They showed them the third floor and the units that were all styled like an office. The large space that served as a living and dining room had desks and chairs with people hard at work.

“There are rules in place to ensure order and everyone has a job to keep this ship afloat. Now, the third floor you’re on is management, basically people working to organize, move and manage our resources so that we don’t run out of anything.” [Omari]

Omari enthusiastically explained to the group, or rather, mostly to Jessica. But, he made sure to behave when Carmelita checked the chamber of her rifle to see if a bullet was loaded. Ryner, ignoring their skit, examined the rooms he came across. The people present stared at them for a while, surprised, but resumed their work when they saw that their leader and the chief of security was accompanying them.

“Is that a radio I’m seeing?” [Ryner]

Ryner asked when he saw a man with a black, rectangular box laid out before him. It was a radio connected to a walkie-talkie by a coiled cord.

“And are those cellphones?” [Ryner]

Moreover, there were several cellphones as well.

“Yeah, we’ve got people on the radio in case someone contacts us. Also, though we can’t call anyone on the outside, cellphones still work in the city thanks to Alpha Comms. Luckily, the infrastructures haven’t broken down yet.” [Omari]

“I’m guessing that’s something unique to this city.” [Ryner]

“Well, I’m not sure if it’s been adopted elsewhere yet, but telecommunications and media are all managed by the city instead of private companies. Alpha Comms handles it and acts as an intermediary if you’re a tourist and are already using another company’s services. Man, how come you don’t know that? We all need to subscribe to it if we want to use our phones in the city.” [Omari]

“I’m a tourist, from outside.” [Ryner]

“… Right, I guess a lot of people do come visit. Anyway, all of its equipment is on the Alpha Grid so they never run out of power. That way, we have free wi-fi from anywhere at all times, or at least, it should, but Internet is down. I can’t access my favorite websites.” [Omari]

“We don’t need to know what you like to look up, Omari. What’s important is that we can still talk to people inside Alpha City, so we keep an ear out for when other groups of survivors contact us.” [Carmelita]

Carmelita added after giving Omari a light jab on the shoulder.

“You keep contact with other groups?” [Ryner]

“Correct. We trade, exchange information and help each other, all to survive. Of course, not everyone plays nice, like the Brotherhood you two just met. It’s better to give those kinds of folks a wide berth.” [Omari]

“Ooor, you know, kill them all before they kill us.” [Carmelita]

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“… I’m, gonna ignore that.” [Omari]

The group went to the second floor by taking the stairs. Although the elevators worked, they were only used when necessary. It was to ensure that people could get to their destinations as quickly as possible if it was urgent, and to make sure that everyone was getting some level of exercise.

“The second floor is where the guards live. They maintain their weapons, check the cameras, or just sleep. Of course, they’ve got rooms on the upper floors, but they stay on standby here in case they’re needed on the first floor.” [Omari]

Omari said as he showed them the units. They looked more like places to live in instead of offices, except for the guns and other makeshift weapons that were neatly stacked in one corner.

“It’s, uh, well-stocked.” [Jessica]

Jessica remarked as she stared at a pole that had a knife taped to the tip.

“This isn’t conventional warfare. We’re dealing with zombies, freaking undead that don’t stay dead.” [Carmelita]

Carmelita said and patted her firearm.

“Guns are good and all, but they’re loud and need bullets. At the end of the day, something like a club is more reliable and will last longer.” [Carmelita]

After explaining a few more things, Omari led the group back to his office where they had lunch. The residents that were living on the fourth floor and above were in charge of other types of work such as cooking, laundry and cleaning. The meal that Ryner’s group ate was spaghetti which consisted of dried noodles and canned tomato sauce with meatballs. It had been prepared by those on cooking duty and delivered in a rectangular, transparent, plastic food container.

After finishing eating, Carmelita left with Jessica who was interested in the gym once she heard about it. Furthermore, the chief of security, after guiding her, had to leave for her job while shouting something about forcing the drunkards to get back to work. It elicited a troubled smile with Omari who stayed with Ryner and the two exchanged various pieces of information. Stopping at a good spot in their conversation, he served him a cup of tea.

“Mmh, hot tea really calms your nerves. You know, Alpha Condominium offers some good rooms, but being on the Alpha Grid drove up the price even though it doesn’t do anything during normal times. It’s only after the city got overrun by zombies that I realize it was worth it.” [Omari]

Omari said as he sipped on his tea.

“We’ve got power and running water. Lights, air conditioners, washing machines, showers, everything is still working. Thanks to that, we can afford a hot meal, spend the night in bright rooms and the kids can watch movies or play games to pass the time.” [Omari]

“Sounds like this place got everything.” [Ryner]

“Not everything. Resources are always needed. Speaking of which… Let’s continue.” [Omari]

The two were in the middle of examining the different items that Ryner had stored in his duffel bag.

“It’s too bad you wouldn’t part with your power station or fuel can. I would have maybe given you a smartphone.” [Omari]

“You mean the power supply?” [Ryner]

“Same thing, really.” [Omari]

Omari would inspect each one, judge their worth and then offer up something in exchange. Because money wasn’t used much in the Caravans, they were bartering.

“Uhh, why do you have this?” [Omari]

He asked, puzzled, as he looked at the pink tool that could vibrate.

“I took it from some guy’s office.” [Ryner]

“…” [Omari]

He silently put it down and picked up the next item.

“… Are these… Condoms?” [Omari]

“Also took it from that guy’s office.” [Ryner]

“… And… This… A whip?” [Omari]

“From that guy’s office again.” [Ryner]

“… Ryner… I don’t think we need… Well okay, maybe some will need, but oh, this smell… Is it whiskey?!” [Omari]

Omari exclaimed after sniffing the scent coming out of the bottle of alcohol.

“Yeah, I took it from the same guy’s office too.” [Ryner]

“… Was that really an office or are you just messing with me?” [Omari]

“Surprisingly, I’m telling the truth.” [Ryner]

As the two talked, someone suddenly barged into the room. Looking at the entrance, they saw a tall man in his forties that had bulging muscles, a scar tracing the right side of his bald head and an aggressive, but not too bad-looking face. He wore grey pants and a black T-shirt that appeared a bit too tight for his robust body. There was a faint blush on his slightly tanned skin that could be explained by the empty can of beer held in his left hand.

“Rowan! Are you drinking again?! You should be on duty! Carmen is looking for you!” [Omari]

“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m doing my job, so shut up, alright?” [Rowan]

The man called Rowan basically ignored Omari. His sharp, brown eyes locked onto the bottle of whiskey on the table. He walked up to them and snatched it with a big grin on his face. Sniffing the contents, he whistled contentedly.

“Damn, *sniff* whiskey! I knew I smelled something good!” [Rowan]

“Hey, Rowan!” [Omari]

“Cool your jets. We’re working our butts off keeping this place safe. Least you could do is let us have a drink.” [Rowan]

He said one-sidedly before leaving.

“Was that okay?” [Ryner]

Ryner asked, pointing at the door, to which Omari shook his head and sighed in dismay.

“No, it’s not. Sorry you had to see Rowan in his boozehound mode.” [Omari]

“He just took my whiskey.” [Ryner]

“Don’t misunderstand. Despite his bad behavior, he’s one of our best fighters and does his job properly when it counts. Besides, Carmen can hold his leash. Once she gets her hands on him, he’ll fall in line. The guy can’t go against her, maybe because she was his commanding officer in the army or because they wer-.” [Omari]

“You gonna pay for that whiskey?” [Ryner]

“…” [Omari]

Omari sighed for the second time.

“What do you want in exchange?” [Omari]

“Gunpowder. About this much.” [Ryner]

“For a bottle of whiskey?! That’s a rip-off!” [Omari]

As the chubby man tried to offer an alternate deal, Ryner quietly looked at the door from which Rowan exited. Experience and instincts cultivated over countless years rang out.

“(… Why am I suddenly getting a bad feeling?)” [Ryner]

They warned of danger.

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Item of interest

Whiskey:

* Distilled liquor found in a guy’s office.

* The expensive kind.

* Drink in moderation so as to not do something regretful.