“Is it here?” the girl asked the boy, her voice tinged with hope and anxiety. The two stared at the imposing wall before them, with "Aries’ Base" scrawled across the top in bold letters. The boy gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. “I guess so.”
The two that Emma had let leave had finally arrived at Aries’ Base after days of driving through treacherous roads and avoiding hordes of zombies. As they drove up, a stern-looking guard motioned for the boy to roll down his car window. “Get down for a check,” the guard ordered.
The two got out of the car, their hearts pounding. As soon as they did, the guards around them raised their guns at them, the cold barrels gleaming menacingly. Two other guards approached and searched them, patting them down from head to toe.
After ensuring there were no signs of infection, one of the guards spoke gruffly, “You can go in.” Relieved, they started to move toward their car, but the boy stopped short, his eyes widening in confusion. One of the guards had already taken the car and was driving it inside through another pathway.
“Hey, what about our car?” the boy protested.
“Standard procedure,” the guard replied curtly. “Your vehicle will be checked and returned to you if you earn it. You can enter on foot through the main gate or leave.”
With no other choice, the boy and girl exchanged a worried glance and began walking toward the entrance. The gate creaked open slowly, revealing a stark contrast to Emma’s entrance, where a beautiful, safe territory lay behind the gates. Instead, they were met with a long, seemingly never-ending line of weary people waiting to be checked in. The air was thick with tension and the smell of sweat and fear.
The girl looked at the boy, then at the line, and finally down at the ground, her shoulders slumping with a heavy sigh. She was beginning to regret her decision. The boy, sensing the girl’s feelings, glanced around at the anxious faces in the line and felt a knot of regret tightening in his stomach. The memory of Emma's territory, with its sense of safety and happiness, seemed like a distant dream now.
But they didn’t know that after this line, there was something worse. Aries’ Base, which housed hundreds of people and had only a short time to develop, had very limited resources. The few mansions inside the base were reserved for the leaders of the group, creating an obvious divide between the elite and everyone else.
The regular houses were already occupied by those who either arrived early or could afford the rent, paid in food or other essential supplies. This left the majority of the population to live in tents. These tents were cramped and offered little protection against the weather, let alone any potential zombie attacks.
After the third day of waiting in line, with their only food being a loaf of bread, the two couldn't take it anymore and started complaining to the people around them. “You know, in our old territory, we could eat meat, drink clean water, and live in a mansion,” the girl said, her voice filled with frustration and regret.
The boy nodded in agreement, adding, “Yeah, we had it good there. It was way better than this place.” They continued to talk about the experience at Emma’s Territory, now the Autumn Territory, remembering the resources, the safety, and the comfort they had left behind.
People around them started to get visibly annoyed. The constant praise for another place messes with their nerves, especially since some of them have been here way longer than three days. The man standing directly in front of them finally had enough. He turned around, his face twisted in irritation.
“Well, if it was that good, why didn’t you guys just stay there? Huh?” he snapped, his tone sharp. His outburst caught the attention of others in line, who began to murmur in agreement.
The girl hesitated, glancing at the boy. He looked down, shuffling his feet. “We thought it would be better here,” he admitted quietly. “We didn’t know it would be like this.”
“Thought it would be better?” another person scoffed. “Sounds like you left the castle for a garbage dump.”
The boy and girl exchanged guilty looks, the weight of their decision settling heavily on their shoulders. They kept quiet to themselves for two weeks. After finally reaching the front of the line and entering the base, instead of the modern city they had expected to see, they were met with the stench of the tented community. Dirty and overcrowded, the area buzzed with the sounds of unhappiness and despair. The girl, overwhelmed by the harsh reality, couldn't hold back her tears. She sat on the ground, crying softly, as the boy tried to comfort her, though he felt equally devastated.
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Their decision to leave Emma’s Territory, now known as the Autumn Territory, haunted them daily. Now, surrounded by the harsh conditions of Aries’ Base, they realized the full extent of their mistake.
As the two adapted to their new lives over the next month, their stories about Emma’s Territory began to spread. These tales traveled quickly through the base, sparking curiosity and envy among the residents. Eventually, the stories reached the ears of the leaders of Aries’ Base, who became increasingly interested in the supposed haven the two had seen.
Inside a Meeting Room—————
“And that is why you only gave us each two guns?” Xyla’s voice rang out from the room. Her hands pressed against the table as she stood, glaring at the girl across from her. The tension in the room was high.
The girl across from her casually flipped her hair and took a small sip of her coffee, her eyes squinting at Xyla. “Yes,” she replied coolly.
Before Xyla could respond, a man in the center of the meeting table slapped his book down with a resounding thud. The noise echoed through the room, drawing everyone's attention. “What are you guys doing?” he demanded, his voice tinged with exasperation and anger. “You want to overthrow? Do you want to fight? Think about all those people relying on us out there!”
“You’re—” Before Xyla could finish her sentence, Dean covered her mouth and, with Xavier's help, pulled her back to her seat. Her eyes blazed with anger and frustration, but she reluctantly sat down. Mark, sensing the tension, stepped in. “So, what is the meeting for this time?” he asked.
The man, who was the girl’s father and the top leader of the entire base, took a deep breath. His stern eyes scanned the room, lingering on each person before he spoke. The tension in the air was visible, and everyone waited for his words with bated breath. “We have a new mission for you. And this time, Cassidy will be going with you,” he said, motioning towards his daughter.
Cassidy flipped her hair again, her expression unreadable. Xyla rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed by the addition of Cassidy to their team.
“At the same time,” the man continued, “we want you to go to this place called Emma’s Territory and see if they want to work or trade with us.”
Xavier raised his brows. They had heard rumors about the place—how it was thriving under a girl’s leadership. He had guessed that the Emma being referred to was probably the same Emma they had met at the factory, the one who had displayed such remarkable abilities. Thoughts raced through his mind, wondering if her territory was truly as impressive as the rumors suggested.
Mila’s attention, however, was more focused on the mission. “What’s the mission?” she asked, leaning forward with a mixture of curiosity and concern. She had always been practical, wanting to know the details and logistics before diving into anything.
The man, noticing Mila's eagerness, nodded. “Cassidy will lead you guys in it. She will let you know the details.”
Xyla huffed in the back and rolled her eyes. “I would rather rely on a pig than her,” she muttered under her breath, her frustration clear, but she was also a bit excited to see if Emma’s territory was owned by the girl they met.
Cassidy took another sip of her coffee before standing up. “What do you mean by that, Xyla?” she asked, her tone calm but firm.
Xyla's jaw clenched as she locked eyes with Cassidy. “You know exactly what I mean!” she retorted.
Dean glanced between the two, and rolled his eyes, here they start again.
In the forest—————
Unaware of the discussions about her elsewhere, Emma ended the timer with a satisfied nod as Amy and her puppies came into view once again. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of their progress. "Not bad," she noted, her voice laced with approval. "One minute better than last week."
In the weeks following their return from the factories, Emma had dedicated herself to training Amy and her puppies. Each day was filled with careful exercises and skill-building sessions. She watched them grow stronger and more confident with each passing day.
At the same time, Emma made regular trips back to the factory grounds, ensuring that every corner was thoroughly cleared of any remaining zombies. Once satisfied that the area was secure, she planted her sign firmly in the ground, marking the territory as her own. Her reward for taking over that part was the ability to develop and manufacture items. However, she had no one to do it, and no material so she had been thinking about how to attract new civilians to her territory.
As she was thinking about this, a “Ding” sounded in her head. Emma raised her brows. What could it be?
“Warning, a stranger at the door. Stranger at door.”
It was an alarm coming from her territory’s gate. Emma's pulse quickened with a mix of curiosity and caution. She ran up to the surveillance system she had set up. The screen displayed two trucks parked before the gate and a sensing of around twenty people.
At the same time, Jared’s voice came through the gate’s speaker system. “Hey boss, there is a group of people here saying they want to see you.”
“Keep them there,” Emma instructed Jared. “I’ll be right there.” Running down her house, she called over to Amy, “Get on! We’re going to the territory!”
Amy ran over to the RV and took control of the wheel. After a month of hanging around Emma, she has now mastered normal driving. The two drove quickly yet steadily to the territory.
As they approached, Emma noticed the two trucks parked in front of the gate. A man standing in front of the gate and seems to be talking to someone inside.
Emma got out of her RV and greeted the man, “Hello?”