“You’ve said a lot about the System and those screeny things, but you haven’t told me too much about the Farm.” Aislinn said.

“My Gran’s farm is a ways outside the city, plenty of distance to keep out of whatever territories are being established here. To begin with there are two houses, a machine shed, a barn, and a bunkhouse. Plenty of places for people to sleep, so far anyway. She’s got quite a few acres of woodland and some farmland. There’s several fruit trees and a stand of sugar maples. Most importantly, they’ve been building defenses. The rest of the Pack is there, to help defend our territory.” Girl said.

“The System has a screen for territory and we can upgrade it, but part of upgrading it is getting more population. That’s a bit of the reason we’re looking for other people.” Lucky said. “The stronger we make our territory, the safer our Flock is.”

“Flock?” The woman asked with a raised brow.

Lucky panted out a laugh. “It’s what we call the people. I’m the [Howling Shepherd of the Flock]. It’s my class.”

“Interesting. How did you get the territory?” Aislinn asked.

Girl giggled. “He marked it.”

Lucky snorted out a breath. “I marked my territory.” He agreed.

“You mean if we have one of the guys go around peeing on walls, we’ll get a territory too?” The woman’s brows nearly disappeared under her dark hair.

Girl’s leafy eyes darted off to the side, avoiding eye contact. “Maybe?” Her voice squeaked just a little on the word.

The woman scoffed, but then her expression went thoughtful. “You might not want to take all of us on, once you hear about what we are.” Her voice sounded guarded.

“What do you mean?” Asked Lucky.

“Perhaps it would be best to show you.” Aislinn said, climbing to her feet. “Come. Meet the rest of us.” She led them back outside onto the empty City street. Under Ian’s watchful eye. Then into the building where the scent of humanity grew stronger than anywhere else they had discovered in that desolate City. The lights inside the building were sallow and indirect. Dim, drum-like lights suspended from a far distant ceiling. There was a dull murmur of conversation that stopped as soon as the door creaked open on protesting hinges. There was a smell that hovered in the air, the strangely sweet smell of the very young. The potency of it hinted at many more than just one infant.

Lucky’s eyes searched the long pathways between huge pallet shelves filled with boxes and cases. Deep in the recesses of the building, far from the exposed paths near the door, he could hear the bright voices of children. They were so very quiet in the vast building. That oppressed innocence sunk its claws into Lucky’s spirit and wrenched at him. His copper brows drew together and the faintest of whines was pulled from him.

Girl’s fingers sought the soft fur of his cheeks and soothingly stroked them, offering comfort even if she didn’t know where the almost sub-vocal whine had come from. There in the oasis of light that shrank even as the door swung closed, hinges still protesting, the dogs stood in a close circle around Aislinn and Girl. Several women stood a few feet away from the doorway, armed with an eclectic scattering of weapons.

“The rain isn’t falling yet.” Aislinn said.

A frown marred Girl’s brow, her leafy eyes narrowing as she looked from Aislinn to the other women. “I didn’t think there was going to be rain today.” She said, “Not a cloud in the sky, was there?”

Lucky cocked his head, drawing in another deep breath. The scent of fear that had washed over him when they entered the warehouse was fading with each inhale. He looked at the armed women from the corners of his eyes, never quite meeting their gazes to give them the comfort of disconnection. He watched the tension that held them slowly relax, shoulders lowering, stiff postures relaxing, if only slightly. His curled tail, with its banner of trailing white fur, wagged gently across his back and he forced his ears forward, mouth opening in a friendly pant, only the bottom teeth showing past his lips.

The other dogs followed his lead, relaxing their posture and offering the same comfortable lack of eye contact. Amusement flared in his pale eyes as he watched Girl unconsciously mimic their actions. Her shoulders softened and rounded, hands hanging loose at her side and her eyes cast slightly down, avoiding too much eye contact.

A faint smile flicked across Aislinn’s lips as she stepped further into the building. “This is Girl, Lucky, and their Pack.”

One of the armed women, a fierce looking pistol held easily in one hand, the empty holster strapped to the side of her chest just under her left breast, frowned deeply at Aislinn, her eyes flicking to Girl. “Girl?”

“Isobel.” Girl clarified. “It’s sort of a nickname.” One shoulder stiffened into a shrug before relaxing again.

“Right.” The woman’s voice drew the word out until it seemed to take a full minute for the single word to leave her lips. Her eyes, the darkest that Lucky thought he had ever seen, skipped along the features of Girl’s face before sweeping across the dogs, taking them in and dismissing them in the same pass. “I’m Helen. What’s going on, Ice?”

Aislinn ran the fingers of one hand through her tightly curling black hair. “They’ve got a Farm outside the City. They’re looking for survivors.”

Helen’s face went from frown to scowl, “And you believe them? Jesus, Ice, what the Hell?”

“Damnit, Hel, we can’t hold out here forever and you know it.” Aislinn protested.

“Hold out or not, we can’t throw ourselves at-” Helen made a hand gesture that took in Girl and the dogs. “For Christsake, what is she, twelve?”

Girl winced, “Fourteen.” She corrected and Helen’s dark eyes widened, brows winging up as she made intense eye contact with Aislynn.

“Just hear her out, Hel. Maybe this is just what we need.”

Helen snorted. “If it looks too good, it probably is.”

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Aislinn heaved a sigh. “Listen, why don’t you and I go check out the situation? We can decide later.”

Helen turned to look at the other women who stood with her. A long moment passed in silence as the women exchanged looks and gestures that Lucky couldn’t read. Finally, Helen nodded. “You go pack us both a bag.”

“Sure, Hel. Can you show Isobel our people? If they’re really going to take us in, they should know what they’re getting into.” Aislinn said.

Helen made a deep hum in the back of her throat before nodding her head. “Sure, whatever. Meet me at the door, twenty minutes?”

“Less.” Aislinn assured her. “Won’t take long to pack.”

Helen snorted. “Not much to pack.” She agreed. “Come on then, Girl. Let’s go.”

Girl’s leafy eyes flicked down to meet Lucky’s before she stepped off to follow Helen deeper into the warehouse, past the armed women and into the dimly lit bowels of the building. Lucky padded along at her side, but the rest of the dogs remained near the entrance, watching the armed women from the corners of their eyes.

The concrete floor was smooth enough that Lucky was certain it would be as slick as ice if it were ever wet. His nails clicked against the floor, echoing in the stillness of the warehouse. He could smell so many people, but they were all so quiet. There was a pall of desperation hanging in the warm air. A sad pressure that settled down over Lucky and had his ears drooping and his tail going still.

“How many of you are there?” Girl asked.

Helen holstered her gleaming pistol as she walked, glancing back to Girl, her gaze sliding over the teenager and the low-slung gunbelt around her waist. “Forty three. Mostly women.” She snorted and a brittle smile flashed across her lips before it shattered. “Mostly children.” She corrected.

“Children?” Girl asked.

“Ice and I are -were- teachers. Before. When the Winds came, a lot of kids were left behind. More when the men went through.” She shrugged, her expression carefully blank. “They’re just mouths to feed, after all.” Again that tense shrug. “So we feed them.”

“How many?” Girl asked.

“Twenty-eight. Five men. A doctor, two policemen, a firefighter, a teacher, and a social worker. Ten women. Two other teachers from our school, the school nurse, a policewoman, a lawyer, two retail clerks, and a welder from one of the factories around here. A few of them are parents, joined us when none of the other places wouldn’t take their kids. Mostly the kids…” She sighed as she turned left at an intersection of the long shelves. “Mostly they’ve lost everything.”

“I’m sorry.” Girl said. Her hand stretched out as though she were going to touch the woman and offer comfort, but she dropped it before a connection was made. Lucky had no such hesitation and crowded close to the woman’s flank, brushing gently against her leg.

Her hand fell to his head almost reflexively and her fingers tangled gently in the fur behind his ears. “What’re you sorry for, kid?”

Girl’s smile trembled for a moment as it spread across her features, dimples flashing to life. “I’m sorry for a lot of things. Lots of ‘em aren’t my fault, but I can still be sorry for the outcome. Most of the dogs I’m with are Lost Dogs. They’ve lost their places from the world Before. Now they have a place in the Pack.”

“What about this one?” Helen asked, scratching Lucky a couple of times before lifting her hand away.

“He’s mine. My best friend. His name’s Lucky.” Girl said.

“He’s a good dog.”

Lucky’s tail started to wag, just a couple of back and forth movements. It went still as they stepped into what must be the breakroom or cafeteria for the warehouse workers. The long room, much more brightly lit, was filled with places to sit. Chairs, benches, tables. It was an industrial looking building, no homeyness to it at all. Seated around the room were more than two dozen children. They ranged in age from recently born to preteens, none older than about ten. The pressure in the room was anything but physical, but it still bore down upon Lucky like a fist. More than two dozen children in the middle of the day and you could hear a pin drop. There was no murmur of conversation, no laughter, no tomfoolery. Just wan children, faces sharp featured and pinched with a hunger that no food could satisfy.

Lucky whined. The sound, soft though it was, seemed to boom in this quiet room. There was quiet here, but no peace. Girl’s breath seemed shallow as her eyes scanned the room. “This would add a lot of people to our territory.” She spoke softly, barely louder than the sound of her own breathing. “It’s a lot, but we could do it.” She glanced down at Lucky. “We have to do it.” Her leafy eyes returned to the quiet children. “Surviving isn’t enough. This isn’t enough.”

Lucky chuffed softly, his own pale eyes flicking from face to face around the room. “We must thrive.” Lucky agreed. “This isn’t enough.”

Helen jerked like she had been hit by a taser. Her dark eyes were wide when she looked down at Lucky. He met them briefly before breaking direct contact. “Jesus.” She hissed. “The dog talks? Why does the dog talk?”

“All the dogs I brought with me talk.” Girl spoke calmly. “It’s something they learned from the System.”

“This have something to do with the voices in everyone’s head?” Helen asked.

“Yes. Something. I talked to Aislinn about it, while we were in the other building. We can talk about it on the way to my forward base.” Girl said.

The woman’s dark eyes met Girl’s searchingly and she was quiet for a long moment. “You don’t seem like much of a kid.” She admitted after a moment.

Girl sighed heavily. “I think some of us have had to grow up real fast since the Winds.” She swept her gaze over the gathered children one more time. “They could play a bit at the Farm.” She said, “I hate that they’re so quiet.”

“Me too.” Helen admitted. “But it’s safer this way. The less attention we draw, the better.”

Girl nodded and Lucky gave a small whimpering whine. “I’m glad you’re thinking about coming to the Farm. I’m going to give my Dad a call to let him know he should meet us with the truck by the highway. Then we can hopefully get you back here by tonight if we need to.”

“Are we taking them straight to the farm? Isn’t that why we set up the Forward Base?” Lucky asked.

“Do you feel it, Luckariddle?” She drew in a long and shaky breath.

“No, but I trust your instincts, Girl.” He looked up at the woman. “Are you prepared to go?”

“Ice might not be, but we can head back to the door to meet her.” Helen said.

“Why do you call her Ice?” Girl asked.

“What do you mean? It’s her name. Aislinn, Ais.”

Girl’s palm met her forehead with a light smacking sound. “Of course. I thought you were saying Ice the whole time. Like ice cube.”

“Oh, no. Ais, a-i-s. Why are you called Girl?” Helen asked.

She shrugged. “It’s what he calls me.” She indicated the dog. “And now even the System shows my name as being Girl in some places.”

Helen snorted as she started leading the way back toward the doors. “I guess it’s not a bad name, if it is a little generic.”

Lucky snorted. “I guess dogs aren’t that creative.” He said.

The woman whistled. “A lot of shit has happened since the Winds.” She began, “But talking dogs is definitely the weirdest.”

“I think my strangest moment thus far is talking to the squirrel.” Girl said, her teeth bared in a wide grin. “Talk about surreal.”

“A squirrel?” Helen asked.

“Yeah, he’s Luckyduckydoo’s friend.” Girl said.

“Now that beats it. A dog with a squirrel friend?” Helen said.

“I think he has a trait called Squirrelfriend or something that gives him bonuses when dealing with strange squirrels.” Girl said. “I can start filling you in on the System while we wait for Aislinn.” She offered once they reached the door.

“That sounds like a great idea, but call your dad first so he can get started.”

“Right! I knew I was forgetting something.”