They were both speechless. A man who could talk?

"Well, I'll be damned!" said Cynthia. "You're a talking man!"

"Yeah, until about three years ago, that was very common," Roy replied sarcastically. He was dressed in new clothes, showed no signs of decay, and didn’t smell. He had dark skin and wooly hair, although his face and hair looked to be recently trimmed. He looked about 20.

"It's very nice to meet you both, but if you're not going to kill me, I'll be on my way." As he tried to leave, Susan blocked the door.

"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?"

The car ride back started with a long, awkward silence. Roy was smothered in the back seat underneath a heap of cans. Barbra broke the silence first.

"How come you ain't like the rest of them? The virus is airborne."

"Dunno," said Roy. "Just lucky, I guess."

"Luck, huh? Yeah right. And I suppose you survive on luck?"

"Basically."

"How do you get past all the other men? The store was full of them!"

"Luck?"

"IT’S NOT LUCK!" Janet exploded. "We need to know right now why you're still alive, while millions—if not all the men in the world—are dead, flesh-eating monsters!"

Roy paused. "I know you may not believe me, but it’s true. I'm just not appetizing enough, I guess. I walk by other men all the time, and they don’t come after me. Sometimes I push them over for fun—they flop on the ground for a bit, then get right back up."

"That just shouldn’t be possible..."

"Where are you from?" asked Cynthia.

"Lynchburg, Mississippi."

"Oh, I've never been there! Was it nice?"

"To some people, I guess."

"Do you ever miss it?"

Roy looked at her strangely. "It's called Lynchburg for a reason. I'm glad I'm out of that hell hole! 1958 has been great for me. Enough with the formalities! Where are we going?"

"To our home," said Janet. "Maybe there we can figure you out."

They drove to a large wall adorned with guns at the top. The wall was at least 10 feet tall and was made out of steel topped with barbed wire. Barbra gave six honks and a small window suddenly appeared near the door. A face popped out, looked over the car, and then shut. A loud horn sounded and the door slowly slid open. The car moved slowly forward onto a bridge behind the wall. From a caged box, the woman who let them in gave a wave and Susan waved back.

The small bridge crossed a large moat filled with water and spikes. Atop the spikes were piles of zombie bodies. Some dead, some still moaning. Across the bridge was a second wall, this time much thicker and made of concrete. There were some women walking back and forth on top with guns. When they saw the car, they waved to someone behind them and another large door revealed itself. The giant door opened, revealing an enormous, rich neighborhood inside.

They drove through the last gate and Roy's jaw dropped. There were large, untouched suburban houses, clean roads, and laughing women. Children played in the streets. One was selling lemonade for a dime. It was like the apocalypse never touched this place. The only thing that broke the illusion was the random armed guard here and there.

"It's amazing, isn’t it? Like a little piece of heaven," said Barbra.

Roy turned back to the front with a snarl. "Ain't like no heaven I ever heard of," he muttered.

The car pulled into the driveway of a large white house, where a woman with dark, short curls was eating soup outside on a porch swing. The house looked to be the biggest in the settlement with large columns at the entrance. Susan got out and ran up to her. The woman smiled as she approached her. Susan whispered something to her. The woman's smile faded as she looked at Roy in the car. He gave her a small wave. She dropped her bowl and it shattered on the ground.

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She took a few steps forward to get a closer look at him. She creeped so close, she was an arm's length away from the car. Roy avoided her odd gaze and she ran inside. "Well, that can't be good," he thought. A group of heavily armed women flooded out of the house and forced Roy out of the car, dragging him inside.

On the inside of the house, the walls were decorated with high class art. The carpeted floor was blue and soft. Roy almost felt bad for dragging his dirty boots across it. They took him to the house’s study room. Inside, the woman was waiting behind a glossy wood desk. The sat him in a chair and then tied his hands and legs to it. Roy didn't struggle.

"So, it is true!" she said, astonished. "It's like you're perfectly normal."

"That's because I am perfectly normal," Roy replied, shifting in his chair.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Judy Pepperton. I oversee this neighborhood. Please, sit." Roy scoffed.

"I hear you were found in a supermarket not too far from here by Cynthia, Susan, Janet, and Barbra?"

"Who? Sorry, I never got anyone’s name."

"The young one, the happy one, the skinny serious one, and the larger woman."

"Oh yeah, if by 'found' you mean 'kidnapped at gunpoint,' then yeah."

"Under the circumstances, I'm sure you understand why."

"I guess you're referring to the epidemic that wiped out half our population. Look lady-"

"Apparently not! Because you're here! Somehow you've been spared! Tell me, what's the secret?"

"The secret?"

"Yes, the secret! How are you not a monster? If we can recreate what saved you, together we might save the world!"

"Look, I see where this is going, and I hate to burst your bubble, but I can't help you. I tried to tell them before they dragged me over here."

Her face twisted. "And why not?"

"First, unless you can pop them out yourself, there's only one job for me here and I'm not seeing diversity. This tells me you don’t really want to go that route with someone as dark as myself."

She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "And if there's a 'first,' I assume there's a 'second.'"

"Second, I doubt you're able to synthesize anything. You think I haven't run into this exact situation before? Any survivors who look at me get the same idea. Well, I've tried to be nice before, but it always ends up bad before anything can get made. Sides, what are you going to do? It's a nice place, I'll give you that. The best I've seen in a while. However, you would need a hospital or a lab, and I doubt anyone here is even a doctor."

The room fell into an awkward silence. After a while, Judy spoke again. "Guards, leave us." The women left quickly, closing the door. Judy walked over to a shelf and took off a green book. "This was my husband's favorite medical book. He was a doctor, you know.” Her eyes watered. “I miss him so much. I would do anything to bring him back.” She slammed the book closed.

"Let me explain something to you, Mr. Roy. We women have become more than the previous society let us be. We are strong, independent, and capable. We do all the farming, protection, security, killing, and work ourselves. We have doctors who can make a vaccine. If I have to, I'll put you in a glass box and poke you like a fucking monkey until we figure this shit out. Are we clear?"

Roy gulped, sitting in silence. He hadn’t expected such a sharp response. "I’m sorry if I offended you," he said softly.

"You should be. Now, you're going to meet with our doctors so we can get a blood sample. Then we will compare it to what we have and find a cure!"

"Can I at least go to the bathroom first?"

Judy sat on her desk, glaring for a moment. Then her face relaxed.

Judy smiled. "Of course! It's down the hall and to the left! Guards!" The door unlocked, and the women outside turned to face him. "Please take Mr. Roy to the bathroom," Judy said happily, "We want our new guest comfortable!"

"And then what?" one of them asked as she undid his binds.

"Take him to the sick bay. We need a blood sample ASAP. I shall be in the basement and I am not to be disturbed!"

"I can take him," Cynthia shouted from the hall.

"Very well," Judy agreed. "Guards, check the perimeter just in case anyone saw and has gotten interested. Be quick honey."

"Yes, ma." Cynthia said.

Roy was led through a luxurious hall filled with art, passing a painting of a happy family: a mom, dad, teenage boy, and two girls. It was obvious to Roy the mom and daughter were Judy and Cynthia, but the men he assumed were long gone. Roy despised the painting. Not because there was anything wrong with it, it just made him feel happy. Everything was too happy. “So, what’s it like?” asked Cynthia.

“What do you mean?”

“Being the only guy.”

“Well, it’s lonely. Some people might dream of this, but I could do without."

“It doesn’t have to be that lonely...” she said, blushing.

Roy noticed the bathroom and awkwardly rushed inside. It had been a long time since he had been with anyone, and she was beautiful. But a white woman? he thought. She might just get me killed. Has the world really changed enough to allow such a thing? He shook his head. Gotta stay focused. He used the bathroom and, while washing his hands, looked through the large window at the suburban area. Everything within the wall was perfect. He was impressed by how well-kept everything was but noticed he was the darkest one there.

He became very thirsty. He considered what to do next. On one hand, they had resources, and didn’t seem like they’d harm him. Plus, that girl outside... However, they are white people. What would they do with him once they got what they wanted? Would he ever be able to leave? Better to be a free bird than a caged poodle. He opened the window and slowly climbed out.