PART 1: THE SCOUTING MISSION
"Hey, Sam! The General wants to see you!" a voice called out.
"Alright, I'll be there in five!"
I quickly freshened up. I loved to keep myself clean and well-presented even before the world turned to shit. I refused to compromise on hygiene. Moreover, this was my first meeting with the General. I wanted to make a good first impression since he rarely spoke with other people. Most of the time, he sat up there in his headquarters with his lieutenants, sometimes summoning members of the community into his headquarters. So I knew that either the General had important work for me or something was up.
As I was walking down the stairs to the headquarters, my mind started thinking about the community I was living in. It was originally a large outpost used by the Forest Department, but had been abandoned years before the apocalypse. It was completely surrounded by forests and had high, stone walls with outposts at each of its four corners. The walls formed a rectangular shape around the outpost. They were poorly maintained, but some areas had been rebuilt using wood.
There was only one way in or out of the outpost, which was guarded by surprisingly strong, steel gates but it made me feel uneasy nonetheless. We had no backdoor to escape through in case of emergencies. The Forest Department probably did not have an apocalypse in mind when they made this place.
There was a singular stone path from the gates all the way to the HQ building. On either side of this path lay many tents and trailers. Most of them housed the community members, but some of them had been repurposed to store ammunition, food and medicine.
Finally, I reached the HQ building itself. It was the only actual building in the community, and had been made by the Forest Department as well. Made of stone, it seemed stronger than the walls surrounding it, but it still had some places reinforced with wood. It had two levels- the General's headquarters were on the lower level, whereas on the top floor, there were five rooms, which we scouts called 'Home'. We had a room each, offering us a great deal of privacy.
I'd reached the headquarters by now, and knocked on its metal doors.
"
Come in!
" a loud voice answered.
The stench of cigars flooded my nose as soon as I went in. A thick cloud of smoke hung on to the ceiling, and the only source of light in the room was a single bulb.
The General was a larger man than I thought he would be. He had a thick white beard, which was blackened in some areas with cigar soot. He wore a camouflage uniform, which did not fit him well at all. He also wore an army cap, trying to hide his balding head albeit unsuccessfully.
There were a lot of badges on his chest- accomplishments from a past life, a forgotten time. It seemed he wanted to hold on to something from his life of glory. Above them was a slip that said-
KENT
.
Hunching over his table, General Kent was looking at a map with his magnifying glass, and holding a cigar in his other hand. There was an ashtray full of cigar butts right next him, and a picture of a woman who appeared to be his wife. There was also a picture of a kid right next to it, who I assumed to be his son. Standing behind him were his three trusted lieutenants- people he chose to give him advice and execute his orders.
I could soon feel the smoke pouring down my throat and my eyes watering up. It had been months since I last saw a cigar, and I really was not used to smoking anyway. I couldn't understand how anyone could spend all day in here. I tried unsuccessfully to stifle my coughs.
I was about to close the door behind me when someone else came in. It was Jenna Thompson- another scout who just arrived here a few days ago. The first time I saw her was when she first arrived at the community gates, late in the night. She was dirty and disheveled, her unkempt dark black hair tumbling down in all directions, her lips bruised and her hands covered in dirt.
Her brown eyes shone like diamonds in the rough even in the darkness, and her mannerisms impressed me. Even in her situation, she spoke confidently and calmly asked to join our community. Over the next few days, we talked to each other often. The more I got to know her, the more I fell for her.
I found out that Jenna was 24 years old, a year younger than me. She used to live in Ashton City which was a few kilometers north of the community. I was born there myself and spent some part of my childhood there. She said that she was going through her day-to-day life when the apocalypse struck. She'd escaped from the city and arrived here. But for some reason, she refused to discuss why she was in such a bad state when she first came here. I didn't want to press her too much so I left it there. She seemed thankful for the privacy.
Soon, we became good friends. Sometimes, she bit her lower lip when she thought I wasn't looking, but I was not sure whether this was a product of my imagination.
Jenna's sudden coughs snapped me from my thoughts. The smoke was invading her lungs as well. In between all the coughs, she tapped my shoulder and said, "Hey." I nodded at her.
"
Ah, welcome!
" General Kent thundered, not even looking up from the map.
"Happy to be here. How can we help?" Jenna nervously asked, trying to hold back her coughs. It seemed this was the first time she was seeing the General was well.
When General Kent finally looked up, he shifted something towards us. I couldn't see anything clearly owing to my watery eyes, but I assumed it was a map of the area. He pointed to something on it and said, "We need to expand our community. We need more land, resources, cigars..." he said, looking at the one in his hand. It was almost burnt out, so he motioned to one of his lieutenants, who handed him a new one.
"But we need to scout out some regions first." General Kent sighed, drawing on the map. "That's what both of you will be doing."
One of his lieutenants stepped up. "Sector A to the north seems promising. There is a huge warehouse there. It's located downhill, just beyond the woods around us. There is a small outpost right at the edge of the hill. You'll be able to get a clear view from there."
"Alright, when should we leave?" I asked.
"Now." The General replied.
That afternoon, I found myself sighing with discontent as I looked at the windows. It had crystallized and I couldn't see anything through it.
"We'll have to open it." I said.