The Lady
by Starsinger
I intend to have this character to be the antithesis of "The Governor". They loathe each other. The Lady has spent years preparing, the Governor, well, he is an opportunist. No, don't own it, darn it.
The gate opened silently in front of them. It approached sundown and we had no idea how close we came to spending the night outside the gates. The sun slipped below the horizon as we stopped just inside the inner fence. My side door opened and a hand appeared to help me out. Stephanie stepped out with the kitten in her hands. Finally, Ricky came out. He was tired and wearily eyed the grim-eyed guards.
"We need to get them to the infirmary," the red haired woman said as she caught sight of the bite wound on my arm. "How long since this happened? Are you past the fever?"
I don't remember what I said. We were hustled from the car and into a building between the inner and outer fences. It was a surprisingly modern clinic setting. A nurse and a doctor came in, took blood and our vital signs and gave us shots. The nurse smiled grimly, "The virus isn't the only thing in the human bite that can kill."
The doctor, named George Sampson, entered with a very striking woman. She was tall, in her early sixties, had salt and pepper hair, and surveyed her surroundings with intense black eyes. This was our introduction to the "Lady". She personally examined our bite wounds before they were dressed. "My name is Helene. You will be escorted from here to quarantine. This is standard for all newcomers, we have to protect our population. You will be there for three days. You can shower, shave, take care of any other personal issues, and rest up before you enter the compound. You will also find a form dictating you wishes if you die. Also, a set of rules are in the kitchen. Yes, you can keep the kitten, follow me."
We followed in her wake. The buildings she led us to were small houses. They contained a small kitchen, a bedroom, and a functioning toilet and shower. There were two doors into the houses, one went outside the walls and into the forest, the other lead into a fence whose gate opened into the compound. "Stay here, and alive for the next three days, and you'll be allowed into the compound. You can, of course, leave at any time. You can also go anywhere between the inner and outer walls. I encourage you to talk to everyone you meet." She left us to settle in.
I showered and changed clothes. Clothes were in the closet, they were big enough to fit just about anyone, and had pull strings to fit smaller frames. It felt good to have the accumulated dirt and grime of at least a week off my body. The clothes appeared to be made of a soft wool and were a generic gray color. I sat down and read the rules. They were pretty straightforward.
1. Do not kill the living, although self-defense is allowed.
2. Kill Walkers if you must, you will be trained to use cross-bows and bow and arrows as they are quiet and will not attract more Walkers. We will also train you to use guns.
3. Everyone is expected to contribute. If you do not, you will be encouraged to leave.
Well, it was short and generic. I was determined to do what I could to help. A soft mewing behind me drew my attention to the hungry kitten behind me, and my own stomach rumbled at me as well. I rummaged through the pantry and found tuna. I mixed it with some fresh milk in the refrigerator and mixed the two together, setting it down for him and he snapped it up hungrily. It seemed strange, this place had electricity. Someone had prepared very well. How could anyone prepare for this?
Stephanie was out in the back when I came out. Ricky joined us shortly. A fence separated us, but we sat on the grass and talked. Ricky shared his own story. He had been in New York when the epidemic began. He headed south to his family when it became bad. His family had turned and his grandmother had bitten him. I placed my hand on the fence separating us from the compound. Large, tree like structures rose from the ground. I could see recessed doors leading into the nearest structure.
"I was studying architecture at NYU," Ricky said. "I'd say that's made of metal and concrete. Lock that door and everyone would be secure against whatever was outside." In the distance, we could see herds of cattle, sheep, and goats being driven in by dogs a man trailed behind them, an occasional whistle pierced the air as they herded the animals into what was probably a barn. The night deepened as people entered the structures and shut the doors behind them. I went back into the house and pulled out a book I had brought with me and started to read. This would be a long three days.
The third day we all waited anxiously at the gates, we were definitely ready to go in. I was getting cabin fever. Helene herself opened the gates. We went over to the tree on the far right, "The fence encloses the living compound. We have several fields enclosed by other fences for food that we grow, as well as cotton and the herds. I bought this land and started building all of this about twenty years ago in response to a vision I had. Those who are immune will have definite duties that different from those who've never been bitten. You'll be on horses guarding those who work outside the walls. You'll be going into towns to gather supplies we can't make here. Our goal is to be self-sufficient in another twenty years. Do you have any questions?"
"Are you using solar panels for the electricity?" Stephanie asked. We ascended a ramp and emerged into a medium round room. Children sat in front of a woman who held up a book and was reading from it.
"Yes, and will for as long as they last and we can make replacement parts. This is the family tree. Children and people willing to care for them live here." We moved into a doorway that led into a corridor that connected the trees. "These doors can be barred, cutting off each tree if something happens. We also have tunnels underground leading outside the compound. We make daily sweeps of them, occasionally a Walker will find their way down there. I heard that you've encountered the Governor."
Ricky made a rude noise, "They beat me up because I was bitten."
Helene nodded, "This is where single men stay." Several more rooms led off the main room, pallets were stacked against the wall. "We're expanding slowly, survivors are hard to come by," a tall man with lanky brown hair emerged from one of the doors, a towel wrapped around his waist. "Adam," the man wandered over, "this is Ricky." Adam nodded to Ricky and ushered him through yet another door. We continued through yet another door and yet another corridor.
The next tree had an obvious feminine touch. Next to the stacked pallets were embroidered pillows and blankets. Someone had made a braided rug. Helene showed us the bathing facilities. We put our stuff down in another room for just that. She opened a trap door and we went down and found ourselves descending into the tunnels. We followed her through and found words written at every turn and fork. "These will tell you where you're going. CF left means cattle fields, left, B right means barns. We have a similar system for the infirmary, each of the trees and fields, etc." We emerged from a tunnel that had been marked SR right. There we found people learning to use various forms of firearms and learning other forms of self-defense. "I will leave you here. Since you are immune, we're starting you here so you can make your first forays into town. We do need certain supplies until we can make them ourselves." With that, she left us to the mercies of the first day.
