The next morning a siren sounded at promptly six AM to alert the soldiers that it was time to get back to work. Dom still felt drained from the stress of the previous day but he forced himself up and out of bed. The others in his building all got moving as well, slowly but surely. They dressed in silence and made their way out the front door towards the main street he had arrived on the night before. Again he still wasn't too sure of protocol so he decided following his bunkmate would be the best option. He stayed on his heels until they were outside where the party was last night, but this time the table had been set up for a morning meal. A few guards stood around the table and watched as the soldiers all filled paper plates with fruit and bread, making sure no one took more than they should.
Dom chewed slowly on a strawberry when he felt a soft elbow to his left kidney.
"Hey there" said Giana. "Rise and shine, 'eh?"
"I guess so" said Dom. "I'll have to get used to this again."
"It doesn't take long, maybe a week or so to get over the yawning."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
Giana grabbed a piece of bread and bit into it, staring off into the distance the same way Dom was. They didn't speak for another five minutes until each of them had had their fill, and once the plates hit the trash can the day was on.
"We head out in ten so meet me back here at this truck." Giana pointed to the Humvee next to them and started off towards Calloway's building. "Don't be late."
Deciding he didn't have anywhere to go Dom stayed by the truck and waited for her to return. Soldiers funneled in and out of the area, some in trucks and some on foot. Everyone seemed to have a set goal in mind as they moved with purpose, always heading from one place to another with very little slacking in between. It was pretty incredible that Calloway had found so many people to be loyal to him in such a small amount of time, but he had learned in that same span to not underestimate the length people will go to to keep themselves alive.
When Giana reappeared from the building she wore a slim bow across her shoulders with a quiver facing the other direction. She nodded to the truck to tell Dom it was time to go so he climbed in and waited, buckling his seatbelt just in case. The soldiers between Giana and the truck seemed to eye her as she passed, whether longingly or with respect he couldn't tell without seeing their faces.
The two of them set off south of the warehouse district to a location unknown to Dom. He didn't feel it prudent to ask questions since he was still new and wasn't really sure about information he should and shouldn't know, so he sat in silence wondering if the information would be given up without coercion. They passed a small group of traffic on the highway until they came to a break in the guard rail where someone had plowed through it. The car was still there with two bodies inside of it, having lost their lives in the accident. As they passed Dom tried to avert his eyes but the reality was they were going to see a lot of that for a while to come, until things got back to normal and the cleanup started.
It didn't really seem like there was a trail in the direction they were headed, more like Giana was just creating one as they went. After a few minutes he noticed the signs of trailblazing and realized someone had in fact come though before them, and he wondered if maybe they were doing some sort of recon. Before he got the chance to ask the truck stopped.
"Let's go, but stay quiet" said Giana.
"Care to let me in on what's going on?" asked Dom.
"We're here to check out a pipeline. There could be others in the area so keep your eyes open and stay on me."
Dom got out of the truck and strapped his rifle over his shoulder. Giana led the way through a smaller trail that branched off to the right, complete with thorn bushes and what looked like poison ivy. The two of them hiked a good half a mile before the beginnings of a clearing started to lay out in front of them and Giana stopped their progress with a firm hand.
"This area has direct access from the north side of the city to where our scouts have traced the other faction that robbed us. We have intel that they're funneling resources from the city through this pipeline to their camp, which is off about ten miles to the right."
Dom checked the treeline on both sides and scanned the horizon, looking closely to spot any heads that could be seeking them out. "From what I gathered that group is mostly civilians though, so there shouldn't be too many people running this area, right?"
"The last solid information we got on their group was about two weeks ago, and we're still in the beginning of this thing so there's no telling what it looks like now. It could be completely different from the picture we have." She backed them off of the line of the clearing and turned to face him in the trees. "The goal is to get you in with them and have you figure out their supply schedule. Routes, times, bodies, anything you can, and feed it back to us."
"I can do that. How do we rendezvous? It's gonna be tricky for me to get away from guards to leave secret messages in the woods."
Giana smiled at the thought of Dom trying to sneak through the night like a cat burglar. "We've scouted ahead. About six miles from here is a river that flows west for quite a ways, and we think the faction supply runners are fishing there for fresh meat. There's an old willow tree on this side of the river where it forks off to the south. You get in on one of the details down there and you can leave a note by the tree."
"What's my way in? Stranded, traveler?"
"That's up to you."
"OK" said Dom. "But if they're set up in the woods, how am I going to just happen upon them without seeming suspicious?"
Giana took a deep breath and before Dom knew what happened he felt a sharp blow to the face. He staggered backwards and caught himself just before he fell, but before he could right himself properly he felt another blow to his ribs. One after another on different sides of his body the blows landed until he wrapped his head around the situation and was stable enough to fight back. He caught Giana's wrist and spun her around, pulling her tight into his body so she couldn't move her arms.
"What the f-"
Before he could finish his sentence she hip checked him in the gut which caught him off guard, and she used that momentary slip up to weave herself out of his grasp and land a solid final blow to his jaw. Dom fell onto one knee and Giana slipped the rifle off of his back, then tossed it into the truck.
"People are more susceptible to pity acceptance when they see someone has been beaten" said Giana.
"I take it training is over then?" asked Dom. He knew the answer, he could feel it in his ribs.
"Calloway works fast and he was impressed with my report on you from the interrogation room. Plus, the less you actually know about this side the better off you'll be in case you really do end up in one of those rooms."
Dom was a little woozy on his feet but he figured he would be able to manage ten miles. Giana pointed him in the right direction and then circled around to face him once more.
"Shame to wreck such a pretty face, but you'll heal."
"I'll take that as a compliment" said Dom.
"You do that, and hold onto it if you feel like you're starting to slip."
With those last words she walked over to the truck, got in and took off, leaving Dom alone in the woods. He figured he should get moving so he started his trek through the clearing, heading for some group in the woods that had no idea he was coming.
A few hours into the trip he was starting to get tired, partly from the ass kicking he'd been given and partly from hiking with no nutrition in his body. The sun was rising higher in the sky and the temperature with it, and by the time he felt he needed to stop and take a break he heard the sound of rushing water. At first he wondered if maybe he was delirious and hearing things but another couple hundred feet ahead of him was the river Giana had mentioned, flowing with a quick undercurrent to his left. He couldn't immediately pick out the willow tree, so he assumed it must be either up or down the river a ways and bent down to get a drink. The water was clear and cool, a welcome refreshment to contrast the heat.
Being in the woods again reminded him of the yearly camping trips he had taken with his dad and his brother during the summer time in northern Michigan. Matthew had finally taken a liking to the outdoors after many years of coercion, something their father was immensely proud of. Both of his boys, ready to gear up and take on nature like men with just tools of the trade and the sweat of their brow. Every year they would go to a different spot on the same river, going up a few miles until they finally reached a waterfall at the mouth of the lake. They had planned to hike up the waterfall and check out the rapids on the next trip but the accident happened, and they never got the chance.
The first time they had gone out together Matthew had never set up a campsite before, meaning he needed to be shown the ropes. Dom thought it would be funny to mess with him a little and tell him he needed all kinds of materials he didn't actually need to set up the tent, so when their dad came over to check on the progress he saw Matthew with tape, scissors and a really confused look on his face. He saw Dom standing there trying to hide a smile and scolded him for in front of Matthew for being a pain, but when he turned to head back to the water he gave Dom the finger gun and wink combo. He wished so hard that he could see his parents one more time that it caused a physical pain in his stomach. Seeing the trees so green and full of life was almost like a living testament to them though, and in that moment he felt like he could feel them looking down on him, guiding him through the dangerous territory he was in. For a while, he felt like things would be okay.
By the time mid day hit it felt like one hundred degrees out. The thickness of the woods didn't do much to shade the sun, it actually made the air seem more dense and harder to swallow. He wasn't making very good time since his right hip was busted and he was walking with a limp but he pushed through, snapping to attention when he saw two guards walking the perimeter about a hundred yards ahead of him. They walked away from each other to the furthest ends until they turned around headed back toward each other, not missing a beat. Dom knew he would be seen in a matter of minutes so he cleared his head and put his game face on. It only took another two minutes until one of the guards turned toward him with his gun aimed at head level.
"You there!" the guard yelled, "hands up!"
"I'm injured" Dom shouted back. "I need help."
The guards watched as he took another few steps and then fell to his knees, playing out the dehydrated straggler. It wasn't far from the truth really, since he hadn't had anything to drink at all that day and had just walked ten miles through the woods after getting his ass kicked. The guards jogged up to him and helped him to his feet, and after getting a look at his face they hauled him forward to the perimeter of the camp.
They led Dom into a medical tent that had a few salvaged gurneys set up in two rows on each side. Two women and a man talked in the corner as he was drug into the tent and laid down on the first available surface. The doctor strung his stethoscope around his neck and excused himself from the nurses.
"What do we have?"
"This guy was walking towards us through the woods, said he was injured." The guard that had first pointed his gun at Dom explained the situation. "Then after that he kinda passed out. I think he's probably dehydrated."
"Nurses, we need some water" said the doctor.
A minute later both nurses came back with steel buckets of water and plastic cups. The blonde nurse scooped one of the cups into the bucket and handed it to Dom, making sure he had a grip on it before helping him raise it to his lips. He drank the whole cup down and then a second, refusing a third so he could catch his breath.
"Who did this to you, son?" asked the doctor.
"I don't know" said Dom. "I was going north from the city and I hit a convoy crossing by a convenience store. I was thirsty, looking for something to drink and they spotted me coming out the back way."
"Do you remember what they were wearing?"
"There was a few of them and it all kind of happened fast, but the one guy I saw clearly was wearing a black t-shirt and dark blue pants."
The doctor grimaced and both of the nurses shook their heads. Dom felt the first piece of the puzzle click into place and he relaxed a bit, feeling some of the stress of his trek start to melt away with the water he had drunk. The guards nodded politely and excused themselves from the tent so they could go back to their posts on the camp line while the nurses tended to the wounds on his face.
Once he was cleaned up and bandaged the nurses got him to his feet and showed him to the entrance of the medical tent where he was met by another guard. This guard was younger looking than most, couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen years old, but he was well built and held his weapon like he was highly trained. Dom guessed he must have been a hunter before the Conflict and the thought actually helped to assuage any fears of danger from Calloway's faction. The guard gave him a once over and showed him to the tent city without any questions asked.
"I've been told you got here with no supplies but we have extras, so we'll have you see Gill about getting a tent and a change of clothes."
"Thanks" said Dom. "The people that ganged up on me took everything I had."
"Not surprised" said the guard. "I actually am surprised they even let you go. A guy your size with your build, usually if you don't join them they save the hassle and kill you right there."
"What do you mean 'they'?" asked Dom.
"Calloway and his goons, that's who attacked you. They think they run things around here but they have another thing coming. Especially if they run into me."
Dom took note of the way the kid stood and presented himself, and the way he seemed to be slightly cocky and sure of his word. He knew that he would need a good source of information and based on what he'd seen in the last few minutes this kid would be a gold mine. "How do I get involved in helping out?"
"Easy there killer" said the guard. "You got beat up pretty bad. The council is going to want you to heal up for a day or two before you get put to work, just to be sure you don't reinjure yourself."
"I suppose that makes sense" said Dom. "I just want to get those pricks before they do this to anyone else."
"I hear you man. Calloway killed my mom and I've been here ever since." The guard stared down at his feet for a second but bounced back quickly. "I'm Manny, if you need anything let me know."
"I'm Dom. Thanks man." He shook the guard's hand and watched as the guy headed out to wherever he was supposed to be.
A quick check of the surroundings proved the Humboldt faction to be more organized than Calloway and his faction thought. They had tidy rows of tents all fitted with laundry lines and enough space to be comfortable. The middle bonfire area was big enough that everyone could group around together but cozy enough that it felt like a family setting. The people that buzzed around seemed to be as happy as they could be in that situation, and that was more than they could say for some of the people they met on the road.
A large tent at the end of the front row was dressed on the outside with red fabric around the doorway and Dom figured that was where Gill probably was. He started over that way, aware of the eyes that were on him as he moved. A lot of the people smiled and waved while some didn't look as pleased to see him, but he attributed that to his busted appearance. Some kids were playing football in the open space and the ball got away from them, landing at his feet. He picked it up and threw it back much to the delight of the kids, and in doing so he caught a glimpse of someone struggling with a tent the next row in and almost vomited up his heart.
"Hey, do you need some help with that?" He jogged over and grabbed the top of the tent as it fell to the side, then pulled the material taught so the pole would bend easier.
"I, uh, yeah. Thanks" said Tori, feeling completely bewildered and unsure of what to do when she turned toward the voice and realized it was Dom.
"My name is Dom, I just got here."
"I'm Tori" she answered, looking around them to see if anyone was watching. When she didn't meet any eyes she lowered her voice and spoke quickly. "What the hell are you doing here? And what happened to you?"
"What, are you not happy to see me?" said Dom, smiling at the confused look on everyone's faces.
"Obviously we're glad to see you, but we thought-"
"Yeah, change of plans. They wanted me here on the inside so I can feed them information. I told them I got jumped by Calloway's men and they stole my gear, it was my way in."
Tori tried to process the information as fast as possible while continuing to work on their tent, as to not draw any suspicious eyes. "OK, how can we help?"
"The best thing you can do is pretend like you don't know me. Treat me like one of the rest of these people." He lifted up the side of the tent and slid the pole the rest of the way through to the other side so Tori could grab it and hook it into the pocket on the ground by the stake. Marie and Cora busied with their own tent but the listened carefully, trying not to make it look obvious that they were watching.
"Thanks for the help, man" said Tori, reaching out to shake Dom's hand.
"Not a problem. I'm supposed to see Gill, I'm guessing this is him over here?"
"Yep, that's him."
"Cool, I'll see you around."
He could feel their eyes on the back of his head as he walked toward Gill's tent and looks on their faces still had a smile on his. He approached Gill's place and stopped, unsure of what to do. There wasn't really a way to knock on a tent door so looked around for a second until he caught a glimpse of an older man working in a small garden next to the plot. The garden was only about ten feet long and four rows wide but it looked like it could hold a fair amount of crop. He made his way around the side of the tent and when Gill heard him approaching he looked up from the dirt, hoe in hand.
"What can I do ya for, son?"
"I just got here. I was robbed out in the city and I don't have anything anymore, so I was told to come see you."
"Well you were told right" said Gill, standing up from the garden to brush himself off. "I'll get ya a tent and when you get set up you can go see Paula about getting another set of clothes."
"Thank you sir" said Dom. "I appreciate it."
"All in kind, son. All in kind."
Gill disappeared for a minute inside of his own tent and came back with a miniature dufflebag in his hand that contained a single person tent, complete with rain guard and tent poles. Dom accepted the tent and let the bag hang at his side while he followed Gill's finger to see where he should set up.
"Third row on the end, there's a spot right there. Head on back this way."
He followed Gill alongside the garden and continued on until he found his spot, which was coincidentally within spitting distance of Tori and the rest of the girls. He was happy that they wouldn't be far from each other and that they would be able to pass messages fairly easily compared to if he would have been situated more rows back or on the other side. Tori gave him a quick nod when she saw him start to set up camp and then she headed inside her own tent to get herself situated.
Diana was inside the tent with her sleeping bag already rolled out and the contents of her backpack laid on top of it. She was poking idly through the different pieces, moving like pieces into piles that would be easier to sort through. Tori watched her silently and began to unpack her own stuff, realizing in the middle that her pack had gotten pretty trashed over the past couple of weeks. They had been in and out so much in Wanagi that no one really had time to do much organization and that meant things were thrown all over the place. Normally it wouldn't make much difference but in their new world where a few seconds could mean the difference between saving someone's life or getting caught, they needed to be ready.
A good portion of that afternoon was spent pretty individually for most of them. They each took time to get their packs in order and have a little rest and relaxation in the comfort of a safe place. None of them were naïve enough to believe that they couldn't be hurt there, but they rested easier knowing that there were plenty of guards around with weapons that would alert everyone to a threat with enough time for them to be ready for it. They had all agreed during one late night chat in Wanagi that the worst part of the whole conflict was the unrest. They never knew when someone was going to test them, or how they would react in the moment. It was a game of cat and mouse really; Calloway was the cat and they were the mice. They just had to pray they were fast enough to get the cheese and get back to their hole in the wall before they got caught.
The tent city had a lot of side tables where people set up personal bartering stations with all different kinds of items and it reminded Cora of going to the flea market with her mom and sister when she was younger. Sarah was probably only four or five years old so she wasn't really interested in the market itself, but Cora was just starting to learn about money and how to own her own things, so going shopping was something she looked forward to. She wasn't aware of it at the time but her mom had pulled a pretty masterful move and taken her to the flea market the first time to show her all of the things she could have if she wanted them bad enough, and when Cora wanted them bad enough to ask how to get them, her mom introduced her to chores. Thinking back to it made her laugh but it also made her miss her mom a lot, and she tried to hide that from Sarah so she would learn to be strong too.
From looking around Marie guessed that most people were there either singularly or with one to two other people, and that most of the groups were people that had banded together in other places. It was rare to find families that were still together or groups of people that knew each other before the Conflict so she figured that their group would be somewhat of a neat story for the rest of the camp. That led to her wondering if they actually did sit around that bonfire at night and tell stories about people and places before the Conflict, or if maybe it made people too sad and they tried to avoid it. It seemed like they would be there for a little while at least so they would find out pretty soon.
The afternoon sun had crested and begun to sink slowly but surely. The sky behind the trees was dusted pink and blue and eventually a few stars started to poke through, signaling the coming end of the first day at the new camp. Tori wasn't sure where they would be in the next week or the next month, but they had done pretty well for themselves since the beginning and she felt that they would be able to take anything that came their way. They had already dealt with the loss of one of their own, something none of them ever thought they could deal with, so something small like being uprooted every few weeks wouldn't bother them too much. It might get tiring after a while, not having a place to call home and feeling like you're constantly on the run, but sure enough there were no viable alternatives.
When the sun disappeared behind the treeline the glow of the fire seemed even more inviting so the girls grouped together and headed in, attempting to find a spot in the semi circle that was forming around the blaze. Some people stood while others sat in small circles and chatted animatedly. A few even had small instruments like harmonicas and one guy had an acoustic guitar. He would stroll around through different parts of the main clearing, singing a song they didn't recognize of which Tori guessed was an original. He passed by them and sang with a smile, nodding his head as he continued on toward the tent city to serenade the sleepy people that didn't feel like coming out. The girls stood facing the fire until they heard footsteps coming close behind them.
"This place isn't too bad, huh?" asked Dom.
"Yeah it's pretty cozy actually" said Tori. "How long do you plan on being here?"
"I'm not sure. Gotta rest up a bit and heal from this beatdown and then I'll evaluate the situation then."
Marie glanced around casually to try and spot anyone that was looking at them like they were out of place, but she didn't see anything and it eventually calmed her down enough to believe that no one in the camp had any suspicions of them or their plan. "Well I hope you get better soon. Those bruises look like they hurt like hell."
"Thanks, you should see the other guy though" said Dom.
Tori couldn't help but smile and she felt good when she realized it was contagious. Soon enough the whole group was smiling and laughing again, something which felt like years since they had done. It had only been a couple days since they were safe and secure in Wanagi, on the road back to a normal existence, but it felt like a thousand lives of man sometimes.
"You know, I heard someone earlier saying that reports from the east say that other countries have gotten involved" said Cora. "This woman was talking to a guard about Maryland or something since she had family there and the guard said he heard that British forces landed on the coast and were trying to put down people like Calloway out there."
"That's crazy" said Marie. "When other countries get involved you know there's no going back to the way it was."
Marie's statement seemed to strike a chord with all of them since everyone was silent for the next few minutes. She watched all of her friends with sad eyes, knowing that they all had friends and family that they would most likely never see again, just like she did. The only thing to do was continue forward, and that meant staying in the moment.
"Diana, you should have heard when I first asked Tori about you."
Tori blushed immediately and she shot a glance at Marie. "You be quiet, you."
"Oh really now" said Diana. "And why is that?"
"She let it slip on the phone that there was a new 'her' and when I asked for details she shut me down so fast it couldn't have went better if we planned it and acted it out on a stage." Marie smiled hugely and Tori grabbed a handful of grass to throw at her.
"I'm glad that you find me being nervous so hilarious Marie" said Tori. "You just better not forget that we've known each other pretty well for a while now, and I have some stories about you I can tell."
Marie's smile dropped and she suddenly looked horrified. "Hey now, I was only poking fun because Diana's actually here. You leave my stories out of this."
"Oh I get it, it's only okay for you right?" Tori teased, tickling the spot behind Marie's right earlobe that made her twitch until she stood up and backed up a couple paces.
"I'm so gonna get you for that" said Marie.
"Looking forward to it" said Tori.
Dom sat back and watched the girls interact for a while, happy in the moment that they could let loose and blow off some steam, if only for a little bit. Tomorrow was another grind, and another step closer to the endgame they were working for. The night sky thickened with the absence of the sun and the air finally cooled off, allowing people to head back to their tents to get some sleep for the repeat play in the morning.
"I'm gonna hit my tent and get some sleep, it was nice to meet you guys" said Dom.
Tori stood up and reached out her hand to shake his once more. "Nice to meet you too, Dom. Catch you in the morning."
"Sure thing."