Two silent travelers walked up to the manor house a short time before sundown. Neither seemed interested in speaking, but from the expressions on their faces each had a story to tell.

It was not long before the gate opened and the gathered remnants of humanity welcomed them home. Eager to discuss the situation, no one asked why the duo seemed awkward at the moment though it was obvious that something did happen.

Much like they always did, they gathered in the kitchen. Harley stated a desire to remain outside in case of any incoming monster attacks. Scott made no effort to deny her that wish, and the meeting began without her.

Scott sat at in his customary seat and looked around the table at the gathered faces. "Well, first I can tell you that Eloa is going to come for the get together."

"Get together? Is that what we're calling it?" asked Cia with a grin.

"It's as good a name for it as any," said Scott with a shrug.

"So, we havin' fried chicken and collard greens? Maybe get a hawg cooker and have ourselves a pig pickin," said Cia in an overdone Southern accent.

Rachel chimed in by suggesting that they get a keg of Mt Dew and some genuine potater salad. Cia waved her hand back and forth dismissively.

"Naw. Now, come on, girl. You know we have to have sweet tea with our vittles!" decreed Cia in her overblown downhome accent.

"Lord deliver us from cheerleaders," grunted Scott in a half-serious sounding tone that soon morphed into something that sounded like the unholy union of Colonel Sanders and a Southern Baptist minister high on the word. "Beloved! Do not blame them, for they know not what they do. Though they blasphemously invoke the righteous name of sweet tea in their jests, stay your hand. Let them come to understand the folly of their ways through kindness and charity, not the brimstone and flagellation they so richly deserve. Amen!"

"Amen!" cried the table congregation in unison.

"Yeah. We're definitely from the South, aren't we?" asked Cia lightly.

Scott joined Cia and the rest of the group in a bit of light hearted chuckling then finally got back to business. "Eloa is interested in furthering our alliance for various reasons, one of which I saw when I arrived at the bridge."

"What happened?" asked Michael. "Were they attacked?"

"Actually, yes," said Scott. "A rival group of Lizard people decided to try and muscle in on their territory. They called it a 'proposal' but from what I gather they simply wanted to take the area that Eloa's people control."

"A shotgun wedding without the shotgun?" asked Frank. The big man offered a crooked grin. "If she's coming I guess she made out alright."

"Yeah, completely wiped them out... using an ability she gained from me," said Scott.

That tidbit of knowledge brought everyone up short. Questions flew across the table as everyone wanted to know what happened. Scott quickly explained that their 'union' and agreements allowed her to access a special power once he reached tier-two.

"So, she got an incredible power and you got the equivalent of a hand tazer?" asked Michael.

"Seems to be the case, though now I know one reason why so many random non-human girls are after me. Even before this faction was started, my title alone would have caught interest. Back a human like that, and if they ascend past the first-tier you may get a special ability," said Scott.

"Why wouldn't you get something special, though?" asked Michael.

"I did. The association with Eloa seems to have factored into my randomized elite class. So, she and I worked out and deal and we both got stronger," said Scott.

"I see," said Michael. "That's interesting. I wonder what else we can get through joining forces with other groups."

"Who knows? It does seem like that system was set up to reward the non-humans who want to align with humans, though." Scott took a sip of water then tapped his finger to his nose. "The ability she got was an area effect skill capable of dishing out a ton of lightning damage. Given the fact that she lives on the river that has to be pretty good."

"So, what if she decides to jump ship now that she has that ability?" asked Harold.

"Seems like it is tied to alliances. Right now her new skill is only a loaner. If she wants to keep it she has to form an alliance. If she brakes it off, she loses the skill," said Scott. He lightly rubbed his hand over his mouth then sighed.

"What is it?" asked Frank.

"It's sad that it's you asking, man," said Scott. "I thought about doing this in private, but honestly it could be a concern for all of us."

"What happened?" asked the big man. The others leaned forward along with him, as Scott's tone seemed serious.

Scott reached into his pocket and pulled out the photograph that he found earlier. He slid it over to Frank.

The big man's eyes widened as he recognized it. "This... picture?" he asked while looking to Scott for answers.

"We went to gather a supplies from the grocery store up the road before we came back," said Scott. He took a breath then shook his head. "Wasn't much edible to salvage. Other survivors got there first."

"Daniel?" asked Frank.

"Probably," said Scott. Michael cut in before he could continue. "The Daniel that tried to kill you earlier, correct?"

"Same one, yes." Scott looked first to Michael and then to Frank. "I found Craig's body in the grocery store."

Frank growled low under his breath and clenched his breath. "That stupid..."

Scott closed his eyes briefly then took a breath and acquired a determined look. "There's more. When I investigated his body I realize that he did not turn. The attacking monsters were ghouls, so that made no sense to me."

"Don't people turn into those zombie things when they kill them?" asked Cia.

"Ghouls, and yeah I thought so too. I mean I've seen it happen," said Scott. He looked back over at Frank. "Thing is, this made me wonder about the situation. At first I figured that maybe players don't become ghouls if they are killed by one."

"You don't think that's the case?" asked Harold. The patriarch of the Weiss family acquired a thoughtful expression while he considered what had been said so far.

"I don't know, actually. I found the possible real cause of death when I tried to move Craig," said Scott. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the lead round that fell out of Craig's corpse. A complicated expression on his face, he tossed it on the table for all to see.

"He was shot?" asked Frank slowly.

Scott looked him in the eyes. "I'm no firearms expert but that doesn't look like a shotgun slug, and I sure as hell didn't find a free shotgun at the grocery store."

"Daniel," said Frank his eyes narrowing.

"I had a lot of time to think it over on the way home. At first I wondered if maybe Craig was the self-sacrificing type. He could have been surrounded and saw no way out, even begged to be shot instead of turning..." said Scott.

Frank shook his head. "Craig was one of those guys who didn't give up on things."

"I see. That makes it much easier then..." Scott wrinkled his nose in disgust. "It must have all gone down not long after they left here. Given the fact that the store was looted pretty thoroughly, they had time to gather supplies."

Scott looked to Frank and then scanned the rest of the faces at the table. They each held thoughtful, or at least confused, expressions. "I didn't recognize a single other body from someone I had met. Craig was the only one."

"What are you getting at?" asked Michael. "You think Daniel sacrificed this guy so they could get away?"

"No. I think Daniel killed Craig in cold blood so the ghouls would gather. They would be easy targets while they feasted. Afterward the grocery store would be free to loot without trouble," said Scott.

"Why throw away a perfectly good asset like a trained police officer?" asked Michael.

Frank sneered. "Isn't it obvious?"

"How so?" asked Michael. "I could see how an unscrupulous man might throw away a random mouth to feed, but a trained officer? That's stupid."

"Not if you were a power-mad asshole, who insisted on being in charge," said Frank slowly. He looked first to Scott then to Michael. "Craig wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but there is a lot of shit he would not have stood for if he saw it happen."

"Really?" asked Scott carefully. He could not help but remember the blood-soaked room he found outside the shopping arcade. A lot of people were left to die so that Daniel and crew could escape.

"Yes, really." Frank blew out a disgusted breath. "All this shit happening might have changed him, warped him a little, but there would come a point when he did start questioning Daniel."

"I'd guess that when Daniel tried to murder me in cold blood after we set up a legitimate home, even Craig would have concerns..." said Scott, his voice trailing off.

"Probably." Frank clasped his hands together then grimaced. "He probably wrote the deaths of the other people in their group off as just his inability to help. He believed in Daniel. The man wasn't always this much of a pure asshole."

Scott nodded quietly. No one spoke for a while. Thoughts of how quickly life could end surfaced within several minds at that table. Even the short time that they had been able to train safely and sleep at night caused them to slightly lose touch with how dangerous the world had become.

Michael was the one to break the silence. "You didn't just bring this up to let us know that a guy who tried to kill you, killed someone else. Right?"

"No. I didn't." Scott took a breath then said. "The looting of the grocery store is a sign of how desperate survivors are becoming. As shitty as Daniel happens to be, shooting Craig was probably something that caused him to hesitate at least slightly."

"We'll be fighting each other soon, you mean?" asked Frank.

"Yes. Absolutely," said Scott. "More to the point though, is the need to gather resources. We can purchase basic food and supplies but it will cost a small fortune to continue doing that. We need to gather supplies to cut costs and save money for equipment or defensive upgrades."

"We already have plans to access the supplies across the river," said Michael.

"Yes, we do. However, I think it would be best if we send a small group over to start gathering tomorrow." Scott and the others shared a brief look before he continued. "At the very least, we need to know if anyone else is in the area and looting our nest egg."

"Makes sense. This would be more of a scouting mission than an actual salvage run?" asked Michael in an approving tone. "Sort of preparation before we actually begin salvaging the area?"

"Yes, but we should still bring back whatever we can find and easily carry," said Scott. He looked around the table briefly. "Does anyone else know the area? If not I'll have to lead a little gathering mission while others hunt."

"I know it. A friend of mine lives... lived there," said Rosa. The first time that she spoke since the meeting began, her voice caught all of the attention.

"You're one of the stronger people here. Do you want to lead that supply run? We can't spread ourselves too thin," said Scott. "And... well, frankly I'll have to pay the toll for the crossing. It would go faster if someone else led the team and I paid the bills."

"I should go with her," said Michael in a tone that sounded less like a suggestion, and more like a statement of fact.

Rosa looked at her father, a complicated expression on her face. He raised his hand and shook his head. "I raised you right, so I know you can do it. However, I could really use the excuse to get out and see the neighboring region."

"I see," said Rosa quietly.

"I'll leave that up to you, Rosa. Pick two folks to go with you, and the three of you can snatch up as much as possible," said Scott. "Don't spend too much time over there, though. A couple of hours tops."

"Right, OK," said Rosa. Her mood lightened slightly after the realization that she could actually choose who to take with her.

"A couple of hours, he says... someone thinks he's the Energizer Bunny," said Cia with a grin.

Scott grunted at her. "You know nothing of my skills."

"Oh, now it's getting interesting!" exclaimed Cia. She shook a pom-pom at him, but he rolled his eyes at her and released a tired laugh.

"You really have to make that payment every time we cross the river?" asked Michael. His face held a dubious expression while he looked at Scott.

"Only if we use the highly convenient and well-guarded bridge instead of taking a boat across monster infested waters filled with mermaids that would like to love us to death." Scott steepled his fingers together then lightly tapped them against his lips. "Either way sounds exhausting."

"Well, if you put it that way..." said Michael with a laugh.

A short round of laughter echoed throughout the room as people relieved some of the pent up tension that they did not know they had. Things were tough right now, but as long as they found time to laugh they might make it through.