Zombie Parade

17: Leadership

Percy POV

A woman with dark hair and sharp features walked toward me. Her long, black hair flowed through a bandana and rested against her waist. Her face showed no kindness, but there was respect and politeness. Overall, it was easy to see that she was the leader of the group.

I couldn't help but draw similarities between her and Annabeth. Of course, no one can rival Annabeth in terms of intelligence. However, this woman held the same powerful aura.

"Hello, my name is Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. And, you are?" she asked sternly.

I shook her hand before introducing myself.

"Why did you come to our camp?" Reyna asked suspiciously. "No one knows the whereabouts of our group. What brings you here?"

Before I could respond, a tall blonde intervened. His slender stature gave off a cold and mean personality. I immediately got the wrong vibe from him. Plus, his words didn't help me at all. "Isn't it obvious, Reyna? He's here to raid our resources."

"I'm not here for that. I didn't even know that people were living here," I said loudly. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"Octavian, show some respect to our guest," Reyna ordered angrily.

The blonde boy shook his head and scowled. Frank and Hazel shook their heads as Octavian walked away. He went back to a group of men in the corner of the large room. I glared at his back before turning my attention to Reyna.

"Thank you, Reyna. I don't mean to intrude," I expressed.

"He's correct, Reyna. Percy had no clue that we live here. However, I'm glad that he showed up because he cleared the zombies who were chasing me," hazel explained.

"Frank, how did so many zombies come into the hospital?"

"There is a large horde of zombies traveling through the city right now. When we have a large sweep, more zombies infiltrate the hospital. It's natural," Frank explained. While he continued, I looked around the large room.

Reyna was the natural leader. The others were talking quietly amongst themselves or doing some chores like cleaning clothes. Most of the people were older members, so it makes sense that Hazel mentioned that most of them aren't fighters. As people get older, they can't fight as strong or fast as younger individuals.

The few young fighters (ie Reyna, Frank, Hazel, or Octavian's gang) were keeping the group alive. But, they won't last long if they're starving already.

"Right now, a large horde of zombies are in the streets outside," Frank finished.

"Then, it looks like Percy will be staying the night," Reyna suggested. That snapped my attention back to the group.

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed.

"Percy, this happens from time to time. Thousands of zombies form a horde and travel through the city. It is NOT safe to go out today. If you have somewhere to be, it will be safest for you to leave tomorrow."

I didn't want to stay here for long. However, Reyna was making a very good point. It's not safe to travel around thousands of zombies even in a minivan. Annabeht wanted me to come back as soon as possible. She'll certainly get mad at me if I don't come home today, but she's just gonna have to understand.

I sighed before nodding at Reyna. Frank and Hazel smiled at me. They were happy that I was staying here tonight. I liked them a lot.

I spent the next few hours walking around the room. Frank and Hazel introduced me to everyone. Most of the older survivors were quite nice and welcoming. I'm not a fan of Octavian and his three buddies. They reminded me of people who would steal children's stuffed animals or pillow pets and stab them with a knife.