The Crossing Dawn

VII. Lead Me Home

"I'm testing you here & now." Claire whispered.

"Claire, that does not look like the kind of person you fuck with." I murmured.

"I already know what needs to be done. Should you take the same approach as me, I won't leave you," She teasingly said. "Simple as that."

A man, in his late 20s, had been spotted walking across the tall bushes which we hid in. He had not located us, but we knew of his presence. I pondered what Claire would do as I thought of different ways of resolution. I thought about it for quite long as I came to a conclusion.

"Alright, listen. The way I see it, there's four ways to go on about this guy. The first one that came to mind was to simply ignore him; This would keep us from getting into a rough situation. The second one is to directly and peacefully approach him; State our motives... Or rather, we could go in by force. Knock him out, you know? Then have him spit out whatever he knows." Claire listened closely. "But the most efficient way to find information would be to tail him. He's likely not a lonesome man. He could have people with him: people that can help us."

"Interesting." She said. "I would've preferred the 'kidnap and torture' method, but I think this could work."

I started... laughing. Claire questioned it, but I knew deep down what I had realized. Furthermore, we followed the man as he shadily sprinted along with a backpack, a dead hare, and a large sword to accompany him. Claire and I regularly checked in. He had no clue that we were there. As soon as we crawled up the bushes leading to the tall hill, we saw it.

A base, complete with fortified walls.

I saw Claire smile for the first time in a while. The last time I had seen a settlement, I had a pistol pointed at my head. The man approached the entrance, yelled out "Raven!" and a young woman was seen at the gate.

"Got a young boy and a young girl outside. Do as you may." Said the man.

Shit, he did see us all along. The lady signaled for us to come to her, appearing to seemingly see through the bushes, thus locating us. We got up and obliged.

"We mean no harm!" I shouted at the woman remained calm and smiled.

"I hope that's true." She said. "I'm Raven. "And this sanctuary here is called Haven."

Claire spoke. "We've been on the road for too long. We want a place to call home."

"You've come to the right place, dear. Lance will be with you in a moment." Said Raven. "For clearance, of course."

Lance: the man we thought we could deceive. Quite a fitting name considering he looked well over 250 pounds. The man we once followed looked at us with a deathly gaze. He opened his mouth as his hand gripped the hilt of the sword.

"You'd be wise not to try a thing."

Lance raised his eyebrow as it was Claire who intervened and threatened him.

"You're quite rude." Said Lance as he laughed. "You're in no position to make threats. I could end the both of you with one swing of my sword."

"I've just gone through hell. We've reason to distrust you, so why don't we both settle down before there's trouble?" I attempted to diminish the tense vibe.

"I don't care what you've been through. You keep testing me and there will be trouble."

"Fair enough." I responded.

"Very well. I'll ask the both of you some questions." Said Lance. "First of all- name and age."

"I'm Nathan, and I'm sixteen." I said as I looked over to Claire. "Claire. Seventeen."

"How do I know y'all aren't one of them?" He asked.

"We've dark pupils, rosy skin and urban clothing. Isn't that enough?" Said Claire.

"Alright, I'm letting you in. Try to act funny and I'll personally feed you to the Magpies." Warned Lance as he opened the gates to Haven.

Inside the secured walls, We saw Lance, the woman by the name of Raven, and two other men. There were five wooden sheds circling a 'dining area' complete with a bonfire. Adjacent to the main doors was an armory with a plentiful amount of rifles, shotguns and swords. As we inhaled nervously, we took our first steps, in both literal and practical ways, to our new life. Lance stood on the wooden staircase and yelled.

"Everyone! Today we present a new member, not just for our group, but for our family. Treat him with tenderness and care. They've shown that they're capable of surviving, and they've shown that they're capable of amending with our goals. They'll take up the unused cabin, so no arrangements will be expected." He announced as everyone sat in silence. "Desmond." He continued as he pointed to a tall man wearing some sort of hide over a leather vest. "You're to take them with you on your trip and hear their concerns and questions. That's their final test. And besides, it's always nice to have an extra gun or two."

"That's all! See me privately if you have a bearing with any of this." He finalized his 'speech' as we awaited the man with the leather vest.

He simply gestured for us to come- we went over to the arsenal as Claire picked up a sniper rifle. I singled out an old Smith & Wesson 9mm silenced handgun, put it in a holster, and placed it in my waist.

"Ammo's scarce. Use it only if you need to." Desmond voiced to us as we vacated down the same path we arrived in.

"We got a tiny farm out in the back. Round up sum' horses and let's get movin'." He said.

Claire and I looked at each other and acknowledged. We mounted the steeds and rode off as Desmond escorted us to lord-knows-where.