Dead or Alive

Chapter 8

I woke up and looked around and saw that Alan and a few of his men were beginning to open the cell door. Alan was the first to walk through the opening. 

"Alright, everyone! Get up and get ready for a long day of hard work!" He yelled.

Everyone who was previously asleep jumped up and faced Alan, clearly shaken up.

Alan pointed to the kids, "You two will be doing the gardening in the greenhouse. Go."

A guard led the twins out of the cell and out of the room. 

"You two are going to be organizing the supplies for the first bit of the day. Once you are done, I will have your next task delivered to you. Go," Alan ordered Aaron and Cody.

Two guards led Aaron and Cody out of the room as well.

"Then you three will be repairing the wall that surrounds the building. Get started," He ordered.

Two more guards led Scarlett, Lyndsey, and Brendon out of the room. The only other person in the room with me was Alan.

"So. Have you made your decision?" He asked.

"I have," I answered.

"What have you decided?" 

I took a deep breath, "I'll do it."

"That is wonderful! Come with me and I will tell you everything you need to know," He exclaimed.

He walked out of the cell and I followed after him. As we walked back toward his office, I saw Aaron and Cody stacking canned food on the shelves. The two guards that led them out of the cell were standing behind them, watching them with guns in their hands. Aaron turned in my direction and saw me walking behind Alan. He gave me a look that I couldn't define, and I smiled at him. One of the guards grabbed Aaron by the shoulder and spun him around to face the guard. I saw the guard pointing at Aaron, then the shelf. I could tell that the guard was angry, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. I turned back and realized that Alan was far ahead of me. I jogged to catch up with him then I slowed back down once I had caught up with him. When we reach his office, he unlocks the door and allows me to enter first. 

"Have a seat," He says once he entered the office and closed the door.

I sit down, and he sits behind his desk. 

"So, your responsibilities as my right hand are as follows: you have to make sure that everyone else is doing their job properly, make sure that nothing is broken, order scouts to make sure that there are no Lurker herds coming this way, send out scavengers when supplies are low, and alert me when someone puts everyone at risk. Any questions?" 

"Only one. What should I do when I see someone putting us all at risk? Do I leave them to it while I go to get you? Or do I bring them to you instead?" I asked.

"Bring them in," He answered. 

I nod and he hands me a bag of items.

"These are your supplies. You can keep your weapons if you wish, or you can take these. There is a walkie-talkie in there as well. There's also a list of your duties that you have to perform every day," He explains.

I take the bag and rummage through it. I clip the walkie-talkie to my belt, I take the same gun that the other members have, and I tuck the list in my pocket. 

"Your work begins immediately," He says. 

I nod and get up from the seat and leave the office. I walk around with the new gun in my hands and see Aaron and Cody still stacking items on the shelves. I walk over to the people guarding them.