The piercing wail of the Banshee jolted me awake. I bolted upright, fumbling for my shotgun as my heart hammered in my chest, dashing down the stairs and bursting out the front door of the cabin. Kendall was already there, alert and scanning our surroundings.

"Pretty sure that's alarm seven - it's close," he said tersely. "Damn. Means one through six failed."

I set a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, but seven worked."

Around us, the rest of the camp was stirring. Mathis emerged from his cabin, rifle in hand, bleary-eyed but alert, Irene close behind him, loading bullets into a revolver.

I heard doors slam open as the others roused from their beds. "Grab weapons and get to defensive positions," I barked, my voice rough with sleep but firm with authority.

I grabbed my walkie-talkie. "Stali, report. What's going on?"

Static crackled for a moment before his voice came through. "Southwest quadrant. I'm checking the monitors now." More static. "Got a visual. Single vehicle approaching from the main road, half a mile out. Not one of ours."

"Prep the defenses. We're on our way," I responded. I turned to Kendall. "Let's go."

Adrenaline drowned out any remnants of sleep. As we neared the perimeter, I could hear the rumble of engines over the alarm's wail. The car blustered and whined, backfiring as it grew closer.

As it approached our wall of vehicles, it slowed to a stop, sputtered, and died.

Several of us took positions among the embattlements, taking aim at the vehicle. Mathis, Kendall, Irene and myself stepped through the narrow gate between two minivans, weapons at the ready. Kendall and Irene took up flanking positions, eyes on the woods, while Mathis and I held steady aim on the windshield of the small sedan.

Stali's voice crackled through the loudspeaker system. "Step out of the vehicle. Toss your keys over."

The driver's side door creaked open and a disheveled man slowly emerged, his hands raised in surrender. He was unarmed and unkempt - his clothes were dirty and torn, his face unshaven. He obeyed Stali's command and gave a slight jerk of his arm. Mathis snagged the keys out of the air. A spotlight turned on from a nearby post and the man covered his face. "Ah ah!" I warned. "Hands up!" He obeyed, turning his face to the ground and raising trembling hands into the air.

"Please, I mean no harm," the man called out, his voice raspy. "My family, we need help. Our group was ambushed down in the town. We have no food or water."

I kept my rifle trained on him, unsure whether to trust him. As I glanced at the vehicle, the interior now illuminated by his open door, I saw a woman cradling a crying toddler in her arms. Two more small children peered out of the backseat, their faces far more haggard and worn than any child's should ever be. I beckoned with my fingers at the woman, who exited slowly, bouncing the child on her hip, speaking softly to him.

The man took a cautious step forward. "We heard there might be a settlement out here. We were trying to reach you when we got attacked. Please, if you've no room, we just need some food and water. Maybe some gas if you can spare it."

I hesitated, then lowered my weapon slightly. If he had wanted to attack, he wouldn't have approached so obviously and definitely not with children in tow. That didn't mean it wasn't a trap. I jerked my weapon at the woman. "Stand by him, away from the vehicle." She quickly obeyed, staring at the ground as she walked over to stand by her companion. The toddler in her arms quieted at the sight of us surrounding them, burying his face in her neck.

"Mathis, Kendall, check them out," I ordered. "Make sure they aren't armed. The rest of you, stay alert." I grabbed my walkie. "Alicia, come down here, grab the hunter's rations for tomorrow."

The two men approached the newcomers warily, patting them down before waving the all-clear. My sister emerged from the gates with a cooler in both hands, lugging it with her knees. She'd probably already been standing by with the food. Little brat, she knew better than to come down to the front in a situation like this. I rolled my eyes. "Alicia," I motioned with my head. "There's more kids in the backseat."

She beelined for the rear passenger door, but Irene barred her way, walking up and looking through the window, her firearm at the ready. The children inside recoiled. Irene's face softened but she still peered inside, checking to make sure it wasn't a trap. Satisfied, she stepped aside and allowed Alicia to approach.

Allie set the cooler down and reached in to grab some sandwiches and a few bottles of water. She opened the door and offered the meal to the children, who set upon it with a ravenous appetite.

The woman wept with relief. "Thank you, thank you so much." Alicia reached into the cooler again and walked over to the couple, offering them each a sandwich and bottle of water. The man tore into it, but the woman split off several chunks and offered it to the child in her arms, who tasted it tentatively before turning his nose up at it. With a sigh, she placed the food in her own mouth and chewed slowly, showing him that it was food. I couldn't blame the kid, canned tuna, no mayo? No thank you.

I walked over, my guard still up. I examined them. "You say you were attacked in town? Was it Turned or Raiders? We haven't seen any activity in this area for months."

"Ith wath the Turmed," the man said through a mouthful. "A whothe bunmph of dem."

"Fuck," I breathed.

Mathis shared my sentiment. "Great, just what we need - a whole herd on our doorstep."

"What's your names?" I asked.

The man swallowed hard, taking a gulp of water before responding. "I'm Nate." He gestured at his partner and the child she was holding. "This is my wife, Rachel, and our boy, Ben. The two in the backseat are Ethan and Judy. Their family... Didn't make it. It was just the seven of us."

"I'm sorry," I said, "Sincerely, I am. I know that feeling all too well. I'm Alec. This here is my brother, Kendall, and my sister, Alicia. These are Mathis and Irene. We... Are more than seven, so please don't try anything." Several rifles sounded from between the wall of vehicles as my companions chambered rounds threateningly. Fear gleamed in Nate's eyes. "What happened?"

"Can we..." Rachel began speaking but stopped. I looked at her expectantly. "Can you what?"

"Can we come in...?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, that's not gonna happen right now."

She looked crestfallen. "We're so cold..." I noted the blue tinges on her fingers, and she held Ben more closely.

I clicked my walkie talkie once more, bringing it up to my mouth and speaking low. "Lilly, you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here."

"Bring down some coats and gloves. Men's large, women's medium, three toddlers. Three five and seven by the looks of it."

"Oh shit, okay, on my way."

I glanced at my bare feet, wiggling my toes in the leaves. "I could use some shoes, too. Socks if you've got time"

"... I love you, Alec, but you're a dipshit."

I adjusted the dial on the walkie. "Fire team one, have you cleared the immediate area?"

Jonas responded quickly. "Yes sir, perimeter secure."

"Okay, move to perimeter two. Fire team two, tail and proceed to perimeter three as team one clears."

"Ten four," "Ten four."

I turned my attention back to the strangers, who were staring at me wide eyed. "Alright Nate, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna get you guys warmed up. Did your car die from trouble or from running outta gas?"

"Um-m-m-m, gas, I th-th-think," Nate shivered as he spoke.

"Lilly, you on your way yet?"

"About to head to you now."

"Snag the gas canister by the front door, please."

"Got it. Be there in two minutes."

"Nate?"

"Yes?" he responded.

"Go ahead and put the kids and Rachel in the car. You're gonna come with me." I nodded at Irene and Mathis. "You two, stay here and keep an eye on them."

Nate and Rachel exchanged a furtive glance. "It's alright," I said. "Nobody here is gonna hurt you if you don't give us a reason to."

Lilly padded up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. She set a pair of boots, the gas can and the adult coats at my feet, then went over to Irene and Alicia, handing them both a child's coat, gloves and thick socks. Each took a set and went to either side of the car, opening the door and gesturing for the children to scoot forward. After a few moments, the children obeyed, allowing them to get them dressed. Lilly stepped over to Rachel and offered her the last set of children's items. Rachel took them gratefully and set Ben on the ground, who looked up at her quietly as she pulled the coat around him.

I kicked over the boots and slipped my feet into them, wriggling my heel against the foam. Blech. It was twisted. I bent over and slipped a finger down the back of my heel, adjusting it, then snagged the adult coats. I offered it to Nate, who had moved closer. He took them both, first clothing himself and then turning to his wife and helped her slip it on before picking up Ben so she could remove his shoes and put on the thick socks Lilly had brought out.

Mathis snagged the gas can and walked over to the car, popping the cap and emptying the contents of the container into the vehicle. He sat in the driver's seat for a moment, and I heard the keys clinking moments before the engine turned over with a dull roar.

Nate breathed a sigh of relief. He hugged Rachel and kissed both her and Ben on the forehead, whispered a few words then walked towards me. Rachel quickly turned and hopped i the car. Mathis waved Irene over and had her get in the car with Rachel before sauntering my way as well.

Stali's voice came back over the loudspeaker system. Nate froze. "Fire teams one and two have cleared perimeters two and three."

I grabbed my walkie and flipped the dial once more. "Proceed to perimeters four and five. You know the drill."

"Ten four."