"Thank you," Chief said. His gaze then fell to Louie. "As for the announcing the idea about the training of twenty members I am going to let you take the lead on this one. I think it's time that you start having a voice during the meetings. And as for the second part of your idea, I think we need to ask Peyton here before we go to the Council and get their vote."

Peyton looked between Louie and Chief, his expression showing his curiosity with a hint of concern. Louie nodded to Chief and pivoted towards Peyton, her hands firmly held behind her.

"Peyton," Louie said, "besides training the twenty members of our Compound, I would like to ask you one more thing. I want to know whether you would also lead a small team, of no more than 6 members, outside to track the Crawler group. Who you take can be your decision, after you see who is the best fit for the job. I know you usually do this sort of thing on your own, but in this case I hope you make an exception."

Peyton seemed surprised by her request and held his silence for a long while.

"I would not be able to make any promises that the members who follow me would be safe or would make it back here alive or the same."

"We understand and it will be the same thing we tell those who want to join you," Louie said. "But I feel confident you will still have plenty to choose from. Will you do it?"

Peyton seemed sobered by the weight of Louie's request, as if the lives of the ones who would join him already sat heavily on his shoulders.

"Alright." He raised his hands before either Louie or Chief could say another thing. "But if I feel that there are none that are ready, then I have the right to leave without this obligation."

Louie and Chief exchanged a look, then looked at Peyton.

"That sounds reasonable," Chief said.

Peyton nodded, the face of the man who lead ten people across five states staring back at them.

"Was there anything else you needed from me?" Peyton asked.

"No, Peyton, you're free to return to Storage," Louie said.

He nodded and slipped out of the office, both pairs of eyes following him. A heavy silence filled the space as Louie turned back to Chief.

"How do you think the Council will take the news and the requests?" Louie asked.

Chief didn't respond for a second, his brain weighing what he knew with the information he had received.

"I think the news will come as a surprise," he said. "We've been living the past twenty years believing that the human race was never going to out last this plague. But I think it will give them hope. Hope for the future of their families, their children. I have confidence that they will agree to the training of members, but the scouting party that is harder to determine.

"But if they do not agree with it, there is still other options. Mr. Jones has been more than helpful and so I do not wish to take more of his freedom, but I trust that if we asked him to return with the information we asked for, he would. He understands the importance of protecting those who can't defend themselves."

Louie nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else you need Chief, before I go?"

Chief gave Louie a warm smile and she returned the look.

"You've just given me all I needed, thank you."

The smile still curving her lips, Louie turned and headed out.

*******************

The Cage was vibrating with a new kind of energy that day as the Council members settled into their chairs, filling the space with quiet murmurings. Ryland was at the entrance talking with Mr. Andrews, their gazes darting to Peyton who sat silently at the front of the group. Louie took her spot on the small platform, her eyes roaming over the crowd. Marc met her gaze and they exchanged a brief nod. When Louie's eyes drifted to Peyton, she found he was already looking at her, his eyes studying her, his face unreadable.

As the last members filed in, Mr. Andrews took his spot opposite Louie. Chief took his stance behind the podium and silence descended, as the last words spoken trailed off in the air.

"Today we have new information that has been brought to us and I want to ask each of you to be patient and listen without interrupting. All your questions will be answered in due course. Now Peyton, if you will?" Chief asked, gesturing to Peyton.

There was a tension in the air as Peyton rose from his seat and took the spot Chief had just been. All eyes were trained on Peyton, bodies rigid with an eagerness that held everyone captured.

"I have met most of you, and for those who I have not had the pleasure meeting I am Peyton Jones. What I am about to tell you will be surprising and will change what you have thought to be true for the last twenty years." Peyton raised his hand in a calming gesture. "Everything I tell is true and so I ask that you listen to what I have to say with an open mind...."

Louie sat back and watched, impressed how Peyton handled the crowd. He didn't jump right into what he knew about the Crawlers but instead told them about how he had spent years tracking and studying them with the doctor first. Then he introduced the news. Louie could tell by the way he said certain phrases and paused at specific points that this speech had been practiced, fine tuned to have the biggest impact without scaring or startling people.

The crowd was captivated by his words, finding themselves easing into the cadence of his voice, resting in the fact that, though young, he held himself and talked in a way that showed his conviction and confidence in what he knew. Heads would nod from time to time, their owners barely registering their movement, too caught up in Peyton's words and their agreement to what he was saying to realize they were showing their approval.

When Peyton ended his speech, the room was deadly silent, thoughts turning and churning as words, and notions took solid form in their minds. Peyton stayed absolutely still behind the podium, his hands clasped behind him, his stance strong and unbending, as if challenging anyone to fight his claims. As if asking for anyone to question what he knew to be fact to the very core of his being.

The silence grew and expanded, pouring from the group, an invisible barrier that still contained some of the old thoughts that hung desperately around some of the more stubborn members. Then the wall cracked and shattered as one voice said, almost as if thinking no one could hear them, "There could be an end?"

That was all it took and the room exploded with thoughts tumbling off lips, questions voices and doubts lifted up. Peyton seemed unmoved by the wave of sound that crashed over him, his stance remaining the same. He held up a single hand and just like that quiet was had.

"I will answer all and any questions you may have, but I can not talk to chaos," Peyton said.

This seemed to mollify the crowd and they settled. One by one questions were tossed out and answers were given. As the time went on the Council became more convinced that what Peyton said was true and their beliefs slowly shifted, their minds absorbing the information and making it concrete.

When no more questions were to be had, Peyton took a step down and returned to his seat. Chief rose to the podium and all eyes that had been following Peyton shifted to him.

"Now that everyone is aware of what is going on," Chief said, "the next question we should be asking ourselves is where do we go from here? Well, the good news is that a plan of action has already been thought out. So I will let Louie tell you what that next move is and leave it to you to decide if its the right one."

He nodded at Louie and she stood, her knuckles almost completely white from clenching her fists, preparing herself for what was to come next. She clasped her hands behind her as she stared into the sea of eyes that were pinned on her.

"I believe that with this news it is clear that we need to be better equipped for what could come our way, if anything at all. What I propose and what Peyton has already agreed he would be willing to do, is gather together a group of twenty members that will be trained under him. Learning the best ways to fight and defend ourselves. Members will be taken from each department, so as to not weaken any one section by pulling away too many of their workers."        

There were a couple nods, but for the most part the Council reminded silent, collectively processing what Louie was suggesting. Louie braced herself for the next part of her plan, knowing this was the part that would be the most challenging to convince the Council.

"The second thing I propose is that after our members are trained, that a small group, no more than six, accompany Peyton to the outside to track the group of Crawlers that was last seen heading our way. Find out their current location. I understand that sending people out is a risk but I believe it is one that needs to be taken to get the information we need to better prepare ourselves. So I ask that you think over what I have suggested and vote however you see fit."

This time there was no moment of silence, by the time the last words had slipped from Louie's lips the Cage became an uproar of doubts and disagreements at what she was proposing.

"We can't let five of our members willingly risk their lives for something that we will be prepared for."

"It's not safe and it's not the time for heroics. Five is too many."

"This is not something we should be considering. We have the protection we need here."

Louie felt herself want to fold under the skepticism and outcry of doubts and criticism, but held her ground, her nails digging into her skin, forcing herself to stay calm. Before more protests could be voiced, Chief rose and stood beside Louie, nodding to her, letting her know it was okay to sit back down. Louie gratefully took her seat, never allowing her face to show the overwhelm she felt. Chief raised a hand and gave the crowd a stern stare, as the Council members reluctantly quieted.

"I understand your doubts and fears. They are all rational, but I'm going to ask you to think about the future of this Compound as well, and what is best for it. Now I will ask for a vote. All in favor of Peyton training twenty of the Compound's members in order to be ready for any situation, please raise your hand," Chief said.

Louie was relived to see the majority of the hands raised in agreement. Chief nodded and the hands dropped.

"Now I will ask, all in favor of a scouting party heading out with Peyton to gather needed information, please raise your hands?"

Something in Louie faltered at the sight of only three hands raising. Chief nodded again and the hands fell.

"Okay, its agreed that Peyton will begin to train twenty of our members," Chief said. "Heads, I leave it to you to pick five of your members you think would be best and get the names to me by the end of the day. I will then decide on the final twenty members and they will begin their work with Peyton. If there is nothing else that is all for today, thank you."

The members all rose and started making their way out of the Cage, voices layering over each other as they discussed all that occurred in the last hour. Louie stood, feeling as if she had failed. That maybe if she had said it in a better way the Council would have seen how important it was to send out the scouting party, to get the information that would help them be ready.

Chief stepped over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, his eyes sensing what was running through her mind.

"You did a good job, but there are fears that it will take longer for them to over come before they can see the steps that need to be taken. Give it time," Chief said.

Louie nodded, then watched as Chief joined the last of the Council members and exited the Cage, his presence a welcomed sight to all.

*********************

Louie stepped out into the late afternoon light and took a moment to stand just beyond the gates, taking in the barren land before her. A Fall chill had settled around the Compound and dried leaves scratched along the broken ground as the wind drifted by. She turned right and headed towards the battered barn that stood on the edge of the Compound's limits.

It had been the first barn the Compound had used but as they livestock grew, a new one had been built, replacing this one.

Voices from inside slipped out the open doors into the air, joining the wind and trailing off into nothingness. Louie squared her shoulders and clasped her hands behind her as she stepped into the barn's interior. Peyton was standing just beside the doors, his posture relaxed, waiting as the twenty members of the Compound fell in. He walked over as Louie entered and nodded to her.

"We are waiting for our last member. Are you here to oversee us?" Peyton asked.

Louie fixed him with a steady gaze, standing taller.

"No, I'm here to train."

*******************

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