The camp was similar to the one at Hope’s Dawn. The Vultures had founded it around a cluster of houses along with sheds and garages they’d built from scrap. The most significant difference was the house at the top of the hill.
A plantation home sat at the top of a short hill at the end of the camp. It wasn’t as big as others Jon had seen, but still had the large white columns in the front. A concrete path curved up the hill to the door of the house.
They were heading up that hill toward the house now. Jon knew only one person in the camp who could live in that house.
The three men leading him didn’t say much, but none of them could wipe the smiles off of their faces.
“You have no idea how happy he is going to be to see you,” the guard said.
Jon said nothing. He wouldn’t play these games. He simply kept the stoic expression on his face, showing no emotion one way or the other.
When they got up to the house, they found a guard holding a rifle standing at the door. He raised his eyebrows as the group approached.
“What the hell are you doing here, Bill?”
Bill gestured to Jon. “Can’t you see I’ve brought someone to see him, Carl?”
Carl looked up. “And can’t you see it’s barely dawn. Judah’ll have our heads if we wake him right now.”
“I don’t think so,” Bill said, smiling. “Not for this one, he won’t.”
Carl narrowed his eyes and studied Jon. Something suddenly clicked, and his eyes went wide.
“It’s him, isn’t it?”
Bill laughed and nodded.
A smile grew on Carl’s face, and he opened the door to the house. “What are we waiting on, then?”
The men behind Jon pushed him, nearly sending him face-first down onto the wooden steps that led up to the porch. But he managed to keep both his balance and his composure. Climbing up the steps, Jon entered the house. It was too dark inside to see. The men held onto him and led him down a corridor and then to the right into a living room. One of the men opened the windows, though not much light came in with the sun still not fully risen. But then he lit a few candles spread across the room, bringing some illumination.
“I’ll go get him,” Carl said before heading to a nearby staircase.
Jon could barely see him move, but he heard the creak of the old steps as he climbed upward. All he could hear was the man walking through the home and the breathing of the men around him, bringing an eerie feeling to the darkness. He remained calm, controlling his breaths and showing no emotion. If these were going to be his last moments alive, he wasn’t going out with these bastards thinking they had any power over him.
Waiting felt like it took days. Jon wanted to get this over with. To come face to face with the man who had burned his cabin down and terrorized the innocent people at Hope’s Dawn and to learn what his own fate would be. His palms sweated, and his internal temperature seemed to rise in anticipation.
Then he heard the door squeak shut upstairs and the sounds of footsteps moving over the floor and then down the stairs. It was more than one person coming down. Jon focused on the direction of the stairs, the sun starting to rise and slowly bring more light into the house. He saw the silhouette of two men walking down. The man in the front, presumably Carl, stood next to a wall once he reached the bottom of the stairs. The other man crept into the living room, his face remaining in the darkness for several moments.
When he came into the light, Jon saw his face for the first time.
Judah laid his piercing green eyes on Jon. He wore a white ribbed tank top tucked into a pair of black cargo pants and had black combat boots on his feet. His bald head shimmered in the candlelight, and a smile grew above his goatee. He said nothing as he came closer to Jon. Jon didn’t let his eyes off of the man. Judah stepped in front of Jon, moving to within a couple of feet of him. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared.
“Good to see you again, friend,” Judah said. He spoke without any kind of Southern accent, surprising Jon.
Jon wanted to scoff at the notion of this bastard calling him a friend, but he held off.
“I see the fine people of Hope’s Dawn did the right thing.” Judah looked at Bill. “Did he come alone?”
“Yes, sir. Just him and his bike. We’ve already had someone pull the bike into the camp.”
“And no weapons?”
“None, sir.”
Judah looked at Jon. “You obey quite well. I anticipated more out of you, given how extensive your resume is.”
Jon continued to bathe in his own silence. Judah laughed.
“I guess I should have expected you to be the quiet type. That’s fine. You’ll talk eventually, one way or the other.” Judah turned his back to Jon, taking a couple of steps away before unclasping his hands and putting his right index finger up. Then he turned back around to face him. “I must say, though, your work is impressive. We’ve seen you from afar out in the fields, mutilating those zombies. So brutally. With no remorse. Tell me, does that feel good for you?”
“Not as good as it felt to kill your men,” Jon said without hesitation.
“You son of a bitch,” Bill said, lunging toward Jon with his fist up.
“Stop!”
The command had come from Judah, and Bill stopped in his tracks. Judah went to Bill and grabbed him by the wrist.
“Get the fuck out of here, now,” Judah told him through gritted teeth.
Bill looked like he’d seen a ghost as Judah threw his arm out of the way. He said nothing, but exited the house
