8. Sam
8
SAM
“ C ome on in,” said Laeticia. “This way. Find a seat. Welcome to our council.”
Council? Seriously? This is all a bit much, isn’t it?
The stale air inside Fort Haven’s makeshift council chamber felt heavy.
“Jesus, Kara. What is this all about? Have we travelled back to the 1800s?” Sam muttered under her breath as her thumb rubbed against Kara’s palm.
Sam could feel the oppressive weight of suspicion pressed against her chest as she took a seat. All eyes in the room seemed to be on her. But she straightened her spine. Laeticia, otherwise known as the captain , and the other so-called council members appeared hardened. It certainly wasn’t what you’d call a warm welcome. But maybe they had a good reason. In this new world, trust was a scarce commodity. As scarce as food or water. And perhaps Sam hadn’t made the best first impression. But she also knew that if Fort Haven didn’t evolveor change the way they thought about the outside world, and the infected, everything they’d built would come crashing down. No fortress was impenetrable.
Sitting next to her, Kara exuded a quiet calm. Sam could sense her partner’s support like a steady pulse and felt grateful for it. The certainty of Kara’s closeness, her warmth in a world so cold, still felt strange. They had shared a great deal recently, and Sam was far from used to such a level of support. But today, this wasn’t about them. It was where they lived.
“So, I hear you’re a killer. Everything eventually gets back to me,” stated Laeticia in a cool, stern voice as she made direct eye contact with Sam.
“Oh, right? Riley, I imagine,” responded Sam with a confidence that surprised even herself.
“Yes. He said you were incredible. Maybe we’ve got a thing or two to learn from you. I’m not proud. I’m willing to say we may not have things right here. You’ve been out there longer than any of us.”
“That’s true. To be honest, this is a nice place. You’re organized,” she uttered with an easy confidence. “But you’re weak. And it’s your job to keep this fragile community standing. I’ve got that right, haven’t I? You’re the boss.”
Sam shifted her weighton her chair, planting her boots more firmly on thefloor beneath the table to steady her nerves, and cleared her throat. “The infected…the undead…whatever you want to call them—they aren’t the same ones we dealt with at the beginning of the outbreak, or even a year into it,” she said, her voice clear. “They’ve adapted. The virus has changed them. I’ve seen it, especially over the last few months. Not all of them. But some of them are faster now. Slicker. It’s as if they’re using their brains.”
“What total garbage,” scoffed a man sitting opposite her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Why are we even listening to this woman? She’s an imposter. She doesn’t belong here.”
“You should listen to her,” chimed Kara, squeezing Sam’s hand under the table. “If we don’t start changing the way we defend ourselves, Fort Haven won’t last. When we got attacked out there, when Sam saved me, the dead were…different.”
Her words hung in the air like a sharp knife, slicing through the quiet murmurings of the council. Laeticia, tall and commanding, sat at the head of the table. Her eyes were sharp as steel, her lips set in a tight line.
“Laeticia, your leadership has saved Fort Haven. So far. You run a real military operation here. You’ve got a tactical mind. We can all see it. I know this place from before the virus. But what you’ve done to it is incredible. You’ve turned it into a real place of hope. But Sam had seen enough of the world beyond these walls to know that’s all we’ve got. Hope.”
Laeticia leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table. “Sam? What are you saying exactly? They’re getting smarter? But we all know the infected don’t think. They react.”
Sam was unflinching as she turned to face the captain. “I’m not a scientist. But I think what you’re saying was true before. Not anymore.”
A ripple of uncertainty passed through the room. The men and women gathered around the table shifted in their seats, exchanging unsure glances.
“I know what she’s talking about,” said a young woman with a gruff voice. I’ve seen themout east near Brighthouse. It was as if they were moving in coordinated packs, flanking their prey. More animated. I suppose it’s hard to believe. And it could have been my imagination. Missions can be exhausting. I often wonder if I’m seeing things. But all I can say is it wasn’t like other behaviors I've seen before. I totally freaked out.”
One of the older men in the room, a grizzled man with sunken eyes grunted. “I’ve heard people talkingin here and out there. The infected are changing, they say. They’re getting faster. But it’s all fear talking. There’s nothing more to it. It’s bull.”
Kara stood up from her seat and started slowly circling the table. “It’s not just fear. We’ve seen it firsthand. And my bet is that you’ve seen it, too. They’re learning. And the infection itself—it’s definitely mutating. Like most things, mutations happen.”
Laeticia raised an eyebrow. “Really? Mutating how?”
Sam took a deep breath. This was the hard part, and she knew she needed to come to Kara’s aid. “We don’t know. I suppose we can’t know. And there’s not likely to be any information coming our way. But we’ve encountered infected people that seem to be taking longer to turn. And when they do turn, they’re harder to kill. They’re stronger. It’s like the virus evolving and becoming more efficient at spreading. This is what happens with virusesand with bacteria as well. The opposite will also be happening. There’ll be people out there who have been exposed to the virus and haven’t turned. Immune systems find ways of fighting these things over time. Some people will become resistant. There may be something there—something we can work with…”
Laeticia crossed her arms across her chest. She looked impatient. Sam felt a little nervous as she recognized the sound of the captain’s foot tapping furiously under the table. “Work with how? We don’t have any resources. We’re struggling to feed everyone. How exactly do youthink we can go about conducting goddamned scientific experiments?”
“I’m not talking about a professional lab,” Sam countered, feeling the tension coil in her chest. “When I was with my, well… tribe , for lack of a better word, we’d already started experimenting with natural remedies. I know which direction they were headed. We could catch up with them. Or send a mission after them. I’d love to see them again, and… Listen, we nomads speak to more people than you do in here.”
“That’s not true,” interrupted Laeticia. “There are nearly a hundred people here.”
“Yes, but it’s the same hundred, isn’t it? Look how you were when I arrived. We’ve met more people. News travels throughout the traveling community.”
“She’s right, captain,” smiled Kara. “Please give her a chance to explain.”
“There are herbs and plants that can boost immunityandslow the virus’s progression,” continued Sam. “We had packs full of the stuff. We’d make tinctures, and I think they worked. Barry, one of our people, got scratched in a fight. We made him drink the stuff three times a day, and he never turned. He was fine. We need to start thinking about more than just killing the infected. We need to understand this virus.”
The silence that followed was thick, like the oppressive heat that had descended over them that summer. The sun seemed harsher than it had prior to the outbreak, as if the earth itself had turned its back on humanity. Outside the walls of Fort Haven, the infected roamed—sometimes just a few of them, sometimes in great numbers. It was a constant reminder of just how fragile life had become.
Laeticia's jaw tightened. “Are you actually saying you think there’s a cure for this?”
Sam hesitated, then shook her head. “No. Once a person has fully turned, it’s too late. I don’t think we’re going to find a cure anytime soon. Not us, at any rate. Maybe somewhere, scientists are working on this. There must be. And at some point, we’ll get there. I believe in that. What I think we can do is build our immune systems to stop ourselves fromgetting infectedif we catch it soon enough. Almost like a vaccine, something preventative.”
“Yes, I’ve heard rumors of vaccines,” agreed the captain.
“But we can’t rely on rumors,” blurted out the woman with the gruff voice. She sounded both panicked and annoyed. Sam had taken an instant dislike to her.
“I don’t want to ignore them, either. There’ll be people all over the world trying. That’s humanity for you.”
Laeticia’s eyes narrowed. “Shelly’s right about this. Rumors?That’s what we’re supposed to bet our lives on now? The whole idea here is that we patrol. We stop them fromgetting in. Why did you kill that woman if it would have been just as easy to give her some of your magic tea, huh?”
Sam’s gaze hardened. “She was too far gone. I could see her veins under her skin. Her blood had stopped pumping. I know what to look for. And as for my magic tea , that’s what I’m saying. You don’t have any. I’m proposing meeting up with my people, learning from them, getting a supply of these herbs.”
“You wouldn’t be able to persuade anyone from Haven to go running after a bunch of hippies who supposedly have some magic forest potion that’s probably a load of bull.” Shelley scoffed.
“We—you—can’t afford not to act. Do you know something? Out there, I’ve seen whole towns rotting from the inside out, entire streets clogged with bodies that no one’s there to bury. Their stenchdraws the infected for miles. If they can’t find anyone living to attack, they eat the corpses. They thrive on decay. These are the sorts of things we need to be talking about. We need to beat them, not hide from them. That was our motto when I was with my tribe.”
Another council member, a younger woman with deep-set eyes, frowned. “Go back to your tribe. Nobody wanted you here except Kara. And I think we all know what’s going on there.Fort Haven is all about the living. Those of us who haven’t turned yet and who don’t particularly want to spend much time with those who have. Why don’t you two go off and play with the zombies and leave the rest of us to it?”
“I don’t think you realize just how much people have suffered out there,” Sam said, unable to hide her anger as she banged her fist down on the table and threw her head back. “Everything’s gone. There’s no infrastructure. Nothing. No power. No clean water. I’ve seen pregnant women giving birth out on the street with no medical help. I’ve met families who are starving. Literally starving! It all happened so fast. And there’s no one left to pick up the pieces.”
Laeticia tapped her fingers against the table, her expression unreadable. “We saw it ourselves, you know. You show up here acting as if none of us knows what’s going on. We’ve heard the stories. Some people say it all started in a lab. It's a bioweapon gone wrong.”
Sam nodded. “I think they could be right. Perhaps it’s a virus that escaped from a research facility. Something maybe to control the population? Or maybe it was just nature, a virus that jumped from animals to humans in some remote corner of the world. Who knows? Maybe they meant to contain it, and they fucked it up.”
“We weren’t prepared. That’s all I know,” Kara added. “By the time people realized what was happening, it was too late.”
Sam’s thoughts drifted for a moment. She remembered the early days of the outbreak and how quickly everything had spiraled out of control. She remembered the emergency broadcasts which only served to fuel the growing hysteria. The infected were like an unstoppable force.
“The problem is,” Sam said, dragging herself back to the present, “and I hope you don’t mind me saying this—you’re all still clinging to the old ways. What are you doing here? What’s the long-term plan? Are you hoping that someone will come and rescue you all? Because the truth is, we’re on our own. No one’s coming.”
Laeticia’s angry eyes flicked over to Kara, then back to Sam. “I think we’ve got a great set-up here. Are you saying we don’t?”
Sam hesitated for a second before she spoke. She didn’t quite know how to word what she wanted to say. All she knew for sure was that she was pissing these people off. And they didn’t want to admit their faults or consider evolving.“I’ve seen entire settlements wiped out. People who thought they had it sorted. Fort Haven is one of the last places left standing around here, but if you don’t start adapting, you’ll fall, too. It’s just a matter of time.”
Another murmur rippled through the room.
“What we need to be working on are outposts. You’ve got gates, you’ve got security, and it works fine up to a point.” Sam said, her voice gaining strength. “But we need to be outside these walls. I’m talking about small, mobile teams that can track the infected, study them, and take them out before they get too close. We need to learn how they moveandhow they think—if that’s what they’re actually doing. Plus, and this is really important, we need to start working with natural medicines.”
Laeticia frowned. “How, though? I’m not sending people out to join your nomadic tribe, Sam. It’s too big an ask. I’m sorry. Like it’s been said, if you want to leave, you’re welcome to.”
Sam glanced at Kara, then back at the captain. “I’ve seen survivors who’ve been exposed to the virus but haven’t turned. We’re talking about immunity here. If we can understand how their bodies are fighting the infection, we can find ways in nature to replicate it. I’m sure we can. Okay, so it’s not a cure, but it could buy us all some time. And thanks. I get it, it’s definitely something I’ll consider, but honestly, I just want you to hear me out and really listen to what I’m trying to say. I have respect for you guys, and I care deeply about Kara, but I can see where you’re heading.”
A heavy silence fell over the room as the group processed her words. Sam could feel their reluctance to believe her, but she also saw the flicker of admiration in their eyes. They wanted to trust her, even if they were scared to admit it.
“We’ve listened to you, Sam. We’ve heard you out. Give us a couple of days to talk it over, will you? In the meantime, perhaps you could gauge the mood of the others. See if you can find people who may be willing to take on board what you’ve said here today,” Leticia said as she nodded her head and gazed around at the others, their expressions deep in thought.
Kara glanced around the room, her face contemplative. “Definitely. We should start by talking to some of the hunters. They know the land around here better than anyone. They let us know where some of the safer routes are. It could help us gather what we need to test.”
“Good idea,” Sam replied, her mind racing. “If we can gather the right plants and herbs, though I don’t know how much I can remember. I wish there was an easy way to get in touch with my people. But maybe we can develop something that boosts immunity. Something to give people hope. We need everyone to believe that change is possible. Thank you for trying, and if it doesn’t work, you can turf me out into the dead.”
As they made their way back to their cabin, they passed a group of children playing with scraps of wood. The sight warmed Sam’s heart, reminding her of the innocence that still existed amid all the horrors. She wanted these children to have a future, a world to grow into rather than one left in ruins.
“Do you really think there are some bigwigs somewhere working on a vaccine?” Kara asked Sam tentatively. “I’d love to find out more if we can. I think there must be. Someone somewhere must be trying to sort this out. I don’t have any concrete evidence or anything. But I’d like to believe that nerds still rule the world. So we have to keep our eyes and ears open. If we can establish a connection with anyone who may have useful information, it could save us.”
They made their way to the communal area. Several community members were gathered there. The wooden tables, battered and worn, were strewn with a handful of paltry supplies. Sam felt a pang of loss as she thought back to how easy it used to be to walk into a mall and get everything you could possibly need, how supermarkets were overflowing with fresh produce, and how friends and families could gather together without any sense of fear.
As they approached the group, a tall woman with shaggy hair and sharp features looked up. It was Marla, a seasoned hunter and a fierce protector of Fort Haven. “Sam. Kara. Hey. So, how did the big meeting go?” she asked, her voice low and gravelly.
“It had its ups and downs,” Sam began. “We’re hoping to find out more about the lay of the land around Fort Haven. We have a couple of ideas about using some natural remedies to help with immunity, but we need access to the right plants. And my knowledge is kind of scrappy.”
Marla’s eyes widened with interest, and she scratched her forehead with fingernails caked in dirt. “Natural remedies, huh? You mean like what people used to do before all this?” She nodded toward a nearby table where a small collection of herbs lay drying in the sun. “I’ve been trying to keep some of the old knowledge alive. You’ve definitely come to the right woman.”
Kara stepped forward, her eyes bright with curiosity. “Wow! I don’t believe this. We want to build on your knowledge, Marla. If we can find a way to create something that boosts immunity or helps slow the progression of the virus, we could really make a difference. That’s what Sam’s just been talking about. They helped someone fight off the virus when she was with her nomads.”
Marla studied them for a moment, a frown creasing across her forehead in a ripple. “You realize that it’s a dangerous game, though, right? Some plants can be super toxic if misused, especially around here. You can’t always trust a mushroom, for example. Not at this time of year. I wouldn’t want to go making people sick. Or dead.”
Sam flashed the older woman an earnest smile. “I understand. We won’t rush into anything. We want to take this slowly and know what we’re doing. But we have to do something. If we sit back and do nothing, we’re dooming ourselves.”
Marla let out a long sigh and shuffled from one foot to the other. “Fair point. I guess things are kind of at a standstill here. You know, if people get infected we leave them outside. It makes me feel crazy just thinking about it. You kill them, don’t you, ma’am?”
“I do,” replied Sam bluntly, for what else could she say?
“Right,” interjected Kara. “Let’s start by scouting some of the nearby areas where we can find herbs and plants. We’ll go in small groups—less chance of running into the infected that way. And thank you, Marla. This is perfect.”
“No probs, lady,” Marla said with a grin stretched from one ear to the other.
As they continued to make plans, Sam’s heart swelled with hope.
This is the start of something.