The reconnaissance team led by Hank moved slowly along a snow-covered road on the outskirts of Knoxville.
Their main mission was to find fuel, but Hank and Bossie both knew that any potential resource point, including undiscovered survivor groups, was worth watching for.
Bossie walked at the front of the team, his footsteps leaving shallow marks in the snow, his alert gaze sweeping every corner that might hide danger or supplies.
"Up ahead on the left. That brick building. Looks like it used to be a community library." Bossie suddenly stopped and lowered his voice, pointing with a half-gloved hand toward a relatively intact two-story building not far away.
Most of its windows were broken and sealed from the inside with boards or thick plastic sheets, but the roof still seemed mostly intact.
The snow on the entrance steps showed signs of repeated traffic. The marks were faint, but to Daryl's eyes, they were clear.
"There are living people inside," Hank judged at once and gave a hand signal.
The squad quickly spread out, using abandoned vehicles and broken walls for cover.
Hank raised his binoculars and observed carefully.
There were no obvious defensive works, none of the filth or random piles of trash common around raider camps. There were only traces of careful, low-profile survival.
"Doesn't look like a threat. More like ordinary survivors," Hank whispered. "But we need to confirm. Bossie, circle around the side and see if there's a back door or any other exits.
Jenson, take the high ground in that two-story ruin across the street and watch for movement inside.
Everyone else, stay alert. No exposing yourselves and no firing without my order."
Bossie disappeared into the snow.
Jenson silently climbed into the designated position and set up his sniper rifle.
Time passed second by second in the freezing silence.
After a while, Bossie returned, his voice extremely soft. "There's a small door in the back. It's blocked too, but not very tightly. I can see a faint light inside, probably a candle or oil lamp. There's a child crying inside too. Very weak."
Almost at the same time, Jenson's voice came through the radio. "Hank, confirmed movement in the southeast room on the second floor. Saw a figure. Very thin. Watching outside through a gap in the window.
Downstairs... looks like someone's trying to light something. Very little smoke. Probably trying to keep warm."
Hank made his decision.
A group that was hiding carefully, short on fuel, and even had a small child posed very little threat, but they were clearly in bad shape.
He decided to try making contact.
"I'll go over. Cover me." Hank adjusted his gear, making sure his weapon was within reach, then stepped out from cover.
He raised both hands to show he meant no harm and slowly walked toward the library's front door.
"People inside!" Hank stopped a dozen or so meters from the entrance, his voice loud enough for those inside to hear clearly.
"We mean no harm! We're just passing through and saw signs of activity here. If you need help, we can talk!"
The inside of the building went dead silent.
But Hank could feel eyes staring at him from behind the gaps in the boards.
After a full minute, a trembling old man's voice came from behind the door. "Who... who are you? What do you want?"
"We're a reconnaissance team from Rock Fortress," Hank announced.
This was a rule Calista had set based on Negan's methods, meant to establish identity and provide a measure of deterrence.
"We're looking for resources and survivors. You don't seem to be doing well. We have some extra food. If you need it, consider it a greeting gift."
Another brief silence followed. Then low voices came from behind the door, as if they were arguing.
At last, the old voice sounded again, carrying a trace of desperate, all-or-nothing fear. "...How can we trust you?"
"We can leave the supplies at the door and back away. You can come out and take them yourselves," Hank offered, giving them a relatively safe option.
"If you're willing, we can talk. Rock Fortress is an orderly, defended survivor base. We accept people who follow the rules, and survival supplies are earned through labor."
The offer seemed to move the people inside.
After a rustling sound, the clutter blocking the door was slowly shifted aside, leaving a narrow gap. A deeply sunken old man's face appeared.
He looked Hank over warily, then glanced at the faintly visible team members in the distance behind him.
Behind the old man, Hank could vaguely see a young man and woman pressed tightly together. The man held a sharpened steel pipe, while the woman held a child wrapped so tightly that its face could not be seen.
There was also a boy in his early teens, hiding nervously behind the man.
Hank signaled for the team member behind him to place a small canvas bag in the open space by the door. Inside were a few compressed biscuits and a small bottle of clean water.
Then he led the team slowly back more than twenty meters.
The people behind the door hesitated for a moment. Finally, the young man abruptly pulled the door open, snatched up the canvas bag, and immediately retreated inside, blocking the door again.
But that brief contact had already shown Hank enough.
This group was cautious, but they clearly lacked effective organization and experience dealing with the outside after the apocalypse.
They probably had not been worn down by raiders yet.
A few minutes later, the door opened a crack again. This time, it was the young man who spoke, hope faintly audible in his voice. "...That Rock Fortress of yours, can it really... really take us in? We... we don't have anything to trade."
"What we value is manpower and skill," Hank replied. "As long as someone is willing to work and follow the rules, they can find a place.
We have stable food, shelter, and defenses, but the condition is that everyone must contribute and pass the assessment."
He explained Rock Fortress's points and assessment system in detail, emphasizing the importance of discipline and contribution.
The voices behind the door rose again, this time for much longer.
Finally, the old man seemed to have made his decision. He appeared shakily behind the door crack again. "We'll go with you. Please, take us to Rock Fortress."
...
When Hank reported the situation to Calista in detail over the radio, Rickson and Leah, who had just finished dealing with fuel rationing matters, were also in the command room.
"...That's the situation, Calista.
Five people in total. One old man, a young couple with a child around three or four years old, and a boy who seems to be the man's younger brother, about thirteen or fourteen.
They say they used to be residents of a community in Knoxville. They survived until now on the small amount of supplies their community had left and by scavenging extremely carefully.
Now they've run out of everything, and the child seems to have a fever."
...
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