Chapter 25: Meeting
Adam suppressed his disgust. Those contacts, without any doubt, were other criminals. He knew that, like everywhere else, the drug business moved in the old suburb. Knowing that the National Guard was involved in it didn't surprise him, but Noah's confirmation of it bothered him.
"I know what you think, and I'm not about to justify myself...."
"I hear a but coming."
"But I don't think anyone can remain spotless in my job, believe me, this country is much dirtier than you imagine. I decided to go with the flow and not drown in it and I don't think I should be ashamed of it."
Adam disagreed, but he didn't want to start a fight with Noah.
"What if you find out that your comrades have survived and are creating a shelter like ours?"
"In that case I wish I knew the exact location of the shelter so I could run the other way. I said I decided to go with the flow, not that I was completely comfortable in it. How many times have I not questioned my decisions by now?"
Noah's voice was getting a little strange, so Adam decided to stop there.
"In that case, I'll trust you as long as you don't give me reason to think otherwise. Also, I think, even if I don't like it, it might be a good idea to talk to your contacts. I think those kind of people have an easier time getting used to this new world."
Noah nodded and then watched Adam carefully as he left the apartment. He was partly pleased that Adam quickly picked up on what kind of people his contacts were, but, on the other hand, he looked at his new gun resting on the table.
Adam had been left all alone with him and without his flamethrower at hand, only to tell him that he didn't trust him. Noah shook his head. Nothing would have stopped him from shooting Adam dead and running away. Even though Noah was sure he would have to run for his life from Marlen, that woman was quite the piece of work. On the other hand, Adam didn't seem like a bad leader, but he lacked malice and experience. Noah glanced around the apartment he was in and thought about the brief but intense fights he'd had together with the group.
He would be a liar if he said he hadn't enjoyed them. Noah, in part, had lied to Adam. He didn't like many of the things he had done as a Guard, but what he enjoyed was the danger. He knew he was a daredevil and that sooner or later he would be found dead in a ditch. In this new world his end would not be much different, but at least much more interesting, of that he was sure.
Adam left the apartment and tried to find Carlos. The man was on the second floor, still trying to convince a group of people to leave their homes. Adam walked over and could hear part of the conversation.
"Last time you said it was a good idea to get out, that the zombies weren't as strong as we thought! Well, look how it turned out! You'd better try to convince someone else."
The man slammed the door in his face and Carlos stood outside, trying not to scream in frustration. Everyone had received the message that the building had been cleared, but many had decided not to leave their homes. Carlos thought they were morons.
"It's getting late, so we'd better have the meeting as soon as possible. I'm sure you know very well what will happen in the evening."
Carlos turned at the sound of Adam's voice and felt a chill as he heard what he said. The day before his building had been lucky. The zombies had attacked the building next door first and most of them had headed towards the fight, attracted by the noise. The survivors of the superblock were able to live because of that. In the morning, Carlos had been relieved to see that there were far fewer zombies in the corridors than before.
"I'm trying, but no one is willing to listen to me."
Adam frowned and tried to think of what to do. In the end, he realized he had no choice. He walked over to the door that had just been closed in Carlos's face and rang the doorbell. It wasn't long before he heard an angry voice.
"Don't keep insisting Carlos, all we gained by following you was the death of my brother, so you'd better back off if you don't want to get beaten to a pulp by myself."
Adam thought for a moment about what to say and then raised his voice.
"Sir, you'd better step outside, this meeting is important for your future."
In Adam's mind the sentence had sounded much better, but he felt like an idiot right after he uttered it.
"And who are you? I'm sure you're with Carlos, don't think you can fool me that easily."
Adam's embarrassment disappeared and turned to irritation. Not knowing what else to do, he decided to keep talking.
"I'm Adam, I'm sure you received the news that all the zombies in this building were eliminated and my group was responsible for it. I need to talk to everyone to clarify how things will be from here on out."
At last, his words seemed to have an effect. A man in his 40s opened the door and looked at him suspiciously.
"Why don't you go away and leave us alone now that there are no more zombies here?"
"Because this building is now part of the Nuevo Sol haven, and besides, I'm sure the zombies will be back in the night."
"Nuevo Sol? What the hell are you talking about? I want nothing to do with you and your group."
Adam was already angry, so his voice became more aggressive.
"I guess you'll think differently when you and the few survivors in this building have to face, on your own, all the zombies attacking you at night won't you?"
The man was speechless for a moment, but then decided to continue playing hard to get.
"Well, I don't think it will be so hard to kill them if a kid like you can take them all on, we'll manage somehow."
"If it was so easy, how come your brother is dead? You didn't take part in the fight, did you?"
The man was filled with anger when he heard about his brother. Adam immediately regretted his words.
"I'm sure that was because you are useless people who let him to die. You'd better leave me alone."
The man slammed the door shut and Adam stood in the hallway. It was rare for him to lose control like that, even under the calming effect of his talent, Adam had felt enough anger to respond that way.
Carlos, who had listened quietly, walked over to Adam and held him by one shoulder.
"I see you didn't fare much better, did you? What do we do now? Almost half of them have refused to listen to me."
"This is bad news, but I don't think there's much we can do. I'll talk to those who are willing."
Adam paused for a moment to think and then an idea occurred to him.
"We're too few to defend the whole superblock, so I think it's best to move the survivors to my building for the night. There we can stop the zombies much easier. Spread the news and let everyone hear it, I think the fear will make even the most stubborn leave their apartments."
Carlos nodded, satisfied. Then he went to get everything ready. Adam only had to wait about 10 minutes when he came across a group of about 7 people, which included 2 children, 3 women and 2 young men.
The children looked around nervously, but Adam noticed that they were in better condition than the adults. The women were red-eyed and the men kept looking over their shoulders.
"Everyone ready? We'd better get across the parking lot before it gets any later."
"Is everything clear of zombies?" asked one of the men.
In this area, yes, although I don't know where they might come from.
The group followed him to the courtyard of their building. Waiting for them in there were Marlen, Miriam and Tarin, along with the rest of the survivors. Terry had sent Rony, while Krieg had come down in a bad mood. Adam thought Tracel and his mother had not attended, but a glance at the top floor allowed him to realize that both were watching him from the stair railings.
Mrs. Marriz did not look well. She was pale and had to hold on to her son's shoulder to keep from falling.
"What happened in the superblock?" Marlen asked. Adam looked away from the top floor and answered.
"There are some stubborn ones, but I think they'll be coming with Carlos soon. I've decided that the whole group should gather in this building, for tonight, to avoid being scattered in case of a repeat attack."