MEETING

Jace stopped the SUV in front of the camp, and the engine made a gentle humming sound. I stood there with my arms crossed. Man, I was kinda worried and here he comes with a large grin.

"You're late," I called out as Jace climbed out of the SUV, a cocky grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, slapping the side of the vehicle like it was a prized catch. "But it was for a good reason, trust me."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing over the SUV. It looks new and shiny which was surprising. Finding a working car is very hard in this world after all. "Nice find. Now some of us won't have to cramp in the truck."

Jace laughed softly. "You have no idea. Let me tell you what happened."

I nodded and gestured for him to come with me to the meeting room we had set up in the front. As we walked in, I sat down at the temporary table and motioned for Jace to sit as well. I could see he was eager to tell his story, so I leaned back and let him begin.

"So, after I left the base, I decided to check out the neighbor—I thought it might be useful to check if there were any supplies left that we could gather. We ended up near one of the old commercial districts—the place was half-collapsed, but still standing enough to be worth a look."

I agreed with him, urging him to keep talking. I was already thinking hard, trying to understand what he had discovered that made him so thrilled.

"We began exploring the buildings," he continued, "and in one of the basements, we came across this gem." He gestured towards the SUV parked outside. "It seemed as if it was waiting for us—just sitting there, hardly affected by time."

My curiosity grew, and I moved closer. "So, it was just sitting there? No damage?"

"Not exactly," Jace confessed. "The tires were deflated, and the battery was no good. But the exterior? Almost no rust, and the inside was spotless. Likely an emergency car for some wealthy person that was never needed. We were able to inflate the tires using the portable air compressor in the basement, but the real difficulty was getting fuel."

I felt a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. This was the kind of find we needed. "That explains the delay," I said. "Fuel's been scarce."

"Exactly," Jace said, nodding. "We searched the nearby buildings for hours, checking every car, every storage unit we could get into. We finally found a couple of gallons in an old generator at the back of a hardware store. That got the engine going, but we needed more if we were going to bring it back here and actually use it."

"And I take it you found more?" I asked, already knowing the answer but eager to hear the rest.

Jace grinned even wider. "You bet we did. We found an underground parking garage a few blocks away—lots of cars in there, most of them stripped, but we got lucky with a few tanks. But the fun part is after that..."

"What did you find?"

"When we were carrying the last tank, we heard something—shuffling footsteps. And you know what that means."

I straightened a little, a rush of adrenaline flooding through me.

"Zombies," Jace announced proudly. "Six of them, just your regular ones and a brute. And let me tell you, this thing must've been a bodybuilder when he was alive. The thing had arms that looked like my legs, and its clothes barely held together around the massive frame."

"And you killed it?" I asked, though I suspected the answer. Jace would not be grinning if he didn't finish off the zombies.

Jace nodded. "Yeah, we took them all down. And..." He took out two golden handguns from his belt. "We found these beauties on that brute fuck. Gold-plated Desert Eagles—still work too! They're heavy, but man, are they powerful. Check this out."

He took out one of the guns and offered it to me. I took hold of the gun, surprised by the weight. It was heavier than I expected, but I was curious about it. I turned it over, examining the weapon carefully. Custom grip, easy to hold despite the weight. Quality engraving. Definitely expensive.

I held it up, aiming it at a nearby wall and pretending to fire.

"Nice. So, you found any water or food while you were out there?" I asked hopefully.

"A water filtration plant," Jace said, his voice full of excitement. "Can you imagine? Hidden on the top floors of one of those tall buildings. It's as if the place was stuck in the past. The machines were still working, the good old-school stuff, but they were in good shape. And there were no signs of people stealing things, like everyone just forgot it existed."

A water filtration plant? In working condition? My mind was already spinning with the possibilities. "You're serious?" We won't have to freeze and drink rain water anymore and we won't have to worry about contamination anymore.

"Dead serious," Jace confirmed. "We thought it was a great chance to stock up, so we stayed to see if we could make it work. It took a bit, but we filtered a good amount of water—clean and ready to drink, and lots of it. We sterilized and filled every container we had—large jars, old bottles, even some barrels—and put them all in the SUV."

"No more upset stomachs or ice water showers!" I cheered, giving Jace a pat on the shoulder. "Good work! Sounds like you guys hit the jackpot today."

"Yup! Got lucky," Jace said, smiling. "And there's more. The filtration system looks like it can handle large quantities over time. If we can secure the place, and do some small tweaks, it could be a game-changer for us. We could set up a regular water run, and keep the whole camp supplied. With Tyger and your sister injured, the team is also tired of the constant journey... Don't you think, it'd be better to set up a temporary base here for a few months till their wounds heal?"

I thought for a moment, considering what Jace said. A base with clean water, a new SUV, and a hidden filtration plant. It was perfect. There might be some more treasures hiding in this place. And what he said makes sense. If I were to take on Beast Boy, I'm gonna need their help. So, yeah, it might not be a bad idea. But we gotta do something about the killer next door.

"We'll have to discuss this with the others," I said, standing up. "I was about to call for a meeting anyway to discuss some things, might as well add it to the list."

..

[After dinner]

Tyger, Jace, Jenny, Lisa, and Ange... Well, Ange was on comms, she was keeping an eye on that lady killer in the next building... Anyway, we were sitting in the small room inside the shop. It's time to discuss a few things before moving forward.

"So, I think it's about time we discuss certain things. Some good and some dangerous stuff. Let's get on with the good stuff first..." I told them about Jace's findings and my decision to stay here till Tyger and Jenny heal up.

"Water filtration plant? Clean water? Man, I don't think I ever heard such wonderful news in ages!" Ange's voice chirped excitedly over the radio. "Finally a good bath and fresh water."

"It sounds good to me," Jenny agreed.

"Well, you are the boss. You say we stay, we stay," Tyger added with a smile. I can tell that she was having a hard time with all the journey with a broken leg.

"So, that's the good stuff. Now onto the bigger good stuff. I want you all to keep your calm after hearing what I'm going to reveal..." I said as I took out a file and placed it on the table.