State of Decay✔️

Chapter 09: Refuge

Lily turned out to be a short, pale brunette of maybe eighteen. She wore a blue jacket and jeans with work boots and though her face was friendly, her expression was also guarded. She seemed to look the three of them over, her gaze lingering on Ed, who wasn't looking too good.

"The first thing I've got to know...does the bite turn a man?" Marcus asked.

Lily shook her head. "No, it doesn't."

"Oh, thank god," Ed muttered.

"Okay then, first things first, we need to get Ed some medical help and a place to lie down."

"I can help with that," a new voice declared.

Marcus glanced over and saw a portly, balding man in his fifties with a broad, open, friendly face limping over. He wore religious clothing and Marcus realized he must be affiliated with the church. He came to stand next to Lily.

"I heard about your situation from Lily, son. If you'd like, I have a place for you to rest and some medical supplies. Not much, I'm afraid, but I'd like to help. I'm William Mulroney, I'm a Pastor here at the church."

"Thank you," Ed said, moving towards him. "I'd love to lie down."

"Come with me, son."

Marcus watched Ed follow William towards a gazebo to the left, in between the cinder-block wall and the church. He supposed it would have to do for now. Returning his attention to Lily, he was determined to get some answers.

"I need to know what happened. How did we go from civilized to post-apocalyptic in two weeks?" he asked.

"I'd like to know that myself," Maya added.

Lily stared at them silently for a moment, a look of incredulous surprise on her face. "You mean you don't know? Either of you? You really don't know about all this?"

"No, we've been in the woods on vacation. We just stumbled out today into this mess," Marcus replied.

Lily sighed. "Okay...come with me. I might as well give you the nickle tour and tell you what's going on since I'm obviously not going to throw you out...at least not for the night."

"Gee, thanks," Marcus muttered.

"That's the watchtower," Lily said before going anywhere, pointing to the tower of forty gallon drums and wooden planks that had been assembled in one corner of the walled-in yard. It didn't look very stable. It was positioned right next to the gate they'd come in through. "Besides that and the gazebo, everything else is inside the church. Come on."

She led them across the courtyard towards the front entrance of the building. There were no lights on, no soft hum of power. Besides the whispering of the winds, the occasional distant groan and the soft, comforting tones of the Pastor speaking to Ed, there were no sounds. It was full dark now, the stars twinkling overhead, as brilliant as could be. Marcus stared up at them briefly as he walked. It was difficult to see them so clearly in the city, but this celestial clarity was something he always associated with vacations.

Lily led them up the cracked, cement steps and through the front door into a large, open room. Marcus could easily envision twin rows of benches pointing towards the front, where a podium was. He could see the benevolent Pastor William presiding over a small congregation, delivering a sermon. Now, the benches were stacked along one wall. He saw pieces of some of them nailed over the windows. In one corner was a desk with a mess of what looked to be radio equipment scattered across the top, a battered, old foldout chair pushed under it.

In the opposite corner was a large, battered, old metal gun locker, a chipped wooden shelf and another desk with several drawers. Lily stood in the center of the room, fixed them with her sharp gaze and began to give her own sermon.