Chronicles of the Fall- #1- Empty Night

Chapter 24: Rogue Discovered

"Hampton! Hampton!" Owen huffs, scurrying up the deck of their camp. Hampton is quick to grab his gun and rush out the door. Talon and Faith follow close behind him, eyes wide and expectant.

"What?! Are you hurt? What is it?!" Hampton demands.

"I saw- I saw someone while I was on watch." His breath catches in his throat, evidence that he has been running.

"Where were you?" Hampton asks.

"I was just walking a large circle around the building and I saw him going up that valley over there," says Owen, pointing with his hand.

"I don't want you wandering that far anymore, got it?" Hampton says strongly and Owen nods, casting his eyes down.

"What did this person look like?" Talon asks, brow furrowed in worry.

"It was a man, older than us. He looked tall and strong and... I don't know, I couldn't see him very well. I thought it was infected, but the more I looked at him, I knew that he was walking like us, not a lurker. After that, I ran straight back here," Owen explains quickly, chest still heaving.

"What do you think, you guys?" Hampton asks, surveying the three other members of his group. Talon looks thoughtful, his dark eyes turned up at the ceiling.

"I think we should go about this carefully," he says slowly. "We don't know who that guy is, let alone if he's dangerous or not."

Faith chews on her lip, her eyes darting around to the boys. 'I have to help them, somehow. There's got to be some idea I can come up with,' she thinks. Her hand twirls a ginger ringlet around her index finger.

"Why don't we go and try to get him to come back here?" she suggests. "We need more people, and he seemed strong. Not to mention he's older and has more experience than us."

Owen raises his eyebrows at Faith's surprising boldness. "It wouldn't hurt," he adds. "Anything to keep him away from the Council. Looks like he was heading towards the observatory." He nods. 'Depending on which one of us goes, we could have him back with us by twilight.'

"That's an idea I can act on," Hampton says, inclining his head to Faith, who feels a sense of pride warm her at being praised. "I'll go alone, and convince him to come back here with me."

Talon nods his assent; he thinks that it's a good plan, and if anybody can convince somebody to join their tiny group, it's Hampton, earnest and well-spoken. Owen doesn't know Hampton as well as everybody else, but he figures that he's a good a choice as any.

"Wait," says Faith, straightening. "I'll go with you."

Hampton blinks. "Don't worry Faith, you don't need to prove yourself. You've done your part," he assures her, checking the ammo in his gun.

"Let me go, Hamp. I can help convince him, use my faith and my words to help you," she presses. "It won't be like last time. I promise."

Hampton remembers "last time". Whenever they sent Faith to get recon on the group in the mall, and she got captured instead. It seems so long ago, now. They were so brash, so headstrong, so stupid.

'At least she's trying to step up,' he thinks. 'It can't hurt. I'll be with her.'

"Alright," he sighs. "Keep your golf club close. If we hurry we can catch up with him and bring him back by dark."

Faith perks up at this, and grabs her weapon from where it lies on the floor. Though she is still reluctant to carry it, she is no longer so adverse to it to avoid it altogether. Hampton hefts his baseball bat over one shoulder, and checks his gun in the front of his pants.