Infected || PewdieCry

40.

Sp00n stopped gawking at the city and turned around, a smile still on his face. "They are trying to keep the base a secret. For the most part, anyway. It was built a couple of years ago but they were scared the base would be flooded or attacked if they spread the word too soon."

"Makes sense," said Jack, who nodded a couple of times before looking at the distant lights with a dreamy look on his face. "I can't believe we'll have electricity. Do you think they have warm water?!"

"Guys, don't get carried away," I said, earning a sad look from Jack. "It might look great from up here, but who knows what's going on inside. Better be on our guard."

"He's right," Scott gave me a nod. "We'll see if it's as perfect as it looks."

With that, we started towards the bundle of lights. I couldn't help but feel anxious about it, but Sp00n definitely didn't mirror those emotions, because he kept rambling about how long he'd waited for this moment. He had been looking for this city for a while, but being with the group of hunters had taken away his freedom and he was too afraid to leave them. Although I was happy he was away from the hunters, he should be more careful about just walking into cities we knew nothing about.

We slowly but surely got closer to the city and I could see the huge walls surrounding it. In comparison the previous safe haven we'd stayed in, this city was like a castle. It surprised me that there wasn't a drawbridge or something. It definitely looked secure. And I definitely wouldn't mind hiding out in a safe and warm place during the winter...

"How do you know they'll let us in?" I asked Sp00n. He didn't even turn around to look at me when he answered.

"We can stay as long as we help out securing the place," he said, adding a nervous laugh. "Don't worry, I speak of experience."

Mark frowned and shared a look with Jack. "You do?"

"I do! I lived here before I became a hunter," he explained. "And to answer your question from before, yes, they definitely have warm water."

Jack laughed and cheered excitedly, giving Mark a high-five. Scott nodded approvingly and led Sp00n back to the front of the group to talk to him separately. In the meanwhile, I looked back at Russ, who was still walking a safe distance behind us with his gaze locked on his feet. He hadn't said anything about the city yet, so I had no idea whether he was comfortable with just following Sp00n without a specific plan.

"I'll be right back," I told Felix. He gave me a smile and let go of my hand, so I quickly walked over to Russ.

"Hey, dude," I greeted him carefully. He looked up at me and gave me a tiny smile, but didn't say anything to me, just hummed a weak response.

"So.." I began awkwardly. "What do you think about the city? I mean, warm water sounds nice, doesn't it?"

Russ nodded. "It does."

I wasn't used to Russ being so quiet, so I had no idea how to lead a proper conversation with him. Usually he was the one making the mood lighter with jokes, but now that he was feeling like shit, I had no idea what to do to possibly cheer him up. I was terrible at telling jokes, so that wasn't an option. Or was it..?

"Uh... So, have you heard about the man who walked into a bar?" I asked, laughing awkwardly. Russ snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Cry.. I know what you're trying to do.." he mumbled.

"...You do?"

"Yes. You're trying to cheer me up," he said, looking up at me with a genuine smile.

"I'm not very good at it, am I..?" I sighed. Russ laughed and patted my shoulder.

"I appreciate it, dude," he told me, continuing after seeing my skeptical look. "Really, I do. But I just need to deal with this myself, alright? Give me a while and I'll be okay."