The Imperial Four

Chapter 7: Isolated

         After the rather shaky encounter with the couple, Jay found himself being carried by Kyle as he and Sarah walked across the remains of the city. It turns out, Jay had hit himself a little too hard for his liking, and despite him being awake for over thirty minutes, his head was just tying knots leaving him unable to walk. The trio were silent as they walked around town, the sound of their footsteps on the broken concrete sidewalk being the only sound heard. Eventually, Sarah cleared her throat and looked towards Jay. "So...we should be arriving at the refugee camp soon. Kyle and I will leave you there for a few days while we make space in either of the main camps. Nero, who currently runs the camp can probably tell you more about what happened than I did. He seems to know a few things and well, since he is a scout, he does tend to bring back new info constantly...I would ask if I had the time, but that's beside the point." She spoke then looked up at Kyle who had stopped her in her tracks. "We're here..." the taller man said while looking up at a wrecked mall. Sarah and Jay sighed in relief, as both could finally ease up for the night and without a second thought, Sarah walked inside, with Kyle following closely while having Jay propped up on his shoulders.

        Upon being taken inside, Jay looked around and saw people separated in age groups. Whispers were heard around him while the trio went unnoticed by the refugees. Shortly after, a man walked towards the trio. The man was a bit shorter than Kyle, but unlike him, he was more muscularly built. He wore a worn out and dirtied black leather jacket over a dirtied white tank top along with a pair of beige pants, which unlike most of his attire, looked a bit cleaner, and finally, a pair of dusty black biker boots. The man had a gun holster hanging on his right waistline, a sidearm being seen resting in it. Kyle smiled at the stranger as he approached he trio slowly while slicking his long hair to the back. "So, it appears you've found another survivor, huh Biehn?" The man asked, which was met with a soft nod and a dry giggle. "How many times do I have to ask for you to stop calling me by my damn last name, Nero?" Kyle retorted, sounding a bit irritating. Before things could escalate any further, Sarah cleared her throat, and pointed at Jay. Nero looked at him, and upon seeing his uniform, quickly drew his weapon and took aim at Jay, however, before the disoriented bike messenger was shot dead, Sarah rushed forward and held her arms out in a way to shield both Jay and Kyle. "Nero, put the damn gun down and let us explain." Sarah hissed out while from behind her, Kyle copped his weapon and prepared himself. During the commotion, the whispering refugees went quiet and only watched, wondering what would unfold afterwards. To everyone's surprise, Nero lowered his weapon and sighed "Very well, Hamilton. Start talking." He grunted reluctantly as he switched the safety on his weapon before putting it back in its holster.

        Sarah spent the next ten minutes explaining everything that Jay had told her when they had first encountered him, while making the same point she did after the butt of Kyle's shotgun met Jay's lips. While she explained, Nero nodded and hummed, a serious look on his face visible. Once Sarah was done, Nero looked at Jay then back at Sarah "I'll take your word for it, Hamilton. However, I will take precautions with him. I'll have him isolated on the top floors of the building and will personally keep an eye on him. He'll accompany me on patrol for one week. Once a week passes, he'll remain within the refugee camp until we can see if he can contribute to our survivability." Nero stated, with the couple only nodding in agreement. Jay sighed and looked at the ground while Kyle set him down. "It'll be alright, kid. I won't treat you any less than I treat the refugees...now, let's get you up there and get you some rest." Nero softly told Jay as he took him off Kyle's arms and carried him off to the upper floors. By the time Nero arrived at the final floor of the crumbling structure, Jay had fallen asleep on his arms, which earned a chuckle from the scout. "Seems you really were outta it, huh kid?" He asked before walking towards a small sofa and laying the sleeping Jay down on it. He then walked towards a shattered window and looked outside, not being able to see much due to the clouds of soot that still loomed above and within the city. Nero took a seat and admired what little of the desolation he could see before succumbing to sleep shortly after.

        The very next dawn, Nero shot awake from the chair he had fallen asleep on and began to get ready to patrol the broken city. He checked if his flashlight, which was stored in a pocket within his jacket. Once he finished checking his flashlight and ammunition, he walked towards Jay and shook him. "Oi kid...kid...it's time to move out." He whispered, only to receive a loud groan in response. Before Nero shook him even more, Jay slowly sat up and sighed. "You better? Can you stand?" Nero asked him. Jay nodded in response "I can see clearly at least...my legs feel off and my head is still somewhere else..." He replied. Nero looked at him, the concerned look on his face hidden by the darkness of the ash covered dawn. "Are you sure you can stand?" He asked him. Jay responded by nodding and slowly getting up "Yeah...let's do this..." The thin bike deliveryman replied, ignoring the shaking of his rickety legs. Nero couldn't help but chuckle upon seeing Jay, and quickly helped him stand. "Don't be shy to ask for help, kid. I did tell you I wouldn't treat you any less, despite my suspicions." He spoke. Jay sighed and gave up, his knees instantly bending. "Fine then, until I feel alright, just be my crutch, sir." Jay sighed out; his throat dry from a lack of water. Nero shook his head "Cut the formalities, call me Nero." He replied as he began to help Jay make his way towards the building's lower floors.