Hope had expected the first real defense of Blackwater to be complicated.
She had imagined alarms, carefully positioned guards, barricades, perhaps even a desperate battle along the river.
Instead, it began with twenty-three infected walking down a country road.
They weren’t running.
Their movements were uneven, their clothing torn and dirty, and several carried injuries that would have left an ordinary person unable to walk.
But they kept coming.
Hope stood inside the gate and watched them approach.
Behind her, the people who had arrived only minutes earlier were rushing toward the farmhouse.
“Inside!” Hope called.
“Everyone inside the main house or the barn.
Lock the doors.”
One of the newcomers stopped.
“What about you?”
“I’m staying here.”
The man looked at the approaching infected.
“That’s insane.”
Hope didn’t answer.
She looked at the gate.
The reinforced steel barrier had been designed to stop vehicles.
It was more than enough to stop twenty-three people.
The problem was what happened if the gate failed.
Hope turned.
“Uncle?”
Her uncle was standing beside the barn.
“Yeah?”
“Get everyone inside.”
“What are you doing?”
“Testing the fence.
I need to know if the gate is going to work.”
He looked at her.
“Hope—”
“I’ll be careful.”
Her uncle hesitated then nodded.
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
Hope smiled.
“I’ll try.”
He disappeared toward the farmhouse.
Hope turned back to the road.
The first infected had reached the edge of the property.
It stopped and it’s head tilted, then it started toward the gate.
Hope opened the System.
[Hostile entities: 23]
[Average threat level: Low]
[Physical strength: Variable]
[Containment probability: 96%]
Hope raised an eyebrow.
“That’s reassuring.” The System added another line.
[Probability assumes gate remains secured.]
Hope sighed.
“Of course.” The first infected reached the gate.
It struck the metal with both hands and the gate shook.
Hope stepped closer.
Another hit, then another.
The others gathered behind it.
Soon, all twenty-three were pressing against the barrier.
The gate groaned.
Hope studied the hinges.
They were holding.
The locking mechanism was holding.
The frame was holding.
She smiled.
“Good work.” Then one infected climbed over the others.
Hope’s smile disappeared.
It grabbed the top of the gate.
Pulled itself upward.
Hope moved, she accelerated across the yard.
The infected was halfway over when Hope reached it.
She grabbed its arm and the creature twisted.
Hope pulled causing it to fall backward.
She released it before it hit the ground.
It landed hard but immediately started moving again.
Hope stepped away.
“Okay.”
She hadn’t expected them to climb.
That changed things.
She looked at the fence.
The fence was high but not impossible to climb.
She needed another solution.
Hope opened the System.
“Can I upgrade the fence?”
[Yes.]
“How?” A property-development menu opened.
Perimeter Defense
Reinforced Fence — Current
Anti-Climb Barrier — Available
Automated Lighting — Installed
Motion Detection — Installed
Secondary Internal Barrier — Available
Hope looked at the first option.
“Cost?” The System displayed a material requirement.
Hope had the materials.
“Do it.”
[Construction initiated.]
A notification appeared.
Estimated completion: 3 hours, 14 minutes.
Hope stared.
“Not exactly useful right now.”
[Current perimeter remains operational.]
Hope smiled.
“Fair enough.”
The infected continued attacking.
Most simply pushed against the gate.
A few moved along the fence.
Hope watched them carefully.
They didn’t behave like an organized group.
They weren’t intelligent and they weren’t coordinating but they were persistent.
That was enough.
Hope heard the sound of footsteps behind her.
Daniel approached, he was holding a length of pipe.
Hope looked at it.
“No.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“You’re exhausted.”
“I’m not helpless.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
He looked toward the infected.
“My ability might help.”
Hope considered that.
“What does it do exactly?”
Daniel shrugged.
“I don’t completely understand it.”
“Try.
This is an opportunity to experiment and learn”
He pointed toward a loose stone beside the driveway.
“Watch.”
Daniel focused and the stone suddenly shot sideways.
Hope jumped as the stone struck a fence post.
Daniel smiled.
“Kinetic redirection.”
Hope nodded.
“Can you stop something moving?”
“I think so.”
“Can you push?”
“Maybe.”
“Can you control how much force?”
“Not yet.”
Hope considered the possibilities.
“Stay behind the gate.”
Daniel frowned.
“I thought you said—”
“I said stay behind the gate.”
Hope pointed toward the property.
“If anything gets through, stop it before it reaches the house.”
Daniel nodded.
“Okay.”
Hope turned back toward the road.
She had just assigned her first defensive position to someone with powers.
The thought was strangely significant.
Another infected climbed the gate.
Hope moved.
This time she didn’t grab it, she accelerated.
One moment she was ten feet away, the next she was directly beneath it.
Hope jumped and her hand caught the creature’s jacket.
She pulled it down then stepped backward.
The infected crashed into the ground.
Hope looked at the creature and it stood again.
She frowned.
“They’re tougher than they look.”
Daniel nodded.
“They don’t seem to feel pain.”
“Apparently not.”
Hope took a breath.
“Then we don’t fight them like people.”
She grabbed a heavy wooden post from beside the barn.
It had been waiting to be installed as part of the fencing.
Hope lifted it.
Daniel stared.
“How heavy is that?”
“I don’t know.”
Hope swung it once.
The post moved easily and she smiled.
“Heavy enough.”
The next infected reached the top of the gate.
Hope stepped forward and she struck.
The creature went over the side.
Another followed, then another.
Hope moved faster.
She was no longer thinking about each action.
Her body simply reacted.
Step – Strike – Move – Turn – Accelerate -Stop.
The enhanced speed made everything easier.
She could cross the distance between the gate and fence in seconds.
The enhanced strength allowed her to move infected that would have been impossible to handle before.
But there were too many.
One slipped through.
Hope turned.
It was already halfway across the yard.
Daniel raised his hand.
The infected suddenly changed direction.
It was thrown sideways and it crashed into a tree.
Hope stared.
Daniel stared too.
“I did that.”
Hope smiled.
“Yes.”
The infected got up.
Daniel’s smile disappeared.
“Apparently I didn’t do enough.”
Hope laughed.
“Welcome to the team.”
The fight continued for nearly twenty minutes.
By the end, Hope was exhausted.
Not injured, simply exhausted.
The last infected lay motionless beside the road.
Hope stood with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.
Daniel sat against the gate.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Daniel laughed.
Hope looked at him.
“What?”
“I can’t believe we’re doing this.”
“Neither can I.”
He looked toward the property.
“How many people live here?”
“Nine.”
“Nine?”
“Plus my aunt and uncle.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You built all this for twelve people?”
“Not originally.”
“Then why?”
Hope looked at the river.
“Because I knew people would need somewhere to go.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“I think you’re right.”
The System appeared.
[Defense event completed.]
Hope straightened.
[Settlement defended.]
[Experience acquired.]
[Development Points: +2]
Hope’s eyes widened.
“Two?”
[Correct.]
She opened her settlement screen.
Settlement Level: 1
Population: 9
Infrastructure: 64%
Food Production: 3%
Defense: 25%
Development Points: 2
Hope smiled.
“Defense reached twenty-five percent.” A new notification appeared.
[Settlement requirement completed.]
[Leadership progression available.]
Hope opened it.
Leadership Level: 1
Settlement Influence: Basic
Follower Capacity: 5
Follower Points: 0
Hope stared.
“Five?”
[Current maximum followers.]
She looked toward Daniel.
He was still sitting against the gate.
“Does Daniel count?”
[Not currently.]
“Why?”
[Affiliation incomplete.]
Hope understood.
He was staying there.
He wasn’t committed, there was a difference.
She walked over.
“Daniel.”
He looked up.
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to stay?”
He looked toward the road, then toward the farmhouse.
Then back at Hope.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Daniel was quiet.
Hope continued.
“This place isn’t a prison.
You can leave whenever you want.
But if you stay, I need you to agree to the rules.”
“What rules?”
“No stealing.
No attacking people.
No deliberately putting the settlement at risk.
Help when you can.”
Daniel nodded.
“That’s reasonable.”
“And if you have an ability, I need you to tell me.”
He looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because I need to know what my people can do.”
Daniel thought about it.
Then nodded.
“Fine.”
The System appeared.
[Affiliation established.]
[Follower candidate recognized.]
[Loyalty: 31%]
[Contribution: Moderate]
[Follower Points: 0]
Hope smiled.
“Welcome to Blackwater.”
Daniel looked around.
“I guess that’s the name?”
“It is now.”
The next morning brought the first real crisis.
Hope woke before sunrise.
She had barely slept.
Her muscles were sore from the fight, although the recovery ability was already reducing the discomfort.
She went outside.
The property was quiet, too quiet.
Hope checked the System.
Global Event Countdown
4 days, 11 hours, 03 minutes.
She stared.
There were only four days left until the event was to occur.
The System had predicted the beginning of the global event but the world was already falling apart.
Hope walked toward the river.
The Blackwater was calm, that calmness bothered her.
She opened the map.
The seventeen awakened markers were still there.
Then she noticed something.
One of them had disappeared.
Hope frowned.
“System.”
[Yes.]
“One of the awakened markers is gone.”
[Correct.]
“Why?”
[Subject status changed.]
“Dead?”
[Unknown.]
Hope stared at the map.
Another marker appeared, it was much closer.
Then another, then another.
Three new awakened individuals.
All within a hundred miles.
Hope’s stomach tightened.
“How many are there now?”
[Known awakened individuals: 26.]
“Nine more?”
[Correct.]
“Since last night?”
[Correct.]
Hope looked toward the farmhouse.
People were beginning to wake.
Her aunt was making breakfast while her uncle was checking the generator.
Daniel was sleeping in the guest building.
For a moment, Hope felt something unexpected.
Responsibility, not fear, not excitement.
Responsibility.
These people were here because they believed she could keep them safe and she intended to.
But there was something else.
The System had shown her the awakened population was increasing.
If powers were spreading…
Eventually, someone powerful enough would appear.
Someone who didn’t want to cooperate.
Someone who might decide that a settlement like Blackwater belonged to them.
Hope looked across the river.
The water reflected the rising sun.
She remembered her original plan.
Build the base, and protect people.
Expand along the river using the natural barrier and securing the bridges.
Grow food, and develop technology.
Now she added find people with abilities and become strong enough to survive.
It had seemed ambitious when she started.
Now it felt necessary.
Hope opened the settlement screen.
Population: 9
She looked toward the house.
“We need one more.”
Then she opened the map.
There were towns everywhere and people everywhere.
And the roads between them were becoming increasingly dangerous.
Hope realized that finding the tenth person wouldn’t be difficult.
The difficult part would be deciding who deserved to enter.
Because Blackwater was no longer just her home.
It was becoming a sanctuary.
And sanctuaries attracted people.
Then she remembered the 6 drivers from the night before.
She headed to the barn to find them.