"Were coming up now Sir, thats Camp Pendleton dead ahead."

Leonardo looked at the pilot from the back seat of the Huey they sat in, he didn't really like it when people used the phrase dead ahead anymore and it seemed like a bad joke now and days used by the younger soldiers. Leonardo couldn't blame him he guessed, some of these young boys were fresh out of basic trying to make sense of something no one could. They had lost so many soldiers over the last couple weeks to this damned plague, now they were struggling just to get soldiers into the field. Leonardo looked at his watch it was just caressing 12:00 pm now, looking out the window he got his first view of Pendleton, the camp was large from the Aeriel view... too large in a lot of ways. Leonardo couldn't help but think that it was an accident waiting to happen here, you couldn't secure a camp of this size, and he knew that well... too well for his liking in some cases.

"Beginning our descent Sir, the Major is going to meet you on the pad and get you up to date."

Leonardo nodded his head not really bothering to speak to the young pilot, feeling the descent of the helicopter he grabbed a hand hold as they went down rather fast, and then no sooner a red light came on with a blaring alarm. Leonardo didn't freak to much as he knew the landing would probably be a bit rocky given the make shift heli pad they were going to be landing on. When the thump came signifying the helicopter was landed Leonardo went forward and pulled open the door and climbed out ducking the blades cautiously, as mentioned the Major was on the pad.

"You look like a CIA spook or some shit in that suit Leonardo, man you definitively have changed a fair bit since I last saw you."

Leonardo smiled to himself for a second as he looked at Major Frederick, when he had come here he had not expected to see anyone he knew from his former military days, hell he half expected the Camp to be gone by time he got here. It had been a long two weeks for Leonardo, he had been sent to three different refugee camps and all of them had fallen. It was no big secret that this infection whatever it was, was spreading like a damn forest fire and it was only getting worse everyday it lasted. The smile on his face was gone as quick as it came as he recounted the fallen Camps that lay behind him, it was not his fault really but he couldn't help but feel responsible for the fact that they are now dead camps.

"Frederick how the hell did you end up here? I didn't think I would see that ugly face again in my life time."

Leonardo started following Frederick down the stairs of the helipad, looking up the helicopter took off and disappeared into the distance and was then gone, probably back to the main base, who knew or cared in the end.

"Heard you were coming here, so I made sure to transfer myself so I could be insulted by you one more time. God knows at this point I could be dead at any time..."

Leonardo heard the edge in Fredericks voice when he spoke the last part. After that there was a steady silence between the two it seemed that they both knew now was not the time for bickering between old friends. Leonardo took the time to look around the camp as he followed Fredericks, the look was the same and the feel was the same as the last camps. The looks in the eyes of these people, it was a look of fright, sadness, hopelessness, Leonardo had seen a lot of that the past weeks and he knew the look well. An he knew well enough that he was going to be seeing more of this before it was over, that is if he didn't die before the end came, reaching into his jacket pocket Leonardo removed a pack of smoke and slowly removed one from it and lite it with a tarnished silver zippo. Taking a few drags off of it he let the smoke fillow out of his nose as he looked at the soldiers near by passing out water, Leonardo nodded to a couple ladies passing by him as he followed the Major into a near by tent. Inside the large tent was appeared to be a basic set up, communications devices on one side a table in the center and a desk at the far end, this was most definitively the command tent, Leonardo took a seat in one of the folding chairs and removed the cracked golden framed aviators from his face setting them on the table. When the Major sat down they both seemed to look at each other red eye for red eyes.

"You look like hell Leonardo, I am guessing you have seen some action these past weeks."

"Too much action John I have watched three separate camps fall to these... things. The last one I was lucky to escape with my life in tact which is why I am not so thrilled to be at this camp right now."

"I know what you mean, I was at a couple other camps myself before being stationed here they didn't make it either. Its like a damn tidal wave, they just... wash over camps relentlessly in large hordes, and the people they panic and everything fails..."

Leonardo saw that look in Johns eye's as he sighed and took another drag off the cigarette, it looked like he had not been the only one who had seen this hell in full force. Leonardo removed the pack of smokes from his pocket and pushed them across the table to John who looked down and slowly picked them up. John had quit smoking long ago like Leonardo had but since all this started what was the point anymore? Watching John remove a smoke from the pack Leonardo took out the tarnished silver zippo, the once marine insignia now fading off the casing and pushed it across to John who lit the cigarette and took a long drag off of it.

"Whats the situation here John?"

"Honestly its shit, more and more people are coming here by the day, looking for safety, food, a home, a missing family member, and the truth is we are running out of room for all these people. Not to mention we can't let everyone in because of infection, they don't take to it kindly, they don't understand that once your bite, its over. They fight because their scared and want to be safe, oblivious to the fact that their life is already forfeit. An the kids... god its so depressing to see then orphans here, sad and just... gone from what they have seen. It was so much easier fighting in other countries because at least then we were fighting for something, towards and end... this... has no end and its happening to the people we took an oath to protect, and I would be a lier if I said it didn't get to me a lot of the time."

"Its not easy on me either John, some days are better then other, some days I feel like I can go on, and others I feel like im losing my mind. A lot of days I just isolate myself from everyone because I can't stand to be around people anymore. An it hasn't gotten any better knowing that my wife is dead and my son is missing, probably dead too..."

They both became silent after that for a time, neither one of them really wanted to revisit those memories anymore. In fact Leonardo just wanted to go somewhere where these was no people and stay there for the rest of his life and never come back. But it was undeniable that the thing that kept him going was that perhaps he could find his son, or even his long lost brother. Pipe dreams at most, but everyone needed something to hold on to, and that was all Leonardo had now. When the tent flap opened both of them looked back at a soldier, the man saluted hastily and spoke.

"Sir we have a troublesome man at the gate, he is bitten but he says it wasn't by an infected and he making a large fuss."

"Great always something..."

John got up and Leonardo did as well, following him out they walked through the camp quickly and came upon the front gate, already they could hear the screaming it was obvious the man was panicking or had lost his mind, whatever the case the last thing they needed was one man panicking the rest. As they both walked up a couple soldiers were inside the gate trying to get the man to leave but he had no intention of doing so. They kept their guns pointed at him to keep him a distance from the gate.

"You bastards! I told you I am not infected I wasn't bitten by one of those things! Let me in!"

John walked up to the gate as Leonardo came up behind him, this wasn't the first time this had happened, probably the hundredth actually, they could not let him in regardless of if it was true or not, fact was they didn't know any couldn't risk it. As John moved towards the gate, to deal with the man, Leonardo put his hand on his shoulder.

"Ill take care of him John."

Leonardo walked to the gate and slowly he unlatched it and slid outside and walked to the man who was obviously frustrated.

"Sir you can't come in, if your telling the truth or not is irrelevant, the fact of the matter is we can not and will not admit you through the gate because we can't risk the lives of all these people if your in fact infected you must understand this."

"You know what I understand...?"

When the punch came Leonardo had not expected it, the mans fist made a connection with his jaw and for a split second Leonardo's eye sight went a bright white as he smacked the dusty ground. When Leonardo came back to reality he heard the screaming of the soldiers threatening to shoot the man if he didn't back up, slowly regaining his feet Leonardo put his hand up to tell the soldiers to back down.

"Don't fire... we don't need a panic or and uproar I will take care of it..."

Leonardo lifted his hand to his jaw and with a sick crack put it back in place, moving his jaw around a little bit it was burning with hot pain, wiping the blood from his busted lip Leonardo looked at the man, he was now officially pissed off and that was in no way a good thing, but he kept his cool the best he could as he spoke.

"Tell you what... you can enter... if you can get past me... one lucky shot means nothing..."

The man was clearly agitated now, when he came forward Leonardo was more then ready for it this time, the punch came directly for his stomach backing off slightly the punch fell short. Going forward Leonardo grabbed the outstretched mans arm and twisted it, turning his back to the man Leonardo flipped him to the ground pretty hard. Leonardo spit some blood out of his mouth as he turned his back on the man and walked back towards the gate. When he felt the punch land in his back however Leonardo went forward as he felt and arm going over his throat. Getting pulled in Leonardo brought his head back and slammed the man directly in the nose, the man screamed as Leonardo turned under his lightened grip, backing up slightly he charged forward and drove his head into the mans stomach hard. Then he brought his arm down and brought it directly under the mans crotch and yanked him off the ground for a split second an did a take down slamming him on his back. Leonardo rounded the man, he was dazed now quickly taking his arm Leonardo put it between his legs and then hit the ground putting the man in a reverse arm hold. The man screamed but he was now trapped and he wasn't going no where.

"Now I am going to let you go... if you don't leave the next time I am going to break this arm and then your other one. Do you understand?"

Leonardo brought the mans arm forward in a cockeyed position as it cracked alittle making the man scream again.

"Do you understand!?"

"Yes!"

"Good..."

Leonardo released the mans arm as he quickly pulled it back grabbing his shoulder and then high tailing it away from the fence. Leonardo brought his hand to his jaw again as it felt numb from it being punched out of place. Walking back to the gate John was looking at him almost bemused that he had got decked in the face. Reaching the gate Leonardo looked at John.

"I don't want to hear it John... lucky shot nothing more."

"Sure it was or maybe your just old now."

"Shut up or I will put you in a guillotine."

They both smiled for a brief moment, a laugh in the midst of dark times, they both needed it but it wouldn't last long. That was the one consequence of this new hellish place... hapiness was but a minute compared to the eternity of misery..