Cameron resembled a deer in headlights as the exchange continued between the two men before her. When the blonde’s attention landed on her, she slowly scooted behind Justin without thought as a form of protection. Although she was a bit embarrassed to be so skittish, it was better than being naïve and vulnerable with the new group of people before them. 

When the man asked them to follow, her flight-or-fight instinct was triggered, but she had to ignore it; they either needed to cooperate or they’d be killed. Cameron remained behind Justin in silence as they were led to the outpost, keeping her eyes trained on the mysterious characters in front of them. What type of ‘feeling’ would he have about them that would change his tone so quickly? She was growing more suspicious with every step she took, but she made a conscious effort to appear confident. 

The outpost looked to be almost a mile from the heart of the city, a small concrete, building surrounded by rubble. The structure itself didn’t look much better than the ruins around it, but it seemed to serve its purpose – a sun-bleached gray sheet hung over the doorway, and a rusty folding chair sat to the right of it. Cameron assumed it was for whoever was on watch, which was proven true when a man who had been at the front of the group sat, gun in hand, when the blonde man signaled them to stop. 

“Search them,” he spoke quietly, and two guards began to pat the pair down.

“Watch it,” Cameron nearly growled as one of the guards patted her back down to her waist. The guard grabbed the small gun tucked in the waist of her jeans and tossed it to another man. 

The man smiled at Cameron’s resistance. “You’ll get your weapons back. It’s just a precaution.” 

Once the guards were satisfied, he nodded and waved a hand, telling them to enter the structure behind him. Cameron’s eyes flashed to Justin’s momentarily, attempting to read how he felt about the situation, but it was futile. 

The room was dimly lit by a few candle lanterns hanging in the corners. The walls were covered with large, hand-drawn maps, detailing the land all the way from the east coast all the way to middle-America, areas that Cameron had never even heard stories of before. She knew, logically, that there had to be more than what those at Chesapeake taught her, but actually seeing it on paper in front of her was blowing her mind. Had they traveled this far and lived to tell the tale? 

“My name is Connor,” his voice seemed to boom in the small room. “We’re a brigade of Hartford’s military.” 

“Military?” Cameron mumbled under her breath.

His eyes snapped to her. “Yes. Of sorts. A group of gun-wielding assholes with a collective goal.” 

She couldn't help but chuckle. 

He began to pace the small space in front of him. “So. You want to tell us why you’re heading to Portland? I mean, I have my suspicions, but I’d rather hear it from you.” Connor turned on his heels and faced his body to Justin.