The unlikely trio of survivors walked slowly through the Southern Indiana forest. They left home and Central City behind. Seth took point, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be lurking in the forest trying to kill them. They learned to avoid the open areas. Many [i]Others[/i] had taken over people trained in shooting long distance; hunters, Marine snipers or Olympic caliber shooters. The [i]Others[/i] would find hiding spots near highways, major roadways, open tracts of farmland or wherever they could find clear lines of fire out to 800 meters or more. [i]Others[/i] were deadly accurate with their hunting rifles, leaving corpses littering Interstates 65 and 69 as well as the numerous other state routes. The group considered heading north to Indianapolis, but discarded that idea realizing the [i]Others[/i] had probably already cleared out the major population centers and garrisoned the to prevent the native population from re-entering these areas.

Seth spent time training his new friends in the US Army’s techniques, tactics and procedures (TTP) for patrolling. They used hand and arm signals to communicate with one another. In fact, Thalis Boulderman, coal miner-turned soldier taught the group how to communicate using American Sign Language. They often communicated silently this way in order to be as quiet as possible. Joe Anderson covered the rear as the small group moved stealthily through what may have been a State Park or State Forest. The tree covered terrain was measured from 100 to 900 feet in elevation. Ferns, oak scrub and juniper bushes plugged the undergrowth. Pine, Oak, maple, birch and beech trees covered the hills. An occasional open space would appear where trees had been removed to allow for farmland a few centuries ago. Seth and company avoided these open patches of ground as they hiked the hills of Southern Indiana.

The three stopped occasionally to survey the land in front of them, especially when they were standing on high ground. A farmhouse of Colonial design with a large wrap around porch, white in color stood at the far end of a large cattle pasture. Cornfields bordered the pastures to the north and south of the open farmlands. A large red barn, possibly containing hay and stalls for horses and cows stood several feet to the east of the farm house with an attached grain silo. Various farming equipment parked around the house and barnyard. Seth noticed the cattle grazing in the pasture first. This sight sent up a red flag, a warning so to speak. 

In sign language the three survivors carried on a conversation. “See the cows?” Seth asked Thalis and Joe. Both nodded. “If there are cows, then there must be people here to care for them, right?”

“Sounds reasonable,” Thalis answered. “But are they [i]Others[/i]?”

“Right, how do we know?” Seth sat there staring at the cows and the farm house in the distance in frustration. Then he resolved to be daring, “we cannot hide from everyone!” He pounded his fist into his hand in exclamation. “We must trust someone! Give them a chance to prove they can be trusted!” The clouds had slowly darkened rolling in over the region. Small drops of rain began to fall on the Midwestern farmland. Seth looked up at the sky thinking, [i]‘damn. Infantry weather.’[/i] 

Joe Anderson saw the reason in Seth’s position. After all, he was the one who argued in favor of finding other survivors before they left Central City. “I say let’s go find out who lives there,” Joe responded.

“Your going to get us all killed,” Thalis interjected. He watched the other two to see if they would change their idea. No one said anything. They just stared back at him with that blank expression saying, [i]‘We are right and you are wrong, so you better join us.’[/i] “I guess I have no choice. Just be careful,” he signed in frustration.

The three made their way closer to the wood line and followed the terrain along the south side of the pasture about fifty yards inside the forest. They kept their eye on the farmland while watching the hills around them and every tree they could see. They continued to search for an ambush or a sniper just waiting to pick them off. They were all alert for danger could be lurking behind any and every tree. Any sign of movement, they would slow down and investigate as though it were a platoon of [i]Others[/i] just waiting to kill them. Survival was a challenge these days and they intended to do the best they could. For all they knew they could be walking right into crosshairs on their way to discern who lived at the farm.