"My name is Malcolm Monroe," the old man said. "Are you the leader here? You must be quite the remarkable young woman to be leader of men who are older than yourself," he complimented her.
His smile twitched when she wanted to disarm him, but he handed over his weapon. "I am not comfortable handing over my only source of protection. You understand why of course." Malcolm said, mirroring her words. "But since you have not killed me yet I will assume you do not mean to do so," he added before handing over his handgun.
He stared down at his blood and dirt stained hands. "When the dead started attacking a few of us made a home in a Home Depot on the other side of the city. We barricaded it the best we could. It kept out the dead, but not the living," he said bitterly, his jaw clenched in anger. "We were set upon by vultures of men who forced us from our sanctuary. We tried to find a new home, but we were attacked by a group of the dead as we made our way through the city. I got separated from the others in the mayhem that followed. They likely think I am dead, if any of them made it. Damn those looting bastards!" Malcolm suddenly snarled, then calmed. "Forgive my outburst. I am just so very tired..."
Malcolm closed his eyes, breathing deeply and evenly. "The world is consumed by Hell... even the Devil himself doesn't bother with us, leaving us to his army of the flesh-eating dead... God has abandoned us..."
Something was pressed into his hand and he realized it was a pack of peanut butter crackers. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I was rambling. I am quite hungry as well," Malcolm said, eating the food carefully as though every crumb counted.