The bell rang three times. A dull, metallic echo that rippled across the colony.

  Camdyn stood near the back of the courtyard shoulders slightly hunched as the crowd filtered in. The faces around him were familiar—sun-worn, quiet, cautious. Not many words passed between them, but their expressions spoke plenty: concern, curiosity, and something colder beneath—fear.

  At the front, a wooden platform had been cleared. Walker stood upon it, tall and steady, his hands folded behind his back. He waited until the murmurs died before he spoke.

  “We found new signs along the northern tree line,” their Commander began. “Same evidence. Same black residue. Same treadmarks. Same threat.”

  He let the words hang for a moment.

  Camdyn, for a fleeting moment, considered speaking up, but he thought better of it. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

  Walker continued, voice measured, but there was an edge to it. “We believe the sighting confirms what we’ve suspected. They’re moving closer. Testing us. These things out there. The unnaturals. They’re not the raiders we’re used to, but the same policy applies. I don’t need to remind you what’s happened before. What we’ve lost when we let outsiders get too close. Too familiar. We lost good people. Friends. Family. Even children…

  Several heads nodded. A few voices murmured agreements.

  From the crowd, a gravelly voice broke through. “We can’t be soft now. We’ve seen what happens when we let down our guard.”

  An older woman whispered nervously, “What if we're not safe here? Where could we turn to?”

  Another man, younger and tense, spoke up, “I don’t want to live in fear, but this is our home… if these things are out there, we have to be ready.”

  Walker raised a hand, silencing the murmurs.

  “These creatures,” Walker said, “are not like us. They were born from the Collapse. And if they weren’t part of this world before, then I don’t see why they deserve a place in it now.”

  He paused, scanning the crowd again.

  Walker straightened. “Effective immediately, travel outside the Perimeter is suspended unless authorized. If you see something—anything—out of the ordinary, report it. We are not explorers. We are survivors. And we protect our own.”

  Raya, standing a few rows ahead of Camdyn, raised a hand. “Commander, if I may…”

  Walker looked at her. “Go ahead.”

  She stepped forward slightly, tone respectful. “No one’s questioning the threat, sir. But if these sightings are increasing, might it be worth gathering more information before tightening the noose? If we don’t understand what’s causing the shift, we might be reacting to the wrong thing.”

  Camdyn perked up. A few heads turned toward her. Quiet, curious, but not hostile.

  Walker studied her a moment before replying. “You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders, Raya,” he said. “But I’m not interested in understanding them. I’m interested in protecting us. And I won’t risk the lives of innocents to satisfy a curiosity.”

  Walker’s gaze found his son. Camdyn didn’t look away. He refused to give Walker the satisfaction of seeing him back down.

  Raya’s voice dropped slightly. “And if one of these creatures is spotted, sir?”

  “Then treat it like any other threat.”

  Raya nodded once, accepting the answer. But her lips were pressed tight when she stepped back. Camdyn glanced at her. Their eyes met briefly and he saw the same flicker of unease he felt himself.

  Walker turned to the crowd again. “We survived the Collapse because we adapted. Because we learned what mattered—order, unity, and strength. Not sentiment. Not speculation. And sure as hell not compassion for monsters.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  A few people clapped. Most just listened, stone-faced. It wasn’t solace. It was grim agreement.

  “Stay vigilant. Stay smart. And stay inside the boundaries. That is how we live to see another year. That is how we keep each other safe. This meeting is adjourned. Patrol schedules will be posted by nightfall.”

  People began to disperse, conversations sparking in hushed tones.

  Camdyn remained still, watching his father descend the steps.

  Raya’s eyes flicked to his one last time before she hurried after the Commander. Camdyn fell into step behind her.

  “He’s not going to listen to you.” he warned.

  “Maybe not,” she said, eyes ahead. “But at least, I’ll make sure he hears me.”

  They caught up to Walker near the edge of the path.

  “Commander.” Raya called out.

  Walker turned, his expression shifting the moment he saw Camdyn beside her. “Something else, Raya?”

  “With all due respect, I think launching an immediate offensive would be a mistake.”

  He exhaled through his nose. “You made your point already.”

  She didn’t flinch. “No, I made it in front of others. Now I am speaking to you, directly. Neutralizing a threat before we’ve even confirmed one is reckless.”

  “More so since we don’t even know who the threat is,” Camdyn muttered.

  “In this day and age, everyone who isn’t one of us is a threat.”

  Raya’s gaze didn’t waver. “Do you remember how my family ended up here?”

  “You were strays seeking refuge.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “Your father said your colony imploded. Corrupt leadership. Devastation from starvation—”

  “Corvyn Thane. He was a tyrant,” she said, her words were ice. “He ruled with oppressive fear. People were killed. Not outsiders, our own. He rationed the food stores to the last grain, and as the hunger deepened, so did his paranoia. He feared contamination. Feared strangers. He locked down the colony so no one could enter or leave. Not even to hunt for meat.”

  She drew a breath. “And then his madness… twisted. He decided humans were the purest source of food. Unexposed, untainted. It started with criminals. Then the old. The weak. Then anyone ‘inconvenient’. My parents saw what was coming and smuggled me out while they still could. Colony after colony turned us away… until you took us in. You made us your own.”

  That caught Walker off guard. Even Camdyn looked at her, startled.

  She stepped closer, her voice softer now. “I’m speaking to you as your family, Walker. Where is that same understanding now?”

  Walker’s eyes narrowed. “I took a chance on you because I saw good in you. But don’t mistake that exception for the rule. We are past mercy. As far as I’m concerned, these creatures already fired the first shot.”

  “So we shoot back at anything that moves?” Camdyn asked, frustration rising. “That’s not preservation. That’s escalation.”

  “I am protecting what is left of this colony.”

  “You may be risking what is left of this colony.” Raya pushed back.

  “It won’t come to that. This is not your parent’s homeland, Azaraya.” he said firmly. “I am not Corvyn.”

  “I hope so.” she said. “But fear is a powerful thing. I trust your leadership—I always have—but I hope you rethink this strategy.”

  Walker didn’t respond right away. Her words lingered. Instead of a response, he gave her a slow, measured nod—more of a dismissal than an agreement—and turned away.

  “Do you think he heard you?” Camdyn asked from beside her.

  “Not sure. But I think I made a dent.”

  She gave him a faint smile. “He’s a hard-headed man, but not unreasonable. I believe he’ll make the right call when the time comes for it.”

  Camdyn wasn’t so sure. “If only someone could show him.”

  “If only someone could.” she echoed.

  He glanced toward the perimeter, the silent stretch calling to him in a way no words could capture. Raya noticed this, but didn’t say anything.

  She bumped into his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get you home.”