(Almost 100 chapters. I still can't believe it, and to be fair, I'm the one who's on chapter 91 right now. Anyway, happy reading and Ere we go !)
"Come now, people! There are such beautiful places, you wouldn't believe them! We have anything you may wish for in our Bazar and if that's not up to your taste, you can try our shops. And if you didn't come here to shop, then by all means please, tell me why have you come here for? Honor, glory or maybe it's the thrill of being in a never-ending war?"
"A little bit of the last two, not to mention that this place is the perfect place for someone who wants to get away from whatever power struggle is happening back home."
The colonel glanced at us for a few seconds before he shake his head. "Maybe you are right or maybe you are right, young man. My father did the same mistake and that led to the first fall of the settlement. Eighty percent of the people that used to live here died in the hands of those ghouls. Afterward, he forced the locals to change the way they see technology and because of that, this place was reborn."
Hearing how the grounders had to change their ways to survive, kind of made me realize that maybe, just maybe there's hope for further cooperation back home, but until we return, there's nothing we can do about it.
"Come on, let's find you people a place to rest for the night. To be honest, I'm kind of tired myself, and indeed you guys, in my opinion, are only barely managing to stay on your feet. You four better rest for the rest of the night, then I'll take you to earn your place here."
We could only nod at him. Our day had indeed seemed to be endless and stressful, and resting was necessary if we even want to at least become better than we are already.
As we walked towards the place where Sam said we could spend the night, I heard Monroe enviously sighing as she was not taking her eyes off the vehicle that brought us here. Moreover, to be fair, neither one of us could really take our eyes off the vehicle, especially when we saw how easily it cut through the ghouls with its gun.
"Hey, Sam, what's that thing that brought us here?"
"Oh, that beauty? It's probably the only one still working. It's a Stryker, an armored transport vehicle that also has a gun on top to protect our troops. It's kind of old, but since we aren't fighting against armies anymore, it's a great weapon to fight the ghouls, besides it provides us the ability to quickly move from one place to another."
After he explained to us what the vehicle was, Sam kept his mouth shut as he lead us towards our home for the night. Joyful laughter and conversation were coming from all around the settlement, and they passed a man standing in the doorway. Gathered around some tables, old ladies were drinking tea under the dim light that was hanging on the side of a building built by these people. Children were playing without worry around the place, enjoying the rather pleasant night. This seemed unusual to all of us, especially when, back at Camp Jaha as well as the grounders villages, the conditions were always very tense and people were ready for anything to happen. And while some people got together in the evenings to sit quietly with friends in someone's tent or room, there was nothing like this where people were visiting each other so easily, children everywhere … This place was just too happy, compared to the rest of the world, our world.
Seeing the rather peaceful atmosphere around the settlement, Gustus had to inquire why these people were so carefree and happy.
"Colonel, what do your people live on here?"
"What? You don't know? I forgot about it. Of course, you don't, you people aren't from around these parts. This place has the best market where you could sell almost anything and people will buy it! You get the best technicians and ingenious in the whole world here, they are the brain and muscles that keep this place protected and self-sustainable. People bring all sorts of devices to be fixed here from the surrounding area, some are coming from far away, just like you people. This hub is flourishing, flourishing. What would some do to live here?"
To be honest, not even we, who were born on the Ark, weren't expecting this place to be a technology hub, especially when almost all of the people that we met on earth were at the same technological point.
"I believe I gave you guys more than enough enlightenment for a day, so go rest and in the morning one of my people would take you to our training area. Even though you seem to be battle-hardened, I won't send greenhorns to their deaths."
We didn't bother walking around the place, since we will definitely have more than enough chance to visit every single corner of this place in the upcoming months. After he left us at what I could only describe as a hotel, Sam went back to his command center while we walked toward our rooms.
For some reason, we only got three rooms and since Sergey and Gustus were quick thinkers, they both took a room for themselves, leaving me with Monroe, not that one of us was complaining, but still, he could at least say it in our face rather than doing it so sneaky like this.
The first thing that Zoe did in the morning was to run over to the window and flung the shutters wide open, letting in the room the fresh air and the sunlight. The wooden window ledge hung over the very edge of a bottomless precipice, filled with delicate morning mist that would dispense with the first rays of sunshine. And then the view from the window would extend beyond the gorge to the distant mountain spurs with their covering of pine trees and the green meadows extending between them, a beautiful and peaceful morning was always welcomed.
"It's already morning?"
Still, on the bed, I kept my eyes shut as the sunlight was bothering my rather tired eyes that barely even rested last night.
"It's still early, but yes, it's already morning."
"We barely even got two hours of sleep, how in god's name aren't you tired?"
"A girl never reveals her secrets."
Just as she climbed on the bed, someone knocked on the door, breaking the rather joyful atmosphere that we had created.