When Emily ended up on the other side, she finally realised, humans weren't the type to put their lives at risk, by only putting guards outside the Settlement.
Inside the settlement, there was already another guard, whose job seems to be vetting new survivors. The guard was waiting for her, alongside Jenny and Haley, so that she could begin the vetting process.
The guard had a gun holstered on her thigh. She looked beefy, with a mean face, that seemed to say, 'I have no time for your nonsense' for anyone who would want to waste her time.
When she demanded to know the reason for Emily's visit to the settlement, Jenny was the one who tried to explain Emily's importance. And the urgent need for Emily to meet up with the leader to give out a report of the events that transpired during their mission.
The guard's answer to the sound of Jenny's mouth moving was to stare down at her. Her eyes seemingly saying, 'fuck off' in which Jenny responded by retreating back, while apologetically looking towards Emily.
Jenny might have become stronger, but this guard was like any other mother. Who doesn't care how much older their child has become, because in their eyes they're still a child. The guard kind of radiated the same energy.
Ignoring Jenny, the guard took out a small notebook and pen from her jacket, and looked towards Emily, "name and age?" She asked.
"Emily Wolff, 21 years old," Emily unhesitatingly answered.
Emily wouldn't admit it, but.. she kind of liked this woman. She's the only human she's met so far. Who hasn't reacted to her weird eyes.
The guard finished writing down something more than just her name and age, then lifted her head, and asked, "any special skills?"
"I can fight, is that enough?"
"Depends on how strong you are?" The guard said, while she wrote down Emily's specialty.
"Strong enough to kill everyone in this settlement, in a matter of minutes, is that strong enough?" Emily asked in a sweet voice.
The guard's hand froze, and she stopped what she was writing down. And so did Jenny who started sweating, thinking the guard might cause a scene leading to Emily killing her.
Meanwhile Haley was still in her own headspace, muttering to herself. Emily would sometimes glance towards her, and wonder if she's still in the same planet as them.
The guard looked up at Emily, and scrutinized her, then nonchalantly shrugged. And went back to scribbling her notebook. When she scrutinized Emily, there hadn't been a hint of emotions within the guard's eyes.
"Have you ever killed any human?" The guard asked, after finishing her scribbling.
"Yes," Emily replied.
"How many?"
"More than a thousand."
"Where all of them bad people?"
"Wouldn't know, I don't remember."
The guard nodded, and went back to scribbling.
When she finished scribbling, she put back her notebook in her jacket.
"Emily Wolff, you show signs of sociopathy, and under normal circumstances being able to fight would've earned you a place in the Survivor Settlement.
But not only do I believe you're too strong to contain, I also have a foreboding feeling this place will descend to mayhem were you to stay. I can't allow an uncontrollable nuclear weapon to stay here, and so I've decided you aren't fit to being part of this settlement."
Jenny gasped on the side, and started to worry about how Emily might react. But contrary to her assumption Emily took the information with indifference.
The guard had been also waiting for Emily's reaction and seeing her not make a fuss about this, she gave herself a satisfied nod, and added.
"But we can allow you to stay in for a week, to get some rest from your journey, but she the week end you're gone. Is that fine with you?
Emily shrugged, "I wasn't planning to stay that long anyway. But I'll take the week."
"Good, Jenny will show you the way to the boss, now leave."
Emily took a few step, then stopped, and turned back towards the guard, "I have come to like you. What's your name?"
"Terra, and I don't like you by the way, so get a move on already."
Emily smiled, and followed behind Jenny, while she took Haley in her hand, because at this point she worried, she might get lost.
While moving through the streets, and fortified buildings, Emily's eyes observed everything. Her mind cataloguing some notes.
Emily noted that, the people here moved with purpose, their expressions wary but resilient. Everyone here wasn't simply lazing around and had a clear purpose.
This people were relaxed, but vigilant, as many of them who were assigned the role of guard were armed with rifles, bows, and makeshift weapons forged from scavenged materials.
Emily saw children, though fewer in number, playing quietly, their laughter hushed, as if mindful of the danger lurking outside the settlement. But even so, the children were happier than those she's seen since the apocalypse.
As they walked to where the leader is, Jenny kept filling her in, on how things worked here. And who were the important representation of this place.
The first representative she told Emily about was Mara Harper, but many call her Iron eyes, because of her piercing gaze that sees through deceit. She's a former military officer and the Leader of this settlement.
Jenny told Emily that before even she had joined the survivor settlement, she had heard about the legends of Iron Eyes, the saviour of countless lives.
Mara Harper is known as a leader with a sharp mind, and has a neck for unconventional strategies that are effective against even the more dangerous werewolves and under her command no woman or man will ever run away from danger. And will follow her lead to hell if they have to. That's the kind of respect she commands.
Second representative almost as important if not more than the leader was a guy named Elias Thatcher, also called just Doc, was the medic of the Settlement. He and his hand picked stuff handle every injury, illness, and emergency within the settlement. At a shelter specially designed for him, is where Phil's sick sister is at.
Third representative, Layla Nguyen, the Engineer and Mechanic of the settlement, the lifeline of this place. She's responsible for machinery and building essential tools.
She's responsible for so much more, equally important as the commander and the doc, as she's the reason this place is fortified, generators are still running, and is responsible for inventing useful gadgets from scrap.
Hearing about this Layla person also known as Spark, even Emily was envious. And would like very much to have such a person in her settlement.
There were other important representatives, such as Finn Morales, chief Scavenger and Trader. Avery Clarke, lookout and Scout, Jenny told Emily they're quite good, more useful than the piece shit in her shadow.
And lastly Molly Sanders, as an agricultural specialist. Responsible for keeping the settlement's small gardens thriving. Learning about this people started to make Emily have a clear vision of the kind of settlement she wants for herself.
And she felt herself becoming even more ambitious and daring than she initially planned. A plan was brewing in her mind, something even the red moon would see to it destroyed at all cost.
Emily glanced towards the cloudless midnight sky, at the red moon, 'I am coming for you,' she silently promised.