//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Rendezvous 
// Story: Protocol Zena 
// by RJ17Boy 
//------------------------------//

	The fall was a good time for me since the leaves would change into miraculous shades of red, orange and yellow. My eyes were absorbing these images as we continued deeper into the woodlands. If circumstances were different, I would have sat there and admire the colors all day long especially since they were extra gorgeous this year.
As we drove, the pavement became uneven, then it turned to gravel, and eventually became dirt.  Soon after, Joe left the roadway and we were venturing into the woods. Despite our vehicle’s ability to handle off-road driving, the ride was rough and I wasn’t able to enjoy the scenery around me. I wanted to protest this decision, but I was sure my friend knew what he was doing so I left him alone and tolerated the discomfort. 
After what seemed like a half an hour of driving, we found a dirt road and thankfully, Joe decided to dive on it. While the road was by no means a smooth ride, it was significantly better than driving on no road at all. I was beginning to feel sore while Joe appeared to be just fine.
“Please don’t make me go through that again!” I exclaimed to which Joe responded with a snicker.
“Won’t have to. This road’ll lead us to where we need to be.” I’m not sure I believed him but I wasn’t in the mood to question him.
Eventually, we found a small clearing that was covered by some nearby trees and Joe parked the vehicle on the far end of it.
“So, this is where we’re staying?” I asked as I handed him back his M1 and its ammunition.
“No” Joe said. “We’ll have to travel on foot through the woods since-”
“What!?” I exclaimed. “After driving through all that, which I swear was the worse drive I’ve ever been on, you’re expecting me to carry all of those totes in the back through the rough terrain and leave the vehicle here? That’s insane!”
Joe thought about how to respond to this. “Yes and no. Yes we will have to get to our actual destination on foot and leave the vehicle here only because the area won’t allow our vehicle to traverse it. Trust me on this. We’ve tried.”
“By we you mean you and your female friend right?”
“Not exactly. The no part is that there is a small group coming with us so we won’t be carrying the entire load. My friend is in this group but since she left town, she won’t be with us.” I wanted to learn more about this group but I decided not to ask. “We’ll wait here until they arrived. Until then, let’s get your hiking bag equipped with the supplies you’ll need.”
I reluctantly agreed to this as both of us stepped out of the vehicle. My body protested as I stretched my arms and legs but after being in the vehicle for over an hour, I wanted to get back on my feet. As I slowly made my way to the back of the Land Rover, Joe brought out a metal hiking back pack and started sorting through the various supplies he had. By the time we were done, I was equipped with about 25 pounds of supplies including but not limited to food, water, tarps, a basic first aid kit, matches, duct tape, and a compass. Joe even managed to put by backpack on it using some extra rope he had in his pack. 
As if on cue, a white SUV appeared coming from the opposite direction which we came from and parked next to us. I saw four people in the vehicle though only three stepped out.
“So this is the group that’ll be with us?” I said out loud.
The farthest person, a white man with blonde hair and a look of a leader, replied in a calm manner, “Part of it anyway.” Addressing Joe, he said, “Looks like you brought a friend with you. He won’t hold us back will he?”
Joe insisted, “Shouldn’t be a problem Mac. He’s got a good eye and’s a decent shot.”
“We’ll see about that.”
The person next to him, a black guy with a mildly built body, said, “I thought we agreed no people outside the group would be with us. I don’t know about you but I don’t like leaches using up our stuff and offering nothing in return.”
Mac seemed to agree but said nothing and gave Joe a look as if wanting an explanation from him.
“Please, let’s not make judgments of our guest” said the person closest to me, a guy with glasses who looked like he could be a nurse of some sort. “We’ll give him a bad impression and we all may suffer because of it.”
“An agreement is an agreement Jeff” said the African American. “You know I take this stuff seriously. He hasn’t joined our ranks and therefore deserves none of our privileges.”
Jeff pondered this for a moment. “Joe, why did you bring him with you? I know you are aware of our rules and procedures and it is clear you’ve broken them.”
Joe took his time to think of a satisfying answer. “When these creatures came along, Richard was at my house. I haven’t seen him since high school and we were catching up on everything since then. I was aware of the agreement I signed at the time, but to say that I would’ve felt sane dismissing my friend out of the blue like that would be a lie. Also, since I knew Natalia was out of town, we were going to be a man, or in this case a woman, down. Plus, Richard was in the boy scouts so I knew he would be able to satisfy the requirements Natalia would be leaving open.”
I had a feeling he was stretching the truth at that last bit. Scouting was not a topic I remember discussing with him at school. He probably only realized all that after I told him how I learned to shoot a fire arm.
Mac seemed satisfied with his response though I could see a hint of concern in his expression. “Reasonable enough” he said “but how are we supposed to know how much of this scouting stuff he even remembers?”
“We don’t” said the female voice inside the vehicle. “We’ll just have to trust that he knows enough to be able to hold his own and not be an annoyance to our operations. If you ask me, he should be able to help us just fine.” 
I recognized that confident voice. “Shela?” I said. The others seemed surprised at my knowledge of this person.
She stepped out of the vehicle and said, “Surprise.”
Shela had a body very similar to that of the girl from tomb raider with the exception of her boobs being a bit smaller. I swear she embraced this since she was wearing the same outfit as the character, utility belt and everything. I must admit I was slightly attracted to her despite the fact that I knew she was dating someone.
We first met in, ironically enough, personal wellness class about midway through the fall semester this year where we were assigned to make a list of all of the necessary supplies we would bring to a camping trip. This was supposed to be punishment for the constant intrusions several students made throughout the year and for most of them, it was exactly that. However, our teacher was surprised at how well Shela and I did on the assignment. Afterwards, he continued to assign us in group assignments where we learned more about our knowledge of the wilderness. Basically, if I had the choice of one partner to survive the apocalypse with, it would be her since she could hold her own in almost any situation.
“W-what… h-how” I struggled to say despite the fact I could speak to her normally back on campus.
“I joined this little survival group when it first formed six months ago. When I was asked to join, I thought it was unnecessary since the odds of it ever being needed were basically zero. I ended up joining only for the fact they would teach survival skills and I’m always looking to sharpen my skills.”
“Ok so he knows somethings about survival” the black guy interrupted, “but still” he looked towards Mac, “he hasn’t passed the tests needed to join our ranks. And I hate bringing this up but our terms stated only members of our group could be together when disaster strikes.”
Mac took all this in. “You are correct Jeremy. He is not part of this group and therefore does not have the right to be with us.” Joe looked like he was going to object to this. “However, our rules do mention that I can give honorary membership to anyone that I believe is worthy of it. Before me are two witnesses who claim the person before us will be helpful to our cause so I have reason to believe he can aid us.” He looked at me. “As leader of the Mountain Goats Survival Group, I grant you honorary membership to our group.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized I was holding my breath through this ordeal. Jeremy looked at me with an angry expression. I could tell he wasn’t satisfied with the resolution, but he didn’t have any leeway to argue his case.
“Welcome to the group” Joe told me as everyone clapped with approval with the exception of Jeremy of course. 
“Now” Mac said in a serious tone, “we need to prepare our bags while we wait for the others.” He looked at 	Joe. “Looks like you brought the necessary gear with you so-”
“Richard and I already have our hiking bags ready so the rest of you can take what you need.”
“Excellent. Jeremy, you go first.”
Jeremy managed to crack a small smile as he got his bag and sorted through the gear.
I looked towards Mac. “So who else are we waitin’ for?” I asked with curiosity.
To my surprise, Jeff answered, “Charles and Henry. They’re like the tech specialist of the group. They’re also brothers so it’s safe to assume that either they’ll both show up, or neither of them will.”
“Have any idea when they’ll show up?” I asked.
“Not a clue” he replied.
“We all came to an agreement that we would meet up here so that we have enough time to get over to our shelter before dark” Mac said. “If anyone failed to show up, they would have to get there on their own.” He looked at his watch. “It’s 3:30 now so if they don’t show up in a half an hour, we’ll have to leave them behind.”
I didn’t like the idea of leaving people behind but I understood why it was necessary. This got me thinking of my family. Did they get ambushed like we did? Were they safe? I decided to try and call them but my phone couldn’t get a signal, not that I was surprised with this. I just hoped they were safe.
The next half an hour was spent getting everyone’s gear ready and small talk that I didn’t bother paying attention to. I looked down the roadway in both directions, but I didn’t see anyone coming. I was anxious for them to get here so we could get a move on, but I realized they probably wouldn’t show up. 
Mac looked at his watch and sighed. “We gotta get moving.” We all looked at him with disbelief. “They know the rules, we all do. I don’t want to leave them either but we don’t want to be here after dark.” We all reluctantly agreed to the reality of the situation. “Get your things. We have a long hike ahead of us.”
Everyone gathered their belongings and gathered near the far end of the clearing. I was a little hesitant to leave.
“Come on Richard” Joe said. “We have to go.”
I looked over my shoulder in some vein hope I would see them coming and in the far distance, I saw a vehicle heading up the path Joe and I took.
“Over there!” I told everyone pointing towards the vehicle as it came closer. Everyone looked in surprise as they realized the brother duo would in fact be joining them.
“Well I’ll be” Jeremy said in relief and for the first time, expressed a real smile on his face.
I soon realized the vehicle was some sort of older red corvette. It looked sweet despite all of the dirt it accumulated while on the road. While all of this was a boost to morale, I had a feeling something wasn’t right. 
As the corvette parked next to us and its occupants exited the vehicle, we realized someone was missing. Henry was there, a man who certainly had the appearance of an engineer, but instead of Charles being there, some red headed girl, who looked like she was from the big city, took his place.
“Henry” she said in a tone that high society people speak in, “you said we were going someplace safe and comfortable, not in the middle of nature.” I was already annoyed with her.
“Brittani” Henry said in a relaxing, though tiring tone, “if I told you we were heading out here, you would be complaining the entire way. Besides-”
“We you should’ve told me so that I would be able to go somewhere else. Someplace just as safe yet soooooo much more relaxing.”
Typical big city attitude, I thought.
“There is no other safe place” Henry tried to explain. “You saw how we barely got here in one piece.”
Brittani took out her phone and was fiddling with it. “Ugh. No service, seriously?”
“Nice to see you Henry” Jeff said before Henry could try to reason with, I was guessing, his girlfriend.
“Hi Jeff. Though you’d be gone by now.”
“Where’s Charles?” Mac asked.
Henry’s face turned from tired to sad. He sighed and said “He didn’t make it. Damn Pegasi ambushed us and took out his vehicle. I’m surprised we even got out of the ordeal alive.”		
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Many more souls didn’t have a plan and they’re either dead or under these creatures’s rule. Be sorry for them. At least we had a plan and he died trying to execute it.”
“Does anyone have any lip gloss I can borrow?” Brittani interrupted. “Mine’s wearing off.”
Shela answered that. “Didn’t bring any. Not necessary to survive situations like this.”
“Seriously? How am I supposed to look pretty without-”
“Who the heck do you think you are!?” said Jeremy as if it were more of a thought rather than addressing anyone.
Brittani looked at him with a surprised look on her face. No one said anything so she went back to messing with her phone.
I went over to Jeremy and whispered, “Do we have to bring her with us?”
“I’ll be damned if we do” he replied. “I won’t lose any sleep if we leave her here.”
I cracked a small smile. “Seems like we agree on something.”
“Henry could I talk to you for a second?” Mac asked. They both went to the other side of the clearing. I had no doubt it was about Brittani. 
Shela looked at us. “Look, I respect everyone here and I understand the position Mac’s in, but if he doesn’t resolve this within five minutes, I’m leaving.”
“I agree” Jeremy said. “I know there’s not much to worry about out here, but I can barely walk the way there in the daytime. I don’t wanna try it out in the dark.”
“Same here” said Joe.
“Agreed” said Jeff.
I said nothing. While I agreed with them about traveling at night, I didn’t want to leave Mac behind with this city girl and Henry.
“What about you?” Shela said to me.
“What?” I replied even though I was aware of the conversation.
“Leave here in five even if Mac’s not done?”
I paused. “Whatever Joe said, I’ll back.”
“Then it’s settled then. Who’s gonna tell them?” We all looked at each other. No one seemed willing to tell him.
Suddenly, we heard a branch break and everyone was on edge. I pulled out my pistol and scanned the trees seeing if I could find anything. I saw Brittani cover her mouth trying her best to hold back a scream. A few moments later, we began to relax. We all looked at each other.
“We need to move out now” I said almost surprising myself. “I ain’t gonna wait out here to be ambushed by some Pegasi looking to increase his kill count.” Everyone spoke in agreement. “Then it’s settled. Make sure you got everything. I’ll tell Henry and Mac.”
I then went over to them only to realize they were heading towards us.
“Look” Mac said to me before I had a chance to say something, “I’m sure you’ll hate this decision, but we’re taking Brittani with us. I know I said only members can be with us, but all of this was a last minute thing for all of us including Henry. She doesn’t stand a chance if she’s out there in the middle of the wild. We’ll decide later if she gets to stay with us or not but for now, we have to get moving.”
“Ok then” I said indifferently. I looked at Henry. “You got a pack ready?”
“In the back” he said. “I also have a few guns for ya. There not much but you’ll need them.”
“I’ll tell them.” I walked towards the others and shouted, “Henry’s got guns if you want’m. Just be quick about it.”
Jeff and Jeremy went over to Henry’s car to get one while Shela just showed me her pistol and Joe removed his M1 from his pack. By the time everyone was settled, Henry and Mac had pistols of their own while Jeff and Jeremy had hunting rifles. Brittani refused to carry a weapon so Jeff took the extra pistol.
“Alright, is everyone ready?” Mac asked. “We’re not gonna stop until we get to the rendezvous.” Everyone indicated they were ready. “Well then, let’s move out.”


Joe wasn’t kidding about the way being difficult for vehicles. First of all, there wasn’t a trail to follow meaning that we were stepping on every single rock, twig and leaf coming across our path. While my shoes were sufficient, I wanted to have some type of hiking shoe since they would protect my feet better than my sneakers. Also, I had to stay behind someone since I had no idea which way to go. This became annoying at times since I was used to walking at a faster pace.
Also, the land we were traversing wasn’t ideal for new hikers. While the area was flat at first, it wasn’t before long that the woodland floor was a series of rolling hills. Going up and down all those hills was becoming a chore and was rather annoying after a few hills. At one point, there was a seventy foot hill that had a near 90 degree drop we had to climb. Fortunately, there was a small zigzagging pathway that was carved into it several years ago making the climb a bit more bearable. By the time we finished traversing the hill, I was kind of tired. The feeling was rather unpleasant but since I wasn’t at the point of exhaustion, I made myself go forward. 
The others seemed to be fairing a bit better than I was, except for Brittani. She seemed to continuously complain about how dirty she was getting and how sore here feet were. Being that she was in high heels, I wasn’t surprised why here feet ached so much. I suggested she take them off but then she went into a rant about… something so I tried to ignore her. 
Eventually, her whining got under Mac’s nerves so we took a break to which her whining subsided for a while. Henry sat with her while Joe and I sat in our own small group. Jeremy and Shela were discussing something and Mac and Jeff were checking the perimeter for any threats.
Joe looked at me with a serious expression. “I don’t think we’re going to make it to the shelter before dark.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well, we’re traveling at about three fourths the pace we usually do and we’re taking a break which we’ve never had to do beforehand.”
“Damn. And I thought we were going at a decent rate.” I saw Jeremy coming towards us. “How much farther do we have to go?”
“We’re not even a quarter of the way there.”
“Seriously? That ain’t good.”
Jeremy sat down beside me. “Man, that girl is going to get us killed if we don’t get her to get with the program” he said.
I was taken aback at the sudden change in conversation, but he had a point. “I agree” I said. “Brittani’s acting like an anchor with sirens attached to it. That’ll get us killed faster than Usain Bolt can run a hundred meters.”
“Yea.” Jeremy looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. “Shela and I were talking earlier and we think that Brittani needs to be left behind.” Joe and I looked at each other. “She’s slowing us down way too much and we think it’s best if she and Henry travel separately so we can get to the shelter on time.”
Joe seemed to understand why he was saying what he did, but he seemed concerned. “Have you discussed this with anyone else?” Joe asked.
“Not yet, but I think if we can get the others to speak up, either she’ll pick up the pace or allow us to get ahead of her.”
I thought about this for a moment. “I don’t want to leave Henry behind like that” I said, “but you’re right. He brought her here; he’s responsible for her safety.”
Satisfied, Jeremy then looked at Joe. “What about you?”
Joe thought about it. “I’ll back your decision. I don’t like it, but it’s necessary.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll talk to Mac and Jeff and we’ll see what they want to do.”
Jeremy was about to get up when Mac said, “We need to get moving. We’re behind schedule so we’re gonna have to pick up the pace.”
Everyone then rendezvoused with Mac except for Henry and Brittani who were still sitting there.
“Come on guys” Jeff said, “We need to go.”
“Go on without us” Henry said surprising everyone. “Brittani’s in no condition to be moving at our usual pace. We’ll be holding you back if we go.” I think we all could agree with that. “I’ll catch up with you later. Just make sure the shelter’s ready when we get there ok?”
Everyone waited for Mac to say something. “Very well then” He said. “Just give us the emergency radio. It’ll take a while to set up once we’ve settled in.”
Henry removed a metal box from his bag and handed it over to Mac.
“Hey Henry” Jeff said, “catch.” He threw his rifle towards him and Henry nearly dropped it.
“No Jeff I-”
“We’ve got plenty of weapons on us as it is. There’ll be more once we get to base. You’ll need it more than we will.”
Henry smiled at him. “Thanks.” He then addressed Mac. “Now get moving. I’ve kept you waiting long enough.”
“Aright then” Mac replied “If there’s nothing more to discuss, let’s roll. We ain’t stopping this time.” The group moved out as we looked behind us watching Henry move farther away from us.