Getting to know each other

The building that served as Oasis’s town hall had probably been a municipal office once. Now it carried the weight of something more important. Leadership, law and order. Or at least, the illusion of it.

Two armed guards stood outside the entrance. Garrett noticed them, “Comforting,” he muttered under his breath.

Inside, the office was simple but organized. Maps covered one wall. Supply tallies filled another. A large wooden desk sat at the centre of the room like a command post.

Gavin took his seat behind it slowly. Barker remained standing beside him, watchful and judging.

For several seconds, no one spoke, Gavin simply studied us one by one.

The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable. Good tactic, I thought.

“Gentlemen,” Gavin finally said. Then his eyes shifted slightly. “Lady.” Priya nodded politely.

“We made an agreement,” he continued. “A contract, if you prefer.” His fingers folded together on the desk. “You held up your end.”

Barker shifted slightly beside him, clearly not thrilled with where this was going.

“I believe it is only right,” Gavin finished, “that I do the same.”

The tension that had been sitting in my chest eased just slightly. Barker’s eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly.

He didn’t interrupt. But the disagreement was obvious.

Gavin noticed it, Ignored it. He saw the potential in us and he knew sooner or later Barker would as well.

“However,” he continued calmly, “this is still my town.” There it was. “I cannot allow three unknown fighters to wander freely without supervision.”

Garrett folded his arms. “Fair.”

“You will remain here under observation for the next few weeks,” Gavin said. “Barker and the 52nd will oversee that arrangement.”

Barker finally spoke. “We’ll be watching closely.” He added eyeing me closely, His tone made it sound less like a duty and more like a promise.

Gavin gestured lightly toward the door. “Mirabelle will act as your counsel during your stay. You’re already acquainted, which should make the transition easier.”

His gaze sharpened slightly.

“Understood?” He wasn’t asking.

We exchanged quick looks. Then nodded.

“Very well,” Gavin said. “Dismissed.”

---

The tension lifted slightly the moment we stepped outside; Garrett stretched his shoulders.

“Well,” he said, “how are we feeling?”

Priya stared at him. “What do you mean? We got what we wanted. That’s a dumb question,” she added.

“Have to agree with Pri,” I said with a shrug.

Garrett held up a finger. “Alright, let me rephrase now that our brains are working calm again.”

He crossed his arms. “How do we feel about these people?”

That made the question land differently. Priya thought for a moment. “They seem… decent.”

She glanced around the settlement.

“I spoke with Father Jeremiah earlier. He seems kind. People trust him.”

I nodded slightly, that matched what we’d seen.
“What about Mirabelle?” I asked. “She seemed… human.”

Garrett smirked. “That’s a high bar these days.”

Priya ignored him. “I like her,” she said simply. “She’s got grit. And she actually wants this place to become something more than a panic bunker.”

She gestured around the settlement walls.

“Most places like this turn into cages. People turn on each other.” Her voice softened slightly. “She wants a community.”

“That’s a long description,” I said, amused.

She smirked. “You asked.” Then she shot Garrett a pointed look. “And she didn’t treat me like a child for once.”

“For the love of—” Garrett pinched the bridge of his nose. “What about the leadership?” he cut himself off. “Do we start kissing boots now?”

Priya shrugged. “That’s up to you two. Gavin doesn’t seem like a tyrant.”

She paused.

“Barker though?” She made a displeased face.
“Asshole.”

Garrett and I nodded immediately.

“Let’s just keep things smooth for now,” I said. “We’re on Gavin’s good side.”

Garrett agreed. “Let’s keep it that way.”

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

“There you are!”

We turned to see Mirabelle striding toward us quickly, her energy cutting through the tension like sunlight.

“Sorry for the delay,” she said with a grin. “Had to break up a civilian argument at the bar.” She chuckled. “Believe it or not.”

We smiled. “Hello to you too,” I said. “Gavin told us to find you, but I guess you beat us to it.”

“I figured he would,” she said with warm grin. “So, I came looking.” Her eyes sparkled slightly. “You three are the talk of the town after that supply run.”

Garrett coughed dramatically. “At least two of us.”

Priya elbowed him in the stomach at his brother’s playful jest. “Indeed,” she said sweetly. “The three of us.”

Mirabelle laughed. “You guys are going to fit in here just fine.”

She gestured for us to follow.

“Come on. I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.” Her grin returned.

We followed Mirabelle through the inner streets of Oasis until we reached a large building near the centre of the settlement.

It stood wide rather than tall, stretching across the block like an old apartment complex converted into something more communal. The brown exterior paint had faded in places, but the structure was solid and clearly maintained.

People passed in and out of the entrance carrying water buckets, laundry and tools.

Inside, the place smelled faintly of soap, wood, and old concrete. The halls were worn but clean.
Someone had hung small lanterns along the walls, and a few doors even had personal decorations, small attempts at normalcy in a broken world.
People here weren’t just surviving. They were trying to live.

Mirabelle stopped at the end of the hallway and pushed open a door.

“And this,” she said with a warm, slightly proud smile, “is your room.”

I stepped inside, dropping my bag beside the bed while taking in the space.

It was simple but comfortable. A bed, desk, shelves, and a small door that clearly led to a bathroom.
Mirabelle watched my reaction closely. “You got the best deal if you want my opinion,” she said. “Private bathroom and shower.”

I raised my eyebrows with a grin. “Luxurious.”

She laughed. “Don’t celebrate too fast. You still have to announce downstairs when you're going to shower. We track water usage.”

“That sounds less luxurious.”

“Welcome to the apocalypse,” she said with a grin.
She stepped further inside, leaning casually against the wall while I inspected the shelves. She took the time to check me out, needless to say she liked the view.

“Still,” she added, “you’ve got storage, a desk… space for anything you find on raids; Books, Gear or Stuff worth keeping.”

I looked around again. “Was this the manager’s room or something? I feel spoiled.”

Mirabelle shrugged. “No idea. But you were definitely a lucky bastard.”

Her eyes lingered on me a moment longer than necessary. Then she added casually, “Also… end of the hall.” I glanced back at her. “A lot of privacy.”

Her eyebrow lifted playfully.

“You know… in case you bring company and don’t want the neighbours complaining.”

I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Truth was, the idea felt distant. We’d been too busy surviving and well we weren’t exactly a big group.

“I think it’ll take a while before people start looking at me like that.”.

Mirabelle tilted her head slightly, studying me with her grin.

“If you say so.” Her eyes travelled over me openly now. “I don’t believe it though.” I turned back toward her. “You’re a handsome mystery guy.”

I smiled slightly. “Thanks.”

The flirting didn’t feel forced. Strangely, it felt...Normal. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

“So,” she said, folding her arms lightly. “What’s the deal with you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “The deal with what?”

“The quiet thing. The brooding. The secret agent energy.” She smirked. “You make Sandy look emotionally available, and that girl has issues.”

I chuckled. Fair.

Mirabelle sat down on the bed like she had all the time in the world.

“So?” she said. “I’ve got time before curfew.”

“There’s a curfew?”

“Only for newcomers,” she said with a shrug.
“Gavin’s rule.” Then she leaned forward slightly. “Come on, Nate.”

That was the first time she’d shortened my name.
Most likely starting to feel comfortable around me.
“Who are you?”

That question again. Funny how it kept coming back.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Where do you want me to start?”

She thought for a moment, tapping her finger against her lip. “Are you from California like us?”
Simple question. Safe place to begin.

“Los Angeles,” I said. “Lived there with my dad… He passed away when I was seven.”

Mirabelle’s expression softened immediately. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged lightly, but gave her a grateful warm smile for her kindness. “Garrett’s dad took me in after that. He and my father served together. Different branches, but they were close.”

Mirabelle made a tiny gesture with her fingers crossing. “This close?”

I laughed. “Something like that.”

“So you followed your father’s footsteps,” she said. “Joined the military.”

I nodded.

“And you were good at it,” she added. “Sandy told me about the fight at Homemart.” She smirked.
“Apparently you made Barker look like a rookie.”
I couldn’t help the proud smile.

“I was good,” I admitted. “I moved up fast. The 552nd. Special assignments.”

Mirabelle’s curiosity was fully engaged now. “The next thing you’re going to say is ‘that part’s classified.’”

“Usually, yeah.” I hesitated.

For a moment I wondered if I should stop there. But the world we knew was gone. Whatever rules existed before… didn’t matter much now.

“There’s not much point keeping secrets anymore,” I said quietly. “Still… I’d rather Gavin not hear this.”

Mirabelle made a locking motion across her lips.
“I don’t care about military secrets.” She leaned forward again. “Continue.”

I exhaled slowly. “I met someone during my time in the army. British, SAS.”

“Of course you did,” she said with her characteristic grin engaged in the story.

“Name was Douglas.” I paused slightly. “He knew my father.”

Mirabelle’s smile faded into a more focused expression.

“He’d apparently been watching my career for a while. Through Garrett’s dad.” That part still felt strange even years later. “When he decided I was ready, he approached me. Turns out something I’d suspected since I was a kid… was true.”

I looked down briefly. “My father wasn’t killed randomly.” A small silence settled between us. “He was murdered.” Mirabelle didn’t interrupt. “Douglas told me my dad had been part of a joint unit between the SAS and Delta Force.”

Heard together it always sounded insane.

“Called the 245th Hellhounds.”

Mirabelle blinked slowly.

“Okay,” she thought. “That’s already insane.”

“They were hunting something big. A global criminal network called The Order.”
Even saying the name still felt heavy.

Mirabelle leaned forward. “Wow.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I did not expect this conversation tonight.”

I smiled faintly. “Yeah.” I added, she gestured me to continue. “Douglas offered me a place in the unit.”

“You accepted,” she said.

“Yeah.” I chuckled lightly. “Hard for a 22-year-old idiot to say no to revenge and a secret task force.”
Mirabelle’s eyes widened.

“Wait. How old are you?”

I made a small calculation in my mind, considering the time we been on the road after day zero “Twenty-six next month…If I’m not mistaken, hard to keep track of the time now a days”

She stared at me.

“You joined the army at eighteen?”

“Yeah.”

“Jesus,” she said. “That’s… a lot.”

“Yeah. You probably think I making this shit up” I added with a light chuckle.

She shook her head, half impressed, half shocked. “So, what happened after that?”

“I trained with them for a while, then they sent me undercover.” I paused allowing her to follow naturally “Japan, Three years.”

Her eyebrows rose again.

“Three? That doesn’t seem like a lot of time.”

“Yeah. Shit happened.” She chuckled at that honest response.

I leaned against the desk slightly.

“The weird part is…” I hesitated. “There were rumours before everything collapsed. Operations picking up. Strange movements, Douglas losing contact with certain teams...”

Mirabelle frowned slightly. “You think it’s connected?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But it could have been someone trying to keep this whole thing in check before it collapsed or war covered territories… some walkers would be born from the corpses. Anyhow I was too preoccupied with returning to home to bother.”

A quiet moment passed.

Then Mirabelle asked softly, “Does your group know all this?”

“Garrett does. We stayed in contact through his dad and Douglas.” I continued “Priya thinks I went on an exchange program after leaving the army.”

Mirabelle laughed. “That is a terrible cover story.”

“I know. But I’d like to keep it that way, Makes sense.”

She studied me a moment. “Still… why tell me?”

“Because you asked,” I said honestly. “And because…”

I paused, realising something while saying it.
“…you actually care about this place.”

Mirabelle blinked slightly. Then a small, warm smile appeared.

“Careful,” she said. “Complimenting me like that and I’ll start thinking you’re flirting.” She stepped closer. “I wouldn’t mind though.”

I smiled. God, she was easy to talk to. Warm. Open. Completely different energy than Sandy. And somehow that made the contrast even more interesting.

“So, what about you?” I asked. “Your story.”

She leaned against the doorway. “Well. Basics first.” She said with her peculiar grin, “Twenty-four. Born here in Wingston.” She gestured vaguely around the town outside. “Or Oasis now, apparently.”

“I worked at city hall before everything went to hell, my parents were the mayors.”

She trailed off slightly.

I already knew the question had an ugly answer.
“What happened to them?”

“They were visiting Los Angeles when the outbreak started.” She paused. “Never heard from them again.”

Her smile dimmed slightly, But only for a second.

“I made peace with it.”

She straightened slightly. “Now I handle civil matters around here. People know me, And for some reason Gavin likes having me around.”

“Probably because you actually care about the people here,” I said.

She shrugged. “Maybe. The world’s gone insane, If Oasis can stay human… that’s enough for me.”
Then her grin returned. “Also, I like music.” She added nonchalantly, that caught me off guard. “If you happen to find a guitar on one of your heroic raids…”

She pointed at me.

“…I expect you to play.”

I laughed. “I know a few songs actually.”

“Oh?”

Now she looked excited.

“I’ll hold you to that.”

She moved toward the door, then paused.
Just enough to let me notice.

She wanted for me to take the hint and check her out like she did with me prior. Couldn’t help myself, she was gorgeous. Her body was slim yet trained, she probably worked out in the weekend before and after the outbreak. Her rear was rounded tough, natural and trained at the same time. She and Sandy were more than beautiful and appealing to the eyes. And yeah… I noticed.

She glanced back slightly, catching me looking. A knowing smirk appeared.

“Oh right,” she said suddenly. “Almost forgot. There’s an event Saturday night.”

She pointed toward the desk.

“There’s a calendar there if you’ve completely lost track of time.”

“Most likely,” I admitted, I raised an eyebrow at her comment. “Thought we were on curfew.”

“You are.” She smiled mischievously. “But I’ll figure something out. It’ll be good for you to meet everyone.”

“The three of us?” I asked.

“Well of course.” She tilted her head slightly. “But I’d especially like it if you came.”

I smirked. “We’ll see.”

She grinned. “Don’t think too long.”

She stepped into the hallway. She made sure I got a good final view of her before leaving.

“Good night, Nate.”

“Night,” I said.

The door closed quietly behind her.

And for the first time in a long time…It felt, Normal?