Tommie notices movement on the IR camera feed out side.

Tommie stops you from going into the room and says " Do you see that, it looks like a child as best as I can tell. But it is hard to make out, it looks like it is trying to work its way up here to get in. Maybe the child saw Ruth leave and figured it might be safe for it to stay here for the night?"

You knock on the door to the room Grace and Tracy went into and say " You two need to get out here we might have an Issue and I hope your still dressed." You here groaning complaints from the other side of the door. A few moments later Grace and Tracy come out into the main room.

You point at the TV and say " Does that look like a child to you?"

Tracy looks at the TV and says " If it is not then it is a small woman, and well I watched what it looked like when my mother left so it is mostly not her."

The four of you watch as the small figure moves slowly across the courtyard for lack of better words to explain the space between the building your in and the gate, moments later another figure appears from the far side of the fence and gate, moving in behind the child. Coming from the direction that Ruth had left.

Tracy points at it and says " That is my mother, she mostly saw the heat signature on the way out of the gate. And decided to leave kinda like a decoy and double back to find out of it is a treat since she is the only one outside of the building right now. And the door is locked."

The Four of you watch as the larger figure moves in behind the small figure and puts the gun to back of the small figure, at best you figure if it is Ruth she is telling whatever it is not to move. And keep there hands were they can see them because it is clear to the four of you that the smaller figure is raising it's hands.

A moment later there comes a knock on the door, from the other side Ruth says " I have picked up a stray I hope it is not a problem, it looks healthy."

Grace opens the door to let Ruth in and it is clear the child is not quite taken to the idea of living with so many people, it seems little aggravated for the best way to explain it's behavior.

Tracy looks at the child up and down and then says " I am surprised to see that a child had survived alone all this time, I mean I know that nature has strengthen humanity over ages of time to survive at all costs. There was research that said, a child is more likely to kill for food then any other person in all the world. If it means it will survive, so that is not a question of how or if. The matter we should consider is how."

The child looks at you, and you look at it and you question to them since it is hard to tell, " Is it male or female? It needs a haircut whatever it is. And a bath, or at least to be cleaned up. It looks like it has been living in the burned out buildings."

The child looks at you and then at the others then back at you, finally it calms down and says " I I I I"

Ruth comes up behind it and and hugs it and says " It is ok, we can understand if you have not talked in a while. And it is making it hard for you to do so. A lot of messed up things have happen, and we are in no spot to judge you for anything you had to do."

The child's face softens and says " I am Max, my mother was captured by the bandits. My father died early to the sickness, my mother had said it was better that way. She said something about males having issues with the sickness and left it at that. She was captured one of the days we had gone out to look for food and water, I wandered this direction after I noticed I could not hear gun fire and other sounds coming from this direction and figured it a good place to stay."

Ruth looks at the kid up and down and says " Do you feel any urges? things you must do or feel you must do. Mainly to women?"

Max shakes his head and says " I am only 10, why would I have an urge to do anything to you?"

You look at the kid and smile and say " I like you already kid because I know you will not touch them."

Max smiles and says " whatever, I was just looking for a safe place to stay. Food and water and so on. I saw the old lady leave and figured maybe it would provide good shelter and maybe she left water or food behind."

Ruth smiles and says " Kid, my daughter will look after you if it is ok with Alex."

You shrug and say " If he is unaffected by the plague like me it is best we keep him here for safety reasons."

Ruth agrees and says " Of course but since your in charge I figured I could not openly say kid stay here with us."

You nod and point out " Ruth you still need to go paint the messages to get the military to find us."

Max looks at all of you and says " The Military? It is still active?"

Grace says to him " Yup, thou it concisest from what the news says of mostly women. They are looking for people unaffected, and or in need of protection."

Tommie smiles and says " We are not so much in need of protection as in need of assistance, we are collecting resources. But the fact is so long as we are with in the city, we are not safe 100 percent. In some regards we need the military to help train us to defend are selves better and so on. And you and Alex, are the only guys some of us we have seen that are not trying to **** us."

Max looks makes a look of Horror and says " They came, mother and I did not have weapons so they took her. And they figured I was to much trouble to take or kill, they did not want to waste the energy. So more or less I have been allowed to pass all over the town without being touched. I have learned what roads some of them travel on and so on. Just by walking past them, a few times one would approach me to try and do something I think. But one of the others would say " Don't touch him or we will kill you." So I guess even for uncivilized people, they are not allowing homosexuality or **** of male children. I don't know if it goes both ways for females thou."

Ruth nods and says " Even in hard times some moral understanding is often maintained. It is possible the Colonel is forcing these views on his men because he is against there behavior in this manner. But this also means Max, I am sorry to make you leave with me, but I need you to lead me to safe locations to leave spray painted messages. Cryptic messages, to help let the military know were we are. It is a good thing and it will be easy for you to help me since you know were they tend to travel."

Max nods and says " I guess, but can I get a little food and water first?"

You grab a bottle of water and a few power bars and hand them to him saying " You will get more when you return her here safe, alright? And I got something else for you as well." You hand him a pistol, and a knife and a clip for the gun and add " This way you can help defend her should you notice anything, the pistol has a silencer so it will help as a whole Max. I would not make you or suggest you do this if it was not important. And I know you just got here but this is important."

Max agrees and says " If the Military gets into this area, it can defend these locations which are low in hostilities, and maybe help to recapture my mother. So I am more then happy to help." You smile and toss the kid a snickers bar as a treat to go with his power bars and water.

Tracy say to Max " I want to thank you a head of time for doing this."

Max nods and turns to Ruth and looks at her, he leans into her and hugs her and says " Thanks a bunch!"

Tommie and Grace go over and pat him on the shoulder and Tommie says " It is a good thing you do, your survival up til now has given us an opening we needed to help allow are plans to carry out."

Grace takes a wet cloth and wash off his face and says " You are kinda cute under all the dirt on your face." She leans forward and kisses him on the cheek, and says " Just be safe, if you think Ruth and you should get off a road and move a different direction do that ok?"

Max nods and you say " Just be careful, you were careful up til now. And Ruth should also be able to see targets coming so you maybe be able to do quite a few use full things if they are not going to hurt you. For instance walk out in front of them well Ruth comes up behind the patrol and blows out there brains. Any number of things just remember she is there to protected you as much as you are now." He nods again, and Ruth takes him by the hand and leads him out of the Office that the rest of you are living in.