The sun shone brightly at my face, bringing with it warmth and a fresh breeze that was unfortunately carrying the smell of ash.
I opened my eyes, looking at the blue sky and hearing the sound of people moving below doing whatever they were doing.
Rubbing my eyes, I grabbed my sword and rolled lazily to the edge, then letting the gravity drop me to my feet.
"Kyaa!! *Huuf*...Sasuke! you scared me." I turned to look, oh... Amy, that was a cute scream.
"Sorry, and morning" i apologized, I forgot for a moment that those are civilians and not shinobi.
Dropping beside them like a cat from above isn't the norm here.
That bastard Kakashi used to do this all the time when we were kids, i think i know now why he enjoyed it.
I left with those weird thoughts, people were giving me looks. Not the hard stares of yesterday tho, thankfully.
Most were of gratefulness as they greeted me with smiles, and even little Sophia chuckled seeing me passing by.
I know i look messy right now from sleep. Thank you.
She didn't look that...sad, losing a father. Nor was her mother, who was making coffee nearby, they weren't smiling around but weren't grieving either.
"Good morning sleepyhead, haha look at how your hair is" Katniss cut in from the side, her hand shooting up to put the stubborn messy hair back in place.
"Hey, thanks...they are burning them" i took the water from her, taking few sips and washing my face with the remainder.
People were moving the few remaining corpses around tossing them into the fire.
"Yeah, we didn't want to leave them around like this and draw flies, how are you feeling?"
"Good, where's Ciri?"
"Sleeping, she stayed late with Sophia. guess she will wake up soon"
"Mhm, is there anything i should know?"
"Nothing other than coming in a few minutes to have your breakfast, i will go get the little girl" with that she left and i walked to Billy and Daryl who were holding a dead walker toward the pit of fire nearby.
We exchanged greetings, and i started helping them move the few remaining corpses with Glenn who was firing questions about my weapons.
The guy was kind enough to help me get them back...i had totally forgotten about them.
{3d pov}
"You thought about our next set of actions?" Billy asked Sasuke curiously.
He himself didn't really have any thoughts, he was always the type to go with the wind before meeting Sasuke.
this place isn't safe and unfortunately, too hard to defend.
Especially with those people here who won't take even advice from you without looking at you like you are trying to conquer their lands.
"Let's hear what everyone has to say while eating" washing his hands, Sasuke followed him to the sitting area that his group is having their breakfast in.
"I say we head for Fort Benning" Shane didn't even hesitate to speak once he saw the main group here.
"Military was the first to fall, we don't even know what is waiting for us there. CDC is closer and we might have a better chance at finding a cure in there.
If there's any standing government, then they are going to be protecting it at all costs...it is our chance" Rick shared his thoughts and soon the two began their arguments, with each pointing out the pros and cons of said ideas.
Sasuke sat with Katniss and Ciri, enjoying his food and listening silently.
He doesn't know what is happening at both locations and can't even remember their plot.
The only thing he recalls is the military, who were dead outside the CDC, with their equipment and armored vehicles abandoned there.
And the scientist there going nuts then there was the explosion due to fuel running out.
Still, his goal is clear.
He needs to have a discussion with the doctor in there whether they decide to go there or not.
Especially with the knowledge he remembers about the walkers from the show.
"What do you think, guys?" Rick asked them, and Billy said he still didn't have a plan for that and turned to Morgan and Sasuke.
Putting down his plate Sasuke answered Rick with his reasons.
"My plan was to head there after gathering some intelligence about the place there and its current situation.
I need to know more about whatever this virus is. And i believe the professional scientists that may still be there would know more in-depth about it" He turned to Shane.
"Fort Benning, as Shane suggested is an option too, but we should at least be getting something from their radio channel if it is still standing. no?.
Infos like general things about their camp coordinates, size, numbers of survivors they have in there, supposed defenses and all. But nothing so far.
So yeah, i will head for the CDC first. Of course..." He looked at his group, making sure they understood why he is doing this.
"You guys can share whatever is on your mind, and we will discuss it like we've always done. To go or not, we move together"
"Guess that's it, When do we leave?" Billy got Sasuke's intentions like lightning.
If there was something to attract this boy, then it is informations and loot.
That CDC should have both...and they need both.
He heard there was a military outpost there too, if it happened to still stand then good, if it had already failed...just another loot.
"We will go too, i don't have any idea of another place more suitable" Morgan said, and Rick nodded his head in satisfication.
Sasuke really pointed at the most important thing, getting info about this thing, whether about the cure or anything useful to them.
"But what if that place is overrun, or there is a horde near there? It would be dangerous to just drive there" Katniss asked, ignoring Lori's blabberings.
She didn't like that woman who always tried to find something to dampen the damn mood every time they suggested something.
Katniss had learned that going to any unfamiliar place with blind ignorance is a stupid thing to do, thus her concerns.
"I and Billy will move ahead and scout it first, a half an hour gap ahead, We will use the CB to inform you once we are sure about the situation there...that way we can move and retreat without endangering anyone" Sasuke said and Billy nodded, no one else objected as all the people there saw what they are capable of.
"I will go too" Daryl spoke suddenly from the side.
" No offense man, but you are one of the few sharp shooters here.
they need to have you close, there are many here that needed to defend on the road. And you will be of greater help with them than us. I don't think that I and Sasuke will even need to fight, it's just a drive ahead to scout"
Billy talked to Daryl convincing him, and soon they all resumed eating exchanging ideas as the others moved around packing things up.
An hour later everyone stood in front of the vehicles they would be using as Shane shared the signals that would help the caravan along the way.
Just for a voice to cut through.
"Um, we are...we're not going" It was Morales.
Sasuke looked at him confused...no way he is planning to stay in here alone?.
"We have a family in Birmingham, we want to be with our people" Morales's wife clarified seeing the confused stares everyone was giving them.
Shane told her that they are going to be on their own, yet they didn't seem to mind it.
Billy was about to talk when an old man nearby spoke saying he was going to leave too with his wife, casting a side glance at Sasuke.
"Look, people. Maybe you don't know the severity of your decisions, especially toward your own families" Billy clapped addressing them.
He didn't like the stupidity they are about to do.
"The outside world isn't safe, whether it be from walkers or even other people. Think about this carefully before you make a rash decision"
Billy tried to make them change their mind with Rick and others, but the old man shook his head before saying something even more confusing.
"That's why we are leaving."
"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked him wondering.
"It's not safe being with you," the old man said to Sasuke who blinked, pointing at himself like he didn't believe the nonsense he just heard.
Many around shared the same look.
"What? How?" He wasn't arrogant, but he and his people kept the whole fucking group safe, minus one who was far away and was the one who invited walkers inside his tent so...how the fuck it isn't safe being with him?.
"You brought bad luck to us, i am leaving because of you" he turned to Shane "It's either us or him, i will only come along if he and his people go their way, We don't need them...we were living perfectly fine before he showed up"
"He and his people saved us! What right do you have to talk about them like this when you did nothing other than hiding behind them!!" Amy exploded and soon many started voicing their thoughts, most refused to side with the old man.
This was the apocalypse, it is a hundred times better having skilled fighters than an old man talking about luck in this place.
"Hey, can you at least say how i'm bringing bad luck? I think you are misunderstanding something, Gale. You are going to put your wife in danger for this? And you, Morales...i don't want to be an ass but, alright i will say it in front of everyone here" rubbing his face in annoyance Sasuke was about to speak when Billy strode forward and grabbed Morales by his shoulder.
he spoke with a clear voice even if it was stupid, as many kids were in there.
"I don't know what you people think about the world outside, but let me put a fucking idea of it to you, the barest you can imagine. A few days ago when i met Sasuke, some people attacked us while we were on a supply run. Trying to take what we found"
He stopped, and Sasuke signaled for Katniss and the parents to cover the ears of the kids around and Billy continued after he saw them do it.
"Long story short, Sasuke stopped them, and after interrogation we found that there are more of them, to prevent more troubles risking us. Sasuke decided to head to their place and investigate. Do you know what he found in their base?" Now that have the attention of all of them, even the old man who was still surprised that Sasuke knows his name.
"5 grown men were keeping a woman there, they kidnapped her at some point. doing what everyone here is thinking about and worse, add to it the other 3 we caught.
You know what happened to her? She died because those fuckers were no longer treating her like a human being...i don't care what your view about the world is, but know this...not everyone out there is trying to help, many out there have shed their masks and are behaving like the animals they have always been"
Multiple gasps resounded from everyone here whose blood turned cold... Morales's hands shook as he glanced at his wife and kids.
"If you want to leave by yourself even after hearing this? Then i have nothing more to say, let's go Sasuke...we need to speed up to CDC and confirm the situation there"
"We will keep in contact" Sasuke said to Rick and Shane before bidding the two Everdeens and the Jones family goodbye.
Telling Ciri to stay in the car all the time and then following Billy to his van.
He didn't want to expose that incident, but those people need to stop thinking the world is still the same as it had been.
If people were okay to do to Yuri what they did when there was no apocalypse? He can only imagine what a lawless world would bring out of the humans.