The moment the motorcycle entered the dock block, Calista was stunned.
There was an entire fleet here.
A medium-sized trawler nearly fifty meters long, the Old Catfish, sat alongside two modified motor barges, the Otter and the Rapids. Beyond them were five speedboats of varying sizes and three lighter, more maneuverable sampans.
It was the entire fleet of the Riverbank Guerrillas.
More than thirty people were busy on the docks as well.
They wore all kinds of clothing, some with broad-brimmed sun hats, and most had skin darkened by years of sun and river wind.
Some were unloading baskets of fresh fish from the trawler. Others were checking the engines on the speedboats or sorting fishing nets and ropes.
They looked remarkably well considering the circumstances. They were tired, certainly, but lacked the constant nervous tension so common among survivors living on land.
Captain Jack spotted Calista pulling up with Leah and strode down the gangplank to greet them.
Calista parked the motorcycle, removed her helmet, and nodded to him.
"Long time no see."
Captain Jack came forward with a broad smile. "Commander! Leah! How about a tour of the fleet?"
Calista nodded.
Captain Jack stepped aside and gestured for them to follow.
The three crossed the gangplank and stepped onto the trawler's deck.
The deck was clean, with ropes and fishing equipment neatly arranged. Several crew members were working nearby, and when they noticed the visitors, they paused and cast curious looks in their direction.
Whispers quickly spread.
"That's the Commander of Rock Fortress?"
"She looks really young..."
"No kidding. Even Ms. Leah answers to her. She's obviously not ordinary."
"I heard she practically built Rock Fortress herself..."
Captain Jack gave them a brief wave, and the crew returned to work, though part of their attention clearly remained on Calista.
She noticed that the vessel had been maintained with extraordinary care and had even undergone modifications since the apocalypse. Steel plating had been added to sections of the hull.
There was even a little greenery aboard.
Old buckets and Styrofoam containers had been converted into planters, with sparse herbs and small vegetables growing inside.
"This is our main ship, the Old Catfish."
Captain Jack's voice was full of pride.
"She's an old friend. Been with me out on the open sea. Before the apocalypse, I had the hull serviced every year. As long as we don't run into anything too ridiculous, she should have plenty of years left in her.
"Most of us live aboard her now. The other two motor barges mainly carry supplies, and we've set up a little hydroponics on them too. The speedboats and sampans are for fishing, scouting, and going ashore."
He took them through the wheelhouse, where First Mate Louis was tuning the radio.
Louis gave them a firm nod when they entered.
After finishing the tour, they returned to the deck.
With the river breeze blowing across them, Leah turned toward Calista with an expression that practically said, Now you understand.
But Calista still had one final question, and it was the most important one.
She looked at Captain Jack.
"Captain Jack, forgive me for being direct.
"You've always been free to come and go on the river. You've traded with us many times, but you never talked about joining us.
"What finally made you decide to make Rock Fortress your... anchor?"
Captain Jack fell silent.
He stared across the glittering river, his expression gradually darkening.
At some point, Louis had come to stand beside him. He remained silent as well.
"Freedom has a price, Commander." Captain Jack let out a deep sigh. "Out on the water, walkers aren't what scare us. People are.
"I'm guessing Ms. Leah never told you about the worst shape we've ever been in?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
The words began pouring out faster, as though he had been holding them in too long.
"About half a month ago, over in Virginia, we walked right into a fucking trap like a bunch of idiots!
"We went ashore and ran into a group of heavily armed raiders. We didn't even get a good look at the bastards before six of our people were dead!"
Captain Jack clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked.
His eyes reddened immediately, but his pride kept him from losing control any further.
Beside him, Louis abruptly turned his head away, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"The ones who survived weren't much better off!" Captain Jack continued, breathing heavily as he pointed toward Louis. "Louis took a bullet and nearly lost his leg. Three more of our guys were badly wounded and got infected. The medicine we had was useless!
"They drove us back onto the river like a pack of beaten dogs!"
His voice rose sharply.
"They didn't have boats, so once we were back on the water, we were safe. But that was when I understood.
"We couldn't keep doing this.
"The only group we knew that had medicine to trade and actual doctors was Rock Fortress.
"So we came here, and Ms. Leah personally brought a doctor to us.
"We've spent the entire apocalypse drifting along the rivers, staying away from the big walker herds on land. We thought we were smart.
"But after nearly getting wiped out in one shot, we finally understood.
"We got lucky this time. Someone was here to save us.
"What about next time?
"And the time after that?
"We don't have enough medicine. We don't have reliable supplies. We can't properly repair major equipment, and we have no real way to deal with an organized threat from land."
Captain Jack's emotions reached their peak.
"And Rock Fortress is the strongest, most stable place we've found to put down roots!"
Louis finally turned back toward them.
"The captain talked it over with every one of us. We're not here begging for handouts, Commander.
"We're here to... come into port.
"We want to become your outpost on the water. All we're asking for is a harbor where we can trust someone to watch our backs.
"From now on, leave the water to us."
Calista listened in silence, emotions surging through her.
She looked toward Leah.
Leah was already looking at her.
There was expectation in her eyes, but something deeper as well.
"That sounds exactly right to me, Captain Jack." Calista nodded solemnly. "Rock Fortress welcomes anyone willing to work together to survive."
She extended her right hand.
"On behalf of Rock Fortress, I welcome the Riverbank Guerrillas."
The tension finally left Captain Jack's face.
He gripped Calista's hand firmly and shook it.
"Good! Straight to the point. I like dealing with people who don't beat around the bush!"
Without anyone noticing, the sun had begun sinking toward the horizon, turning the river gold and crimson.
With the initial arrangements settled for the time being, Captain Jack and Louis returned to organize the crew and continue getting everyone situated.
Soon, only Calista and Leah remained on the dock.
"Leah... I don't even know what to say. How much work did you put into all of this?"
Leah smiled.
In the sunset, her expression looked especially gentle.
"Work?
"It wasn't that bad. Rickson and I did it together.
"Actually, there's another reason I wanted to give you this particular gift today."
"Another reason?" Calista asked, confused.
"Mm-hmm."
Leah nodded and stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"Cali, remember when we were on our way to Sentinel Station and spent the night at that farmhouse? You told me your birthday was May twentieth.
"No one really pays attention to calendar dates anymore, but...
"Today is May twentieth."
Calista froze.
May twentieth?
She instinctively looked up at the sky, then stared blankly at Leah.
Time had become blurred in the apocalypse.
She had long since grown accustomed to measuring its passage by sunrises and sunsets, by crises and threats.
Exact dates, even her own age, had gradually become meaningless numbers.
"You... you remembered?"
Calista's throat tightened.
"Because it matters to me."
Leah's eyes shone.
"You turn eighteen today.
"You're officially an adult."
Eighteen.
Adulthood.
Before the apocalypse, eighteen meant becoming a legal adult. It marked the height of youth and the beginning of limitless possibilities.
But in the world of The Walking Dead, turning eighteen meant something very different.
Calista had already spent so long carrying the secret of crossing into this world and the heavy burden of knowing what was coming, all while leading more than a thousand people in their struggle to survive.
She had come of age in blood and fire long ago.
She had confronted the cruelty of survival and the weight of responsibility earlier than most people ever would.
But Leah remembered.
Not only had she remembered, she had chosen to celebrate it like this.
"Remember?" Leah continued. "I told you I'd find you a beautiful gift."
Her smile deepened, carrying a hint of teasing amusement.
"And I figured the Commander of an entire base deserved a coming-of-age gift with a little weight behind it, don't you think?"
Calista stared at her.
Then everything suddenly clicked.
This was what Leah and Rickson had been secretly planning.
A bittersweet ache filled her chest, and heat gathered behind her eyes.
She quickly blinked, pretending it was just the river breeze.
Calista opened her mouth, but suddenly every possible response seemed inadequate.
In the end, she simply stepped forward and wrapped Leah in a tight embrace.
Her voice caught slightly.
"Thank you, big sister.
"This is... the best birthday present I've ever received."
Thank you, Leah.
Not just for this.
For everything.
Leah's eyes reddened as she embraced Calista in return and gently patted her back.
She said nothing.