Rachael nodded, following silently as they made their way down across the edge of field to the road. Beyond the wall of green forest was a wide space of cleared land and the walls of the town of Happy Valley. Ten feet high and the color of a sunwashed peach, those walls looked solid and reliable, as if to say that, yes, there is safety here. She could see a few guards walking along the top of the wall and standing on either side of a big double-gate that had once been decorative wrought iron but which was now backed by lashed timbers on the inside.

The open space was empty of orcs, which surprised her. No wanderers, no throng of them trying to claw their way in. Either the town was so remote that the dead simply had no reason to come here, or the residents were diligent about clearing them out. In either case, the residents of Happy Valley had managed to create the perfect siege castle, even if by fluke of nature. Rachael took mental notes. If they were going to build their community, they could learn from this.

The sun was low in the sky by the time they arrived, approaching a wide, tall wall covered in peach stucco bisected by a heavy metal gate. Rachael dropped back to have a few quiet words with Alice and Peter.

“We’ll see if they have enough beds for all of us, and tomorrow you two can head back to Brett.”

They nodded, and Rachael jogged ahead to catch up with John, who walked in the lead. “So tell me a little more about Happy Valley.” She kept her tone light, going for casual curiosity.

John smiled at her. “Well, we have a great community, a lot of wonderful residents, and volunteers who make sure that everything runs smoothly. A lot of good people. We all look out for each other, make sure that we can continue the quality of life we once had, even if the world out here has gone to shit. Pardon my language.”

“Do you know how many?”

John shrugged. “No clue. I don’t think we’ve done a count lately, and even if we did, I don’t have the numbers. Not my wheelhouse. Some people find us by accident, some on purpose. Some choose to stay, others leave.”

Rachael nodded, looking up at the gate as they stopped. John called out to someone out of sight, and the gate rolled slowly open.

Heart pounding in her ears, she stepped inside after him, stopping to make sure that all of her team followed, nodding at each of them and smiling at Tommy, who still clung to Alice’s hand like a lifeline. When the last of them entered, the gate rolled shut with a loud, somehow ominous clang.