The New Arrival

It was a little after three in the morning when Judah started noticing signs for The Compound. Residents had simply drawn arrows on old Palm Bay City signs with neon yellow paint, and these would point him in the right direction. As he turned down an unmarked street, a large group of tents in the distance came into view. Black smoke from a large campfire rose high into the air, causing Stella to sit up and take notice. Her small black nose took quick snorts and she barked once, letting Judah know she smelled humans approaching them.

“I see them…” Judah whispered to her, place his rifle across his lap.

Several ATVs were already in route, barreling towards the jeep with weapons at the ready. Judah brought the jeep to a halt and turned off the ignition just as the party of merchants reached him. A man in a gasmask, who was also the closet to the vehicle, raised his shotgun.

“Who the fuck are you? Ain’t expecting nobody out this way at this time of night” The man called, stepping closer to the Jude’s side of the jeep. “Get out here!” He added, motioning with the muzzle of the Spaz.

Jude placed his hands on the door and opened it smoothly. Stella began to growl, but was silenced with a whistle from her master. When he was a good five feet from the jeep, one of the other merchants retrieved his rifle.

“Whatcha planning on doing with this, boy?” He questioned, turning to Jude.

He smiled and ran his hand through his hair. The fact that these people saw a 23-year-old Scavenger and his mutt as a serious threat made him chuckle silently.

“My name is Judah… That there’s Stella. Don’t worry, she’s harmless” Jude said pointing at his companion. “We’re from down south. You heard of The Shore before, ain’t ya?” He asked the man in the gas mask that looked to be in charge.

“Course we heard of The Shore! You trying to get smart with me? Why you coming round here for?” Snapped the man, thrusting his gun at the boys chest.

Jude shoved it away quickly, causing Stella to leap out of the jeep and join him at his side. She began to snarl at the man, but again Jude silenced her. He didn’t come here to fight, he came to find Del.

“Stella! Hush!” He commanded, holding his hand in front of her face.

The dog gave one final warning growl and took a seat on the grass. Jude chuckled nervously.

“Look, I’m sorry. I’m looking for Del Osborn. Told me that if I ever needed help, just come here and I’d find it” He explained, extending his hand to the merchant. “I’m sorry… I meant no harm” He continued, looking down at his hand.

The merchant thought for a moment, then sighed and returned the handshake.

“Jesus Christ, son. You need to get that fucking dog under control. If I was having a bad day, I might have fired as soon as she jumped” The man advised.

Stella’s behavior was always like this around strangers. Besides Del, every person Judah came in contact with was a Raider or Scavenger, and just usually ended up shooting at them. The man removed his mask, revealing a hard face hidden behind a bushy orange mustache.

“Names Arlen McIntosh, but everybody calls me Mac. Judah, right?” He inquired.

“Jude is fine” He said with a smile.

Arlen laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Well, Del ain’t here right now. Headed back to Avalon a few days ago” Mac said. “You’re more than welcome to stay here at The Compound, though. If Del sent ya, you can’t be too dangerous” Mac joked, walking back to his ATV. “Climb back into that old jeep of yours and I’ll show you were you can park it” He called over the rumble of his motor.

Jude signaled for Stella to join him again in the jeep and soon he was following behind the group. The Compound had been around forever, almost 100 years. It had been built in the 1980’s by a developer, but when he went bankrupt, the 200 miles of paved roads that stretch in any directions for 12 miles was abandoned but never destroyed. From what he’d heard from Del, the merchant caravans started setting up shop there about 35 years ago, establishing a secure area for travelers. It was a place you could find work, food, ammo, shelter, gossip and just about anything else you could think of. The surrounding area was great hunting ground too. To the north was the Palm Bay Regional Park and if you drove out west, you hit The Saint Johns River. The merchants had done a great job, considering how many gangs were now living in Palm Bay.

Jude pulled into a small metal garage and put the old clunker in park. Stella, who had realized the merchants were friendly, trotted outside and towards a group of workers eating nearby, hoping to pick up some scraps. Jude couldn’t understand how she could be angry one minute and then ready to give wet kisses for some potted meat the next. Mac stood next to Jude watching Stella work her magic.

“So The Shore, huh? Rough place” He said, still watching the dog.

“Yeah, it’s pretty terrible but I had a safe haven” He mumbled, somewhat disappointed as he remembered his home. “Raiders torched it, so I knew they’d be back. Wasn’t safe anymore and I hoped Avalon would be just the place to start fresh” He explained.

Mac took a pack of stale cigarettes from his shirt pocket and placed one between his lips.

“What do ya do?” He grumbled through clutched lips as he lit a match.

Jude chuckled and scratched his chin.

“I do a bit of everything. Prospecting, mechanics, hunting, security… You name it, I’ve done it” The boy said, point to the smokes “Can I get one? I could use it”.

Mac smiled and handed him a crumpled one. Jude frowned but lit it anyway.

“Well listen… I’m heading to Avalon in a few days. If you want, you can tag along. I’ve lost a lot of men recently. God damn Raiders keep hitting the camp around noon. Found some weak spots in security” Mac stated, directing Jude’s attention to a guard tower in the distance. “Motherfuckers hit there yesterday. I’m gonna see if Paragon will send me some more help but I gotta go to Avalon to do it” He groaned.

“Paragon?” Asked Jude taking a drag.

“Douglas Paragon. He runs the caravan company we work for – Paragon Convoys. He’s kind of an asshole, but the pay is good” Mac laughed.

He walked towards the tents and turned back to Jude.

“You’re probably tired, so why don’t you go lay down. You can sleep in any of the bed, The Guerillas won’t mind. In the morning, we’ll figure out all this Avalon business. We wont be leaving for a few days anyway cause I got too much shit going on around here. Actually, you mind maybe help us fix up some equipment before our trip? You said you were handy with mechanics” Mac asked.

“You got it” Jude said with a wave.

The older man disappeared into a tent and Stella rushed to join Judah again. She jumped excitedly, her snout covered in what looked like creamed corn.

“Did you save me any?” Jude questioned.

Stella barked and rubbed her face on his leg, smearing the remnants of the food on his jeans. He took that as a no.