He wandered up to a large building that looked like it was used as a storage place, he hasn’t explored his town much aside from the back alley ways. He walked in looking around to make sure that it was safe enough to not get caught by those... things? He doens’t know what to call them.

He kept his only known exit in sight as he looked around, a few people were laying of the floor, some looked like they were under some stuff. He noticed a forklift and seen that one of them was hunched over in the seat, it had crashed into a side of a box and it seems like a few people were under it as well.

He didn’t like the looks of it and quickly got out. Surely there would be better places than this to set up camp. Although it’s getting dark now, he doesn’t have time to search for a new place that would be safe enough. He looked for a small space to hole up in until the sun rose again.

He woke up from banging on the outside of his little space, it was rhythmic in away and not irregular like a humans. He sat awake, too afraid to even go back to sleep when the noise died down did he poke himself out to look around. He figured that since he was awake now he would start clearing out this warehouse. He got this things together and got into the place.

Picking up the scattered material of some sort he put them to the side, he cautiously stepped up to the people laying around and poked them a few times before dragging them out.

One of them moved and started swinging wildly making a ruckus so he had to ditch that idea and leave to close the door so more wouldn’t get in. He looked around for more that might come back and start trying to cause a riot. He was glad that the ones he moved were gone already and this was the only one that was ‘awake’.

He left that one alone for a bit to search the place more thoroughly for more, he was surprised that most of them were in the office it seems. Opening the door some of them moved, looked at him and then ignored them. He decided to click at them and they were not human. He looked around to make sure that none would jump out at him, he poked one of them and they didn’t react.

He relaxed a bit but was still weary of them, he gave the place a once over and left them to their... meeting? He didn’t really know what to make of it, they turned to him just as he was about to leave so he waved to them and closed the door.

He walked down the stairs and started his search again. The one he was about to drag out had calmed down, so he went to it and gave it a poke. It reacted wildly at first then calmed down. He went to the rope he had around the person and tried to pick them up. It seemed that it’s leg was missing so he went to where he dragged them from and gave it its leg back. He started to drag them out without complaint, he set them up by a tree so that they can watch his progress and have at least something to look at.

He had practiced sign language with his brother but there was no way he remembered it all. So he tried, they didn’t respond. He went back to the warehouse and cleared it out, each morning he would pick a flower and brought it to the one he dragged outside say hi and went back to his work. Each night he would try to make small talk with them then go back to rest, he would repeat it until Frank, he decided to call him asked him to go over. He dropped everything he was doing and rushed over and asked what was up.

‘Good. Kid.’ Frank signed, he sat down properly and watched Frank talk to him about his past life. Frank had a wife and baby girl, it would have been his wife’s birthday if he made it home. Ever since he dragged him out he’s been on the look out for his family. He thinks that they were not among them and then asked for him to kill him.

Shocked he thought for a moment and asked if he was sure. Frank nodded.

He looked up to the sky and then picked up the ropes and started to drag Frank from the spot he was for two weeks. Setting him down in a nice patch of flowers Frank closed his eyes and he swung an axe down. He walked back and felt empty without Frank there. He went back to work and started reinforcing the walls and windows.

“Oh! Hello!” he heard a voice and looked to the door. More people were coming in and he wondered if the dead started talking again.

“• • • •     • •” he got down from his ladder and took a few steps back to his second escape route in case these were hostile.

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to intrude, were friendly’s just looking for a place to stay the night. He looked at the group that was now gathered and back to the ‘Leader’ of it. He nodded and wearily watched them as they set up a makeshift camp. He walked to the office and checked on James, Ted, Rudy, Oscar and Nick.

They looked up at him and grumbled, he knocked before going in and started to talk to them about the new people that entered.

‘Well, if we’re being kicked out.’

‘I’m not kicking you out.’

‘Well they won’t be understanding like you.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be kid. Thank you for giving us peace these past few days.’

‘Is it time to eat the kid?’

‘Time to eat the kid,’ he laughed and left them alone so they could properly wander freely after getting a rope. He went down and started his work again by clearing out the third escape route. He tied up one of the ones that were under a pile of boxes and dragged them out, they didn’t complain as he dragged them. He gave them a new scenery and left them to go about their business. He pulled boxes out of the room and put them against the wall. He had forgotten that there were people there. 

He took a break for a drink and something to snack on before going back in to pull more boxes out, he kept clicking and tapping the steel beams for any hostile things. One of them grumbled from their spot and it was in the far back so he worked on clearing boxes until he had a clear way to get that one out.

They put up a fight at first but he had practice and lassoed them with ease and started dragging them out. Once that was finished, he looked for any others then got a bucket filled it with water and cleaning fluid and started cleaning up the mess they left behind. He took another break after his work was done and thought about the day so far, until he heard screaming coming from the office. He stood and ran up as quickly as he could, he closed the door and pushed the girl towards the stairs before grabbing the shovel and opening the door and forcing his friends over the railing and closed the door.

He looked to the girl and seen her stare at him, a bang behind him was heard and he looked and seen Oscar trying to get out. The window broke and more people were up with him, they went into the office and took care of the remaining.

He breathed and knelt down, forgetting that these things can kill him at any given moment.

“Hey, you alright?”

“I’m fine, it looked they were tied down. The rope must have snapped when they moved.”

“What about you, you good?” one of them knelt down to him, he nodded and stood. He put the shovel back and went down to take care of his friends. He roped them up and started to drag them out, he got to a clearing and set them down.

‘Hey Kid, good work.’ Nick’s hand twitched slightly then went limp as the other people started dragging the rest out. He left them there and went back in to clean up the mess they had made

He was surprised that it was already being taken care of so he sat down to collect himself as best as he could. He lost a lot of friends today, but they didn’t mind it. Was it because the people here were alive and could actually provide better company.

“We’ll stay and help you build the place up. Wouldn’t be right not to help after you helped us, my name is Dustin, uh Mor-al. Yeah, Dustin Moral.”

“• • • •     • •” he clicked and stood to get to his sleeping place to get something that would calm him down. He pulled out a piece of an old rag and went to the bucket and washed his hands and dried them. He went back and took out a piece of candy and ate it.

He relaxed and went back to Dustin and started to try and talk to him, he did some sign language but it seems he didn’t understand either. He didn’t know where the box with paper and pens were so that was out of the question.

He noticed that it was getting darker now so he went and locked up, taking one last look so that he didn’t forget anyone out there. He checked the windows and the rooms to make sure that they were actually safe and went to the office to check his friends. Only to remember that they were no longer there. He went in and took the paper and pen and went back down to talk to Dustin again about their cooperation together. And from there they started their rebuild.