They See Us 

Chapter 3 — Plorgen

Kurt and Ale finally made it to the gates of Plorgen.

The walls were huge, made from old metal and concrete, with wires and spikes all over the top. A torn flag with a gold crown waved in the wind.

The gate was shut tight.

Kurt banged on the metal. “Hey! Is anyone in there? We’re not infected!”

For a few seconds, there was no answer. Then a voice from above shouted, “Names?”

“Kurt and Ale!” Kurt yelled back. “We’re survivors!”

There was silence again, and then the gate started to creak open. It was so loud it sounded like it hadn’t been used in years.

When it opened, a group of guards stood waiting. They wore dark gray armor and helmets that hid their faces. They pointed their weapons at Kurt and Ale.

“Hands up,” one of them said.

As soon as they stepped inside, the guards grabbed them and put cuffs on their wrists.

“Hey, we didn’t do anything!” Ale said.

“Quiet,” a guard snapped.

They were forced to walk through the main street. People were everywhere—clean, calm, and actually smiling. It didn’t look like the world outside at all. Kids were laughing, food was cooking, and everyone looked… safe.

The guards led them into a big building made of stone. Inside, a man stood at the top of a short staircase. He was wearing full black armor, every part of his body covered, even his face. The armor had gold marks shaped like a crown.

“Hello, you two,” the man said, his voice deep but calm.

Kurt and Ale both said “hello” back, unsure what else to do.

“I am the King of Plorgen,” the man said. “This place was built five months ago, before the fall. I received signals from the sky—warnings that something terrible was coming. No one believed me, but I built this city anyway. And when the explosion happened, we were ready.”

Kurt looked shocked. “You knew this would happen?”

The King nodded slowly. “Yes. The satellite carried something unnatural. We could not stop it, only prepare. Plorgen is now humanity’s last safe place.”

He raised his hand and the guards took off their cuffs.

“You are free now,” the King said. “Welcome to Plorgen. From this day forward, you are Plorgens. Protect this city, and it will protect you.”

Kurt rubbed his wrists. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Take them to Hut 27,” the King ordered.

The guards brought them to a small hut near the middle of the town. It wasn’t fancy, but it was clean and had everything they needed—beds, food, water, and a lantern.

Ale looked around. “This is actually… nice.”

“Yeah,” Kurt said, sitting on the bed. “Way better than sleeping in my car.”

Ale looked down. “My parents might be here. They left the city a few weeks before everything went down. I heard some people say they made it to Plorgen.”

Kurt nodded. “Then you should go find them.”

Ale smiled a little. “Yeah. I’ll be back soon.”

He left the hut and shut the door behind him.

Kurt sat back and took a deep breath. He pulled the axe from his bag and used it to open one of the canned foods. The metal lid popped off, and the smell wasn’t great—but it was food.

As he ate, he thought about everything that had happened—the gas station, his boss, the explosion. He wished he had grabbed more supplies before everything fell apart.

When he finished eating, he lay down on the bed. The mattress was thin but soft enough.

For the first time since this whole nightmare started, Kurt closed his eyes and actually felt safe.

But somewhere deep inside, something told him that Plorgen’s peace wouldn’t last forever.