Free Colony Z: The Complete Collection (Vols. 1-4) by Luke Shephard Page B

break. Not yet.
                 
    Once he saw his wife and children leave him, Owen spoke to the masses.
                 
    “We’ve made it this far, guys,” He began. “And I can’t tell you how grateful I am for all of your patience with me. We’ve been very fortunate.”
                 
    Everyone nodded in agreement, a silent crowd. They trusted him. Owen didn’t know if he liked this or despised it.
                 
    “I feel that we haven’t come far enough,” He stated simply, to the confused looks of the others. “We can’t continue to travel from place to place, hoping not to stumble upon the dead and hoping we won’t be found. It’s no life for my children, and it’s no life for any of us.”
                 
    Silence again. No one knew quite how to respond to their Alpha male, their fearless leader. Generally, they had agreed with what he said and spoke only words of praise to him. But, tonight, they heard the shaking in his voice. His announcement tonight was not a usual request. He wanted something more from them than they had given before.
                 
    “As I see it, there’s only one way for us to be safe from them.”
                 
    Nothing.
                 
    “I propose that we travel to the tip of the peninsula, and find an island to inhabit.”
                 
    The room erupted.
                 
    “Are you insane? We’ll be trapped there. And if they find us, they’ll camp out on the beach and wait for us.”
                 
    “We’ll run out of supplies. What will we live off of?”
                 
    “How will we repopulate? In fifty years, there won’t be any room left!”
                 
    “Owen, this doesn’t make any sense.”
                 
    The Albion Tribe’s unelected leader remained silent. He waited patiently for everyone to settle and sit down before opening his mouth to explain.
                 
    “Fire and water. That’s what they fear. That’s all that they fear. Fire and water. They can’t swim. We’ve seen how easily their spirits fall and they give in. After a few weeks of staying there, they’ll leave the beach and give up on us. We’ll send a team of men back to land to get us supplies every couple of weeks. It’s simple. It’s effective. And it’s going to keep your families alive. Yes, we’ll grow quickly. Yes, we’ll have to one day find a larger area. But this virus has shown a cycle. It will end. Unless we give it a reason to continue.”
                 
    “What are you saying, Owen?” Eric asked angrily. “I’ve trusted you to lead us in the right direction. You. You who are younger than many of us here.”
                 
    “And this is the right direction, Eric!” Owen blurted out passionately, though he normally kept personal feelings out of his arguments. “We cannot afford to worry about generations below us. We need to worry about the people here right now. The virus lapses. I’ve seen it. The victims are starting to get their human qualities back.”
                 
    “What?”
                 
    “Why didn’t you say anything about this?”
                 
    “How could you possibly know something like that?”             
                 
    Again, Owen put up his hand for silence.
                 
    The room quieted.
                 
    “The night we were attacked,” He began slowly. “James killed a very large zombie. Stabbed it right through the chest. That creature…that being…it had understanding in its eyes. It knew it didn’t want to kill us. It knew we were protecting ourselves. I saw it. I always knew the virus had to be temporary, that the disease could be cured with time. But if we all become infected, we run the risk of destroying