Caitlin offered the new girl a candy bar, whispering with a smile on her face, “Hi there, I'm Caitlin. You can have this one in exchange for your name.”<br/><br/>It was nice to see somebody so happy with something as simple as a candy bar, however, after the last week of hell that everybody went through it was to be expected.<br/><br/>She had just given the teenager her candy bar, when she heard a loud noise in the hallway.<br/><br/>“What the heck was that?” Caitlin exclaimed with a whispering voice, having trouble to keep her volume under control.<br/><br/>She quickly grabbed her flashlight and turned it on. She walked the short distance to the door and aimed it at the hallway floor, moving the light around until she saw something move. The last several days she had learned the hard way that it was a bad idea to startle any zombies by shining a flashlight directly in their eyes, but they seemed unaffected if you aimed it at any other part of their body. Within seconds she saw a pair of legs and aiming the flashlight higher she noticed a rifle and a military garment.<br/><br/>Considering that zombies didn't hold any rifles it had to be a fellow survivor. She just hoped it'd be a friendly one. If the rumors were true then the military was possibly even worse than the zombies and shot any survivors on sight. From the zombies she didn't expect any compassion, but from the military you would think they'd offer at least protection to those who survived this hell, however, from what she had heard the only 'compassion' they seemed to hand out was a bullet in your head.<br/><br/>If this man was indeed a highly trained soldier then it would mean trouble for the little group of survivors. On the other hand, she hadn't seen any military in the city for days and if he was indeed a soldier then he was most likely split off from his group and potentially a deserter, which could mean that he'd be friendly to them.<br/><br/>With a soft voice, slightly louder than a whisper, she bluffed, “We have you surrounded, if you have no bad intentions then you're welcome to join us, otherwise you best turn around now.”<br/><br/>“I have no bad intentions, just trying to get to the hunting shop, hoping for some ammo, likely just like you.” He called back, using about the same volume she had used to call out to him.<br/><br/>“I come in peace,” he added, “I ain't looking for any trouble.”<br/><br/>“Very well, but keep your rifle aimed to the ground please. We don't want any accidents.”<br/><br/>The man joined them a minute later. Though he put up a brave face, Caitlin could tell that he even though he was dressed like a soldier, he definitely wasn't military. The military usually had an air of control surrounding them and this man just looked like he was very relieved, as if he hadn't seen a living soul in days.<br/><br/>“Maybe a short introduction is in order,” Caitlin suggested with a soft voice, still wary of zombies overhearing them, “That way we all know who everybody is. Can everybody tell their name, their profession and what they were planning to do after visiting the mall? After introductions are over I want to suggest that we scavenge for supplies and figure out what to do next.”<br/><br/>Caitlin looked around the group of survivors and saw eight faces that either nodded, or grunted their approval of her idea.<br/><br/>“Well, I suppose I'm first then...” Caitlin started, feeling a bit uncomfortable now that she seemed to be the center of attention.<br/><br/>“I'm Caitlin Walker, twenty-three years old and I worked as nurse at Mercy Hospital, before it was overrun by the zombies. I met Carl several days ago after I lost my fiancé to the first zombie we encountered and we've been together since. After scavenging supplies here I was thinking of finding a safe house for the night and see if I can find a way out of the city.”<br/><br/>Caitlin looked at Carl and indicated that he should say something next.<br/><br/>Carl let out a deep sigh, before he said, “I'm Carl Johnson and I am... Was... The priest of Saint Mary Church, which is two blocks away from here. Earlier tonight there was an accident and those demons overran the church, killing the survivors that were still inside.”<br/><br/>Carl's tone had turned quite venomous as he spat out these last words, indicating his disgust with the zombies.<br/><br/>After he took a moment to regain his composure, Carl continued, “I'm planning to take back the Lord's house and offer refuge and comfort to the survivors that are still out there and need my help.”<br/><br/>Sternly he looked around with hope in his eyes to find supporters for his holy cause, his eyes especially resting a long moment on the two men that had joined them, but when he received no direct response, Carl bit his tongue and let somebody else tell his or her tale instead.