David was back in front of the Obelisk, the mass initiation of tutorials had swept through the park like a wave, many people were now sitting, or lying down, others standing staring vacantly at nothing, all united by stillness. The whole area had the hushed feel of a library or church.

  Everyone who had completed the tutorial was reacting to the change. People were talking quietly, as though afraid that too much would disturb those being initiated into the system for the first time.

  Most of the raiders accompanying him and Charlie were now answering questions from those people who had already passed their tutorials and unsurprisingly still had questions, lots of them.

  A couple were keeping people from disturbing him and Charlie as they picked their way through the people near the Obelisk.

  This was where they encountered their next problem.

  The space around the Obelisk was packed, people had been crammed around it so that literally every space within arm’s reach was occupied.

  The two of them looked at the mass of people locked into their tutorials blocking their path.

  “Do you think we have to wait for them to finish?” David spoke softly, glancing at Charlie.

  The other man muttered letting his eyes wander over the mass looking for a gap.

  “Uh. Let me look, maybe we could sort of push our way in there?”

  He pointed at a gap where two people weren’t standing quite shoulder to shoulder, another person was visible between them jammed right up against the Obelisk.

  Finally, David shook his head and closed his eyes. A quick inquiry caused him to smile wryly.

  “OK, we can move them. As long as it’s us the system won’t register it as an attack and they shouldn’t even notice.”

  It took them a couple of minutes to clear a wedge of space, then they finally touched the Obelisk. Collecting the reward was surprisingly simple, and extremely noticeable.

  The Obelisk started glowing, the beam of light linking it to the beacon and barrier grew more intense, then glowing green runes started to become visible over the top third of the alien structure.

  The phenomena started near the tip, where the obelisk widened. First it formed a ring, then a second, a third and so on until the whole top seemed to be made of layers of glowing symbols.

  Then symbols started to turn blue, again propagating from the top until only a single color remained. Finally vertical lines of runes turned red and then the sides of the obelisk flowed back like the petals of a flower opening.

  This revealed a stack of intricately engraved disks, each about the size of a dinner plate but completely flat and maybe a quarter of an inch thick.

  Finally, these floated down to settle in a stack in David’s arms.

  He grunted in surprise at the weight of them as they settled fully into his grip.

  Charlie meanwhile was counting them.

  “Twenty-seven, the same number as there were rings of script around the Obelisk.”

  Even as he said this the obelisk was closing up, its movements somehow looking flexible and organic, not something you would associate with stone.

  The whole process took a little over ten minutes, during which a growing crowd of people gathered.

  As David and Charlie picked their way out of the crowd of tutorial takers a growing number of questions were being tossed at them.

  “Just like we agreed.”

  “Sure bro, you let me do the talking.”

  Once they reached the crowd and the waiting raiders Charlie turned to the milling people throwing questions at them.

  “This is an example of a rare reward the raiders were able to achieve by going out and saving large numbers of people. This sort of thing can be tremendously helpful for everyone by giving the safe zone new functions.”

  David noted that Phil was still there, but he had been joined by Micky and the two of them were having a low intense conversation. Micky looked pissed and seemed to be winning the argument. Given that he was backed up by a dozen or more people wearing shields on their arm bands, all of whom were visibly armed with guns, while Phil had his assistant, the one who had been keeping an eye on David, that wasn’t surprising.

  The clamor of questions started to quiet down as Micky pushed through the people with his armed support.

  The raiders around them tensed, while David, still holding the stack of discs turned and hastily passed them off to one of their companions, freeing his hands as he moved to the front of the little group to back Charlie up.

  People, it turned out, were both sensitive to and eager to see another confrontation. He wasn’t sure how many of those here now had seen either of the earlier ones, but people clearly liked the drama. Or maybe they were still had an assumption of safety letting them spectate as two armed groups confronted each other.

  Still a circle of space opened up and dozens, if not hundreds, of people looked on as Micky went on the offensive. David absently noted that he too had a star on his armband, right in the center of his shield icon.

  “What in the name of all that’s good did you do?”

  Charlie didn’t respond immediately to the larger, older man who was pointing accusingly at him and moving closer with obvious anger.

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  “Son, I asked you a question. You need to answer not stand there like some dumb fish with your mouth hanging open.”

  Charlie responded to that. Leaning into the confrontation.

  “I’m not your son, or a member of your little gestapo organization. See no armband!”

  Charlie waved his arm to emphasize the point even as Micky started to turn red.

  “Where the hell do you get the gall to call the people who protect everyone here! The people responsible for the safety of all of you, names. You will apologize for insulting the hard-working watchmen and women and you will tell me what the damn lightshow was all about as it effects the Obelisk and with it ALL OUR SAFETY.”

  By the end Micky was shouting, getting into Charlie’s personal space and doing what could best be described as a drill sergeant impersonation.

  The image was tainted by the fact that the guy had probably put on fifty pounds since his service in the military and his high and tight haircut conflicted with the five o’clock shadow he was sporting.

  Charlie recoiled slightly from the blast and seemed momentarily at a loss for words, before Micky could continue his assault David stepped in, supporting his friend.

  “Hello Micky. We were just leaving, and as Charlie already explained, we were rewarded for helping a lot of people survive this nightmare. Maybe if you spent more time helping people and less time building walls to keep everyone out you would receive the same recognition.”

  David saw something flash in Micky’s eyes, and with a sinking feeling he realized the other man had put the pieces together and had a shrewd idea of where the reward came from.

  “Unlike you, we haven’t spent our time prancing round kidnapping people and dumping them here to wake up. Any indignity for others as long as you get personal power. Am I right?”

  David smiled coldly.

  “Micky, are you saying that saving people from being killed and literally eaten by the monsters out there is a bad thing?

  Or is it cowardice speaking?

  We showed you how to fight the zombies when you woke up. So why didn’t you and your watchmen come and help all the people stuck outside your barrier when they were being attacked?”

  Now David let cold fury fill his voice.

  “People died, people who were trying to get to safety and never made it because YOU BLOKED THEIR PATH AND LEF T THEM TO DIE IN THE DARK.”

  Even he was a little surprised by the anger he felt, still Micky held his ground, clearly comfortable escalating as he leaned in. They were both standing, almost touching and locking eyes with each other.

  “Rather than traipsing around getting good men and women killed, friends of mine I included I might add, I spent my day helping people. Making as much space as possible for them in this safe zone and holding the damn line while you went and did God only knows what with your little friends.”

  Neither man had noticed Phil approaching as they squared off and his words, calm and reasonable cut through the tension.

  “Now, now. Calm down please, both of you. This isn’t the time or place to compare effort or argue strategy. While a fuller explanation of what you just did is required you can give it to the council in private, as long as you can assure us that there is no immediate danger to the people gathered here, which I’m certain is Officer Vale’s main concern.”

  Micky snarled “They owe the watch and apology for accusing us of being Nazi’s”

  David was glad that Camila wasn’t there as he prepared to respond. Charlie beat him too it.

  “Bro, your watch threatened people with guns to shut them up during a public meeting, that sort of suppression of dissent is fascism pure and simple. You don’t like the label, don’t behave so it fits.”

  Phil looked shocked, then his expression cleared as he realized what was going on. Micky narrowed his eyes, also realizing where this was going. Unfortunately, Phil spoke first.

  “You are referring to the unfortunate incident where your friend Carl disrupted the community meeting and had to be asked to leave? That incident can hardly be blamed on Officer Vale or his watch, I do think an apology is owed.”

  Charlie smirked at Micky and responded.

  “No dude. I’m talking about the other group of goons, led by that guy,” here he pointed to one of Micky’s backers.

  “You know, the ones who pointed guns at us and told us to sit down and shut up so Micky could have a free run at our friend, who was understandably upset by his attempt to take control of all the weapons people need to defend themselves.”

  Phil looked truly shocked and scared at this point, seeming to realize that he had been unaware of some pretty significant events. The body language of Mickey and his men told quite a different story. Defiance, embarrassment but no surprise or genuine outrage at a lie.

  “Charlie is entirely correct. There was an orchestrated confrontation that night which nearly ended in violence. Judging by who is standing behind Micky, he is ready for violence right now. Something we have no interest in…”

  David left it hanging and looked meaningfully around at all the people, both paying attention and locked in their tutorials. Any shots that were fired would likely find someone in the crowd to catch them.

  “…we all agree that protecting everyone is our top priority after all…”

  Micky looked ready to murder David and he just met the man’s gaze, compared to a mutant rushing him the man seemed strangely unimpressive. Still, after days of battle he was ready if Micky moved.

  “You don’t get to make statements about protecting people, you and your gang are putting everyone in danger and need to accept that you either become part of the organization representing the people or you’re outlaws and criminals.”

  Micky had waited too long before responding and his attempt to shift the narrative fell extremely flat. David’s next salvo hit home as well.

  “Really? So, you now believe that the legitimate authorities should absorb independent groups? So, tell me. Why did you demand that the US army leave when they arrived here? Surely you should have welcomed them in and followed their lead to protect everyone? While we are on the topic. Who exactly made your militia the official group? Aren’t you called the watch because you used to be a neighborhood watch group? Seems like this is one citizens group objecting to another that has actually gone and saved people instead of forting up.”

  Again, Micky wasn’t quick on his feet when David shifted the topic, losing the tempo of the argument. Finally he responded.

  “We formed to protect the people who live here, so yes we are proud to be a neighborhood watch organization at our core and the fact that we are keeping monsters out rather than bums and making sure it’s a good place for good people to…”

  He was angry and on a roll but before he could finish David was in his face, really in his face, pushing against the man.

  His voice carrying to the rapt crowd and this time something in his raw anger shocked Micky who took an involuntary half step back.

  “We are done here. You WILL NOT disrespect the dead. One of those ‘bums’ you used to roust died yesterday. Do you want to know how? He died standing between a pack of monsters and good people as you put it. He could have saved himself, he had the power to do so.

  You want to know why he didn’t. Because good people, people just like all of us,” now he gestured to encompass all of them.

  “Those good people were behind him and rather than leave women, children, medics and the comatose vulnerable he stood. He gave them time to get away, even though it cost him his life he fucking stood. So you don’t get to decide who is good, because someone you roundly rejected was more of a hero than you will ever be.”

  Now he turned to address the crowd, ignoring Micky and his goons.

  He was shocked when someone started clapping. Then like a spreading wave the crowd took up the applause, the thunder of their approval expanded to cheers, shouts of you tell him, and even Billys name was picked up. Faced by the tumult of sound Micky stood silent, helpless fury on his face.

  “While this man and his views aren’t welcome all of you are. We are going to celebrate the lives and sacrifices of Billy and everyone else who has died. We are going to mourn them, and we are going to share our food and drink with anyone who wants to join us. Come and if you can contribute something, food, drink, or just the name of someone you lost who deserves to be celebrated, or even just your presence to support those who have lost someone…”

  David trailed off, his raw emotion delivering his message as he finished simply.

  “Just come and share your stories so we can remember the best of us together…”