Daniel and Kyle said nothing to each other as they collected and equipped what they'd be taking with them on their scouting mission. Daniel slung a bandolier filled with bullets diagonally across his chest and holstered a pistol at his side. A long combat blade was attached to his belt, and a water canteen resided next to it. Traveling light and swift, he refrained from taking anything more than the essentials.

At forty-seven years of age, Kyle had nine years on Daniel and wasn't as fast or resilient as he'd been in the days of his youth, so Kyle preferred having more capability to fight through problems as he wasn't confident in his ability to run from them. He crossed a pair of ammunition bandoliers over his chest and wrapped smaller ones around the upper portion of each leg. His forearms and the belt around his waist held numerous throwing knives, their blades blackened to prevent his location from being given away by flashes of light on polished metal.

"Ready?" Daniel asked, the first words spoken between them since the meeting.

Kyle slid a combat knife into the sheath on each of his boots before giving a single nod in answer.

Leaving the tunnels behind them, the two men climbed the ladder into the open air of the surface world. They emerged behind one of the many walls composed of old shipping containers. Taking a different ladder, they scaled to the top of the wall and received a view of the nearby terrain. A wide field had formerly surrounded Bunker City, giving them a extensive space between the wall and the nearby forest, but with no one venturing outside the walls in many years, the growing forest had begun to encroach on the city's territory and close the distance.

No zombies or other threats were currently in sight, but it didn't mean anything as the forest could conceal much. Deep shadows changed shape and shafts of light altered locations every time the wind blew and moved the leaves in the canopy. Daniel and Kyle knew it would be impossible to see anyone or anything that might be hiding inside the woods until they were dangerously close.

Six men waited on the container wall, and when Daniel and Kyle arrived, the men lowered one end of a long metal plank over the side to create a ramp out of the city. Kyle nodded to them in thanks and marched down the provided walkway. Daniel hesitated for a moment before following.

"What's wrong?" Kyle asked when Daniel caught up with him. Kyle's eyes never left the forest, constantly searching for signs of enemy movement.

"Bad memories," Daniel explained. "I was thirteen when the outbreak happened. My family was traveling with a fair sized group, safety in numbers I guess. All I remember is we lost a lot of them before we found our way here. If Bunker City hadn't taken us in, we wouldn't have made it. Going back out into this feels wrong and dangerous in every way possible."

"Good," Kyle accepted. "Most people inside the walls don't know what it's like out here, so they're unprepared for the reality of it. If you remember it, and it terrifies you, it means you've got some smarts and might live to get back. Let's go."

Kyle's pace was slow and measured, stepping carefully to make as little noise as possible. A rain the night before had softened the colorful autumn leaves blanketing the ground. Although the leaves muffled their steps, they also concealed brittle sticks and twigs from sight until they were stepped upon.

Daniel was about to ask how Kyle intended find the Citadel when he noticed Kyle heading for the body of the man he'd shot earlier. Kneeling down beside the dead man, Kyle checked through all the pockets, retrieving ammunition and anything else of potential value. Among the items recovered was a map. It was out of date as most of the cities were lifeless ruins and the roads were overgrown with grass and trees. A few hand drawn notations gave Kyle the information he needed.

"Look at this," Kyle pointed to a portion of the map. "They don't have the Citadel marked, but they do have a number of places indicated. Near the center of the points of interest is an old military base."

"Do you think that's where the Citadel is located?" Daniel inquired.

"I think it's a good place to start," Kyle confirmed. He turned the map several times to get his bearings. Looking between the tree trunks of the forest, he told Daniel. "This way."

"If the Citadel is built on an old military base, how much do you think they still have in weaponry?" Daniel questioned.

"I don't know," Kyle admitted. "It's impossible to know until we get there. Maybe it's nothing but a few cases of ammunition left over when the military withdrew. Then again, they could have a tank battalion."

"You could've gone all day without suggesting that," Daniel responded.

"Relax," Kyle dismissed. "Even if they had one, they'd have trouble getting through the forest to Bunker City without clearcutting the woods first."

"That's something, I guess," Daniel accepted.

After fifteen minutes of careful progression through the woods, Kyle suddenly stopped, raising a hand to halt Daniel as well. Holding as still as statues, the two men waited. The wind passed by overhead, rustling the leaves, and a squirrel perched on a nearby branch chewed on an acorn, but nothing else reached the waiting ears of the two men. Kyle slowly took down the rifle he'd slung across his back, pulling the bolt back to be certain a round was chambered.

A few more minutes elapsed before Kyle detected a faint sound, a low, wheezing moan.

Nervous sweat broke out on Daniel's forehead, and he drew the gun from the holster at his side, realizing they were no longer alone in the woods. The undead were also there.