Kyle stood at attention before the Mayor and the leaders of the city. His jaw was set, and he looked them over, daring them to match his gaze. They'd cast him out, and he'd saved their lives. As he waited for them to hand down their decision, he suspected what it would be. Politicians seemed to rethink their positions when their lives were on the line, but all things considered were immediately discarded the moment the threat was removed. His teeth ground against each other; Kyle hated politicians.

"In recognition for your efforts in saving our city," Mayor Bergstrom began, "we have agreed to allow your return, ending your exile."

"Thank you, no," Kyle denied.

"W-What?" the Mayor stammered. "What do you mean, no?"

"I'm not coming back to your city," Kyle stated flatly. "My chosen course of action was incompatible with how you want to live and rule here, so this place is no longer home."

"You won't survive out there on your own," Bergstrom insisted.

"That didn't seem to bother you when you exiled me," Kyle snapped. "I thought civilization had fallen because of the zombies, but my recent experiences have taught me about the true nature of human society. People refuse to deal with threats because they're too 'civilized' to do what's necessary. They wait for someone else to deal with it and then blame them if it goes wrong. Just like you did to me."

Kyle swept an accusing finger across the people silently watching in the seats of the assembly hall.

"Last time I was here, some of you tried to lynch me," Kyle reminded. He turned back to the leadership. "They thought I'd endangered everyone, but they didn't abide by the ruling of this governing body, even though it was equal to a death sentence. Those 'civilized' people wanted to kill me with their bare hands rather than let me be exiled into a world filled with flesh eating undead."

Silence filled the room, and more than one person looked down at the floor rather than at Kyle. Pacing in front of the leaders, he fixed each of them with a hard stare.

"Now, that the threat is removed, their attitude has changed," he went on. "If the people had wanted me dead for causing a fight with a neighboring colony of survivors, it shouldn't matter if I fixed the problem as I could easily do the same thing again. They're only supporting me now because they're out of danger. I'm either a menace to be destroyed or a soldier protecting the city. They need to make up their minds as I'm certain to do the same thing again if the circumstances are repeated. Their wavering opinions show a lack of conviction."

"They're just scared," Bergstrom defended.

"That's my point," Kyle confirmed. "They're a society ruled not by law and elected officials but by unrestrained emotion. People think they're civilized until danger comes along, and then they start killing each other in their panic."

"He's right," Megan Conners agreed. She addressed the Mayor with an edge in her voice. "You sentenced him to exile, not because of the law but to keep the city in order. You threw away an innocent life because you were afraid of a riot breaking out prior to an attack."

"See what I mean?" Kyle questioned. "You act as though you're civilized, but you'll throw someone to the zombies if the situation calls for it. You won't kill me yourselves, but you'll let the undead do it, all the while acting as if your hands are clean.

"The people who tried to lynch me didn't agree with my killing that messenger any more than you did, but they're content to let me guard the walls, shouldering the burden of making those hard choices when confronted with outside threats. They're also content to blame me immediately if the results aren't to their liking. If the situation were to come up again, I'm certain they'll turn against me in the same manner, just as all of you will."

Kyle's hands clenched at his sides.

"I did what was necessary for our survival, and if you have an issue with it, you're blind to what the world is really like," Kyle told them. "You can stay here and hide behind your walls if you want, but I can't. I'm leaving. I'm going to face the real world, and if anything threatens my survival, I'll do what's necessary to end that threat permanently. Keep that in mind if we should ever meet again."

Without another word, he turned and walked away from all of them. As the doors closed behind him, silence blanketed the room until Megan spoke up.

"He's right," she told the leaders. "He was right when he shot the messenger who threatened this city, and he was right when he chose to leave. It's why I'm going with him."

Megan stepped down from her prominent chair at the front of the hall and headed for the exit. Many others stood from their own seats and joined her exodus.

"Go home; gather food, weapons, tools and things of that nature.  Meet me at the northern wall," Megan told the people following her. While everyone else vanished into the different tunnels, she headed straight toward the ladder to the surface, hoping to catch Kyle before he left the city.

   ***   

"Hold that ramp!" Megan shouted from a distance. The men on the wall paused in response as they'd been preparing to lower the metal plank down for Kyle to leave. As soon as she climbed up to where they stood, she explained the situation. "A few of us are planning to go with you, so it would be nice if you'd wait for us."

Kyle gave a single nod but said nothing. While waiting, Kyle noticed someone familiar. Daniel and his son Peter watched from the wall section beyond the turning of the corner, out of the way in order to not impede the departure of others and also far enough distant so as to not be mistaken for those leaving the city. Daniel gave a small wave of his hand, and Kyle raised the barrel of his rifle to his forehead to salute in return.

It took nearly fifteen minutes for everyone to gather at the wall, and Kyle was surprised with how many were in the group. Megan had departed and returned with her own things, standing beside Kyle as the ramp was put into position. Walking swiftly down the metal plate, Kyle and Megan led the way out of the city and into the surrounding woods with more than a third of Bunker City's population following behind them.