The clouds in the sky were dark in the predawn light. Kyle and Megan watched Citadel from the forest edge with their binoculars. Most of the zombies had moved on from the now lifeless military base, but those still there were difficult to see in the early morning darkness.

"There should only be a few left," Kyle commented. "We can clear them out easily enough and retake the base."

"Is it wise to move into a place already previously overrun by zombies?" Megan questioned.

"There aren't many places in the world that haven't been overrun by them," Kyle countered.

"True," she agreed.

"We'll put up better barricades than a chain link fence," Kyle added. "The main road on the north side of the base is packed with old cars. We'll use the military vehicles to drag them in and position them as a wall. The machine shop on the eastern corner of the base should have welding equipment to help us seal up any gaps. If we can find some concrete, we'll make a real fortification."

Megan turned her binoculars toward each location as Kyle mentioned it.

"How do you know so much about this place?" she inquired.

"Before I brought the zombies against their forces, I looked the place over to find the weakest points where I could do the most damage," Kyle explained. "I also had to calculate what possible resistance they could offer in order to estimate the size of the zombie horde I would need, and which direction they should attack from."

"Impressive," she commended.

"I have something I'd like to ask," he mentioned casually. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to know how you do things," Megan answered.

"Not that," he dismissed. Kyle lowered his binoculars and looked toward the former city leader. "I'm not talking about this mission. I'm talking about why you left Bunker City. You could've been Mayor someday, but instead, you're out here with limited resources and protection about to fight through the remnants of a zombie horde to retake a military base. Why?"

"Your argument in the assembly hall was well said," Megan answered. She lowered her own binoculars and met his gaze without flinching. "I agree with you. We can't become so civilized that we fail do what is necessary when the situation calls for it. We don't have the space or resources in Bunker City for a massive prison system, so what would we do if someone committed a crime so horrible they could never be allowed back into society for the rest of their life?"

"Exile them, like they did to me," Kyle answered.

"Is that any better?" Megan inquired. "Think about it. We're still sending the person out to die horribly in the clutches of the undead, or perhaps starve to death in a world scraped clean of salvageable resources. How is that any better than a quick and clean execution?"

"I survived," Kyle pointed out.

"True enough," she agreed. "You also brought back a zombie horde to kill an army."

"Fair point," he acknowledged.

"If someone is a threat for as long as they breathe, exile isn't enough," Megan stated. "Growing up within the protected confines of Bunker City, I never realized the truth about the outside world and the harshness it required just to live. The walls didn't just keep out the undead; they kept us blind to what our world had become and what we needed to become in order to live there. If we're going to survive, we have to be willing to end threats permanently."

"It's an easy thing to say," Kyle reminded. "It's something else entirely to do it. Have you ever looked into the eyes of someone and watched them die? Have you shot an enemy in the leg in order for the zombies to get them instead of you, listening to their screams as they're eaten alive? Doing what's necessary is harder than you might think, and it takes a greater toll than you can imagine."

"I guess that's been the real truth of civilization all along," she mused.

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked.

"Every society needs people willing to do the dirty work no one else wants," Megan explained. "No one wants to take out the trash or repair the waste pits, but what would happen if no one did those things? No one wants to be killed or maimed on the battlefield, but without those willing to give themselves for others, invaders would slaughter unopposed. From the history books we've recovered, it's clearly shown nations would never have lasted without those who stepped forward and took it upon themselves to do unpleasant or uncivilized things so others didn't have to."

"It's why we'll use the resources of Citadel to protect Bunker City," Kyle said. "We'll do the hard tasks, the bloody and violent things necessary to keep them safe, so they can continue to be civilized."

"They'll hate us," Megan reasoned. "They'll think us violent barbarians."

"Probably, but it doesn't matter," he responded. "As long as we keep doing what's right, what they think of us is irrelevant. Doing the right thing doesn't need any additional motivation."

Kyle looked back toward the Citadel as the sun rose over the horizon and blanketed the military base in golden rays.

"Let's get the others and start taking the base," Kyle suggested. "We have a lot of work to do."

The two of them headed deeper into the woods to where they'd left the remainder of their group in a small clearing.

"Alright people, listen up," Kyle said loud enough for everyone to hear him but quiet enough not to attract any nearby undead. "Because many of you grew up in safety, you've never faced a zombie before. This promises to be a bloody fight the likes of which none of you have ever experienced, but this is the world we live in now. You'll have to be tough, mentally and physically. This is price of living until tomorrow, and I will teach you so you can one day teach your children, and they can teach your grandchildren. We can survive, and we will survive."

Kyle drew out his knife, and his followers did the same. Heading toward Citadel, Kyle led his people toward their future.