Besides, this terrain is too steep for the infected, they can’t get up here. It’s a good spot to set up a permanent camp. I’m willing to bet that’s what they’ve decided to do here.”

 

“How can we be sure?” I asked.

 

Gabe shrugged. “One way to find out.” 

 

I glared at him for a long moment, and then heaved a sigh.

 

“Alright, fine. Guess it had to happen sooner or later.”

 

Gabriel smiled and clapped me on the shoulder.

 

“Hey, it was your idea to be the diplomat.”

 

“Just keep your eyes peeled.” I grumbled, staring down the hillside. “I’ll leave my rifle here, but I’ll keep my pistol. If they so much as twitch wrong, light ‘em up. Got it?”

 

Gabe’s grin vanished like the moon behind a storm cloud. His expression grew deadly serious. He dropped his pack and took out a tubular black case with a Nightforce scope inside. When equipped with long-range optics, Gabriel’s SCAR 17 functions well as a rough and ready sniper rifle at distances less than six-hundred yards. His marksmanship would protect me from all but the most swift and violent of assaults. I took off my pack and stashed it along with my rifle in a thick tangle of brush near Gabriel’s position. A quick glance told me that the three people down the valley from us had not yet detected our presence.

 

Gabe used a rangefinder to calculate adjustments for his scope, and soon would no doubt put on his ghillie suit to better blend in with the hillside. Regardless of where our new neighbors might decide to take cover and shoot at me, Gabe would be able to pick them off quickly with aimed fire if necessary. After quietly moving far enough away from Gabriel’s hide so as not to draw any unwanted attention to him, I gave up all pretense of stealth and trudged openly down the muddy slope. Two of the people at the bottom of the hill noticed me coming and snatched their weapons up from the table. As I drew closer I could see that there was a man, a woman, and a young boy who looked to be maybe eleven or twelve years old. The man pushed the boy behind him and brought the stock of his rifle to his shoulder.

 

“Hello the camp.” I shouted, waving to them and trying my best to sound jovial.

 

From their perspective, all they saw was a lone figure dressed in Army surplus combat fatigues winding his way toward them through close stands of tall trees. There was plenty of cover if they started shooting, but I was fervently hoping it would not come to that.

 

“Stop right there!” the woman shouted, taking aim with a lever action rifle.

 

I didn’t stop, but I slowed to a shuffle and began edging behind the thick trunk of a giant maple tree.

 

“Take it easy, folks, I don’t mean you any harm.” I said. “You’re the first survivors I’ve seen in a long time, I just want to talk.”

 

“Where did you come from?” The man demanded, “How did you find us?”

 

“I live in a cabin a couple of miles from here.” I replied. “I was out scouting around and saw you folks cross the highway a few miles back where it intersects with the AT.”

 

By the time I finished talking I was more than halfway behind the big maple. I knew that Gabriel had a good line of fire, and if things got nasty, I was just going to take cover and let the sniper do his thing.