"Old man, you don't have to do this." One of the survivors spoke, his voice laced with forced courtesy. Inside, he was screaming for help, but they had been raised to be polite, no matter the circumstances. Such were the customs in most states.
"Kid, you don't have to force yourself either. I'm just keeping a promise I made to a friend."
"What if they misunderstand your intentions? I know our leader chose to separate, but before that, we were one group."
"Hey, how can you say that? Our people aren't that petty! This isn't the time for division but for planning. What are we going to do from here on? With them... gone, how do we even hope to manage the camp, let alone survive the hordes in the future?" another argued, his voice strained with worry.
"With the sun setting, we might have no choice but to rely on the women and the older generation to fend them off. Is there really no other way, old man?"
