"Alright, grab the fattest one."

Just as they were about to open the sheep pen, Ronan Kendrick and the others pressed guns to the backs of their heads.

"Stealing sheep?" Ronan Kendrick’s tone was grave. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, they dropped to their knees.

"Don’t, don’t shoot! We were wrong! We’re refugees from Jaron Base in Country E. It took us three and a half months to get here. We stumbled upon this place by accident and saw you had sheep. We were so hungry, we just wanted to ’borrow’ one. Please, don’t shoot. Sirs, we can talk this out."

"You’re from Country E? How do you speak our language?" Taylor Vance stepped forward and pulled off their masks. He saw that five of them appeared to be Chinese, while the other two—a man and a woman—were foreigners. There were seven of them in total.

"No, we were studying abroad in Country E. After the apocalypse began, we couldn’t get back for various reasons. We ended up at Jaron Base in Country E, but the base was destroyed when the sea flooded it, and we were swept away."

Taylor Vance had Peter Owens keep a gun on the group while he pulled Ronan Kendrick, Officer Graham, and the others aside to discuss how to handle them.

"They have to leave. We absolutely cannot take them in, especially with two foreigners in their group."

Unless it was absolutely necessary, no one wanted to kill anyone.

After discussing for a few minutes, Taylor Vance went over and told them to get up.

"Leave now. Don’t come near our courtyard again, or we won’t show any mercy."

"We have nowhere else to go. Sir, there are only seven of us. Could you please let us stay for a few days? It’s too cold, and we have no food. I haven’t eaten in two days."

Taylor Vance looked at the young man who was speaking. "Sorry, we can’t take you in. Please leave immediately, or I’ll open fire."

All seven of them had large black backpacks and two pushcarts. ’They must have some skills to have made it all the way here from Country E.’

Seeing that Taylor Vance was serious about shooting, the group exchanged a panicked glance.

"Don’t shoot! We’re not bad people. Sir, we’re your countrymen! You look to be about my father’s age. Are you really going to watch us starve? How about this? Could you give us one of your sheep? We’re seriously about to die of hunger."

Taylor Vance pointed to the nearby mountains. "We caught the sheep in the mountains. You can try your luck there, but we can’t give you one of ours. Please leave."

The group was afraid, but they still wouldn’t leave. Suddenly, Ronan Kendrick fired a shot into the ground, and they all dropped and cowered in fear.

"We’re leaving, leaving right now."

They stumbled away, but Taylor Vance’s brow was tightly furrowed.

"I doubt they’ll leave that easily. Everyone needs to stay vigilant for a while."

Back in the courtyard, Evelyn Ford, Wyatt Vaughn, and Wendy were waiting for them by the fire pit.

"What happened?"

Quincy quickly explained what had happened. "It was pretty unexpected, running into other survivors like that. The sound of the sheep must have drawn them here."

"We absolutely cannot take in strangers." Wyatt Vaughn was extremely wary of outsiders now.

"Seven young adults won’t starve if they go hunting in the mountains. There must be other houses around, but they just had to ask to stay with us. And with two foreigners in their group, it’s too dangerous."

Taylor Vance nodded. "That’s a good point. Everyone needs to be extra careful for a while. Don’t leave the courtyard alone, in case they’re waiting in ambush to get back at us. Also, we need to keep a close watch on the sheep pen and the greenhouse."

"Do they have guns?"

"I’m not sure, but they have knives. Every one of them was carrying one." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

That night, the group of strangers shattered the courtyard’s peace and harmony. Back in her room, Evelyn Ford found it hard to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?"

"It’s just unsettling, having a group of strangers suddenly appear. I can’t get used to it."

Ronan Kendrick patted her back. "I’ll go take care of them."

"Don’t."

Evelyn Ford held his hand. "If they’re just refugees, we have no reason to hurt them."

"If they really are up to no good, we can deal with them then. It won’t be too late."

「The next day」

Evelyn Ford went to the greenhouse to check on the vegetables. The sleet had stopped. For the past few days, only light snow had fallen, and the temperature hadn’t dropped any further.

The vegetables were growing well. After adding more wood to the stove, Evelyn Ford did a final check before heading back to the courtyard.

That afternoon, the group returned. They were dragging two wild boars and stood outside the courtyard, hoping to trade their catch for a room.

"We’ve searched all the nearby villages, and there isn’t a single habitable house. Sir, we’re being sincere. These two boars are a good size; you can have them both. Can you please just let us stay for a little while? We’ll find our own food. We just need a roof over our heads."

The man was a smooth talker. Taylor Vance watched him for a long moment.

"What’s your name?"

"Caleb Warren. My family is from Crestfall. These are my classmates, and the two foreigners are my friends, too. They’re all good people."

Taylor Vance smiled and shook his head again. "We don’t have any spare rooms. We have too many people here already; we’re full. If you keep going for a few more hours past Flatwood Village, you’ll reach the county seat. Why don’t you try there?"

Rejected again, the smile on Caleb Warren’s face faltered. The expressions of the people behind him turned grim.

"Sir, we only tried to steal a sheep last night because we were desperate. Besides, we didn’t even get away with it. We’re all countrymen. At a difficult time like this, can’t you just help us out?"

"I’m afraid I can’t help. Look, I can give you some hot water, but we don’t have any food to spare. You said it yourself, these are hard times. Even if we are countrymen, there’s nothing we can do."

Taylor Vance had Zion Lowell bring over a pot of hot water. Caleb Warren looked like he wanted to say more, but the two foreigners behind him pulled him back.

"I understand your concerns, Sir. In that case, we’ll head to the county seat."

The group dragged the wild boars away. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell exchanged a look and immediately returned to the kitchen.

"They’ll probably come back tonight."

Miles Vaughn was surprised. "To rob and kill us? They saw we have guns. They’d still dare to come back?"

Taylor Vance shook his head. "When they came earlier, they claimed they were looking for a place to stay, but they were really scouting. They were checking how many of us there are and getting the layout of the courtyard to make their move tonight. They probably have guns."

Quincy couldn’t help but swear. "They’re going to kill us just because we wouldn’t let them stay? These people are insane! They could just find a place in the county seat. It’s seven able-bodied adults, none of them are old or sick."

"They’ve probably got their eyes on our sheep and horses," Wyatt Vaughn said. He, for one, found their line of thinking perfectly normal. "Honestly, who could resist the temptation to just take it all? If it were me, I’d definitely be thinking the same thing."

Just then, someone ran into the courtyard. Everyone looked and saw it was one of the men from the group—an unremarkable one who had stayed in the background.

"I have to tell you something! Those people aren’t my classmates. They’re just some guys from our country I met at Jaron Base. They’re planning to come and kill you all tonight. You have to believe me!"

Taylor Vance’s gaze sharpened instantly. "You’re ratting them out. What do you want in return?"

"I want a horse."