"You don't have to apologize. Not your fault that your entire village got murdered." He had laid on the bed with his back on the somewhat lumpy mattress, eyes cast upward at the solid wooden beams that formed a steady bracing for the roof. It was difficult to have the logs stay in place like that without some kind of super adhesive or measuring with extreme precision. Not only were these people on the verge of saving the world's population with food growth, but they were also excellent engineers. Why would they stay secluded? Why not promulgate all these advancements to the rest of the United States? People needed hope more than ever and it felt strange that this group seemed to be holding out on the rest of mankind. He hoped there would be some explanation for their behavior. His head turned to face Cameron upon hearing her greeting, responding:
"You get some rest yourself. See you in the morning." As his head resumed its former position, there was a part of him that felt happy Cam was around. Not in a weird way, just...to have someone else in the fight. It was a nice change of pace. A small smile crept onto his face as his eyes closed, his head sinking into the pillow.

______________

He heard the door slam open and a familiar voice grumble about getting ready, the scout wanting to jump out of bed and deliver a nasty uppercut to the voice's chin before resuming his place in bed. A groan escaped his lips as he sat up, rubbing his eyes furiously before looking to Cam. 
"So, I must look terrible, don't I?" He said with a chuckle as he picked up a pair of worn denim jeans with the knees ripped to shreds and a solid black t-shirt with white socks and tennis shoes of a faded red hue. Although the condition of the clothing wasn't up to par, the way it felt...the material didn't poke into the skin or make him itch profusely. Must have been made from materials they grow here. As he slipped on the tennis shoes, the wiry one stormed in and led them through the village, which in the morning sun's rays looked even more like a promised land than last night. Men and women both were tilling gardens with ripening vegetables, sewing clothing together by spinning white tufts of cotton and placing it in buckets of dye and feeding chickens that would haphazardly cross the main path that wound through the village and up to a covered pavilion that had ten of what Justin assumed to be the leaders of the place. After being gruffly announced by the large one, a woman named Avery asked who would be speaking. Justin looked to Cam, remembering what she told him last night. He would do the talking, which made him slightly uncomfortable, but he understood her deference. Nodding to his companion, he then looked to Avery with a polite smile.
"I will, Avery. First, allow me to thank you and your group for being so generous to us. We would have been dead without your assistance."
"It is rare to find sane humans in this part of the land, let alone ones who are from one of the more renown settlements."
"Renown?"
"Yes. We send some of our people south to scavenge for supplies. They have met some of your scouts and have had nothing but positive things to say." 
"I'm glad, although I would've remembered our scouts running into your people. We don't have nearly the advancements in technology that you do."
"We tend to keep this very secretive."
"May I ask why?" Avery brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, staying silent for a brief second before responding:
"We do not believe that the world is ready for this level of advancement." A couple of the council members stirred in their seats, lips pursed. 
"You probably know how our village came to be so advanced?"
"The vials of liquid we found..."
"That we found first, that I..." She paused, looking to the man seated next to her with equally grey hair. 
"That I created." 
"You were one of the scientists we read about? The ones who-"
"Yes. We were on our way to Portland when we were ambushed by raiders, the precursors to the tribes that frequent the area. Some died, others were taken captive, but a few of us managed to escape during the attack and flee to a remote area." She motioned to the village as she continued:
"We realized that without the security detail swept up by the raiders, we would be easy prey. We decided it would be best for us to stay at this spot until we could figure out a plan of action, but then groups of survivors stumbled onto us. They needed food and...well, we had the key to their survival." 
"The others, Avery..." The man sitting next to her chimed in. 
"Of course. The others, as far as we know made it to Portland with most of the serum. We've been attempting to send people up that way for years, but none ever return."