Day 25 - The Gates of Riverside

Day 25 - The Gates of Riverside

Jackson and Emily crouched behind a rusted sedan, scanning the entrance to Riverside.

The barricade was real—stacked cars, concrete blocks, and barbed wire stretched across the main road. Guard towers loomed above, shadowy figures moving inside them. A massive steel gate stood at the center, reinforced with metal plating and thick chains.

This wasn’t some half-abandoned refuge.

This was a fortress.

Jackson’s chest tightened. If Sam was telling the truth, this was the safest place left. But safe didn’t mean welcoming.

A rifle cracked in the distance.

Emily flinched. “What if they don’t let us in?”

Jackson exhaled, gripping the revolver at his hip. “Only one way to find out.”

They stepped out of cover, hands raised.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Then a spotlight flared to life, blinding them.

A voice boomed from the tower.

“Drop your weapons! Hands where we can see ‘em!”

Jackson hesitated. He wasn’t about to hand over his only defense.

“Do it,” Emily whispered.

Gritting his teeth, Jackson unholstered his revolver and set it on the ground. Emily did the same with the pistol she had taken.

More movement behind the barricade. Shadows slipping between the wreckage.

Then the gate groaned open.

Five figures emerged—armed, armored, faces hidden behind makeshift helmets and scarves. The one in front, a tall woman with sharp eyes, stepped closer. Her rifle was steady, aimed directly at Jackson’s chest.

“You carrying bites?” she demanded.

“No,” Jackson said.

She gestured to his shoulder. “Then what’s that?”

“Bullet wound.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Prove it.”

Jackson clenched his jaw but pulled back his torn shirt. The wound was raw, the bandages still red with dried blood. Not the black, sickly veins of an infection.

She studied him for a moment, then turned to Emily. “And her?”

“She’s clean.”

The woman nodded once, then lowered her rifle.

“Welcome to Riverside.”

---

Day 25 - Inside the Walls

The moment they stepped through the gate, Jackson realized just how wrong he’d been.

Riverside wasn’t just a safe zone.

It was a city.

Buildings stood tall, patched together with metal and wood. Generators hummed in the distance. People moved along the streets—some armed, some not. Children played near a makeshift market where traders exchanged food, water, and supplies.

It felt… alive.

Jackson had spent weeks in silence, surrounded by nothing but death. The noise of Riverside hit him like a wave.

Emily’s eyes were wide. “It’s like…”

“The world before,” Jackson finished.

A small part of him wanted to believe in this place. To believe that safety was real.

But he knew better.

No place was truly safe.

The woman led them through the streets toward a large building—once a courthouse, now repurposed as a command center.

“Who’s in charge here?” Jackson asked.

“Captain Rourke,” she replied.

Jackson nodded but said nothing. He knew that name.

Rourke had been military before the fall. A hardass. The kind of man who did what needed to be done, no matter the cost.

That could be good.

Or it could be very, very bad.

---

Day 25 - Sam

The moment Jackson stepped inside the command center, he heard a familiar voice.

“Jackson?”

He turned.

Sam.

She was real.

She stood at the far end of the room, wide-eyed, disbelief clear on her face. She was younger than he expected—maybe late twenties, her dark hair pulled into a loose ponytail. A pistol hung at her side, but her expression wasn’t one of a hardened soldier.

It was relief.

“You actually made it,” she breathed.

Jackson gave a tired smirk. “Told you I would.”

Before he could react, she threw her arms around him.

He stiffened—human contact felt foreign after so long. But after a moment, he relaxed.

Emily watched the exchange, shifting awkwardly.

Sam pulled back, eyes flicking between them. “Who’s the kid?”

Jackson glanced at Emily. “She’s the reason I made it here.”

Sam nodded, studying Emily with quiet approval. “Then she’s welcome, too.”

Emily exhaled, shoulders sagging. She had been holding onto tension for days.

They weren’t alone anymore.

---

Day 26 - Trust and Lies

Rourke was a problem.

Jackson knew it the moment he met him.

The man was built like a tank—gray hair, sharp eyes, military posture. He listened to Jackson’s story with arms crossed, face unreadable.

When Jackson finished, Rourke leaned back. “You’re a liability.”

Jackson tensed. “Excuse me?”

“You show up with a bullet wound, no supplies, and a kid in tow. You expect us to just take you in?”

Jackson clenched his fists. “I have skills. I can pull my weight.”

Rourke didn’t look convinced.

Then Sam spoke up. “He’s the one who kept broadcasting. That’s how we found other survivors. How we found you.”

That made Rourke pause.

Jackson seized the moment. “I can keep doing it. If you let me.”

Rourke studied him. Then, finally, he nodded.

“You get one chance.”

---

Day 27 - The Broadcast Returns

The radio station in Riverside was smaller than K-102, but it worked.

Jackson sat in front of the microphone, fingers hovering over the switch.

He took a deep breath.

Then he pressed it.

“This is Jackson Cole, broadcasting from Riverside. If you’re out there… you’re not alone.”

The static hummed.

Somewhere, someone might be listening.

Maybe another lost soul.

Maybe someone who still had hope.

Jackson leaned back, staring at the blinking light of the transmitter.

The world wasn’t the same.

But as long as the signal was still alive…

Neither was he.

To Be Continued…

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