She breathed in the crisp winter air. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to the sky. She felt her skin get kissed by snowflakes falling from the sky. They muted the noises that she'd only heard after the apocalypse, leaving nothing but nature. The calming chirps of birds relaxed her shoulders as she breathed in again. She had done it. Bringing her head back down, she slowly opened her eyes. She took in the fortress-like walls, towering dozens of feet above her. The top of the wall, she found, was lined with people. She took a few steps forward, her boots crunching in the newly placed snow on the ground. She raised her hands above her head, her gun swayed slightly against her back. She winced slightly as the bullet wound behind the tournequet torted awkwardly.

"Stop advancing! Are you infected?"

"No!" she yelled back, bringing her  injured arm down. She shielded her eyes from the bright sky as she looked up at the top of the wall.

"Are you alone?" She hesitated. Her eyes stung as they started to tear up. She swallowed, holding back the thick ball that grew in her throat. I promised myself to stop this!

"Yes."

"Take off your weapons and toss them out of reach. We'll have someone receive you."

She slowly unstrapped her gun, gripping it tightly in her hand as she recalled all the times it had saved her life. She then lowered it to the ground before kicking it away. The gun made a whirling noise as it skidded away, doing a couple of spins in the snow. She then took her backpack off and tossed it in the direction of the her gun.

The large, thick wooden gates parted in front of her. She raised her hands once more as a few people carrying guns ran out. They swept the area quickly, before one grabbed her weapons and the other motioned her forward with their gun. She walked forward slowly, taking a moment to blow a jet stream of breath up to her hair to move it out of her eyes. She couldn't believe it. She was leaving the life she knew of heartache and constant hiding. She didn't have to worry about falling asleep and waking to find her things taken or finding a new addition to her skin.

She glanced around one last time at the environment. Off in the distance, she could see the ruins of a once grand city. She could see the cars back up for miles as little specks on the roads. She could even see a few fast travelling dots across the foothills, no doubt Blights. She would never see any of this again. She would be happily content to stay behind the massive walls that would shield her from being put back into the horrors out there.

As she entered through the gate, she found the place thriving with life. People strolling by would openly stare at her state. They sent her looks of pity or disgust. She knew she looked like a rat that just crawled out of the sewers. She was filthy, covered head to toe in dirt and dried blood. She probably had a few ticks in her bird's nest of hair. Her clothes were torn and muddy. Her shoes, the soles worn along with frayed laces and holes along the seams. She didn't care.

She took in the buildings. Most were various types of brick. All of them held some sort of sign. Fran's Bakery. General Store. Marlene's Boutique. Off to her right, she saw a small cobblestone path that lead to a large open area where winter crops swayed. When she directed her attention back to the main street, she found a couple walking towards her. They were both near their late 60s. The woman held a clip board to her chest so she could protect the papers from the snow falling.

"Please, come with us dear to the Main Hall. Cole, take her weapons to the armory, you won't be needing them in these walls, dear," the woman said, smiling. She beckoned her to follow, turning to head back the way they came. She kept her head down, ignoring the whispers of the townspeople as they passed. We made it, Alex. We made it to Ryseden. You were right. You were always right.

When they made it to the Main Hall, the man held the door open for both girls. The women gestured to a seating area, her and the male sitting down on a sofa. Across from them was a chair, but she didn't make a move to sit down.

"Why don't you sit down, child?"

"I don't want to dirty your furniture," she said awkwardly. "Plus I'm fine with standing." The elder female shook her head. She picked up a pair of glasses on the side table and perched them on the top of her nose.

"Here at Ryseden, we fill out papers to keep all of our people on record. I guess it's a way to make sure everything is ran smoothly. So, you don't mind if we question you a bit, yeah?" She shook her head hesitantly, wandering her eyes over the entire facility.

"How old are you?"

"25"

"Where is your family? Do you have any friends out there?"

"No, they're all dead."

"From the Harborers, I'm assuming?" She was taken aback by the name slightly. She'd always called them Blights, and never stopped to think that other people probably had names for them too.

"Yes."

"Are you willing to take time to help this community thrive?"

"Yes." And she told the truth. She was ready to have a purpose rather than scavenging around.

"Have you killed humans before?"

"Yes," she said with little hesitation.

"Were they all infected?"

"No."

"How many non-infected humans then?"

"Too many."

"Was it all in self-defense?"

"Yes."

"How many Harborers have you killed?"

"A few. But I tried to get around them. Had to save ammo."

"That's understandable. Did you have any allergies or problems before the everything happened?" She found that an odd question, but she didn't spend too much time on it.

"No."

"Good, good. I guess there's just one question left. What's your name?" she paused, thinking about giving her the name Sun. Her heart twinged at the idea. That name is reserved only for him.

"I prefer to leave that bit of information in the past. I like keeping my past disconnected from my life afterwards." The other woman smiled knowingly.

"I understand how you feel. But please, for the papers of your registration. You may change your name afterwards if you please." She bit the inside of her cheek. Thinking it over in her head. Was it really worth reconnecting with her past, just for a little bit? She finally decided that it would be all right.

"My name's Blyana."

"Well, Blyana, welcome to Ryseden."