The memorial celebration was in full flow. After David’s return to their new base of operations everything had been a whirlwind.

  People came. In numbers he frankly had no idea how to handle. It didn’t seem to matter.

  Katie and the two Sarah’s were in their element, putting people to work and sending people back into the zone for supplies.

  Tables were set up. Prep stations were created and grills fired up.

  Then people started arriving, alcohol started flowing and everything became a blur of names and faces and talking to people.

  The whole thing was incredibly spontaneous, as frankly they hadn’t planned all the details terribly well. Someone suggested that they should follow a tradition of letting people lie in state.

  Someone else that they should prepare the dead for their journey as a community. Given the lack of space and the fact that the dead were literally rising again the consensus was there should be a cremation for the deceased.

  Then there were the toasts. Everyone raised a glass as the names of the fallen raiders were read out. More spontaneous toasts happened all the time as people shared stories about the dead and ended with raised glasses.

  David was given his bottle of scotch, even graciously thanking the raider who had made such an ill-advised bet. He promptly shared the whole bottle with the man and all the other raiders nearby to toast their fallen. Then another bottle appeared, and another. David was left wondering where all the drinks were coming from.

  Sure, some were the little travel size bottles they had liberated from the airport, and now he thought about it he was sure that some people must have helped themselves to duty free but still, there was a lot of booze flowing.

  By the time they were done with the initial rounds of toasts David, along with a lot of others, was feeling absolutely no pain. There was a wild almost celebratory atmosphere, filled with stories and people raising a glass. Truly a wake he thought blearily.

  The one exception was the space where the fallen raiders lay in state, each slowly and respectfully being moved from the truck onto a funeral pyre, people who knew them mourning as they participated in every step in the process. The whole effort being supervised by Carl and Pat, both of whom seemed to have ideas about how to build a pyre, and absolute respect for the fallen and grief.

  When Billy’s turn arrived, David joined his other friends in lifting the homeless man onto the pyre and laying Bessie beside him. Like the others he took the time to say a few words.

  “Goodbye my friend. I guess I barely knew you or Bessie. You were there at the start, always kind, generous even when you had nothing. You got this whole thing going with us. Our first unselfish action was saving people you told us about… God, I still remember the feeling when we got the door open and found those kids. I think that might be the best moment of my life, realizing I could help, make a difference, be someone. I know you weren’t there for that but still, it feels important to tell you. It isn’t fair that you died and I’m sorry, if I had been stronger, smarter, more… I should have told you to run you great lug, it isn’t fair.”

  David realized both that he was drunk and that the others were waiting for him to finish.

  Mark, who had been there, and owed his life to the man, was probably the worst of them with tears running down his face but it was him who raised their toast, his voice choked.

  “To Billy and Bessie. I owe them my life and can say with confidence their generosity was unmatched, I’ll try to be worthy of your sacrifice.”

  “To Billy and Bessie.” They all echoed, then downed their drinks.

  They all stayed together reminiscing quietly for a bit before people from outside their little group intruded. Then they started to scatter, pulled away by questions, toasts and requests.

  Sarah grabbed David’s elbow and steered him away from the others as they broke up seizing the brief moment of privacy to whisper firmly in his ear.

  “You should go and talk to Cammie.”

  Then the two of them were separating with David trying to process what she meant through all the drink.

  The comment was soon lost in the swirl of discussions as people kept pulling him over to their conversations to introduce themselves, ask about the raiders and the community in the safe zone. Most of them wanted to do one of two things, sometimes both. First, they thanked him for saving them. Second, they told him about their lost friends and family and thanked him for this chance to grieve.

  The latter inevitably led to more toasts.

  The numbers of people coming and going were impressive and David at some point found himself owlishly looking at a small group joining the party, one of whom he thought he recognized as a raider.

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  They were coming from the safe zone carrying a crate of beer.

  “Aha! I solved it! You’re bringing your own booze to supplement our little stash!”

  Seeing him they waved him over and inevitably offered him a new beer, so he downed his existing one before moving on, after wishing them well, and thanking them for coming, and having a quick toast.

  Things were fuzzy but David felt certain he needed to share his revelation about where the extra’s were coming from so he stumbled over to where Sarah and Katie could be seen chatting and handing out food from a groaning table beside a large grill.

  Seeing him Katie quickly pulled a fresh hot flatbread from the grill and threw pieces of meat and veggies, all cut small, into it. The she drizzled some sauce on it and handed him the fresh hot wrap.

  David bit into it and after savoring the taste, mumbled.

  “This is really good! I should probably have had something to eat before all the toasts!”

  Katie smiled, then said gently.

  “Maybe you should have some water to wash that down? You may be the man of the hour, but you really can’t drink with everyone…

  David nodded seriously. “I think my system makes me much more resistant to alcohol but let me tell you, I had quite a lot of whisky, some vodka and I think tequila and got right over that hump!”

  Katie nodded seriously, then before she could speak, he continued.

  “Oh yes! I came over here to tell you something important I figured out!”

  Katie grew serious asking “are we in danger? What do we need to do?”

  “No, nothing like that! I figured out how we have all the booze! There are people, good people, bringing more in from the safe zone. Probably from their personal stashes or emptying their liquor cabinets for people who need to grieve!”

  Katie looked at him mutely, so he continued.

  “That’s how all of this is working, people are pitching in. Helping with food and drink, probably other stuff like tables and wood! I just realized where all the wood came from… It’s like the story we learned as kids, you know, the feeding of the five thousand. You share your food and others do the same, generosity begets generosity!”

  Katie gravely nodded. “Yes David, did you really not realize that was going on? Even the council members have shaken things loose from their stores to supplement what we brought. We even organized a spot where people who want to help can wait to spell people who have been cooking.”

  “Oh, amazing! You’re great you know that!”

  Sarah, having finished up with another person who came for food turned to David and asked pointedly.

  “So David, did you do what I told you to?”

  “What? No? Oh, you told me to talk to Camila, right! I haven’t seen her cute butt in like ages. So, no I didn’t speak with her… Is it urgent?”

  Sarah just shared a look with Katie and then spoke firmly.

  “Just go and talk with her, OK? Why don’t you go and find her right now. Just talk to her and don’t mention that I told you to. Just you know. Talk.”

  “Oh, right! Sure, I can go and look for her. Any clues where I should start?”

  “I’m not sure. I think she went off in the direction of the mill, lots of the parents with kids are back there were there is a bit less noise, she said something about making sure they had blankets and things so they could get the little ones down to sleep.”

  Katie commented wryly, “Fat chance of that with all this noise and excitement, they will go till they drop.”

  Nodding to the two girls David set out, glad handing and sharing drinks with people as he made his way slowly across the party, pausing frequently.

  First there were people who wanted to join up. Then there was a group who wanted him to come and dance with them, they had an improvised dancefloor thanks to a couple of cars with their engines idling and headlights on, one with its doors open and its stereo cranked up playing MP3s.

  After dancing for a bit he left the group, promising to come back later once he found his friend.

  Then there was an encounter with a friend of Billy’s. Someone from the shelter, who was just as drunk as he was and they had a confused conversation that left him with the impression that either the guy was nuttier than a fruitcake, Billy was in fact an angel, or possibly that they were both too drunk to keep a sane conversation going.

  When he finally got close to the mill he saw Camila in the distance, illuminated by an electric lantern someone had hung by an open door to the building. She was talking to an older woman and pressing what looked like a stack of airline blankets, still wrapped in plastic, into the woman’s hands.

  She had managed to clean up somehow and was again wearing tight form-fitting running clothes, similar to what she had on the first time he saw her. He smiled, pausing to admire her butt in the form fitting outfit before shaking himself.

  He knew that doing that if she saw him would earn him a scornful comment at best, a slap backed by her supernatural strength at worst.

  Maybe it was the booze speaking but she looked good.

  Not appropriate David, she’s an important part of the team and a friend…

  He was about to approach the two women when a shriek from off to his left stopped him cold.

  “DAAVEY! It is you! It’s my Davey!”

  He recognized that voice, even if drink made him slow to react. Only one person called him Davey, and he privately admitted he hated it. He never told her though.

  The shout had drawn a fair few eyes to them, including Camila. Which made what happened next extremely public.

  The woman who had shouted out launched herself at him and despite his drink slowed reflexes he was more than able to keep standing with his enhanced stats as she hit him and latched on with arms and legs.

  He was still trying to figure out how the hell to react when she kissed him, hard, on the lips.

  So there he was, holding her up with her arms and legs wrapped around him as Camila came over.

  There was something in her tone as she spoke to him that his drink fogged brain couldn’t quite figure out.

  “So Davey… Would you care to introduce your friend?” The emphasis on friend was hard to miss and David knew he was in trouble.

  “Uh Camila, hi! Uh this is Candy. My ex.”

  Even as David made the introduction Camila let one eyebrow quirk upwards as she looked at the other woman literally hanging off him after their liplock.

  Candy then opened her mouth, “Oh Davey is such a joker, ex indeed. I’m his girlfriend honey! Don’t let rumors of a little fight give you the wrong impression.”

  David could only stand there feeling stupid as alcohol, surprise and a wholly unexpected kiss left him befuddled. Camila smiled sweetly as she replied.

  “I see, well I’ll leave you two to... I really must make sure that the raiders on guard get a chance to mourn as well.”

  Then she whirled around and left at a rapid walk, not quite a run.