Chapter 13 - "You think I have something to hide?"

The roar of the Compound swirled around Louie as she sat alone at a long table, a tray of food before her. Lost in her own storm of thoughts, Louie barely noticed the flurry of movement around her, or the laughter floating from the surrounding tables. Her attention jumped to the kitchen when she heard Marie's bright voice exclaim, "Hey sweet pea, I've missed you working with me."

Peyton gave a small smile. Marie's face lit up even more as he said something Louie couldn't hear. She silently watched the interaction, seeing how Marie chatted happily to Peyton, until a figure settled before her. Ryland's mouth was curved into a wide grin.

"Hey Lou, how's it going?"

Louie's back straightened. Moving her gaze back to there food, she continued eating.

"What do you want Rye?"

"I was wondering what the next step in training is? We've been working with knives for about a week now, pretty boy has to have something else planned."

Louie leveled Ryland with a blank expression, the hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Pretty boy? Come now Rye, you aren't threatened by Peyton, are you?" Louie asked, her tone even.

Ryland seemed to stiffen, but Louie continued talking before he could say anything.

"Though if there was one person who would be threatening its Peyton, but I see no reason to worry."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"You're the one with all the sources Rye, why not figure it out yourself."

Louie stood and took her tray, staking it with the others. She wasn't going to be the one to tell Ryland that Peyton wasn't going to stay. The only reason he was still in the Compound was because of a promise.

Clasping her hands behind her, she moved over to the table where Peyton sat, talking with the Heads of most of the departments. Conversations ceased as Louie stood facing everyone. She nodded.

"Good morning everyone," Louie said.

The response was a few nods joined with quiet replies in kind. Louie shifted her attention to Peyton.

"Peyton, if you are finished I need you to come with me," Louie said.

Peyton stood immediately and nodded once, his posture matching her's.

"Of course," he said.

His response surprised Louie but she kept it from showing. The Head's of the departments looked between Louie and Peyton, puzzlement creasing their brows. Peyton took care of his tray and then came to stand by Louie's side, his manner expectant. Louie nodded to the table, and turned away, Peyton following.

They walked through the Compound. Their boots beat out an even rhythm on the concrete floor, mixing with wave of voices that filled ever inch of the space. When they entered the Cage, Louie spun on Peyton, halting him in his tracks.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Peyton arched one eyebrow.

"You are over the all the Heads and they are over me, so therefore you are over me. I assumed that was the correct response when you requested something." His expression seemed to go mocking. "Was I suppose to brush you off and say I would come in a minute?"

Louie bristled because that had been exactly what she expected from Peyton.

"You teach people how to treat you, they can only get away with what you put up with," Peyton said.

Louie raised her chin.

"And you would know this..."

"Being a leader is never an easy job and it takes a leader to know a leader."

The words startled Louie and she took an involuntary step back. She wasn't sure what was more surprising, Peyton calling her a leader or the fact that he was trying to help her. A brief silence passed between them, until Louie turned and started walking towards Chief's office.

"Chief wants to see you," Louie called over her shoulder.

"Peyton, thank you for coming," Chief said, standing as they entered the office.

He shook Peyton's hand, then gestured to a chair.

"Please have a seat."

Peyton did and Louie stood by the edge of the desk, her hands folded behind her.

"Elouise, sit as well."

Louie reluctantly grabbed a chair and settled it between the two men.

"Peyton," Chief said. "You have now finished working with every department. I would like an update on what you have learned. Where you believe our defenses are weak and where improvements can be made."

Peyton sat a little straightener, his hands clasping in front of him.

"Well sir, as far as I can tell this Compound is one of the best run groups I have ever seen," Peyton said. "You're efficient. The only place I have seen the need for a change is in Security. Parts of the perimeter have become weak with time. Moods in the Compound itself seem to be content as far as I can tell. They like you as leader."

There was a heart beat of a pause as Peyton's eyes flashed to Louie before settling back on Chief. Louie knew if she had blinked she would have missed it.

"Your men in Security are trained well, but I believe that there is still room for improvement. They know how to shoot, but their defense skills are not where I think they should be. The three Security members that are in my training team are better prepared. I also believe that if need be they could train the others," Peyton said.

Chief took a moment to process all this, nodding silently.

"Alright," he said. "I'll have you inform Marc where the replacements need to be made in the fence and have that done right away. As for the training of the Security team, I would like to predominately put you in Security and have you oversee the training of the rest of the Department workers. You could train them in the morning, so there we are not completely defenseless while you train your other team. Could you work with that?"

Louie noticed as Peyton's shoulders tensed and he nodded once.

"Of course, sir."

"Good, you can start this morning. Louie go with him to Security and explain what is happening to Marc. Is there anything else?" Chief asked, looking to Peyton.

Peyton stood and shook his head.

"No, sir."

"Excellent. Thank you Peyton for all the work you have done."

Peyton bowed his head and then followed Louie out the door.

******************

The barn rang with the voices, Ryland's the loudest of them all, as Louie joined the team. Rifles and guns were crowded in one corner. The sight of them sparked a new energy in the group. Peyton positioned himself at the front of the barn, his stance wide, his hands behind him. He held his silence, as voices broke off and member's nudged each other to stop them from talking.

"Alright," Peyton said. "You have had two weeks of training and so your bodies should be ready for another challenge. As I said in the beginning your greatest strength is not just knowing how to defend yourself but having the stamina in which to do so. Since you will never know what situation you will be in you must train so you are ready for any thing. Today on our five mile run we will be wearing these." Peyton held up a pack that was full to bursting. "Grab one and lets go."

As Louie stepped over to grab a pack, Ryland came along side her and playful bumped her with his elbow.

"Hey Lou, want me to carry your's for you?"

Peyton looked between the two of them, while a few surrounding member's wore smirks or chuckled. Louie gave Ryland an blank look.

"Maybe before you offer to take someone else's responsibility off their shoulders you should make sure you can handle your own," Louie said.

She grabbed a bag, hoisted it over her shoulders and took off running. Ryland passed her a second later, but didn't look at her.

After two weeks of running and constant training Louie's thin frame had transformed into a body of tight and defined muscles. The never ending ache she had put up with was replaced one day by a core of strength.

Boots pounded against the cracked pavement, the sound billowing beyond the barrier of the Compound. Louie's pack banged against her back and she knew that sleeping was going to be uncomfortable that night. But she kept going, ignoring the pain, her muscles pushing her on.

By the time they had reentered the barn, Louie's shoulder's were groaning with the weight of the pack. The bags were discarded and Peyton grabbed one of the rifles from the corner, holding out for everyone to look at.

"Like I said," Peyton said, "though guns are not your greatest asset they are still useful. Now that I am confident you can handle yourselves with a knife, we'll move on."

Ryland seemed to bounce slightly, eager to get his hands on a real weapon. Peyton's gaze landed on him and stayed there for a brief second, before continuing.

"This weapon will give you distance, but make no mistake this will not protect you if a Crawler is less than four feet away. That is what a hand gun is for. You should know, one shot from a rifle will only guarantee one thing, and that is a Crawler will know where you are. That means they will come for you. Now lets get started."

Peyton talked quickly over how to load, hold and aim the rifle. By the time he finished Ryland's hands were twitching to get his hands on a gun.

"Ryland, since you are so eager to shot something, then you can be the first to fire the gun," Peyton said.

Ryland swaggered forward and took the gun from Peyton's hand.

"I have tacked a piece of paper, with a circle, to the far wall of the barn up in the loft. Hit the center of the hole for me," Peyton said.

The crowd backed away as Ryland raised the rifle. He squeezed the trigger and the walls rang with a loud bang, the sound echoing in every eardrum. Ryland lowered the rifle and Peyton took it, glancing through the scope.

"Good job. You managed to hit the paper," Peyton said, his tone even.

Smirks dotted the faces of a few members and Ryland shifted his shoulders.

"Louie," Peyton said. "How about you show Ryland what it looks like to hit the inside of the circle."

Every head turned and watched as Louie moved forward, her face unreadable, posture rigid. Ryland took a step back, his arms crossed defiantly. Peyton handed the rifle to Louie and she fitted it into her shoulder.

Everyone fell quiet and Louie peered through the scope. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed the trigger as she exhaled. The gun jerked back at her as the blast reverberated in her ears. She raised her head and gave Peyton back the gun. A smile creased his lips as he peered through the scope.

"And that's how its done." Peyton turned to the group. "Now everyone grab a rifle and make a line. I'm not planning on having anyone shot today so wait until I give the order for you to fire."

Everyone moved off, none of them making any acknowledgement of Louie's skill. Peyton handed Louie back the rifle and she took it, giving him a slightly puzzled look.

"Marc told me he trained you himself," Peyton said. "So I knew I was safe in assuming you could make the shot."

Louie nodded and fell into line with everyone else, Ryland keeping his distance.

******************

Silence had settled over the barn, the last footsteps fading into the night, absorbed by the sounds of the wind whispering though bare tree branches. Louie's boots broke parts of the silence as she moved about positioning the makeshift men at different ends of the barn.

Their arms swung gently back n forth, pushed about by the breeze that crept in through the open doors. Standing in the center of the space, Louie gripped the three knives, letting their weight settle in her hand.

She took a deep breath then spun to the man on her left and threw one of the knives. It had barely left her hand before she was spinning to her right and releasing another knife. She turned once more and sent the last knife sailing. It sliced through the burlap sack, lodging itself into the small post that kept the figure upright. She straightened and moved across to the floppy form, tugging the knife free.

"Are you going to make a habit of this?" Louie asked the silent barn.

She glanced up briefly to where Peyton sat with his legs dangled over the edge of the loft, arms resting on knees. He shrugged and Louie looked away, moving to collect the other two knives.

"Possibly, is that a problem?"

Louie yanked the knife free.

"Only if you get in the way."

"Am I safe here?"

Peyton didn't even blink as Louie spun and set a knife hurtling towards him. It missed his head by inches and became embedded in the wooden plank behind him.

"You tell me?" Louie said.

"I think you already answered that question."

Peyton smirked and Louie turned back to the final makeshift man, pulling the knife out of the wood. Before she turned away, a knife hit the opposite side of the post, sending the figure swaying.

"Thanks," Louie said, tugging the knife free.

Peyton nodded. Louie repositioned one of the makeshift men before moving to the opposite side of the barn. With her back almost against the wall, she spread her feet. She flipped a knife, grabbed the blade and hurled it at one of the standing figures.

"You going to tell me what you were with holding from Chief?" Louie asked, looking up at Peyton.

"Who says I was withholding anything?"

Another knife went slicing through the air, sinking into the furtherest figure.

"The brief hesitation and the look you gave me, for starters."

"You think I have something to hide?"

The last knife sent the makeshift man tumbling backwards with the force of the blow.

"I think you have something that you believe we don't want to hear."

Louie straightened, staring up at Peyton, watching for any reaction, but getting as much as she was giving him.

"Its nothing I believe will be resolved with time and so I decided that it wasn't worth mentioning."

Louie walked over and lifted the fallen figure, yanking the knife free.

"Time might be something that we don't have as much as you think we do. So tell me what it is you didn't want to say."

The barn became eerily quiet, the only sound was the soft tapping of Louie's boots on the floor boards as she moved about collecting the knives.

"People aren't happy with the position you hold," Peyton finally said.

Louie stood for a long moment, staring at the knife in her hand. She flipped it, watching as it caught the light, flashing it back into the barn.

"I know. I'm not blind." Louie stopped flipping the knife and looked up at Peyton. "But it doesn't matter. I will take my father's place, because that is what I have been trained to do. I know what this Compound needs. I know how to protect them. I understand its difficult for some to come to terms with my position, but it was one I was born to do."

Peyton stared at her for a long moment. He dropped down from the loft, landing noiselessly on the balls of his feet.

"Did you ever think that just because you were trained to do something, that you have the option of doing something else?" Peyton asked.

Peyton snatched a nearby knife and started tossing it in the air as he walked towards Louie.

"There is nothing else, this is what I'm meant to do. I've known this since I was fifteen years old."

"But it doesn't have to be. Have you ever thought that someone else could do your job."

"No one is better equipped than me."

"That doesn't mean that they can't learn."

"Are you saying there could be someone better for this job?" Louie asked, her composure breaking slightly.

Peyton raised his hands.

"That's not what I'm saying. I was just trying to point out that, just because you were put into a position and trained for it, does not mean you have to choose that path for your life. That's all I'm saying."

Louie leveled him with a steady gaze.

"I know people feel I'm too young to be where I am, but I'm the best person for the job. In time they will see that."

Peyton nodded and his hand flipping the knife once more.

"Then I with held nothing that you didn't already know yourself."

There was a brief pause as they looked at each other. The moment was broken when a scream of pain ripped through the night like a gun shot.

******************

Vote. Comment. Follow.