章 65: The Berti Family (Part 1)

Bright Territory

Ansel and Tom stood nearby the gates of the territory, right next to the dirt road to see the new batch of refugees as closely as possible.

They watched each new person enter the territory with sharp, but concerned eyes. They scanned each new face, hoping to see familiar faces. 

They were not alone, in fact, as there were about a dozen others trying to see if there were people they knew among the crowd.

The air was heavy with anticipation. One by one, they watched as the weary refugees emerged from the gates and to their sights. 

As it was in the previous batches, they saw more and more unfamiliar faces, each had tattered clothes, bloodied bodies, and tired eyes. Without exemption, their statues exuded physical and emotional exhaustion. 

As the different strange faces passed by, both their moods turned more and more dour, until finally the last person entered and they only felt disappointment.