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it.
    I went back to Judy and the kids, and both of them stared at me with wide eyes. I’m sure if they were on the ground, they would have run by now. I didn’t have anything reassuring to tell them, and figured if I started telling them about my earlier encounters with the men, they wouldn’t have understood anyway.
    We walked easily the rest of the way to the town of Manhattan, and if I had any ideas about what the place was going to be like, they flew out the window the minute I lay eyes on the place.

 
    Chapter 10
     
     
    Manhattan seemed to have sprung out of the middle of a farm field, with four access points. But I could see this was not a new town; rather, it was one that several people decided to make into a better community than the ones they had left or had fled from.
    The defenses of the town seemed to have been well thought out. Surrounding the entire town and several dozen acres of land was a deep trench. The dirt from the trench was piled up on the inside of the trench, creating a tall barrier that Trippers would have a hard time with. On top of the small hill was a flat walking area, and I could see several guards making circuits of the fence. I waited until one was within earshot before asking him how I could get inside. He directed me to a small bridge that led to a tunnel that took me through the hill.
    On the inside of the hill, I could see a lot of land being farmed, and I was stunned to see a tractor tilling the soil. I knew what it was and what it was doing, but it was the first time I had ever seen machinery I action. I stared at the tractor until Judy bumped me with her nose.
    I followed a narrow trail that led towards another fence, and this one was made of what looked like sheets of metal. When I got closer, I realized the entire fence had been made out of garage doors. I had to admit that was pretty clever.
    There was a checkpoint about a hundred yards from another fence, and it was there that I was directed to a small stockyard where I left Judy in her own little corral. She had water and feed, and was more than happy to explore her new place without me.
    I left my rifles with her, but took the other one I had confiscated with me. If nothing else, I could trade it for something. I took the kids’ hands and we walked the rest of the way to a large door in the middle of what was an even bigger door.  The door was set in a large wall, roughly fifteen feet high. It looked to be made out of stone, which was impressive as hell. A small guardhouse was by the door and a man was sitting in it, watching me approach.
    When I got close enough he smiled and said, “Welcome to Manhattan! What business brings you here?” He was a portly man, probably about forty-five, with a set of fat rolls under his chin that wobbled when he talked. His head was mostly bald, although what little hair he had left was holding on in tight, aggressive curls.
    “Came here to see a friend, got these two out a bit of trouble. They will need looking after,” I said.
    The man’s tone changed. “I see. Parents…?”
    I shook my head. “Dad saved them, but I was about an hour too late to do anything but clean up the leftovers.”
    “Understood. We get a lot of orphans, and we have a lot of couples that have lost children who would be happy to provide a home for these two,” he said.
    “One thing, though. They need to stay together,” I said.
    “Of course. And as for you, who are you here to see?” The man pulled out a small book that looked to have hundreds of names in it. I saw that some of the names had been crossed out, others had check marks next to them.
    “Chambers family. Should have arrived here about a year or so ago,” I said.
    “Mmm Hmm. Ah! I see! Here they are. Three streets in, take a left. Follow it until you can’t go any further. Take a right, and it will be the fourth house on the left,” he said. “You can bring the children to the medical center. They will be checked out and cared