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“Who is that?” he asked.
    “A decoy for some thieves,” Jason replied. 
    “What?” Daryl said, confused about what Jason had just said.
    Evan and Jason then began to tell Daryl the story as it had been told to them, as well as their encounter with her family on the road. Once Daryl had all of the information, Evan asked, “So what do you think we should do with her?”
    Daryl scratched his beard for a moment, and said, “Well, I think you gentleman handled everything pretty well, and you are right about needing to give her a proper burial. There is a secluded patch of woods in between Blue Tick Road and Tackett’s Creek Road. There isn’t much that I could think of that we would need that land for in the future. I think that would be a suitable spot for these types of folks. Burn the hell out of the bodies of the true scumbag-types though. Rapists and murders don’t deserve to have a shovel lifted in their honor.”
    “Amen to that!” said Jason.
    Daryl accompanied Evan and Jason to the burial site, bringing along several shovels. They fashioned a marker for her grave from a tree branch, and whittled into it, “May she rest in peace,” along with the date. They didn’t know her name, unfortunately. They didn’t think to ask her family when they crossed paths with them earlier.
    Daryl placed his hat over his heart as they piled rocks on top of the freshly covered grave, and said, “It’s a shame we didn’t know more about her, or even her name.”
    “Yes, sir, it is,” replied Evan with a heavy heart. “What’s worse, though, is that her situation in life prior to the collapse didn’t have her prepared to deal with the new world we all live in now, without having to turn to petty crime. It’s a shame that the values that make self-sufficiency possible for people like us were lost in a single generation full of dependency. Whether it was dependency on government, society, or technology; in one generation, people left behind the ethic and skills it takes to survive in this cruel world. I’m sure before that society was taken away from her, she was probably a wonderful, typical American woman any of us would have been proud to call a friend.”
    “Amen to that,” added Jason.
    After a moment of silence, Jason said, “We should probably be getting back home. It’s getting late and our wives are probably getting worried.”
    “Yes, I’ve got to get back home myself,” said Daryl as he put his hat back on and turned to his horse. “I had some homemade soap cooking on the fire that I just remembered. Jason, after you guys discuss the Muncie and Murphy properties, let us know what you decide.”
    Jason shook Daryl’s hand, and said, “Yes, sir, I will, and thanks.
    With that, the men mounted up and went their respective ways. Daryl rode back to his place while Evan and Jason rode back towards the Homefront. After a few miles, Jason broke the silence of the somber evening by saying, “So what do you think? Should Griff and I move our families?”
    Evan replied, “The selfish side of me wants you to stay onboard with us. We’ve gotten quite used to having the extra hands running the place and the helping out with security. That and you’ve become a part of our family. However, you deserve to have your own place. Your family left behind everything you had to join up with us. If everything settles down someday, you will need a place to pass on to your boys, and they will need a place to raise their families. That being said, barring some unforeseen event, I think you should do it. You and Griff can both take a portion of the animals at the Homefront to help get you started as well. The only reason we have as much as we do now, is because you helped us raise and acquire it all.”
    Jason rode silently for a moment, taking it all in and said, “Thanks man, I really appreciate that. I can’t imagine what this entire ordeal would have been like if we weren’t in it together. Just imagining the