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The gates to the cage opened, and a well-dressed man greeted us with a hundred-watt smile. He was white and appeared to be in his late forties, with darkthinning hair. He was slight for a man, but he stood tall in a flashy pair of leather boots with heels.

“Good afternoon, folks,” he said with a warm drawl. “I am Vaughn Douglas, the democratically elected mayor of Emberwood for nine years running. Since it is your first time here, I am happy to be the one to explain to you how things work here in our blessed little hamlet.”

“We’re not all here yet,” Max said. “Where is Stella?”

“Stella is the pregnant young woman that is with you?” Vaughn asked, and Max nodded. “She has been taken by our wonderful midwife Jovie Galaway to her clinic. As you likely were aware, Stella arrived here in need of medical attention. Jovie runs a fantastic little clinic that focuses on the treatment during pregnancy and when children are young, and she truly is the best help you can get for a woman in Stella’s condition in these times. With that said, Jovie wanted me to pass along to you that Stella is currently stable, and she is getting the care she needs.”

“I need to be with her,” Max said, stepping out away from me. “She’s sick and scared and carrying my baby. Take me to her. Please.”

“Certainly.” Vaughn looked back over his shoulder, and he motioned to a slender young man waiting in the wings. “This is my alderman, Wilder Cruz.”

Wilder had light brown skin, delicate features, and his black hair was slicked back into a short ponytail. His suit was perfectly tailored in a stiff, dark crimson fabric, and it reminded me vaguely of a barbershop quartet.

“I will be happy to take you directly to Jovie’s clinic,” Wilder told Max, and gestured for him to follow him.

“I should go, too.” I started after him, but Vaughnheld up his hand to stop me.

“Jovie’s clinic gets crowded easily, and there is so much to go over about Emberwood,” Vaughn said. “It is best if newcomers have the tour if they can, especially since two of your family members are missing it.”

“Will we be able to see Stella right after the tour?” Boden asked before I could start putting up a fight.

“I will take you straight to Jovie’s the moment we are done,” Vaughn promised us, and he made a motion like he was crossing his heart.

I relented and stepped back beside Boden. Vaughn went around, doing quick introductions with all of us. When we had finished, the mayor said, “There is just one thing I need to know before we begin. Are you moving to Emberwood, or are you only here on a visit?”

“We’re all moving here,” Lillian answered for the group, and I didn’t correct her because I really had no idea how long we would be here.

“That is excellent news.” His smile widened. “We have many housing opportunities for newcomers. All we ask is that you contribute to the community. Now let’s begin!”

About the same time as we were entering, a group of hunters were returning carrying two large bear carcasses behind them.

“We try not to hunt too many bears, because they help control the local zombie population, but we are having a great feast tomorrow night!” Vaughn explained exuberantly. “You’ve all arrived at just the perfect time.”

He stepped back and spread his arms wide, like a great showman. “Welcome to Emberwood!

“Back before the zombies changed everything, this was a sleepy little hamlet called Baptiste,” Vaughn explained. “It started off as a trading post for thehunters and loggers back in the 1800s. Until about a decade ago, it had been little more than a few houses, a post office, a general store, and a church.

“Most of the original residents were lost to zombies, unfortunately, but the cold impedes the virus, so ingenious survivors decided to make this somewhere people could live again,” he went on. “This town is flanked by a cliff to the south, a river to east, and a mountain to the north, so it is hard for zombies to enter. We have fenced in an area of fifty acres, and nearly three thousand people live here.

“We have markets, greenhouses, schools, clinics, and much more,” Vaughn boasted. “Some of the original buildings here have electricity through solar power, but we are expanding that with wind power in the future.

“That right there is the mayor’s office.” Vaughn pointed to a church. “It also houses my apartment in the back, a storm shelter in the basement, and jail cells, though they are rarely needed. Behind that is the town garage where we have a very small fleet of electric vehicles that we can use for special circumstances.

“That right there is an old post office, but now it’s sort of a culture center.” The mayor pointed to a squat log cabin-style building with a sign out front painted to say The Athenaeum of Emberwood.

The front door was open, and I could hear music softly playing inside, along with the sweet scent of tea and pastries.

“There’s live music and books to buy or rent, and on Fridays, they even play movies,” Vaughn was explaining, but the music caught me, and I tuned him out.

It was an old Britney Spears song that I hadn’t heard in years, and it was being sung by a very familiar baritone.

“Remy, where are you going?” Boden asked as I walked towards the music.

“I’ll be right back,” I called over my shoulder, and I jogged into the Athenaeum.

In the center of the room, a man sat on a stool with an acoustic guitar across his lap as he played a bluesy cover of “Toxic.” As he strummed, he looked up and saw me, and he smiled.

It was Lazlo Durante, and he was alive and well.