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This ragtag band of men has walked for the past five days to get here. Rumors had spread that this town had escaped much of the ransacking and might still have some goods worth pillaging. As they enter the edge of the city, Michael decides that it is time to make his move. And almost simultaneously with the others, he suddenly begins running toward the buildings that now appear in front of them.

Sprinting in a pack, each now breaks off in his own direction, following his own instincts. Michael turns a corner and begins down a side street. He passes several vacant storefronts with broken glass and debris spilling onto the sidewalk. Slowing down, he stops at an intersection to plan his next move when he hears footsteps coming toward him. Quickly glancing around, Michael sees a single tall building with its windows intact and a large majestic doorway rising above the street. He makes his way to the front door as the other person also crosses the street and comes toward where he is standing.

Backing into the doorway, Michael retreats like a cornered animal. Tripping over some boards that are lying on the ground, he picks one up and shouts at the person now in front of him. “Get away, get out of here! This is my building!” With Michael raising the board above his head, the other person takes the threat seriously and decides it is not worth a fight. He turns and then runs down the street to find his own.

Lowering the board and breathing heavily, Michael wearily collapses against the side of the building. ‘Oh, my god,’ he thinks to himself. ‘What is happening to me?’ Having always abhorred violence, he is now disgusted with himself for resorting to it. But in a crazy mixed-up world, things tend to become crazy and mixed-up, nothing makes sense anymore. There is no purpose or direction to his life now, only the need to move on, to find something to eat and to find clean water to drink.

Michael is one of the Outsiders, one of those who hasn’t the connections to be in a Grouping or who doesn’t have the means or skills to pay and work in a Sector. They are simply ‘outside’ any of these still sustainable living situations. Forced to scavenge off the land and forage in the deserted towns and cities, they struggle to survive. The resourceful ones keep moving, looking for new opportunities. The lesser ones grow tired of the fight and give up and die. Michael isn’t giving up, not yet.