After leaving the Whitesun Hotel, I headed toward the Boardwalk.
It was already night, though not late enough for the entire settlement to be asleep.
And the Boardwalk was not dark.
Not anymore.
After the Screamer attack, Marlon had changed the night protocols. More battery-powered lights had been placed near the barricades, around the main streets, and at the entrances to important buildings. People stood watch in pairs instead of alone, and guards checked the roads more often.
Nobody wanted Callighan's men slipping through another blind spot.
Nobody wanted to wake up to another Screamer.
The lights were weak compared to what the Boardwalk must have looked like before the outbreak, but they were enough to make the streets feel safer. Enough to see movement. Enough to make it harder for someone to approach unnoticed.
By now, my face had become familiar around here.
The guards at the entrance recognized me immediately.
One of them gave me a nod.
"Ryan."
"Hey," I replied.
