{"id":2505,"date":"2025-10-25T14:08:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T20:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2025-12-05T13:51:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T19:51:33","slug":"the-strangers-at-the-gate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/the-strangers-at-the-gate\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 2 – The Strangers at the Gate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The little boy clutched the apple so tightly that his fingers<\/strong> left shallow dents in its skin. He didn\u2019t eat it right away \u2014 just held it like something holy, like maybe it would disappear if he blinked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane walked a few paces ahead, the sun cutting along the edge of his shoulders. Gabriel stayed closer to the family \u2014 two adults and that small, wide-eyed child \u2014 letting them find a rhythm that wasn\u2019t pure panic. The road toward Libby wound through trees slick with thaw, a brown-green ribbon bordered by frost and shadow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man\u2019s name was Caleb<\/strong>, though he\u2019d said it softly, like the sound might cost him something. His wife, Anna<\/strong>, didn\u2019t speak much at all. Her breath came thin and sharp, her cheeks too hollow. They looked like they\u2019d been walking for weeks \u2014 which, in this new world, probably meant they had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re safe now,\u201d Gabriel said, keeping his tone light. \u201cTown\u2019s a good place. Power, food, people who don\u2019t shoot first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caleb looked at him sidelong. \u201cAnd wolves who talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel smirked. \u201cBest part of the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane slowed a bit, hearing the tension in that line. He didn\u2019t correct Gabriel \u2014 humor had its place \u2014 but he caught the scent of fear lingering off the humans. It wasn\u2019t sharp panic anymore, but a kind of exhaustion that had sunk too deep to rise again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boy finally took a bite of the apple. The small crunch echoed softly through the pines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

They reached the first sight of Libby<\/strong> by midday \u2014 rooftops framed by distant mountains, a faint plume of chimney smoke curling into the sky. It was a town that still remembered what civilization used to be, even if it was patchwork now: tarps over broken windows, power lines running down from the generator shack, and hand-painted signs for trade goods nailed to the sides of old trucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two townsfolk spotted them first. One was a woman hauling water, the other a man with a rifle slung across his back. They both froze as soon as they saw the newcomers \u2014 or rather, the company they kept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d Thane said quietly, without even looking their way. His voice carried the calm authority that came from too many years of being obeyed. The man\u2019s hand dropped from the rifle\u2019s strap almost instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they reached the edge of town, Sheriff Hank Ward<\/strong> was waiting. His denim jacket had a new patch on one sleeve \u2014 a stitched emblem of Libby\u2019s town crest. His hand rested near his holster, not because he meant to use it, but because old habits die hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThane,\u201d he said in greeting, eyes flicking to the humans. \u201cYou found our visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThree of them,\u201d Thane said. \u201cNo weapons, no sickness I can smell. Tired, hungry. They say they came from Thompson Falls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThompson Falls?\u201d Hank\u2019s brows rose. \u201cThat\u2019s over a hundred miles south. That town\u2019s dust now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caleb nodded slowly. \u201cWe saw it. Fires everywhere. Some people\u2026 changed. Not from the virus, not exactly.\u201d His gaze shifted, uncertain. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel\u2019s tail flicked. \u201cDidn\u2019t plan to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hank studied the group for a long moment before sighing. \u201cAlright. Let\u2019s take \u2018em to Marta. Council\u2019ll want to hear it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The town hall<\/strong> \u2014 once a library, still smelling faintly of old paper \u2014 felt too bright inside. Lamps powered by the generator\u2019s current flickered overhead, their hum filling the quiet between voices. The council gathered in the main room, seated around a long table patched together from mismatched furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marta Korrin<\/strong> sat at the head, braid coiled like a crown, a thick notebook open before her. She looked up as the pack entered. \u201cYou brought them in safe?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane nodded. \u201cThey made it to the quarry. Hungry, but alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caleb and Anna hovered by the door, the boy half-hiding behind his mother\u2019s torn coat. Marta\u2019s eyes softened immediately. \u201cPlease, sit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woman\u2019s voice cracked. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to cause trouble. We just\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t,\u201d Marta said. \u201cWe\u2019ll see to that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the other end of the table, a man with grease-stained hands \u2014 one of the engineers \u2014 cleared his throat. \u201cMayor, with respect, food stores are tight. Winter was long. We can\u2019t take everyone who wanders in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can take them,\u201d Gabriel said before Thane could speak. His tone wasn\u2019t confrontational, just firm. \u201cThey\u2019ve got a kid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man looked like he wanted to argue, but Thane\u2019s gaze landed on him like a weight. Whatever he saw in the Alpha\u2019s blue eyes shut his mouth fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marta looked to Hank. \u201cWhat\u2019s your read?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hank crossed his arms. \u201cThey\u2019re not raiders. Not armed. They look like they\u2019ve seen worse than we can imagine. But we should quarantine \u2018em for a few days, just to be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caleb lifted his hands slightly. \u201cWe understand. Anything you need to make sure we\u2019re clean.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel crouched beside the boy, lowering his massive frame until they were eye to eye. \u201cYou like stories, kid?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boy nodded shyly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Gabriel said, tapping his nose. \u201cWhen we get you settled, I\u2019ll tell you one about a wolf who found the moon hiding in his coffee mug.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That earned the faintest laugh \u2014 a sound so small it felt like gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane caught Marta\u2019s approving glance. \u201cThere\u2019s a shed by the east field,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ll clean it out, give them blankets, rations, and space to rest. Hank, you\u2019ll post a watch. Thane\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He nodded before she finished. \u201cWe\u2019ll help reinforce the walls. If they\u2019re staying, they stay safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

By dusk, the new family had shelter. Mark had shown up with a bundle of solar lanterns and a pail of water. Gabriel was tuning his guitar outside the shed while the boy watched with fascinated eyes, feet kicking at the dirt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside, Anna sat near the cot, her hands trembling as she peeled an orange someone had traded them. Caleb stood at the doorway, silent, watching Thane hammer the last of the boards over a broken window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to help,\u201d Caleb said quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane didn\u2019t look up. \u201cDidn\u2019t have to survive either. But we did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That drew a small, weary smile. \u201cI guess that\u2019s reason enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the work was done, Thane and Gabriel started back toward the main road, the sky glowing violet behind the mountains. Crickets had returned for the first time in weeks \u2014 faint, hopeful music in the trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark\u2019s voice came over the radio. \u201cThane? You might want to see this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane lifted the unit. \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was running diagnostics on the repeater network. Same anomaly as before. Signal strength doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel frowned. \u201cThat AI thing again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark hesitated. \u201cMaybe. But here\u2019s the weird part \u2014 it used our frequency this time. Channel five.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane stopped walking. The quiet stretched long enough for the night to settle around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny message?\u201d he asked finally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pause. Then Mark\u2019s voice came through, low and uneasy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cYeah. Just one word.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n

HELLO.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The little boy clutched the apple so tightly that his fingers left shallow dents in its skin. He didn\u2019t eat it right away \u2014 just held it like something holy, like maybe it would disappear if he blinked. Thane walked a few paces ahead, the sun cutting along the edge of his shoulders. Gabriel stayed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-world-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2505"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3387,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505\/revisions\/3387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/afterthefall\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}