Alexander slowly turned his head and allowed his gaze to travel across the civilians gathered around the square, studying the anxious expressions on their faces as if weighing the fragile balance that held the fortress together, because every person standing there knew that the walls protecting them from the infected outside were only as strong as the unity maintained within them.
His eyes drifted back toward Chris, and although his tone remained composed and almost thoughtful, the implication hidden within his statement settled over the crowd like a slowly tightening net.
"And if those rifles are no longer inside the armory," Alexander continued after allowing the silence to stretch long enough for people to absorb the weight of his earlier words, "then they are somewhere within this fortress."
