Chapter 1.1

Summary
Scott and Aaron are sitting in a car and drive to Portland, Oregon. Scott finds Ryker there for the first time in months and tells him about their plan to move to Sacramento. Ryker agrees.

They drive for hours and hours into California. They spend the night at a motel. When they enter Dale immediately goes to sleep. Ryker asks Scott if they're meeting Aaron in Sacramento, Scott admits he has no clue where Aaron is. Scott stands up and goes to the bathroom and takes a shower while Ryker heads to bed. Ryker can't sleep while Scott takes a shower. Scott finishes his shower and shaves his face, then heads to bed, sharing a bed with Ryker.

The next morning they drive into Sacramento, where Ryker asks Scott about how many people he knew died to the Rot. Ryker immediately realizes this was a mistake and tells Scott he doesn't have to answer that, Scott shrugs it off and tells him that he lost his parents, and a girl named Cassie who is soon revealed to be his little sister.

Once they reach Sacramento a large gate is around the city and they are stopped by two guards on the freeway. They both take Ryker, Scott, and Dale's names as well as a follicle of each of their hairs, much to Scott's annoyance.

They meet a man in his mid 40's who explains to them that if they do a job that's assigned to them based on their strengths, they'll be given housing and food. But first, he needs to interview them. They each get an hour being interviewed by Lawrence who starts out with boring and pointless questions, then begins to ask them questions that would be purposefully annoying or awful to them such as who they lost in the Rot, traumas they've been through, etc. Dale answers truthfully to all of them, Scott answers begrudgingly, Ryker lies for the questions he doesn't want to give the correct answer to.

After that, Lawrence gives them all a key to a house they're going to share.