Option 1--I have a pistol, backup food (beans), and water purification tablets.

Thank goodness we found those water purification tablets. They will undoubtedly come in handy later. You can't always trust the water in the woods, and certainly not any municipal water supply during these unusual times. I'm also grateful we made it back to our rendezvous point in the woods safely. Well, all except two of us. We all pause for a moment to honor the two brave souls who went deeper into town and never returned. Sadly, I think some of the gunfire we heard coming from the city was likely for them. We thank them for their bravery and sacrifice, promise to remember them to future generations, if there are any, and move on, deeper into the woods.

We walk a while in relative peacefulness and silence, the violence of the city fading quickly away into the distance. Eventually, though, just like anything in this new, crazy world, we come across what looks like a lone man sleeping in a tree.

Hmmm....what to do? We should just keep walking, because we know nothing about him, and he might be armed and dangerous. Then again, he may be a peaceful survivor like us, and might either want to barter with us for supplies, or join our group for protection. There is definitely safety in numbers these days. It's why the gangs formed. We're the opposite of a gang, though. We're a group of strangers pulled together by this crazy world we find ourselves in, and we protect each other. It seems like we should offer the same courtesy to him.

Some want to keep moving, and I can't blame them, so I let them go, arranging a new rendezvous point and time, about three miles deeper in the woods a half hour from now. To my horror, a handful want to sneak up on the man and kill him, to steal anything he has on him. I quickly put an end to that notion. Killing people is what the gangs do, not us. That is SO not us. Those thankfully few who wanted to kill and rob him move on deeper into the woods with the other group.

That just leaves me and the rest of my people who believe waking him and offering him assistance is the best option. I have the (admittedly bullet-less) pistol to use to intimidate him if it is necessary, and we will stand back when we call to him to not startle him or make him think we're a gang. We will handle this as gently and carefully as possible.

Barter for supplies or join us. We would be happy to have him do either....if it IS a man, and he IS alive (it looks like a man who is alive, but we won't know for sure until we get closer).

Carefully, we tiptoe as close to the tree as we dare go, my hand on the empty pistol in my bag, hidden so he can't see it, but easy to remove quickly if I need to. Then, we call to him using friendly, welcoming voices, and pray for the best.