Chapter 20

" Mary is my family member. I have to see her. We have to leave" I say almost shouting. Spencer smiles. " I guess we are going on the road again" says Spencer. " We need to tell Brendan and we need some supplies" says Lily. I nod. " So what is the plan" asks Lily. " I suggest we start tomorrow. We want to be on the road as soon as possible" says Spencer. " If you want to stay you can" I say. Spencer and Lily shake their heads. I smile. " Then let's go tell Brendan. We arrive at the sheriff's office. " Hey. We have some news that we need to share" I say. Brendan smiles. " This wouldn't have to do with the woman named Mary on the radio that is asking for a man named Andrew?" My eyes widen. " I listen to the radio as well. I had a feeling that it was you that Mary was talking about" says Brendan. " Yes" I say. Brendan sighs. " I guess that you are now going to go huh. I really wish that you would stay. We need more police force around here but who am I to try stop you or convince you otherwise" says Brendan. I know that this place was nice and all but Mary is somewhere where I know where she is. Also the fact that she is safe and possible unharmed fills me with joy. Seeing Mary again will be a dream come true. I feel a bit down though because this town did become our sanctuary even if it was for a limited time just like the mall. I won't forget my time here. All the movies we watched, all the discussions we had here. " We appreciate our time here and all that you have done for us. We have to leave to find my guardian" I say. Brendan smiles. " I will keep your place open in case you decide to come back. I want you though. Your goal is still awhile to go before you arrive. I heard of nasty bandits that stalk and kill you for your supplies. Speaking of supplies, you will need. Let me fix you up with some" says Brendan. Brendan calls the kitchen supply "department" and they bring in some supplies. Things like boiled egg, two loaves of bread, more tinned food and more. Enough to sustain us for awhile. We all say thank you and begin to depart. Brendan meets with us. " I will miss you folk. We had a short time but I grew to like you all. Safe trip. Try contact me on the radio will ya? We all smile. I guess we also grew attached to Brendan. Spencer starts the car and we all wave to Brendan. " We will miss you" shouts Lily, her voice competing with the car engine. The car starts moving. I see Brendan waving in the mirror. We drive at a normal speed. I see that people are sticting their heads out the window curious as to what is going on. All of a sudden, Tobecca jumps in the way of the car. Spencer slams on breaks. " What the hell" yells Spencer. Tobecca runs to the left hand side of the car where I am sitting. " Don't leave without me. I want to join you. Please let me. I have brought my own supplies and weapons." I nod. " Sure thing" I say. Tobecca hops into the back seat. " Thanks guys" says Tobecca. " Have you told Brendan" asks Spencer. " I left a note on my bed. I hope he won't be angry." " What made you come with us" asks Lily. Tobecca glances at me before replying." I want to see the outside world plus I like you guys." I know that Tobecca likes me but to leave her home behind, it is quite risky. Then again, Tobecca is good looking. I smile. I notice Tobecca smiling as well. We see the exit sign of the town. Tobecca looks at it. It must be hard for her. " Well since I am joining you I might as well share a bit of my life story. I was born in this town and only left it to visit family and rarely during holidays. My mom and dad both still live in this town. My mom was an accountant and my dad was a real estate agent. We were middle class residents. I performed well in school. I skipped a grade. I skipped one year of high school. I always wanted to be a marine biologist but suddenly I developed a fear of the ocean so that didn't work out. I changed my career to be an actress. I took drama at school. I was going to go to university last year but I took a gap year. What a waste but I am glad that I took a gap year or else I would not be here in town right now. I was taking private acting classes so I could be in town. When the outbreak was first reported, you know the rash incident, my dad thought it was a joke. My mom said that we should take the situation seriously. I didn't know what to believe. Once more incidents were being reported, I knew this was no joking matter." I wish I kept up with all the news. " I also thought it was nothing to worry about. I thought it was just like a phase" says Lily. Tobecca laughs. " How wrong were we. When everything went to chaos, we were luckily that the zombies didn't reach us. It was a blessing. My dad cried. His brother lives in another town. I hope that he is okay. My dad took me for target practice around the age of nine so already by my teenage years I was skilled using a gun. I was assigned patrol duty by Brendan. Brendan and my dad are best friends. " I feel embarrassed. Tobecca is probably more skilled using a weapon than I am. " Remember we are probably not ever going back" says Lily. Tobecca nods. " I am skilled enough if I ever need to go back. I told my parents what I was doing. I knew that you guys weren't going to stay in town for long. My parents were sad and angry at first but I convinced them" says Tobecca. The road has several potholes. Spencer is driving slowly. It is eight am. I see cows in the field and people. " This is the livestock part of the town community. This is the futherrst that we are allowed to go. I luckily was not part of this patrol. I hate it. Plantation is better. Plus a bull on a rampage is not my thing" says Tobecca. The cows look peaceful. They probably don't know that an apocalypse has happened. Then again animals are smart so they know that there is an apocalypse and are probably dealing with it in their own way. The patrols are more armed than the patrols at the plantation. I bring the question up to Tobecca. " Zombies come here sometimes. They may be attracted to the livestock. That's why the patrols here are more armed." The people on patrol notice us and wave. We do the same. " Some of my friends are over there. I really wish them well" says Tobecca. We drive past the fields. Now it is more of a wasteland. " The nearest civilised town would be hotssper. I would not recommend going there. The town has a small population but the people there are nasty. They are crazy and the amount of zombies are crazy. Some of our town residents came from Hotssper. They hate it there now. It has become a mad house" says Tobecca. I don't even want to imagine Hotssper. I have heard enough information for my liking. " Well we have to go through there to reach the highway" says Spencer. We go glance at each other. " Luckily the town is not that big" says Tobecca. We drive in silence until we reach the border. We all notice a zombie mutant straching at the welcome board. We drive fast past the zombie mutant. All of a sudden, an explosion happens and the car flips over. We crash.