Chapter 4

The vehicle rolled to a stop in front of a large abandoned warehouse. It had a pitched roof over its old brick walls. Most of its windows were brown with dirt and its large metal double doors loomed over them. The sun had long ago set, making it seem like the perfect building for a midnight scare.

Dave, in the driver's seat, motioned for Tyler beside him with a tilt of his head towards the warehouse. They both got down with their guns and flashlights in their hands and went into the building. Brad tried to sit up where he was in the backseat but a sharp pain from his bandaged arm made him wince and lie back down. Ruby sadly lay a hand on his good arm, a soft smile on her face. Helena got down to keep watch but it didn't look like it was necessary. They had been driving for a while with hardly any zombies in sight.

Three gunshots were heard, putting Lucy on edge. She wondered if they had to keep on moving. It was the third place they had stopped by after the incident at the gas station. They had enough time at the first place they stopped for Ruby to bandage up Brad, Tyler to fill up the tank and Dave and Helena to tie the other gas cans to the roof of the car just in front of some already tied up load. They had to move once Helena spotted some zombies coming their way and Dave took the wheel.

The second place was a motel packed with zombies and then, a warehouse.

'All clear!' Dave loudly said as he stepped out through the metal doors. Tyler opened them wider to let the others in. Brad got down, making sure not to bump his arm on anything while Ruby, Helena and Lucy got the sleeping bags that were on the floor of the vehicle.

Inside was unsurprisingly dusty. Pieces of metal littered the floor and a few damaged metal crates lay around. The flashlights barely provided any light and moonlight was mostly blocked by the dust-coated windows. The place looked like it had been abandoned for ages. Their footsteps echoed throughout the structure and their coughs filled the atmosphere once they settled on an area to place their sleeping bags.

Ruby set down a sleeping bag for Brad first and he sat on it with a huff, smiling thankfully at her. She and Helena both went back to the vehicle while the rest of them made their way to the other sleeping bags. Lucy brought her knees up and wrapped her hands around them and they sat in silence.

'It's oats tonight,' Helena said as she rolled in a gas cylinder stove. Ruby walked behind her, holding two nylon bags containing packets of oats, milk and sugar, a few bottles of water and a medium-sized pot with spoons. Brad grumbled loudly in dissatisfaction and Helena rolled her eyes at him and sighed. 'I'd like something else too' —she rolled the stove to a stop and took the pot from Ruby— 'but we can't be picky.'

Lucy's mouth watered once she heard the dry oats being poured into the pot. She clutched her stomach which had been chewing at her for a while, happy she was finally going to eat some food that day. She stood up and walked over to them.

'Can I help?' she sheepishly asked.

'Oh sweetie,' Ruby said, reaching out to hold Lucy's hand. 'You must be so hungry.'

'She'll get used to it,' Helena said, lighting a fire on the stove.

'Eventually' —Ruby smiled a little wider— 'but for now, you should rest. This won't take long at all.' Lucy nodded, putting on a small smile and left them.

'How's the arm?' Dave asked, facing Brad. Brad shrugged, flinching in the process.

'Could be worse. I've got you to thank for that.' Dave smiled at him in response.

'We protect each other.'

'How about those that always need protection?' Tyler bluntly said, his eyes on Lucy as she made her way back to them.

'We protect them still,' Dave replied firmly and Tyler turned away from him. There was a loud sound of metal scraping the ground and the sound of someone yelping. Everyone turned to see Lucy reaching for her stubbed toe and a large piece of metal in front of her. She looked up, seeing everyone looking at her and immediately felt embarrassed.

'I'm sorry!' she said, bowing her head low. Tyler raised his brow at Dave and Dave sighed.

'You okay?' Brad asked just as Lucy got to her sleeping bag and she nodded before sitting.

'Lucy.' She jumped a little on hearing her name and she looked up to see Dave facing her. She got confused about whether she should answer with a 'yes' or a 'yes sir', seeing he was no doubt the leader. Just as she was about to respond, he continued. 'How were you able to survive by yourself in that town?' Tyler perked up a little at the question and he waited for Lucy to answer without facing her.

'I…' she trailed off. She looked down at her fingers and her mind went back to how her aunt's face went pale after she'd been bit. She looked away from her fingers and took a deep breath in. 'I wasn't by myself.' The little life in Tyler drained and he became less interested in her story. 'My aunt was with me. She made sure I was safe throughout the time we were hiding. She sacrificed herself so I would survive.' Her voice broke on the last word and she blinked her tears away.

Brad placed his good arm on her shoulder and they stayed quiet for a while.

'All done!' Ruby shouted, enthusiastically. She held the pot with a napkin and brought it over while Helena brought the spoons. She set it in their midst and Lucy's mood changed once the smell went up her nose.

'Finally,' Brad said with a smile and his hand went from Lucy's shoulder to her hand and held it. She looked at him, confused, only to see the others joining hands. Helena and Ruby sat down on the ground. Helena took Tyler's hand and Ruby took Lucy's. They all closed their eyes and she looked at their faces, unsure of what was going on. She blinked a few times and then closed her eyes, a confused frown forming.

'Lord God… let this food taste like chicken,' Brad said and all except Lucy chorused 'Amen'. Lucy hesitantly said 'Amen' after them just as their hands left each other and they eagerly reached for their spoons from Helena. She opened her eyes and saw Helena handing her a metal spoon. She took it, and around her, the rest of them started digging into the oat in the pot and blowing hard on it before eating.

She dug her spoon into the oat and tentatively brought it to her lips. It didn't taste like chicken but, it sure felt like the best oats she ever had.

Her hunger got the best of her and she devoured the food with the rest of them, leaning back with a full stomach once the pot was scraped clean. Brad let out a whistle.

'Nothing like a nice meal after a near-death experience,' he joked and Dave chuckled, walking over to Helena's side.

'We do have the best cook in the apocalypse.' Helena frowned at him to cover her smile and he planted a teasing kiss on her cheek.

'Hey!' Ruby exclaimed. 'I helped out too.'

'Keyword, helped,' Tyler said and smoothly dodged the spoon she threw at him in response.

'Next time, it's going to hit,' she said and he gave her a smug look. Lucy smiled. They reminded her of her family and how they would make jokes and laugh at the dining table.

'Thanks for the food Helena and Ruby,' she said. Helena smiled a little at her while Ruby held her chin up and smiled proudly.

'You're welcome.' Tyler scoffed at her while Helena brought her palm to her mouth and yawned loudly. She arched her back and stretched and Dave yawned after her.

'I think we should all get some sleep,' Dave said, turning from Helena to the rest of them. Brad and Ruby groaned in agreement. Ruby looked around and then turned to Lucy.

'We only have five sleeping bags though.'

'Oh,' Lucy looked away and pursed her lips.

'Tyler,' Dave called and Tyler responded immediately. 'You're taking the first watch tonight. Lucy will use your sleeping bag.' Tyler side-glanced Lucy, the corner of his lip up in a look of contempt. Lucy looked up at him and their eyes met. She immediately looked away, wishing she hadn't seen the look he gave her.

He felt for the gun in his back pocket. He then took a flashlight and went out of the warehouse without a word. Brad yawned loudly as he snuggled down in his sleeping bag.

'Goodnight everyone,' he said and the rest of them chorused 'goodnight'. Helena and Dave stayed closely beside each other, their conversation muffled. Ruby lay a little distance away from Brad and Lucy lay beside her.

'How did your day go sweetie?' Ruby asked in a tired voice. Lucy took a moment to think back to what happened that morning and the scare of the evening. The fear, the confusion, the action, the loss of breath and mind.

'It was crazy.'

Ruby chuckled. 'Don't worry, it'll be normal in no time.' Lucy mustered up a smile, but it quickly faded. She didn't want this life to become normal. Ruby still had her smile on as her eyes fluttered closed.

'Do you enjoy this life?'

Ruby sighed, her eyes still closed. 'I don't have a choice.' Her answer came off as a whisper, and in a short time, she began to snore lightly. Lucy turned away from her and to the door. She wondered how everyone was holding up and if she'd be able to keep a brave face like the rest of them. She fell asleep thinking about these things.

***

Her eyes fluttered open. It was still dark everywhere and soft snores could be heard around her. She tried going back to sleep but suddenly felt restless. She slid out of the sleeping bag and sat up. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and she was able to make out figures.

Helena's and Dave's sleeping bags weren't as close as they were the last time she saw them. She squinted at Dave's sleeping bag and saw a head with a low ponytail sticking out. Knowing Dave had a low cut, she figured he and Tyler had exchanged after some time.

She looked at the doors which were slightly ajar and moonlight shone through the opening. She stood up and walked towards them quietly, not wanting to disturb the others. Once she was out, she instinctively wrapped her arms around herself due to the cold breeze.

She looked up at the sky and for once she was able to escape from her plagued world. The starry night sky looked beautiful. It had been long since she stayed under the stars. She spent most of her time staring at the ceiling, waiting for her aunt to come back with food and hoping she was safe. Everywhere was quiet and peaceful. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the moment.

She then remembered she wasn't the only one outside. She looked back down and around, wondering where Dave was keeping watch from. She walked towards the sienna, seeing his shadow from the trunk side. She walked towards him and when she was mere feet away, he stepped into view, his muscled arms wide open and a sweet smile on his face.

When he saw who it was, his arms went to his side and he gave her a nervous smile.

'Lucy,' he said, his voice a bit strained.

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you.' Dave shook his head and motioned for her to come stay beside him.

'Can't sleep, huh?' She shook her head in response. 'Well, watching for zombies is sure to bore you back to bed.' She chuckled and then looked back at the sky while his eyes skimmed the environment.

'How long have the zombies been around?' she asked after a while. He sighed.

'I don't know. None of us does. It's been nine months since I've known they existed.'

Her eyes widened in shock. 'Nine months?' He nodded. 'You all have been on the road for that long?'

'Not all of us. Just Tyler and I. Like you, we picked up others on the way.'

'We must be really few left,' she said with a hint of sadness.

'Yes' —he looked up at the sky— 'we've lost a lot of people on the way too. It's not been easy. We all deal with it in our own way.' Her mind went back to Tyler's words when he said she wouldn't last long.

'Were they all weak?' He frowned at her presumption then relaxed when he understood she was just scared.

'No, we lost strong people too.' There was a moment of silence.

'I want to be strong too.' He smiled at her.

'We'll work on that.' She smiled back.

'Where are we going to? You've been on the road for months… how much longer is it going to take to get to where we're going?'

'I can't say how long it's going to take… a lot of things could happen along the way. I'll give it a few months if we're lucky.' And if we can survive till then, he thought, but as the leader, he couldn't say. He then walked over to the passenger's seat, opened the glove box and brought out a large map. 'Word came in when the radio was still working about the safe zones around. They had been invaded by fast rabies and other zombies. Our only hope is the safe zone in Alka.' He opened up the map, showing a detailed view of their continent, Tendra and he pointed at a country in the middle. 'This is where we are, and we're going up here.' His finger slid up North to the top and stopped at the country touching the northern border. 'The zombies don't come within range of it. They believe it's because of the cold.'

'The zombies hate being cold,' she said, and he nodded.

'Speaking of being cold,' a high-pitched voice said from behind them. 'It's freezing out here.' Ruby stepped into view, rubbing her arms.

'Looks like it's time for me to go back to bed,' Dave said, standing straight and giving them both a brief smile. 'See you bright and early later today.' With that, he rolled up the map, put it back in the glove box and was gone. Ruby watched him go, then turned to Lucy.

'Nice to have company,' she said and Lucy smiled at her, only for her to yawn. Ruby giggled. 'It's alright sweetie, go.' Lucy smiled gratefully at her and left.

***

Lucy woke up to the feeling of someone kicking the part of her sleeping bag around her thighs.

'Tyler, be gentle!' a voice said and an exasperated sigh came. She opened her eyes and immediately squinted when she realised how bright her surrounding was.

'She's awake already,' Tyler said, walking away with his hands in his jeans pockets. Ruby gave him a tight-lipped smile then turned to smile sweetly at Lucy.

'Get up sweetie.'

Lucy crawled out of her sleeping bag. She opened her eyes wider once they adjusted to the light and saw that they all were up.

'Lucy,' Dave said as he loaded his gun and Tyler stood beside him. 'You're coming hunting with us.'

Her eyebrows came together in confusion. 'Hunting?' He nodded, with a smirk on his face.

'Hunting for food. What better chance to learn how to kill zombies?'