I leaned over the trash can. My stomach painfully twisted and turned, signifying that it was about to explode at any moment. But as I waited for whatever scraps I ate today to be violently puked out, I was met with nothing.

We found this small one-story house to hide in. The door was locked and a nightstand (which I put the now extinguished torch on) was slid in front of it. Cleo sat next to the nightstand, head on her knees. She didn’t talk since we ran here, and neither did I. I sank to my knees when I knew nothing was coming out.

Looking to my left, I saw a fireplace sitting cold. Still shaking, I staggered to my feet, walking to the fireplace. There was nothing left inside but ash and faint remnants of wood. Next to it sat some unused small logs. It wasn’t much, however. Only enough to create a small flame. I threw them in one by one before stepping back. Now I just needed something to start it.

As if reading my mind, Cleo came up with some dusty old books and newspapers in her hand. I took some of the books from her, helping to rip some pages out and throwing them in. Finally, I took the newspaper and lighter out of my pocket. I put the flame to the paper, waiting for it to set fire. When the flame burst to life, I threw it into the fireplace. Still, without speaking, Cleo grabbed the fire poker. We both sat down in front of the flames as she used the poker to adjust the wood.

She threw the poker to the side. My breath shuttered - eyes now growing heavy under their weight. I could feel my entire body slowly growing heavier - sinking under some unknown weight.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I weakly said. “We need to get some rest.”

Cleo nodded. “I’ll go find a bedroom or something then.” She hesitated for a few seconds, then finally stood up. She began to walk down the hallway, but before she did she stopped. Turning her head back to me, she said “And, Markus…”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“Everything. If you hadn’t asked me to come along, I wouldn’t know where I’d be right now.”

“No,” I shook my head. “Without me, Bobbie would probably still be alive. And we wouldn’t be here.” I made my way to the couch. “Plus, you kind of saved my life once or twice,” I said with a chuckle.

She smiled, then turning back around to stroll down the hallway.

**************************

I heard their screams. Their shrill calls for help rang in my mind. My dream brought me back to Oregon when it all happened. None of us knew what was going on. Some ran, some screamed, some tried escaping in their cars. Barely anyone succeeded in escaping the endless onslaught of the things that descended the town. Janice, James, Henry; that’s their names. My own nephews who I tried and failed to save. My legs moved as fast as they could, and yet it felt like I was trying to walk underwater. I tried screaming, but my voice was instantly drowned out. I reached out my arms, trying to grab them and pull them to safety. But before I could, they took them.

I awoke with a sudden jolt. I sat up, breathing heavily. To my surprise, I was laying on a pillow. I don’t mean a cushion, either. It was a pillow from an actual bed. My breathing slowed. I slowly stood up, looking around. Daylight peeked through the crevices of the walls and the windows. The fireplace now sat cold and extinguished; ash and some faint pieces of paper sat motionless.

I heard the front doors open. I turned my head to see Cleo walking inside. Clenched by her side was the fire pick from last night. Attached to her side was a sheathed axe, which dangled from her belt. I looked curiously at both the axe, and the tote back she had dangled around her shoulder.

“Hey,” she said. “Did I wake you?”

“No, just woke up,” I said, turning back to the pillow. “Did… Did you place that there?” I asked, pointing to the pillow.

“Hmm? Oh yeah,” she said quietly. “Went out searching for something, well anything really, while you were sleeping. By the way, you were talking in your sleep. A lot.”

She took off the tote bag, rummaging through it. “Found this ugly thing while searching around. Going to get rid of this as soon as possible... Anyways, I found some food for later. Beans, mainly. Out of all the relics left behind, I wasn’t expecting to find can after can of Heinz Beans.”

“Also,” she continued, “considering we are now weaponless, I wanted to give you this guy here,” she took off the axe from her belt, which was still in its sheathe. “Don’t ask how I found this. Long story.” Instead of throwing it at me, she carefully handed it over.

Stolen novel; please report.

I ignored how quickly she managed to just gloss over my first question. “We should hit the road while it’s still bright and early,” I said.

She nodded, swinging her bag back around her shoulder. “I’ll be taking the fire pick,” she said.

The sunlight hit me dead-smack in my eyes. I instinctively squinted, shielding my eyes with my hand. Despite the sun beaming in the sky, the cold November wind smacked me dead in the face. I fumbled attaching the sheath to my belt. After a few seconds, I managed to snap it to my belt.

When we both stepped out, Cleo slowed to a halt. She looked over to where the mall was; the top faintly peeking over the many other stores and homes surrounding us. Her expression darkened - what once was a faint smile was now gone.

“There has to be something left, right?” she asked, basically whispering. “Something to at least bury…”

“No,” I quickly replied. “You saw how many there were. Chances are there’s nothing left.” I shook my head. A part of me wondered if we could have made it in enough time. If we were actually able to save Bobbie. If I didn’t hold Cleo back, she could have made it. She could have done something. If I had only reacted faster instead of freezing in place - No. Can’t wallowing in my own self-pity. Not here. Not now.

“Where’s our next stop?” I was asked.

“Twin Falls. From there, we pass through Ogden and back up through Cheyenne. Should be like an eleven-hour drive, so we’re going to make a few stops here and there. I have a few towns and rest stops in mind.”

She playfully nudged me in the shoulder. “Seems like you’ve been waiting for this road trip all your life.”

“Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t,” I said, laughing a little. “But… I thought it would be different, ya know? Despite the constant monsters trying to kill us, I honestly expected an escape. An actual escape from everything; from all this misery and death and loneliness.”

“Yeah, I get it. That’s why I left Washington. Not just because that state is a dumpster fire in itself either but because of, well...” her sentence trailed off as she gestured all around us.

“But you know what?” she continued. “I’m glad we found each other.”

“You are?” I asked, the surprise in my voice accidentally slipping out.

“Yeah. As I said last night, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t know where I’d be right now. And I can’t thank you enough for it.”

We continued walking, staying silent for a few seconds.

“Well, I know where’d I be without you. Dead. Miles ago in Oregon at the hands of those raiders. Still gotta pay you back too, somehow.”

“Well, I just may have to hold you to your word.”

We found our way back to the car, which now had frost and ice covering the windows. I went over to the back, ready to throw my stuff in. As I opened the door, I found our bags. Mine, Cleo’s, and even Bobbies. His bag was still open, though, and some things were messily poured out. I picked it up, putting his things back in. My hand froze when my eyes made contact with the photo he brought with him. The one of a younger him and his wife. Cleo walked up behind me, looking over my shoulder at the photo.

“Wonder what happened to her,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, me too,’ I replied. A part of me wished she was dead. I hated thinking that with every fiber of my being, but yet I know being dead meant she did not have to experience any of, well, this. I gently stuffed it back into Bobbie’s bag.

We threw our things in the back seat. I turned the keys, which I still kept in the ignition. It purred to life as usual. The hot air slowly streamed out of the ac. I sat back, waiting for the windows to defrost.

As I waited for the somewhat broken and crappy ac to do its job, I asked “I never asked, but what was your life like? I mean, before the whole ‘end of the world’.”

“Well, what’s there to say?” she replied. “From Kansas moved to Washington state, but you already know that. Honestly, I had no idea what I was expecting when I first moved there. It was noisy, smelly, and cramped. The first day there, somebody nearly totaled my car.”

When the layer of frost melted away, I started to pull out of the driveway.

“God, that must’ve sucked,” I said.

“Yeah, but I managed to learn to live with it. It was the small things that kept me sane. People were friendly enough. Got a job too; forensic scientist. ”

“Forensics, huh?” I asked. “Never took you for one of them. Forensic scientists, I mean.”

She chuckled, “Not many people did. But that’s where I found myself. All that wasn’t what kept me there. No. It was Vick. He… Long story.”

“Is he your fiancé?”

“Yeah. Used to be a mechanic. He could go on for hours about anything that was metal and on wheels. I hated listening to his rants, and yet I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

We drove down the silent road. Looming buildings towered above us, staring down at the trash-littered streets. Faint streaks of blood still lined roads. A part of me didn’t want to imagine where it came from, but I still found my mind wondering. These creatures… These things - they always liked ambushing their prey. I’ve noticed that. They always attacked from where they knew we couldn’t see them. And if, no, when they eventually catch up, they make a point to tear apart whatever poor soul found themselves outside at night.

“What about you?”

“Huh?” I asked, caught off guard.

“What was your life like? Before all this.”

“Well, that’s a good question. I wish I could tell ya something, but there’s not much to say…”

“Come on, there’s gotta be something.”

“I’ve spent most of my life just going by. Day by day. Week by week. Month by month. Looking back, that sounds depressing. When I first went off to college, I couldn’t wait to be my own man, ya know? I was excited about moving out of the house, doing my own thing. Got my job at some bar near my house. But six years later, I found myself wanting something more… Like, some kind of change. Not any of this, obviously, but something else.”

“Like a meaning… In all this?” she asked.

“Yeah… Yeah, I guess so.”