Tommy gripped the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the road ahead as the van sped into the night. Beside him, Laila stared silently out the window.

"We can't keep doing this," Jimbo said, his voice strained. "I mean, how long can we stay on the run? We've barely slept in days, we're running low on supplies. At this rate, we'll be zombie chow before we ever make it back home."

"Come on, man,” Micky said. “Don't talk like that. We've made it this far, haven't we?"

Jimbo snorted. "Barely. We were nearly overrun back there. Face it, we're screwed." He dropped his head in his hands. "Dee, Kim, what almost happened with Zero…This whole thing is so messed up. I just wanna go home. I just want things back to how they were."

"I know, man,” Micky said. “We all do. But we've gotta keep hope alive. Right, Tommy?"

Tommy's gaze remained fixed ahead. "Yeah. We'll make it through this." But the words felt hollow even to him.

Beside him, Laila shifted in her seat. Tommy glanced at her. "What do you think, Lai? We'll get back to Philly eventually, right?"

Laila remained silent for a moment. "I don't know." She bit down on her bottom lip. "Jimbo has a point. At this rate, our luck's going to run out sooner rather than later."

Tommy's grip tightened. "Come on, you can't think like that. We knew this wasn't going to be easy. But we've survived this long for a reason."

"Why, though?" Laila turned to him. “What’s the point?”

Tommy went to answer, but Laila him off.

"Face it, we're just delaying the inevitable. This whole drive back to Philly is pointless. There's nothing left for us there. We don’t know what’s there when we get back. Everyone might already be dead. This whole thing could be a complete waste of time."

"You don't know that," Tommy said. "Our families could still be alive."

"Yeah? And then what? We all hole up while the dead roam outside?" She gave a bitter laugh. "Give me a break. When we hit the Rockies, you should drive this thing off a ravine and do us all a favour."

A tense silence fell over the van. Tommy stared ahead, anger and exhaustion churning inside him. He understood Laila's cynicism, but he refused to abandon hope. Not yet. There had to be something left worth surviving for.

"Come on, Laila,” Micky said. “Don't say stuff like that. We can't give up hope."

Laila turned on him and sneered. "Why not? What's the point of hope in a world like this? We're dead either way, Micky. The only difference is how long it takes."

"That's not true.”

"Yes, it is. This whole trip is just delaying the inevitable. We should have stayed back at that FEMA camp. At least we'd have a roof over our heads."

"Until the horde arrived," Tommy said.

Laila laughed bitterly. "Again, what's the difference? Out here, we've got no shelter, hardly any weapons or ammo left. Every moment brings us closer to a gruesome death. Admit it, Tommy, we’re all screwed."

Tommy gritted his teeth. Part of him wanted to lash out, to tell Laila she was wrong. But the doubts needled at him, the bleakness of their situation inescapable.

"She's got a point,” Jimbo said. “This whole thing's been for nothing. We're just biding time at this point."

"Guys, come on,” Micky said..” We can't give up hope now. We've gotta keep fighting."

"Fighting for what?" Laila shook her head. "Don't you get it, Micky? It's over. There's nothing left to fight for." She slumped back in her seat.

Silence fell over the van once more.

"I know it seems hopeless.” Tommy said. “Believe me, there are moments I wonder if we'll make it too. But we have to try. We owe it to ourselves, and everyone back home still fighting, to keep going." He glanced at Laila. "You asked what's the point of hope? I'll tell you. It's Niamh and Sean. As long as I believe they might still be out there, I can't give up. I need that hope to keep me putting one foot in front of the other every day in this hell."

Laila held his gaze for a moment before looking away.

"I get why you all feel beaten down," Tommy said. "God knows, I do too sometimes. But we stick together, watch each other's backs, keep each other sane. That's what keeps me going." He looked to Jimbo and Micky. "I know it feels pointless. But we owe it to the people we've lost to keep surviving somehow. For their memory, if nothing else."

Jimbo stared down at his hands, saying nothing. Micky managed a weak smile. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right, man."

Tommy nodded, some of the tension in his shoulders easing. "It's gonna be tough going through the Rockies. More isolated, harder to scavenge supplies and fuel. But we'll manage. We'll take it one mile at a time if we have to." He glanced at Laila. "I know everything seems dark right now. But I need you guys to keep faith with me. Keep hope alive a little longer. We'll make it through the mountains and get back home. Back to our families."

Laila looked up, meeting his eyes once more. Something in her expression shifted. The coldness behind her eyes retreated by a fraction. "Alright. But when we clear the Rockies, if there's still no sign of life out east…" Her voice trailed off.

Tommy gave a terse nod in response. "Let's just focus on getting out of the mountains first."

Tommy drove on in silence, the dark highway stretching endlessly ahead. Exhaustion weighed heavy on him, making his eyelids droop. But every time he blinked, he saw the robber's face, his brain splattered across the asphalt.

Revulsion twisted Tommy's gut. He told himself the man gave him no choice, that it was kill or be killed. But that didn't erase the feel of the shotgun in his hands, the life snuffed out.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Would he ever be free of that moment? Or would it stalk his nightmares forever?

Shuddering, Tommy glanced at Laila's silhouette in the passenger seat. At least she hadn't judged him for what he'd done. He couldn't bear the thought of her looking at him differently. But then maybe she did. Maybe her withdrawal was because of him. His act the last straw in world gone to chaos.

In the side mirror, Tommy caught a glimpse of the Minks’ van on the road behind him. The van's headlights cut a feeble swath through the darkness.

Laila shifted in her seat, head nodding as she slipped into a fitful doze. In the back, Micky and Jimbo's soft snores mingled with the rumble of the tires.

Exhaustion weighed heavy on Tommy's shoulders. How long since he last slept? 36 hours? 48? The days and nights had blurred together in an endless forced march to outrun the dead.

His leaden eyelids drooped.

Shadows danced at the edge of his vision.

More than once he jerked awake, the van swerving as he realized he'd drifted off.

He lowered the window, letting the rush of cold night air splash his face. Anything to keep from falling asleep.

The road signs grew sparse, the exits dwindling. Would they ever find an end to this hopeless flight? Or simply run themselves into the ground?

Laila mumbled something, her head lolling against the window. Tommy thought of waking her to talk, just to hear another human voice. Anything to distract from the claws of sleep dragging him down. But she needed rest— they all did.

His eyelids grew heavy.

He blinked hard, trying to stay focused as the dark road blurred before him.

The van swerved and he jerked the wheel to correct it.

"Whoa, you alright?" Micky asked.

"I'm fine," Tommy said.

Laila turned to him, suddenly awake. "You sure about that? You look dead on your feet."

"I said I'm fine," he snapped.

The van swerved again.

Laila lunged across him and grabbed the wheel. "Jesus, Tommy! You trying to kill us?"

Tommy hit the brakes and guided the van to the side of the road. The Minks’ van pulled up behind them.

Tommy let out a long sigh.

"What the hell was that?" Laila asked.

Tommy scrubbed a hand down his face. "Nothing. I just got distracted."

Laila crossed her arms. "You almost took us into that ditch. You're in no shape to keep driving."

"I'm telling you I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're about to pass out at the wheel." Laila reached for his arm. "Come on, let me drive for a while."

“What, so you can take us off a cliff?”

Laila’s mouth dropped open. “I wouldn’t.”

“No?” Tommy glared at her.

“How could you say that?”

“How could you? I’m not the one who was talking about driving this thing into a ravine.”

“I wasn’t saying I would…I just…” She slammed her hand on the dashboard and turned to him. “I’m driving.”

Tommy shook her off. "I said I'm fine. I don't need you to babysit me."

In the back, Jimbo leaned forward. "Dude, she's got a point. We can't afford to take any more chances here."

Micky nodded. "Let her take over, man. Catch some rest while you can."

Tommy sat rigid for a moment before his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Yeah, alright. But just for a bit. Then you wake me up."

"Deal," Laila said.

They swapped seats and Laila slid behind the wheel. Tommy reclined the passenger seat with a weary sigh. Within moments, the steady vibration of the road lulled him into a heavy sleep.

Tommy awoke slowly, the soft dawn light filtering through the van's windows.

For a moment he forgot where he was, expecting to open his eyes to the familiar surroundings of home.

Then reality crashed back in.

The cramped interior of the van.

The constant uncertainty gnawing at his gut.

With a sigh he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The others still slumbered around him, Micky's snores mingling with the gentle snuffles of Jimbo's breathing.

Careful not to wake them, he eased open the door and slipped outside.

He found himself staring across a small rest area tucked back from the highway. Trees ringed the parking lot, helping hide it from casual view.

In the centre, Roxy tended a small campfire. The scent of cooking food made Tommy's mouth water.

He spotted Nix and Spike rummaging through boxes in the back of the Minks’ van.

Laila sat a little apart on top of a picnic table, back to the others as she gazed off into the trees.

He strode towards the fire, drawn to the warmth.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Roxy smirked at him, spatula in hand. "Hungry?"

"Starving. What's on the menu?"

"Tinned ham courtesy of our resident chef. Apparently Nix and Spike found a stash in the rest stop storage."

Despite everything, Tommy felt himself smiling back at her.

"Well don't let me keep you from your cooking duties."

He leaned against the Minks’ van, watching Roxy work. The mundane activity calmed his thoughts for a while. The hint of a smile still ghosted her lips.

Micky crawled from the van, his hair sticking up at odd angles. He nodded a silent greeting to Tommy, taking a long pull from a bottle of methadone.

A twig snapped in the treeline and Tommy spun.

Just another damn squirrel.

He turned back to find Roxy watching him, eyebrows raised.

"A little jumpy this morning, huh?"

He gave a tense chuckle, pulse slowly calming. "Maybe a bit. I don't think any of us can afford to fully let our guard down anymore."

"Too right." She scooped a serving of ham onto a dented metal plate and offered it to him. "Here. Get that into you. We've got a long road ahead still."

He accepted it with a smile. As he ate, Tommy found his gaze drifting once more to Laila. She gave no indication of joining them.

He sat down by the fire and began eating. The tinned ham was salty and tough, but it was hot and that’s what mattered.

As he ate, Jimbo emerged from the van, no doubt drawn by the smell of food.

Soon they were all gathered around the fire, plates perched on knees as they ate. All except Laila, who remained apart on the picnic table, her back to them.

"Remember that time the transmission blew outside Vegas?" Jimbo said suddenly. "We were stranded there for a week trying to scrape together the cash to fix it."

Nix chuckled. "I remember. We played every seedy club that would take us, trying to earn repair money. I think we survived on peanut shells and well whiskey that whole week."

"Wasn't all bad though," Zero said. "We met that magician with the white tigers. What was his name? Antonio something?"

"Antonio Valentino!" Jimbo said, snapping his fingers. "Man, that guy was insane. He let us hang with the tigers and everything. Said we had 'artistic souls.'"

Laughter rippled through the group at the memory.

"How about the Great Salt Lake show?" Nix said. "We drove straight from Portland, only to get there and realise the venue had double-booked. Nearly came to blows with that hardcore band."

More chuckles. Tommy found himself smiling too.

"We've had some wild rides in that old girl," Nix said, gaze distant. "She got us through a lot."

Murmurs of agreement followed.

“Just another sacrifice to the Globalist agenda,” Zero said.

Micky frowned. “Wait. That doctor was a Globalist?”

Zero rolled his eyes. “No. But it was their plan that put us in this position.”

Roxy smirked. “Not this again. No one planned this.”

“So naive.”

“At least Zero seems like he’s getting better,” Micky said.

Tommy and Jimbo laughed.

Zero shrugged. “Laugh it up. But when it turns out I was right all along…”

“We won’t hold our breath,” Roxy said.

They rose and began packing up supplies, preparing to head out.

Tommy consulted the map with Roxy, tracing a route through the mountains. "Should be able to avoid major hordes if we take the back roads through the Rockies.”

“You sure that’s the best idea?”

Tommy shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know what the best idea is anymore. All I know is that I want us all to get back in one piece.”

Roxy nodded and went to speak to Spike and Nix.

Tommy returned to his van and checked his shotgun.

"I can show you how to clean that properly if you’d like?” Zero said.

Tommy tensed and looked away. "I'm good, thanks."

Zero met his gaze. "What you did saved us, Tommy. Don't forget that."

Tommy's jaw clenched, the image of the robber's final moments flashing through his mind. He remained silent, turning away from Zero's earnest gaze.

One by one they loaded into the van. Laila climbed in last, avoiding Tommy's eyes as she slid past him.

The engine rumbled to life and Tommy pulled back onto the highway, mountains looming ahead through the dusty windshield.