Forgetting the Apocalypse

9. Winter is Coming

Fredi and Mara's pov*

I have no idea what I was thinking teaming up with this stranger, let alone making the journey to Alaska. My instincts tell me he'd never hurt me but I really should've believed him when he told me that I'd regret it. Because my sanity surely does. It has never been tested this much even when I was walking alone for five months.

But being with him, it's like taking some sort of patience test. And boy can this fella talks lot. He isn't reckless by being loud or not watching where he's going but he's very childish. It's like he has an eight year old trapped inside his body. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't talk to himself when he was traveling alone.

Ok, technically I did with myself when I was motivating myself to get the glass out of my side and calm myself down, but that's besides the point. With him I mean like he straight up had an open conversation with himself.

However, I will give him credit where credit is due. He doesn't irritate me past my limit. Just as I begin to sigh, he goes quiet. Well he stops talking, because if he isn't talking then he starts to humm during his so-called little breaks. I am grateful though because other than his question about my age, he hasn't asked me anything else about myself.

We got into this little routine that I hunt our food every dusk and he cooks it. His cooking skills are really good, even better than mine, despite it being the critters I find in the woods. I wonder what his cooking would have tasted like before all this?

I wonder if I was ever really good at cooking?

Woah!

Where did that thought come from?

"You alright there, Tigress?" I realize that he must have seen my sudden change in mood, so I shakey thoughts away. "Yeah I'm good, just got lost in my head for a second." It wasn't really a lie. Thankfully, he doesn't ask any further and resumes his humming while making our food.

Tonights dish, two roasted crows and a fruit cocktail in a can.

"Gonna need more seasoning soon. This italian one you got is almost done. Add it to the shopping list." he says.

I simply nod.

At first, I thought it was one of his little crazy things that he does. But when he explained it to me, it made much more sense. It wasn't a shopping list that you carry when you go to the store to shop. It's what to look for when scavenging houses and other places. Our current shopping list consist of new pair of boots, couple of thicker sweaters and now more seasonings. For some personal preference, he also wants some fish before the river freezes over.

Fredi speaks up again, "I was thinking maybe we could take another look at that map of yours. With the upcoming winter, maybe we should find a few places we can hold up in for a few days instead of traveling every single night. Even with good warm clothes, we could still run into trouble like hypothermia."

I agreed so that was our plan. We'd hold up at spot for three days and travel one night then hold up again for another three. Normally I'd like to keep moving but since this is going to be my first winter, I'd rather follow his lead.

Within two weeks, the temperature drops significantly. Already ice is starting to form on the trees. Our breath can be seen when we exhale. Eventually we had to find scarfs so we can wrap it around our faces and minimize the chill. And luckily, at one of our pit stops at a house, we check off nearly everything on our shopping list. Only thing that wasn't checked was Fredi's fish.

Surprisingly, I'm doing better than I thought I was going to be doing. No doubt Fredi has been a good help. We're halfway through Colorado and winter is now in full swing. Almost everyday it snowed. It gave us a lot of cover during the day, so we took the risk of travelling some days. That way it's be easier for us to keep warm with what little sunlight shown through.