Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day nine

chompers seen: about a hundred and fifty

chompers killed: 0

near-death experiences: 3

human deaths witnessed: 2          

The truck bounced gently along the road as I watched the light reflect off the ocean to the right.

I sat in between Anthony and Henry, all of us scrunched in the back of the pickup. We'd been driving for a good half-hour now, and surely had to be almost out of gas. 

Jonah knocked on the window, his impatience obviously growing.

"You know, if we took the highway, we'd be a lot more likely to find another vehicle."

Ken scoffed, shaking his head. "Remember that scene in The Walking Dead when they got trapped on that highway?"

Joel spoke up then, raising his eyebrows at his boys. "And when the little girl got lost in the woods by the highway?"

"Yes, but remember how much supplies they found in all those cars?" Henry chimed in. "I think he's right."

"It's worth a shot," Anthony agreed. 

Ken turned away from the ocean, sighing. "Fine. But I'm blaming you when we die," he only half-joked, glaring at Jonah in the rear view mirror.

We drove in silence for a while, finally reaching the highway. It seemed to stretch on for miles and miles with no destination. The whole interstate was pretty empty, with the exception of a few scattered completely unusable cars. 

The truck rolled on, with those of us in the back making small, empty conversation. Everyone seemed happy to be moving on, but there was a sense of terror that hung loosely in the air. After all, who knew what would lie in the big city. We could all be attacked the second we laid eyes on one of the skyscrapers.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, came a deep rumbling that shook the bed of the truck and the ground around us.

My first thought was thunder; but after observing the perfectly clear sky, the thought was dismissed.

"Now there's a ride," Jonah remarked, whistling.

I followed his gaze to the front of the truck, then down the straight path of highway, where a massive van was headed straight toward us.

My stomach instantly tightened; after our last experience with the people on the beach, I knew it'd take a while before I'd be able to trust any strangers again.

Ken stopped the truck, and I watched as the van stopped also, a few dozen feet ahead.

At first, everyone was still. Then, all eyes watched the van as both doors opened and two women stepped out.

They appeared to have no weapons, and no obvious desire to harm any of us.

Ken stepped out of the truck then, going to greet them.

Everyone in the truck remained silent as we strained to hear their conversation.

"Mornin'. I'm Jean, and this is my daughter, Kirsten."

"Ken."

They shook hands, their eyes skimming our group for a split second.

"You folks headed to L.A.?" The mother asked this - a tall woman with blonde hair and extremely long legs.

"We were planning on it, yes," Ken answered. "Is that where you're coming from?"

"Yes, actually." Kirsten said this, and I found my eyes locked onto her hair. It was dyed a fiery red, so bright it was near impossible to look away. "Didn't live there, though. Were on a plane up from Texas when all this happened. Were supposed to be going all the way to Sacramento, but had to make an emergency landing down there."

"What's it like down there?" Ken asked.

"We had a nice camp for a few days. Plenty of food, nice people, and even a house." Jean sighed. "And then it got overrun this morning. Nearly nobody made it." Her thick southern accent was barely decipherable. 

"If it weren't for this baby," Kirsten pointed at the van, "we wouldn't have made it out of there. Once you get into the city it ain't bad, there's little camps around every corner, but tryin' to make it through the outskirts is just about impossible."

Ken let out a breath, nodding.

"We're headin' up to Sacramento now, hoping it's a little more friendly than down there." Kirsten shrugged. She looked around twenty or so. 

"That's where we came from, actually. It was pretty bad the first day, but it may have cleared out a little by now. We just spent a while in this town a few miles over and barely saw a single chomper the whole time. If you wanna hide out there for a while, you should be safe."

We all watched as Kirsten and Jean exchanged a glance, then they both nodded.

"If y'all are serious about headin' into the city, you should take the van. You'll have a much better chance of making it."

Ken turned around to us, his smile smug but sincere.

"I had no idea there were people as great as you left in the world."

~

A half hour or so later, we'd switched all our supplies and loaded into the van. The back was a little cramped but all our supplies fit with no problem, and Ken said there was more than enough gas. We'd truly experienced a miracle, and I still couldn't believe we'd ran into such wonderful people.

We'd put all the seats down, and all of us sat on the floor as Ken and Martha thanked the strangers for the billionth time, just as all of us had done. Then, as they piled in the front and waved goodbye, beginning to continue on down the highway, Gwen spoke up.

"Wait," she nearly gasped, shaking her head.

Ken hit the brakes, turning to look at her. "What?"

Gwen and Henry exchanged a look, then both nodded. "We're going with them."

Everyone stared at her, not knowing what to say. 

"We can't risk going into the city. We just need to keep our boys safe," Henry finished.

Ken nodded, turning off the van. "Of course. I understand."

We helped them out of the van and Henry went to talk to Jean and Kirsten, who nodded and seemed entirely open to the idea of company.

I'd miss them, but I didn't blame them for a second. If I had my two kids with me, I would take as little risks as possible. If I found a safe place, I'd never leave.

We helped transfer their share of supplies back to the truck, and then came the goodbyes.

For some reason, I found it traumatizing to leave Dean and Tyler behind. Even though we'd only really bonded that night on the beach, I could tell they liked me, and I loved having kids around. And I knew I wouldn't be having any within the next few years.

I bent down in front of them, smiling as much as I could.

"I had fun with you guys," I started, moving my eyes to meet both of theirs'. "Thanks for making me smile so much the past week."

They both hugged me then, and I wrapped my arms around both of their backs, closing my eyes and smiling. Maybe Anthony was right. Maybe I would make a good dad someday.

When I returned back to the van, I felt a familiar pair of eyes on me and noticed Anthony flashing me a goofy grin out of the corner of my eye.

I met his gaze, raising my eyebrows.

He shook his head, as if saying "nothing," but still continued to grin at me.

I smiled back, looking down and shaking my head. I don't know if he realized it, but he scooted closer to me so our sides pressed into each others', even though there was plenty of room in the van now. But I didn't mind.

"Alright, anybody else wimpin' out?" Ken asked, his eyes scanning mine, then Anthony's, then Jonah's, then Henry's, then Lizzy's. 

"Alright, then." He started the car. "We're off to the big city."