NO WAY BACK | carl grimes | ON PAUSE

thirty - four: new paint

"We all have fears."

🏹🏹🏹

A WEEK LATER, AFTER GATHERING SUPPLIES, Wayne loaded the last of the the water bottles into the boot of the car, closing the boot with good force. Elaina sat nervously in the front seat, peering out of the window. The last time she was in a car was well over eight months ago, on the motorway, before the group had encountered the horde of zombies.

"You have the route drawn out?" Wayne said from the outside of the car.

"Yes," Robin nodded. "Very visibly in red ink."

"Great," Wayne said, sitting in the driver's seat. "You can map read from the back."

"Okay," Robin said before dumping her backpack into the back seat. Robin helped Ameena get into the back seat, behind Wayne. After carefully lifting her leg in, Robin closed the door and hopped into the other side. A few seconds later, Wayne was putting the car into gear.

"Is this not an automatic?" Robin queried.

"Nope, a manual. Doesn't bother me," Wayne replied.

"I had an automatic car before this," Robin said, smiling out the window. "Pastel blue colour. Barely used any fuel. Best car I ever had."

"What happened to it?" Ameena asked.

"Left it on the motorway back in Atlanta when there was those traffic jams," Robin sighed. "Real shame."

"What's the difference between a manual and an automatic car?" Elaina questioned.

"A manual car has these things called gears," replied Wayne. "You have to change the gear to match the speed. Say you're going twenty mile an hour, you would be in third gear."

"How do you know when to change gear?" Elaina asked.

"Normally by the sound of the engine," Wayne said, putting the car into fifth gear. "If the car sounds like it's revving, put it into the next gear."

"Oh," Elaina said, making sense of it all. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"You'll be driving one of these days," Wayne smiled. "Lucky little Atlanta brat won't have to do a test."

Elaina looked at Wayne, and saw a glimmer of his old self there. Atlanta Brat was a phrase she had not heard in forever. All the same, it filled her with a warm feeling. Deep down, Elaina held into the idea that this feeling would always somehow return to her. Coming back to her in the times when she needed it most.

"Sucks to be you, Atlanta wannabe," Elaina said, shrugging.

"Might I remind you who is driving?" Wayne replied, raising his eyebrows.

"This is what you call driving?" Elaina said, feigning shock. "Ameena would be better. Even with her sore leg."

Wayne scoffed while Ameena laughed. Elaina chuckled at Wayne, who was now shaking his head. The laughter made her lungs feel light and airy. A good feeling. A great feeling. Elaina held onto it. She didn't know when she would feel like this again.