" THE RIGHT CHOICE IS THE ONE THAT KEEPS US ALIVE. "
9 year old Maxine "Max" Walsh just wants some peace. For her, every time a problem gets solved, another one appears.
Being the daughter of Shane Walsh comes with a burden; a curse of never-ending...
" Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids, in fact it's cold as hell. „ Rocket man - Elton John
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«HELLO, CAN YOU HEAR MY VOICE?» The radio crackled. Maxine jumped from her chair, speeding to the device, coming right up behind Amy. All eyes were glued in the radio's direction as Amy struggled to make contact with the unknown man.
"Hello, anyone out there? Will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85."
Maxine listened attentively as Shane took the lead. The man on the radio couldn't hear them, she realized, a heavy pit forming in her stomach. No matter how much much her father talked, or how much he fiddled with the buttons, the man on the other end couldn't hear.
"He's gone," Shane sighed, not looking as defeated as he sounded.
"There are others. It's not just us." Lori said.
"We knew there would be, right?"
Maxine kicked the ground with her right foot, tuning out of the rest of the conversation. Lori was right. Someone else had also survived, they weren't alone. It had been a long time since she last saw or heard someone outside of their own little group, so the discovery was about as great as the moon-landing.
Maxine was well versed in the happening, having her own little obsession of it. July 20, 1969, the first men stepped foot on the moon, she remembered the books say. A giant round globe of whites, finally conquered by mere humans.
Maxine always loved thinking about space. The possibilities that something - or someone - else was out there, was just too great, too interesting, for her not to like it. It was a terrifying concept, but nowadays there were greater things to worry about. Like flesh-eating dead people walking.
"You alright, kiddo?" Shane bent down, brushing the back of his hand softly across her cheek. Maxine clutched her space-dog close to her chest and nodded.
"Do you...do you think he'll be alright?" She asked hesitantly. Her father hadn't looked very optimistic about it.
"'Course he'll be." He patted her shoulder once, giving her an encouraging smile as he pushed her towards Carl. "Now take Laika with you and hang out with Carl, yeah? I gotta go talk to Lori."
She skipped over to the boy quickly. Carl was her best friend, she had known him since forever. Maxine thought it was funny, that the best-friends' kids were also best-friends.
"Hey, Carl, wanna go down to the Quarry and pretend we're on the moon?" She suggested, struggling to stay in place. She needed to get rid of some excess energy, and what better way was there to do so?
"But mom said-"
"C'mon, please, Carl," Maxine begged, sending a glace towards the tents. "We'll be back before they find out, no worries."
