ZOMB-POCALYPSE

Chapter Seventeen

We pack our few sparse belongings and say goodbye to Jep and Agnes. We beg them to come with us, but they stubbornly refuse, saying that their kids from Orlando will know to look for them at the motel. I really hope their kids are alive and on their way to take care of them.

They do us a favor and keep Fluffy. The little dog has grown attached to them over the last few days, and I can't say that I will really miss the little fur ball. I give him a fond pat goodbye and then hug both Agnes and Jep.

"I really hope they survive, and that their kids show up," Ryan says glumly as we leave the motel in our rear-view mirror. I think he has the hardest time with leaving them behind, mostly because they are so old. It's not that I'm heartless. I think it's a mistake for them to stay alone, but we can't exactly kidnap them. We need to focus on helping ourselves and people who actually want our help. Ryan also left them a detailed map to both the camp in Illinois, and Liberty Island.

The drive is quiet. Zombie hordes roam the landscape, but we are too fast in the truck to have to worry about them much. I pray that we don't have any more vehicle trouble. We keep to the smaller roads this time, because speed is not much of a necessity. Playing it safe will only delay us a couple of hours at most.

It doesn't register at first why the area looks so familiar. After all, with the ruination of society, nothing truly looks the same anymore. I see a glimpse of things here and there and get a strong sense of déjà vu, then shake my head convincing myself that I'm imagining things.

A sign up ahead has my heart slamming in my chest, and the puzzle pieces click into place. I'm not crazy. The reason things seem familiar is because we are back in my home state of Pennsylvania. The sign reads: Duncan 35 Miles.

Duncan isn't that far from my old town of Blairsville.

"Stop the truck," I say, surprising both Ryan and Silas and, I think, even myself. Ryan stomps on the brakes. I sit in the truck, trying to make a decision. I have often regretted not taking a few more things from my old home—maybe some photos of my parents, my stuffed bear that I had since I was two... On the other hand, dying because I had to try and retrieve possessions is crazy.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asks.

I turn to him, still not sure what I'll say. "We're close to my old house," I tell him, obviously my heart has already decided and doesn't want to wait for my brain to catch up.

"You want to stop," Silas says. It's not a question. He can tell.

I swallow and nod, "I do."

A look comes over Ryan's face, and I know he's against it. "It's dangerous," Ryan says.

At the same time, Silas says, "No harm in checking it out."

I stare between the two of them. I feel like I've betrayed Ryan somehow when I nod and side with Silas.

"If it's too dangerous, I don't want to risk our lives... I just want to see it again, maybe grab some stuff if the coast is clear." Tears well in my eyes, though I hastily wipe them away. I don't want to play the damsel in distress to make Ryan agree.

"We'll take a quick look," Ryan says, and I smile at him. We didn't have the best experience in the last town we entered, and I definitely don't want to repeat it.

I lean forward and give Ryan directions, then I sit back and wait. I'm practically vibrating with excitement; it's a feeling that I didn't think I would ever feel again.

Within the hour, we are entering the town limits of Blairsville. I direct Ryan to the cul de sac that I haven't seen in almost two weeks. Things still look crazy. More garbage litters the street, and there are at least twice as many zombies as before. I quickly count more than twenty.