"Don't do that."
"Give me a reason not to."
The woman holsters her gun, and eases her stance.
"My name is KP, and I'm a Guide."
Rosaline's face scrunches.
"A guide?"
"I find people."
"Find them for what?"
"I'm from a place called Oasis, a community, more than a community actually, we're a city now, the last city we know of. We're rebuilding society, we're safe, and we have an immunity for the disease."
Rosaline's eyes grow wide, her brow raises, her chest fills with air.
"You're full of shit."
"I'm not, and I can prove it."
CHAPTER FORTY
“You’re certain you know where we’re going?”
Karo’s hand falls to his side, smacking against his thigh. He sighs, and pivots to face Daisy.
“Are you going to ask me that every day?”
“There’s a good chance of it.”
The rugged man grunts, then resumes his forward trek.
“That’s very reassuring.” she says, in a mocking tone.
He breathes in heavily.
“Yes, I know how to get back there. I only traveled northwest from Atlanta. Oasis is south of Atlanta. I’ve traveled from there to Atlanta many times, one of Maria’s sisters lived there.”
“So, you just walked northwest until you ran into us?”
“Yes.”
“And when we started traveling together you kept taking us northwest?”
“Pretty much.”
“Pretty much?”
His face red, his chest hot, he stops walking, giving his full attention to Daisy.
“Listen, traveling back southeast will put us around Atlanta. There will be signs everywhere for the city. We travel close to Route 19 and we’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.”
“Alright soldier, take it down a notch. Can’t blame me for being curious.”
His eyes sharply cut to her, her head tilts, her hands come up, and she relents. Daisy slows her pace, rejoining Norman and Patrick.
She winks at Patrick, “Gotta keep him on his toes.” she says.
The group has been traveling for two days now. Each day their journey has lasted as long as the sun is out, only stopping for bathroom breaks and one small meal. Every day around an hour before dusk sets in Karo finds shelter, or the next best thing, to make camp for the night.
They know this travel will be long and arduous. They know it’s likely they’ll encounter infected, they know it’s possible they wont all make it, but at least one of them has to. Jack’s death can’t have been for nothing. He was too good of a person, of a friend, of a husband, for anything less to suffice.
Karo has kept them in brush and on backroads for the entirety of their journey, but this will not be possible much longer. The group will have to make supply runs, and, when they get to Georgia, they’ll need to be close to cities for Karo to get an exact reading of where they are.
The first pitfall was having to travel around a long river. They could’ve passed through it, but the trouble of having freezing and soaked clothes wasn’t worth it, not to mention the possibility of what could’ve been in the water. None of them are sure if the diseased could venture into water, sink, and still be dangerous, so they chose not to risk it.
“First the river, and now this, what great fortune we have.”
Daisy’s annoyance is on full display as she glares at the unfinished construction. A highway was being built, but never finished. At least half a mile long, littered with construction vehicles left behind, and gated off as far as they can see.
“It’s clear to me now that we definitely were not traveling northwest before we met you.”
Karo’s brow furrows, but he doesn’t respond. He remains in thought, standing rigid, with his hands on his hips.
“Did you come across this before?”
“No, I was further west. This zone can’t be too long.”
“Can’t we just climb the fence and go through it?”
“Not the best idea. If there are diseased mixed in with all that, it’ll be too compact for comfort. Too easy to get separated.”
“So we go around, again?”
“Don’t have much choice.”
Daisy frowns, and runs her hand through her hair.
“I guess not.”
She turns on her heel, looking to Norman and Patrick.
“Saddle up boys, we’re going around, again.”
Patrick slides the backpack from his shoulders, drops it to the ground, and plops down on it. His head hangs low, he hunches over and curls his arms to his chest, attempting to warm his cold appendages.
“Karo, I think we need a break.” Norman says.
The grizzled man bobs his head as he squats down, relieving the tension in his back. Daisy scans the inconvenient area for a long moment.
“I’m going to use the little girl’s room.”
“Stay close.” Karo says.
“Creepy.” Daisy replies, with a grin.
“That’s not what-”
He sighs again, trying not to let her jabs get to him, and failing in the process. Norman kneels next to Patrick, handing him a canteen.
“Are you feeling alright?”
A slight nod from the young teenager follows his question.
“Cold and tired?”
Another gesture of confirmation from the nearly mute boy.
“I think we all are, but-”
Norman inhales precipitously, blowing the air back out through his nostrils.
“But it’ll be better once we get to Oasis, won’t it? We’ve done nothing wrong, they wont turn us away. We have to believe that, I have to believe that.”
Norman’s gaze moves from the ground in front of him to the boy.
“This is a tough time for all of us, and even though I’m going through something very difficult right now, I want you to know that I’m still here for you. If something is wrong, or you don’t feel right, don’t keep it in. You can tell me anything, Daisy as well, you now that, right?"
Patrick fidgets for a moment, scrunching his mouth to the side, then gives Norman an understanding gesture.
"Alright, let's try to rest for a few minutes." Norman says, as he sprawls out on the ground.
Daisy returns from behind a bulldozer, places her backpack on the ground, and lays with her shoulders against it. The weary foursome will spend the next twenty minutes in silence, recharging their energy.
After the much needed rest their travel resumes, heading west around the
