The distraught sister nods, no fight left in her, no want to drag this moment out. She carefully lays her brother down, leans in close to him, quietly whispers something in Spanish, then, one final time, gently caresses his cheek.
Zee moves from Hawaii’s side, placing her hand on the broken sister’s shoulder. The devastated woman peers up at her, with damp eyes.
“Is it alright if I say a few words?”
The heartbroken sibling gestures a small nod, then returns her gaze to her brother. Zee snivels and wipes her wet face with her arm.
"It is frightful to think of what true love means
Never more apparent than a true loss grieved
A brave soul, a bold soul, a beautiful gentle spirit
A shining beacon of light, joyful and fearless"
The poetic woman's chest inflates, her lungs filling suddenly, tears flow again, but her soft words continue.
"For we are but wisps, whims floating in dreams
Leaves fall from branches, tears fall from cheeks
Innocence and wonder, magnificence caught by breeze
Our fair little Outlaw, our gorgeous little bee
May you rest in peace eternally, ever so serene."
CHAPTER FIFTY
“We go east from here, we should run into Route 19 in a few hours.”
“We’re really that close?”
“Florida isn’t more than a day away, Oasis three, four days at most.”
She beams, her mouth moves to one side, a half smile forming. She looks over her shoulder to Norman, his eyes full, he exhales heavily.
“That’s the best news we’ve had in weeks.”
Karo folds the map back into a small square as he regards the doctor.
“We’re not across the finish line yet, but it’s in sight, and that does feel good.”
Daisy briskly swats her hand on Karo’s arm, no real force behind the action.
“Slow down there cowboy, we might take that as optimism.”
That glare from beneath slanted eyelids, one she’s all too familiar with, presents itself upon the stoic wanderer. She chuckles, tapping his arm once more, before turning her attention to Patrick. The teen is to the side of Norman, a bit behind him, but not enough that Norman would need to rotate to bring the boy into his view.
“What do you think about that Patrick? There’s a real chance we’ll be arriving to Oasis in four days, maybe less.”
The timid teenager, with one arm clutching the other, does not reply with words, instead offering a meager bow of his head to the elated woman.
“Yeah, I like the sound of it too. It’ll be nice to sleep a full night.”
Norman holds his hand up, patting at the air.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still don’t know if they’ll let us in.”
“They will.” Karo says, his voice gruff.
“You’re certain of that?”
“I am. You’re good people. If Oasis is still standing, they’ll take you in. I don’t see how they won’t have need for another doctor, and if they’re progressed according to the plan they set a few years after the outbreak, a lawyer would be beneficial for them.”
“It only takes an apocalyptic event to give my profession a good name, how about that?” the attorney responds, a cheeky expression exuding from her.
“And Patrick’s young. Young people are always a valuable asset.” Karo says, brushing past her snarky comment.
Karo opens the side pouch of his backpack and restores the map to its safe holding space. Daisy detaches the canteen from the strap holding it to her pack, removes the lid, and takes a swig of water. Norman picks his pack up off the ground, motioning for Patrick to do the same.
The quad of Nomads carry on, pushing through thick brush and trees, crossing over a small creek, and staying to the outskirts of a moderately sized town. The hours pass by no longer or shorter than they ever have, only their perception of the time changing. These hours seem to fly by, their anticipation mounting, pulling them forward.
Their destination, U.S. Route 19, comes into view. A faint sight in the distance, perpendicular to the path they'd been carving out. They'll need to cross into the town they're near to find the on-ramp of the interstate.
"Traveling on the interstate itself isn't the most strategic path, but it is the most direct."
"What about camp?" the doctor posits.
"There should be cars littered all around. Certainly one of them will be empty, unlocked, and its windows intact, right?" Daisy replies, a bit of enthusiasm to her answer.
"That's what we're hoping for."
"Hope?" She replies, her brow raised, "Doc, check this man for a fever." she teases, her face morphing into an animated display of sarcasm.
Norman chuckles, a rarity for the half-hearted man these past few weeks. Daisy's gaze flashes to him, twinkling and illuminating.
"It's good to see you laugh Norman."
"I still enjoy humor Days. It's just been" -he sighs, his hand brushes over his head- "oh, rough. It's just been rough."
"I know." she says, her eyelashes fluttering, "I'm just glad to see it coming back."
Their harmless small chatter carries on for another few minutes, then Karo gets them in line and ready to venture on. They stay low, and silent, through the derelict town.
This town, like all other towns, is eerily silent, brooding, and molded. Areas are beginning to be shrouded in freshly growing and extending green, buildings washed and deteriorated, vehicles strewn on all sides of the roads, some of them ran into shops, or smashed against structures, some showing signs of rust, some much more than others, and this once lively and populated area of human concentration features the one sight that all previously congested zones do--the remains of lives lost long ago, and every so often the decayed remnants of a full body.
These places always present a sense of unease, an underlying sensation of dread and caution. If nothing else these unwillingly abandoned comfort zones reinforce that nothing should ever be taken for granted. Those that still live, and are old enough to have experienced a substantial amount of time in
