The morning sun crept slowly over the horizon, casting a golden hue that bathed the world in a deceptively peaceful glow. The group moved along the cracked, weary highway, their footsteps crunching softly against the crumbling asphalt.
Zara walked a few paces ahead, her eyes flicking between the road and Leo, cradled in her arms. The doctor’s help had made a difference, but there was still a tight knot in her stomach, one that wouldn’t let her relax, no matter how much ti passed.
Leo’s pale face, still flushed from fever, was tucked against her chest, his body limp as she cradled him against her. His forehead was cool now, but the fever had taken so much from him, and though he appeared to rest more deeply now, she knew it wouldn’t be enough.
Every few minutes, she would adjust his position, her hands lingering as if to reassure herself of his presence.
"How’s he doing?" Winter’s voice broke the silence.
She adjusted his blanket and glanced over her shoulder at Winter.
"Leo seems a little better," Zara murmured, her voice breaking the stillness. "The doctor’s help did sothing, but I’m still worried."
Winter nodded, his expression understandable. "Like I said, he’s stronger than he looks," he replied, his voice a low rumble. "We’ll get him through this."
They walked in silence for a while longer, the only sounds the crunch of gravel and the distant calls of unseen birds. Zara’s thoughts drifted to the people they had encountered the night before.
She bit her lip, a thought tugging at her mind. "Call crazy but...They seed... genuine, those people," she mused. "I know we can’t trust easily, but they didn’t feel malicious."
Winter’s jaw tensed slightly. "No, I didn’t sense malice either. But in tis like these, taking chances can cost more than we can afford."
Zara sighed, a mix of agreent and exhaustion colouring her breath. "It’s behind us now. Still, I can’t stop thinking about what they said—about rest and fatigue." She hesitated, her eyes flickering over to him. "You need to rest, Winter. I won’t lie. I’ve been thinking about it, and when we find a place... I need you to rest. We can’t keep going like this."
Winter’s eyes flicked to her, his brow furrowing slightly. "Rest isn’t exactly a luxury we have right now."
"True," Zara conceded, "but you’re not invincible. Once we find a safe place, you need to rest. Dont be stubborn."
"That’s not necessary—" Winter began.
Zara shook her head slightly, her hand tightening around Leo as she walked. "We both know you’re not fine."
For a mont, the world seed to pause as they walked in step, the distant sound of gravel crunching beneath their feet and the whispers of the wind carrying their words away.
Winter finally turned his gaze to her, his eyes softening for the briefest mont before he turned away again. "I can’t afford to rest. Not until Leo’s safe. Not until we’re—"
She didn’t let him finish, her voice firr this ti. "I know," she said quietly. "But we both know you can’t keep going without taking care of yourself. If you push yourself too hard, you’re going to burn out. And I can’t afford to lose yo—You are of no use if you’re not at your best."
"Glad to know I’m only here for my bodyguard services," Winter finally spoke. Zara paused, worried she might have overstepped. Then she saw the smirk tugging at his lip and glared.
"What did you think? That I wanted you around because of your charming personality?"
Winter snorted, smirk in full effect as he fell into step beside her.
Zara rolled her eyes, her lips twitching despite herself. "I an, it’s not that bad. Your personality’s fine... for a guy who’s allergic to warmth and conversation."
Winter chuckled, the sound rough but genuine. "I don’t know if I should be offended or flattered. You’ve got pegged, though."
Zara raised an eyebrow, her gaze flicking over to him as she shot back, "Don’t take it too hard. You can be tolerable when you want to be."
"Tolerable?" Winter echoed, his voice low and amused. "Is that the best you can offer? You wound ."
Zara gave a small, dramatic sigh. "Well, if it helps, I’ll add ’mysteriously brooding’ to your list of qualities. Does that makeup for the lack of warmth?"
"Much better," Winter replied with a smirk. Then, his tone shifted, the teasing light in his voice dimming just a little. "You know, I’m still not taking a break."
Zara gave him a pointed look. "You’re impossible."
"I like to think of it as... determination," Winter replied, leaning in slightly, his voice quieter now. "But really, we can’t rest right now. Maybe later, but not right now."
Zara glanced at Winter again, her eyes soft but insistent. "Ok, let’s find sowhere to sit for a bit. We’ve been walking for hours, and we can’t afford to burn out before we get to City H."
Winter didn’t respond imdiately, his gaze flickered toward the horizon, scanning their surroundings. Then, he nodded.
"Alright," he agreed, though it was clear he wasn’t entirely happy with it. "We’ll find a place. But I’m not taking a nap. Just... a short break."
Zara smiled at him, though it was more tired than teasing now. "We’ll see about that."
*****
Zara groaned as her eyes drifted across the desolate landscape, the stretch of highway before them looking endless. They had been walking for hours, and still, the horizon held no promise of respite. Her legs ached, the muscles burning from the strain, but she ignored it, focusing instead on Leo, who shifted slightly in her arms, making a small sound.
"Shh, it’s okay, Leo," Zara murmured gently. "You’re doing okay."
Winter’s voice broke through the quiet. "I don’t see any sign of a place to stop for a while. We keep walking, we’ll reach City H by the next two days."
Zara nodded, adjusting Leo in her arms, his weight lighter now, but the worry never lifted. "We can’t push him too much longer."
Winter glanced over at her. There was no visible tension in his face, but she could see the way his jaw tightened slightly, his mind running through options. "We’ll find sowhere safe soon. I’ll keep watch."
It wasn’t long before the faint shape of sothing appeared on the horizon—small, almost hidden against the barren landscape. Zara’s eyes flickered toward it and then back at Winter.
"A rest area," she said, pointing in the direction.
They approached cautiously, stepping off the highway and onto the dirt path that led toward the small, abandoned rest stop. It was a place that hadn’t seen use in a long ti, yet it was still sowhat intact. The weathered benches and broken signposts told a story of better days.
Winter looked around, hand on his rifle as he tried to make sure nothing was hiding in the corners. Satisfied, he motioned for Zara to sit while he set up a makeshift lookout. Zara lowered herself onto the bench, cradling Leo gently. She adjusted his blanket and touched his forehead softly, her heart fluttering with worry and tenderness.
As she watched Leo sleep, she couldn’t help but wonder if they would truly find a base in city H—if they would find a place where they could be safe for a little while in this mad world.
Winter moved to the edge of the area, his back to the wall as he scanned their surroundings. Zara watched him, taking in the way he stood, his shoulders tense, eyes constantly searching for threats. She could see how the fatigue was starting to weigh him down.
This stubborn guy... She sighed, shaking her head. Then Leo groaned softly and she looked down to see he was awake.
"Hey baby," she cooed softly. "How are you feeling?"
"Hot," he whined.
"Sorry baby, let’s get you sothing to make you feel better." She reached into her bag, pulling out a bottle of electrolyte solution and so rations. Winter was at her side imdiately, silently holding the bottle as she administered the dose to Leo.
"Easy now, Leo," Zara murmured, her voice soothing. "Just a little sip."
Leo fussed, his small hands weakly pushing against the bottle.
"Hey buddy," Winter coaxed softly, brushing Leo’s hair out of his face. "Why dont you eat your food and take your dicine so we can have so fun?"
"Uncle?" Leo squinted, trying to look at his face.
Winter blinked at the title. "Yeah, it’s . Now be good and take your dicine," he said, shifting closer to them.
"But I dont wanna."
"I know, it can be yucky, but you want to eat sweets right?"
"Yeah."
"Then let’s take our dicine so we can eat lots of sweets, we won’t tell your mother. It would be our secret."
"Our secret?" Leo coughed, looking at winter clearly now, eyes narrowed with curiosity.
"Hmm," Winter motioned for Zara to give him the dicine which she did, still watching their interaction.
Zara’s eyes t Winter’s, gratitude shining through her exhaustion. Together, they managed to get Leo to drink a bit more, the tension in his small body gradually easing.
As Leo drifted back into a more peaceful sleep, Zara leaned back, her eyes closing. This was taking a lot out of her ntally and emotionally. Not being able to ease the pain of her child was a feeling she hated with a passion.
"Eat," Winter’s voice broke through her thoughts, his tone leaving little room for argunt as he handed her a larger portion of their rations.
Zara took it, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You know, sotis I think you care more about eating than you do yourself."
Winter shrugged, a rare, almost playful glint in his eyes. "Soone’s got to keep you going."
They ate in companionable silence, the small al doing little to fill the gnawing hunger but providing a semblance of normalcy. Zara’s gaze drifted to Leo, "You’re good with him," she said softly, her eyes lifting to et Winter’s.
He shrugged, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I’ve had so practice... so ti ago."
Zara raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued. "Practice?" She hadn’t learnt much about winter’s life before the apocalypse.
Winter’s gaze flickered away briefly before returning. "I had...There was a kid once. Had a fever for the first ti. I didn’t know what to do then. Felt completely out of my depth."
Zara’s eyes softened, sensing the rare vulnerability in his words. "But you helped him?"
"Her," Winter nodded, a distant look in his eyes. "Eventually. She pulled through."
Zara could tell from the look in his eyes that sothing had happened to this child. Questions swirled in her mind. Was the child his? Had they been able to survive the first few days of the apocalypse? Were they suddenly separated and is that why he’s taking care of her and Leo now?
Zara, feeling a surge of trust, held Leo out to him. "Do you want to hold him?"
Winter looked surprised but nodded, his movents careful as he took the child into his arms. Leo blinked up at him, yawning before burrowing his face into Winter’s chest.
The look on Winter’s face, as he stared at Leo, made her chest ache. It was a look she recognised well from before the apocalypse—one Damon used to have when holding Leo.
She turned away, wiping her face.
God, what was she thinking?
"Are you ok?" Winter’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts.
"Ye—ahem, yes, I’m fine," she cleared her throat, turning to him. She pulled out a blanket and draped it over Winter and Leo.
"What are you doing?" he asked, frowning slightly.
"What needs to be done," she said smirking at him. "Dont move too much or Leo might wake up again,"
Winter’s frown deepened. "I should stay awake. It’s not safe." "You can’t," she interrupted, her voice firm. "Leo’s finally resting, and so should you. You need it." He shifted slightly, his arms tightening around the small bundle of warmth resting against his chest. "I’m fine. I can manage." "You can’t pour from an empty cup," Zara murmured, her gaze flicking from his tired eyes to the dark circles beneath them. "Leo needs you strong. We both do."
Winter opened his mouth to argue, but Zara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, her touch grounding and insistent. "Please, Winter. For once, let take the watch."
The concern in her eyes silenced his protest. He exhaled, a long, weary breath, and allowed himself to sink back against the concrete. "Fine," he muttered, though his grip on Leo remained protective. "But only for a little while."
Zara’s eyes softened, a small smile playing on her lips. "Good."
Winter settled against the concrete, his body relaxing as sleep claid him.
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