The sedan humd softly as it sped down the cracked highway, its tires crunching over the occasional debris.
Inside, the group sat in a tense but oddly comfortable silence, the hum of the engine providing a soothing background to their thoughts. Winter, seated beside Zara in the back, listened with his usual stoic deanor. His eyes followed the landscape through the window, still on alert mode.
Zara held Leo close, the little boy resting his head on her shoulder, his wide eyes taking in every word.
The interior was surprisingly spacious, thanks to the teenager’s modifications, allowing them all to sit with their supplies neatly stored.
The elderly man, who had introduced himself as Richard, leaned forward in his seat, his weathered face animated with stories of their recent encounters. "You wouldn’t believe the things we’ve seen," he started, his voice a gravelly mix of excitent and weariness.
Yes we can, Zara thought but kept that to herself. Aftaer all, they had all been in the apocalypse together.
"The weather had been crazy, we nearly lted during that freak acid storm a few months ago. Before we rigged up this car." Richard continued, shifting in his seat.
Winter, sitting beside Zara in the backseat, nodded, his face solemn. "We had a few close calls ourselves. One of those storms almost swept us away recently. We’ve had a lot of luck on our side."
"Hmm, luck is good in these tis." Richard shook his head, folding his arms. "Especially with those mutated creatures and new zombies."
"You all seem fine," Zara finally spoke.
Sam kept his eyes on the road but chid in, "We had a run-in with a pack of them not too long ago. Barely made it out. It’s like they’ve developed pack instincts, hunting together, strategizing."
Winter nodded. "Those are very unpredictable. But like I said, we’ve been lucky enough to not run into too many of them."
"Lucky you indeed," Sam whistled. "Almost lost the kid here," he gestured to the teenage engineer seated quietly beside Winter, "which would have been a sha with what’s in that head of his."
"Wow Sam," Mike mumbled, rolling his eyes sarcastically. "Here I was thinking you kept around for my personality."
"That what you tell yourself kid?" Sam called back, "whatever makes you sleep well at night I guess."
"Now now boys, no fighting," Richard sighed, shaking his head in amusent. Then he turned to winter. "You did good to have only one. You know how they can get."
Winter didn’t, sure he had a child but he was mainly in the military and whenever he had been ho, she had been so well behaved. He wished he had spent more ti with her.
Even Leo barely threw any tantrums or argued.
Zara listened quietly, holding Leo close. The little boy’s wide eyes flicked between the n talking, his gaze eventually settling on the teenage engineer sitting next to him.
The teen, Mike, however, looked uncomfortable, his gaze darting away from Leo’s intense stare. It was clear he wasn’t used to being around children, especially in this harsh new reality.
Zara noticed the awkwardness and leaned in to distract Leo. "Hey, sweetheart," she said softly, brushing a lock of his hair away from his forehead.
"Why don’t we play a ga? Can you tell Mommy what you see outside?" she suggested softly, trying to divert his attention.
Leo giggled, montarily distracted. "I see trees, Mommy! Lots of trees!" His small hands pointed at the blur of brown whizzing past the window.
Most of the trees were now dry, bony skeletons reaching out from the ground, their trunks twisted and malford from the Mist.
"That’s right, my love," Zara cooed, her voice warm. "Do you rember the last ti we saw so many trees?"
Leo’s face scrunched in concentration before he nodded enthusiastically. "When we were looking for the berries!"
Zara chuckled, her heart swelling at his innocence. It felt good to know he still had so mories of the world before it went to hell.
She glanced up and caught Winter’s gaze, his eyes soft as he watched Zara and Leo with a quiet tenderness that made Zara’s cheeks flush. She quickly looked down, focusing on Leo, but the warmth lingered.
Leo was once again peering curiously at the teenager. His tiny hands fidgeted in Zara’s lap, his gaze locked on the teen’s every move.
Mike, feeling the pressure of Leo’s gaze again, tried to focus on the small device he was tinkering with in his lap. Zara noticed the way Leo’s eyes lit up, curious and eager, much like how he had been with Mia and Kit.
Despite his caution, Leo was drawn to Mike, likely because he was the closest in age to what Leo was familiar with.
As the conversation up front turned to their destination, City H, Sam shared what he knew.
"It’s supposed to be a large, well-stocked base," the doctor explained. "A remnant of the governnt’s early efforts to organize survivors. It’s said to be one of the most secure locations left."
Winter nodded thoughtfully. "I’ve heard about it. They say it’s well-organized, with strict protocols and plenty of resources. A safe haven, if the rumors are true."
The doctor glanced at Winter through the rearview mirror, his brow furrowing slightly. "I’ve been aning to ask—are you military? You carry yourself like soone with training."
Winter t the doctor’s gaze, his expression unreadable. After a mont, he nodded. "I’ve had so training," he admitted, his tone neutral.
Bernard chuckled. "Figured as much. It’s good to have soone like you around in tis like these."
The teenager, who had been quietly tinkering with a small object in his lap, suddenly found himself the center of attention when Winter praised him. "And you, kid, you’ve done a hell of a job with this car. Quite impressive."
The boy looked startled, nearly dropping the toy car he had been fiddling with. His cheeks flushed as he mumbled a shy, "Thanks."
Leo, who had been watching intently, noticed the toy car and imdiately pulled out his own little truck from his space. Holding it up proudly, he asked, "Do you wanna play cars?"
Winter’s eyes widened slightly in confusion, shooting Zara a questioning look. "Where did he get that?" he asked quietly.
Zara’s heart skipped a beat as she scrambled for an explanation. "I—I gave it to him while we were packing," she stamred, trying to sound nonchalant.
The teenager, though, seed skeptical, his gaze lingering on the toy truck in Leo’s hands. He didn’t press further, but his expression made it clear he wasn’t entirely convinced.
Leo, sensing the tension, clutched his truck to his chest and whispered to Zara, "I’m sorry, Mommy. I didn’t an to be bad."
Zara’s heart ached as she cooed softly, "Oh, sweetheart, you’re not bad. You’re a good boy. Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out."
Winter gave Zara a look, one that promised a conversation later, and she sighed, gently stroking Leo’s hair. She knew she could trust Winter with their secret, and with Leo unconsciously using his space again, they’d need to cover for these lapses carefully.
If they wanted to survive in city H, Leo’s unique abilities were a secret they couldn’t afford to reveal.
The teenager, feeling a pang of guilt at Leo’s subdued deanor, offered his toy car to the little boy. "What kind of truck is that?" he asked quietly.
Leo imdiately brightened, crawling over Zara and Winter’s laps to get closer. "This is my daddy’s truck! It used to open the doors and the back would move," then he paused with a pout. "But it doesn’t anymore. But it’s still a good truck!"
At the ntion of Leo’s father, Zara’s face fell, her heart tightening. Winter noticed, his frown deepening. He reached out and squeezed Zara’s hand gently.
Zara looked up, surprised. Then flushed at the look on his face. Why did he feel the need to do this to her?
The conversation shifted back to their journey. The n discussed the rumored safety and structure of City H, speculating on what awaited them.
"If there’s a structure there, we might have to get separated." Sam said, cursing under his breath as they drove through a bumpy path.
"Beats being dead," Mike shrugged, giving Leo his toy and tinkering with the truck. "We’d probably be able to see afterwards."
"The governnt had ntioned trying to end this during the start," Zara rembered the announcents on helicopter speakers. "Do you think they’re still trying? Or have they given up?"
The group fell silent, only the hum of the engine filled the space. They had all heard it in their different locations and had had hope, once upon a ti.
"I honestly can’t say." Richard leant back in his seat. "This base might be their way of apologizing for failing."
They all looked up at the two "moons," one of them being the things that brought the mist and chaos with it.
Reviews
All reviews (0)