It was easy to forget that the world had ended when you were deep into the countryside. The eastern states had huge forests and miles of wilderness in between cities. It was easy to get lost if you weren't paying attention. Or, if you had no destination in mind and were just wandering aimlessly as you went.
Lexi didn't mind all that much. Eyes traveling along the river that flowed at the end of the valley, she took in the warmth of midmorning and breathed deeply. Hunger pains were a constant, almost forgettable if you were used to them like she was. You were always hungry, no matter what.
The sounds of chirping birds caught her attention and she followed the path of one as it flittering across the sky above them. When it was out of sight, she lowered her gaze back to the long, empty highway they'd been traveling. Every so often a rusted car was parked along the side or sideways in the middle of the road. They searched those they passed and continue on. The road had been cutting through the meadows for several miles now, the forest long behind them.
Shachi and Penguin had been conversing in hushed tones while they traveled, just loud enough for them to hear, but not so loud as to catch every word. Lexi shook her head with a tiny smile. She'd never met someone who could carry on discussions for as long as they could, days at a time, all day long. Back before society collapsed, she was sure there were a few people she could name who could, but now? Finding things to talk about became a bit more difficult. She commended their ability to do so.
Their voices were right at the edge of her hearing, the both of them walking in front of her. Leading directly in front of them was Law who'd been quiet most of the morning. Lexi hung at the back, as usual, observing and listening for any directions from her companions. Plus, making up the back end had some benefits. It gave her time to think about things and what not without being asked if anything was wrong.
She'd been traveling with the boys for a little over a week now, and Lexi found it surprisingly difficult to fit in with the group's dynamic. Not that there were any strict rules they had created, but simply because of her social awkwardness that had been present since she were little. In fact, each of them had been as welcoming and polite as possible to help her feel comfortable. Only Lexi's inability to really gauge where she fit into a group had come up to bite her in the ass again, and she wondered not for the first time if she'd truly made the right decision joining them.
Sighing to herself, she admitted that yes, it probably was the right decision. She was just terrible at fitting in. Her fear of becoming more trouble than she was worth had quickly taken the reigns on most of her decisions. Still, there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Something Shachi and Penguin said caught her eye. Some shift in their voice tone, perhaps, and she noticed them both looking at her when she finally glanced up.
"Hmm? What?" Lexi asked, confused.
"I asked how old you were?" Shachi waited expectantly.
"Oh, I'm 23…I think. Maybe 24 depending on what the date is." She replied with a smile. "It's kind of impossible to keep track of time."
"Well, when's your birthday?"
"July 5th."
Penguin scratched his head, eyes far away in thought. "Hmm, not sure. I don't know what month it is either."
Unexpectedly, Law joined in on the conversation. "Best guess is sometime in April. Maybe May."
"Have you been keeping track?" Penguin looked back towards their leader, watching as he pulled out a notebook from his pack and held it up. It contained dozens and dozens of tally marks separated by boxes.
"Trying to. Not sure what use it'll be, but better to have it than to lose it completely." He shrugged and put it back where it came from. "From what I've been able to track it's been about 2 years since the world ended."
That sobering thought brought a heavy silence among the group. Lexi couldn't help but think back to the way things used to be. They'd still have electricity, and easily accessible food. Vehicles, water, plumbing, air conditioning and heaters. She missed them all. Not to mention, the safety. Or the people.
Lexi missed her grandmother. The brunette supposed it was a blessing that Nana had passed away in peace before the zombie apocalypse came about. Lexi hadn't had to kill her herself, something she didn't think she'd have the guts to do when it all came down to it.
And she missed her best friend, but…well, best to leave that one alone.
In front of her Penguin yawned deeply, reaching into his pack for one of the water bottles. Before her eyes, he uncapped the lid and gave himself a few sips.
"Yo, save some for later. We only have so much." Shachi complained, lightly pushing his friend in the arm.
"Yeah, yeah. It was just a couple sips. Calm down." Even so, he secured the cap again. Lexi eyed the bottle with a wince, swallowing more out of instinct than the desire to. Her throat was parched but she didn't want to say anything. It was true, water was the most precious resource they had, and there wasn't an unlimited supply.
Best not to get greedy. Nodding minutely to herself, she adjusted the backpack on her shoulders into a better spot and continued walking, telling herself she could have water once they stopped to take a rest. The last thing she wanted to do was come across as too needy or wasteful by asking for food and water too frequently.
Her gaze refocused in front of her, and she realized she'd caught Law's eye. He must have glanced back at them after Shachi mentioned rationing the water. Lexi gave a small smile, trying to reassure him that she was alright.
"You good?" He questioned, a strange expression on his face.
Raising a brow, not sure why he was asking, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Looks clear for miles back there." She said, sticking a thumb out behind her. It was true, Lexi liked to keep a watch on their back, just in case. You never knew when you'd be ambushed.
After a moment, Law nodded and turned to face forward again. The mechanics had continued their conversation after that, gesturing with their hands as they talked. Lexi couldn't hear this conversation, so she let her gaze wander again. It was a rare moment in which, besides her thirst and ever-present hunger, Lexi felt safe and comfortable.
"Alright, let's stop and rest for awhile. We've been walking all morning."
Law shrugged off his pack and placed it on the table under the rest stop's gazebo. They'd come across the highway pull off and Law felt that it was as good a place as any to take a break. There was nothing for miles around, and they'd be alert for any zombie that may possibly be out here.
After all day of carrying their supplies, his shoulders were beginning to ache. He rolled them around the socket as the others nodded and followed his lead. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lexi sigh out of relief before slumping down on the bench further away. Hmm.
"Oh, sweet, an actual bathroom." Shachi pointed towards the small stone building further down where the restrooms were. "I'll be back in a sec."
"I'm coming with!" Penguin called, jogging to catch up with him. The two friends disappeared behind the men's restroom door, leaving Law alone with their only female companion.
Lexi had only been with them a week, and things were going well. Perhaps too well, Law thought to himself. They'd traveled a random path, hopping a town over simply because it was closest. Zombies had been few and far between. There was a lot of walking involved, and he'd been impressed Lexi never complained about taking watches at night, or roughing it up out in the wild. No doubt she was accustomed to traveling hard and unconventionally, like the rest of them.
However, he couldn't recall a single time in which she had asked for help on anything. No requests to stop and rest, or help setting up her tent, or to use the bathroom behind a tree, or even to have a drink of water when she was thirsty. The only time she received anything from them was when they offered it first.
Not to mention, she stuck mainly to herself. Shachi and Penguin had always, in his experience, done most of the talking, but the doctor had expected her to at least add something to the conversations. Most of the time the brunette kept silent except when they addressed her directly. Law wondered why that was, then came to the conclusion that she was probably still unused to having them around. Or maybe her experiences with Damien's camp were beginning to show through and make her uncomfortable.
Not wanting her to regret her decision, he approached where she was seated.
"Hey."
Her green eyes looked up at him, and she smiled softly. "Hey, what's up?"
"Just checking in, seeing how you're feeling." He said with a shrug, tilting his head to the side. "I haven't really asked you since you joined."
A flicker of surprise passed across her eyes, but it was gone in an instant. She responded with a shrug. "Things are fine. Shachi and Penguin are being nice to me if that's what you meant."
"Not quite. I've noticed you don't really say too much most of the time. You keep to yourself at the back." He figured he'd hit one nail on the head, seeing the understanding and shame reappear in her expression. His arms crossed his chest. "Anything you want to talk about?"
"Oh…yeah, I suppose I have been…" She scratched the back of her head sheepishly. Law was at least thankful that she was honest about it. "I don't know, exactly. I guess I just don't know what to say most of the time."
"Just say what you feel. As much as I tune out their talking," he gestured with a thumb to the restrooms, "no one minds if you participate in a conversation, you know."
"Yeah…" She muttered, looking away in embarrassment before chuckling and meeting his eyes. "I'm just not accustomed to having so many people around all the time, or being talked to. Haven't quite gotten used to the feeling of it yet. I'm sure I'll get there eventually."
Law nodded slowly in understanding, finally putting the pieces together. She'd been a lone wolf for so long, it made sense. "I can imagine. I'm sure if I didn't have Shachi and Penguin around, I'd be the same way. Just keep in mind that you're as much a part of the group as we are."
Lexi smiled up at him and Law couldn't help but do the same. It was certainly infectious. But before either of them could say anything else, the two other people of their group emerged from the bathroom.
"God, it smells disgusting in there!" Shachi complained, making a face. Penguin was right behind him in a similar state.
Leaning back against the table, Lexi laughed, then thought about what Law had said. He was right. She had been quiet for such a long time, but Lexi wanted to get to know them all a bit better. "Well, it's been a few years since anyone cleaned those things out. What did you expect?"
"Something a little less repulsive than that!" Penguin admitted with a few coughs to rid his mouth of the awful stench. Thankfully the stench hadn't lingered on his person.
"Well, we aren't staying long." Law assured, shooting Lexi an amused glance. "I want to get to the next town before the end of the day. Shouldn't take too much longer, but I don't want to get caught out here in the middle of the night."
"Sounds good to me." With that, Shachi and Penguin snapped up their packs and checked their shoes to be sure the laces hadn't come untied. Lexi followed suit, ready to leave at a moment's notice.
Law waited until they were all ready, then set off in the same direction they'd been following all morning.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
