Boy, did I underestimate Zach. When I first met him, all I saw was this weird little guy, all disheveled with ridiculous hair, holed up in his bunker. Even though he’s got this odd exterior, Zach is growing on me. He’s a survivor, and he’s clever. When he asked to come along with me, I thought of him as a liability. I came all the way back to save him, but it turns out he ended up saving me.
But that proves my point. I ended up going back, and it almost killed me. All because I allowed myself to make this connection in the first place. It’s a weakness. He would have been fine without me.
He knows where a working car is, and that’s great. We’ll stick together until then. But once we’re on the road, I’ll search for another car and take the first opportunity to leave. He can make it back to Seattle on his own, and we’ll both be safer away from each other.
“So, where exactly is this car?” I peer at the sun through the trees to get my bearings.
“It’s in a junkyard. The owner is the only other survivor I know. Name’s Ezra. The only guy I’ve talked to in the last year. I used to trade him food for supplies from his junkyard.”
“Youused totrade with him?”
Zach looks down at the ground. “Well, I haven’t really heard from him in a few months.”
That doesn’t sound good. It usually means only one thing. An untimely death. Often from a militia or Infected.
Zach continues. “Anyway, he told me if I ever decided to leave town, he’d let me have his car.”
Sounds too good to be true. But as long as we’re still going in the right direction, I’ll go along with it. “Okay, so how do we get there?”
“Just follow this trail north. It’s a three-day hike. I know of a campground we can stop at tonight.”
“Isn’t a campground a little dangerous?”
“This was a popular backpacking area. There’s a maze of trails around here and tons of different campsites. This one is hike-in only and miles off the road. Should be under the radar.”
It’s a little risky, but at least we’re headed in the right direction. Zach’s judgment has been good so far, so I won’t make waves. When we get there, I can always reassess. “Lead on.”
We continue in silence, but it’s clear from Zach’s face that he’s thinking hard about something. I’m sure he’s pissed at me for leaving. It gets worse the longer we go. It’s better to hit it head-on rather than let it fester.
“Zach, about this morning. When I left, I was trying to do you a favor. Those guys back there? They’re the ones after me. I was trying to protect you from them. If I had known for one second that they’d be coming for you, I would have done things differently.”
“Look, you really don’t owe me anything.” Zach averts his gaze. “I mean, we’ve only known each other for a few days. It was foolish to think you’d trust me that soon.”
“Zach, look at me.” I grab his shoulders and wait until he makes eye contact. “Running off without talking to you first was shitty of me. I’m sorry about that.”
Zach nods. “I was so ready to leave that town, and I saw my chance to get out. And I really need to get back to my family and my boyfriend.”
The odds that Zach finds anybody alive at home are slim to none. But I’m not about to break that to him now.
“Well, looks like you’re stuck with me for a while.” I smile.
“Yep. But now that we’re on the road together, we need to promise to have each other’s back. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Zach was right about what he said earlier though. I didn’t owe him anything, and hearing him say it only solidifies my plan. I won’t leave him in the lurch as I did last time. But I still have to break out alone as soon as possible. He’ll be safe from all the dangers following me, and I won’t have to be responsible for him.
As we continue down the path, he clearly has more on his mind. He starts and stops asking questions three times. I’m ready to ask him what’s up when he finally speaks. “So, since weareon the road together, I want to know more about what we’re up against.”
“Okay.” I’m a little worried about where this is going.
“Where are you from? Really. And who’s chasing us?”
Zach has a knack for jumping right to the point. No small talk. I can’t tell him anything that will risk my mission or expose too much about me. But I can keep things vague. Enough to satisfy him.
“I’m called a courier. There are only a few of us. We deliver things. Important things.”
“Deliver for who?”
