the weight of living; c.g.

[2.5]: downpour

Heat rose in waves from the asphalt of the road. My eyes squinted, sweat dripping into them as I peered at the hazy horizon. The oppressive heat of the sun beat on my bare shoulders and neck, creating sweat rivulets down my back.

The rest of the group seemed to be faring the same. Lack of food and water took a toll on the already exhausted group. Hours of endless walking didn't help and when we finally stopped, I could feel the burn in my legs.

Under a tree's shade, we scattered on the forest's edge. Only an hour before, we had found a small grouping of cars, but nothing was found but alcohol. Currently, Abraham was drinking the findings.

"Do you feel okay?" I immediately asked Grace as I set her down on the green grass. I plopped down next to her, my legs practically giving out.

"I'm thirsty." Her voice was scratchy, produced by a sore throat, similar to the one I had.

"We'll get water soon. Look up there. Those might be storm clouds." I pointed to the darkened clouds on the edge of the sky. In my head, I prayed for the rain to come, for at least a moment of reprieve.

"I hope it rains." She managed to smile, turning her chestnut eyes to the sky. I used my own to scan the road, ever watchful of biters.

After a few minutes, we were up again, trudging down the road. Grace said I didn't have to carry her, that she could walk on her own. I watched her walk ahead of me to catch up with Tara, who she had taken a liking to.

A couple of feet to my left was Judith, being carried by Carl. She was looking over at me, little hand outstretched in a wave. I brought my hand up, waving it back at her. Carl glanced over, confused at my gesture.

"Not you." I made eye contact for a second then looked forward, back at the line of the road.

As I stared ahead, I could see a shape in the middle of the road, a small grouping of things. The others seemed to notice too, the pace just slightly increasing. Rick got there first, crouching down to read a note left on it.

It was bottles of water and a few jugs, enough for all of us. We gathered around it, surprised at it's sudden appearance. The note proclaimed that it was from a friend, whatever that meant. Immediately, it was classified as  a trap.

"What else are we gonna do?" Tara looked around the group, then back down at the water.

"Not this. We don't know who left it." Rick decided.

"If this is a trap, we already happen to be in it," Eugene spoke up, "But I, for one, would like to think it is indeed from a friend."

"What if it isn't? If they put something in it?" Carol argued. Eugene stood a moment and moved forward, grabbing one of the bottles.

"Quality assurance." He said before lifting it to his lips. In a flash, Abraham was there, smacking the bottle out of Eugene's hand and to the ground. That shut the group up, stunning us into silence.

"We can't." Rick broke the discomfort with his rational statement. I stared at the water, wishing we could just drink it, but my logical side knew it was safer to not.

The silence ensued until a thunderclap rolled across the sky. I glanced up, seeing the previously far away storm clouds right above our heads. With one thundering boom, the rain started pouring.

"It's raining!" Grace turned to me, a new energy in her face. I put my hands out to feel the drops, a grin breaking across my face. Quiet laughter swept across the circle. I managed a small laugh as I watched Grace rejoice in the rain.

My smile broke when I started feeling the chill of the drops and hearing the ominous rumbles of thunder above. The initially welcoming rain turned to a downpour quickly, leaving us scrambling for cover.

Rick started throwing out orders to cover things, keep them safe. Daryl mentioned a barn he saw on a scouting excursion earlier, so he led the way. As we got there, a few went on ahead to scout if it was safe, leaving the rest of us to wait outside the door in the rain.

I held Grace's hand as we got soaked, waiting for the signal that the barn was okay to stay in. She was shaking like a leaf, her hand getting clammy in mine.

"It's clear." Daryl waved us in, sticking his head out of the barn door. The rest of us filed in, wet shoes making squishing noises against the floor. I pulled Grace over to a dry spot, claiming our space.

As everyone sat around, getting warm, I approached Maggie, who was sitting alone for the moment. She didn't seem to notice me sliding down next to her.

"Maggie." I said to get her attention. She glanced over at me from where she had been staring blankly at the floor, waiting for me to continue.

"I'm not gonna tell you it's going to be okay, because it's not. You know that. But it'll get better. You have to keep fighting, for her and for yourself." I placed my hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort the mourning woman.

"I'll try. Thank you, Bridget." Maggie sighed, managing a ghost of a smile. I returned the gesture and stood up, walking back to where Grace slept. I took off my jacket and folded it under her head for a pillow, then rested my back against the wall of the barn.

The crescendo of rain against the wood of the barn lulled me to sleep, fading out the dismal surroundings.