Hope

Flight

I put both my hands on Ash's shoulder who sat in front of me on a seat while Aaron kissed his wife's cheek and rubbed his son's cold arm arm, hidden beneath the sleeve to hide his greenish-blue veins. 

He took the parecetomol from his pocket and handed it to Holly 'It's all we could find' 

She looked at the medication 'It will do' she said, unboxing the medication we risked out lives to retrieve for a boy whose chances of survival are looking more and more slim. 

'So what happened out there?' asked Brad from the center shotgun seat, alongside him on the right was Kate, and James driving on the left. 

'Screamers in the pharmacy, they saw us and triggered a chain of walkers' I said. 

'Yeah that's not the worst part' said Bryan 'There's a new breed' 

'A new breed' Brad repeated, looking over the head rest to us 'What the fuck are you talking about?' 

'They've adapted to buildings, bastards have small sharp nails on their fingers to help them climb' 

'Dead Spidermen' Aaron interrupted 'That's what I call them' 

Brad turned around again, I could sense the confusion and shock in his face. 

'Fuck me' he said 'The infection is getting worse before it's getting better' 

Holly fed Callum the medication, having him wash it down with a bottle of water taken from the bar. 

I knew it, and so did Aaron. He just didn't want to accept that his son was infected... And the chances of him making it are slim. 

'We're going to Vertuga' said Kate from the front seat. 

'Vertuga?' questioned Holly 'What is that?' 

'Kate here is infected' said Brad straight out, frightening Holly despite the irony of the boy in her arms being infected 'Only, she's been infected for about two years now. Gives us a decent reason to believe her blood is immune'  

The fact that Brad is even telling us this is saying something. He doesn't know that we are aware of this Vertuga mission. Maybe we're developing some form of trust with him... funny how he told us to leave his bar only hours ago. 

'We're taking her to Vertuga in hopes they can develop a cure from her blood. Whatever hope we have, it's inside her' 

'And how do you know this place even still exists?' Asked Aaron, bringing pessimism to the conversation, and to the plan that may give us a chance at ending this whole thing. 

'We heard a radio broadcast, they gave us their location. The last time we communicated with them was just last week' 

'It only takes one night for a place to get overrun' I pointed out 'Believe me' 

'Yeah well, we like to think that we have a chance' said James, concentrating on the road as he weaved the jeep in between burnt out cars and fallen trees from the forest next to the road, all the while the sun tried to blind him making it more difficult for him to drive. 

'How are we going to get there in a jeep with low gas?' Asked Aaron. 

'We're not going there in the jeep' said James as he drove down the desolate road away from the town, miles behind us 'We're going there by helicopter' 

A remark I was not expecting 'Helicopter' I repeated 'Where are you going to find a helicopter?' 

'It's my own' said Toni 'I have it hidden in a forest, not too far from here'