MAKNAE [twd] *editing*

【51】

A new car was harder to find than before and I wondered how much time we were wasting looking for one. But, I knew the drive would make up for the time than the days upon days walk to the place.

Once we found the car, Daniel's speed seemed to double. Which, was funny in it's own chaotic way. We'd been playing it safe and keeping low since we left the Claimers' group- mostly out of fear that we'd get pinned down by walkers or even of them finding us again.

Now that there was a literal sign of hope, we'd become too desperate to think straight and raced in the direction of this 'Sanctuary for all, community for all'.

But, the radio stopped working.

If Jae's suspicions were right and the people on the radio was Terminus, why was the signal gone?

Daniel made up some idea that maybe the other car had a stronger signal. Then, that they may have shifts and no one was currently on broadcast.

Hope was blinding the reality.

--

Staring at the map, I only spoke to give Daniel directions until he changed conversation.

"Sun.. You like the sun," Daniel says, a grin tugging on his lips.

He didn't understand Hangul, but he could easily see the drawing of the sun on the map. Daniel may have been a smartass, but he wasn't a dumbass. Not completely, anyway.

"I do," I nod, biting down my own smile as my face warms up.

He chuckles, stepping further on the gas, "Can't wait to meet him."

--

Pulling to the side of the road, we get out of the car as the tracks were too difficult to drive on and we were running out of gas.

"How maintained do you have to be to allow strangers in so easily? To outwardly ask strangers to come in?" Jae wonders.

"Maybe it's the military? Some sort of government branch?" Daniel offers.

"That would explain the radio," I agree.

"How much further?" 

I glance to the map, "Few more streets. Maybe a half hour."

"We keep pushing," Daniel nods with a smile.

--

Getting closer to Terminus, we began to see that there were more walkers around than usual.

But, we kept going.

Then, we smelled the smoke.

We kept going.

Then, we got out of the tree line and back onto tracks. 

And we saw the building in shambles.

The large letters spelling out 'TERMINUS' were nearly all gone, only leaving 'ER' and a single 'S'. Walkers surrounded the place and every once in awhile, debris from the building would fall.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Jae spits, kicking at the tracks below us.

I squat down, placing my hand over my mouth as I stare at the broken camp. 

Daniel rests his arms on his head, closing his eyes, and biting his lip in frustration.

"What the hell do we do now?" Jae asks.

"I.. We.." Daniel stammers, "I don't know."

I run my hands through my hair, tugging at the roots as I felt shattered inside.