Alive Inside (Book one)

Friend Or For Part One

Ch. 7

'Friend or Foe Part one'

[Four days later, Near Chattanooga, TN, Dusk]

How far had they walked? It felt like forever. Summer thought to herself as she walked along highway ninety. Blake had to start carrying Genevieve a couple of miles ago.

"We... can't keep this up, Blake," Summer said, weary from walking.

"We'll get a car... When we get to Chattanooga," Blake answered, hoping not to wake Genevieve.

"How far?" Jenny asked tiredly from their long walk.

"Looks like... two miles," Blake announced.

"Two miles," Jenny repeated to herself, not satisfied with the answer.

Genevieve woke up and shifted on Blake's back.

Blake switched up his demeanor. "Sup, Lil lady? Sleep good?" Blake asked in a tired but cheery tone.

"It was uncomfortable... But I slept ok," Genevieve said, relaxing her head on his shoulder.

"Good," Blake said with an enthusiastic element. 

After a minute, Genevieve started to squirm a bit. "Can you let me down?" Genevieve asked, stopping mid-squirm.

"Aren't your feet hurting?" Blake asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Yes, but you're tired of carrying me, right?" Genevieve questioned.

"Not if you need me to carry you..." Blake said honestly, looking at the little girl's eyes.

"It's ok, Blake," Genevieve said softly, not breaking eye contact.

Blake sighed and let her down gently. "If you need up, I'll do it, ok?" Blake said as the girl started walking gingerly, as if on hot coals, beside him.

"Ok," Came the girl's reply.

Summer and the other girls were walking behind the man and child.

"What a trooper," Melissa said under her breath.

"Who? Blake?" Summer asked, hearing Melissa's comment.

"Genevieve," Melissa clarified. "It's been over a hundred miles of walking since Monterrey; she hasn't whined once and has walked all but what, ten miles?" Melissa explained in awe at this prospect.

Summer's eyes widened in disbelief when she heard this, eyeing the little girl as she hobbled along, filled with a new sadness at the idea of this kid walking one hundred miles in dress shoes.

"Wow," Summer muttered in awe and remorse; she could have picked the kid up at some point.

[One hour later, nighttime]

The group finally was within a stone's throw of the city; they could already see abandoned cars with almost skeletal remains of people looking as if they were dragged out and shot; the smell of it all made the gruesome scene even worse. 

"Shit..." Blake lamented the deaths of all the people strewn across the highway. 

"Bad word," Genevieve interjected, squeezing Blake's hand.

"Crap," Blake corrected himself as if that was what he had meant to say.

"Oh my gosh!" Jenny exclaimed, covering her mouth and nose when she saw the scene layout before them.

"I bet with all these cars, I can get one running when it's lighter out," Blake said as he opened an empty car to check for corpses. "Alright, c'mon, hop in," Blake said, ending his search and ushering the group into the four-door car.