While We Fall (The Eva Series #2)

Chapter Three

The next morning, I awoke to the sunrise shining through the window, glowing on my skin. Happy to have finally got some sleep, I stretched my arms out and looked around the RV.
Dixon was asleep on my lap and Jo stood at the kitchenette, preparing a breakfast of dehydrated food that we took from Bob’s Camping store back in Melbourne.
I could see Wyatt asleep in the passengers seat, and Ben was still driving, but judging from his reflection in the rear view mirror, he looked exhausted.

Looking out the window, the same view of red dirt, a few shrubs and lone trees that I’d seen for the past twenty-four hours flew passed.
“Good morning.” Jo smiled as she handed me dehydrated apple pie and put a bowl of leftover pasta from last night’s dinner on the floor for Dixon, who had just woken up. “Did you sleep?”
“Yeah, better than I have in days,” I replied, yawning. “You?”
She shook her head. “Not really. All I see when I close my eyes is…” she trailed off, but I knew exactly what she was talking about. “We drove through a small town during the night. It looked like a war-zone. Fires were burning. There were bodies everywhere. I can’t believe it’s spreading so fast, I thought for sure we’d be safe this far out of the cities.”
“So did I,” I replied, feeling relieved to have slept through that terrible scene. “I just wish we knew what was going on out there. I need to know if help is coming.”
“I’m not sure I want to know anything anymore,” sighed Jo. “I can’t handle anymore bad news. I just want to get to Elliot’s place and disappear into the rainforest until it’s safe out here again. If it’s ever safe out here again.”

I hated seeing Jo so scared and hopeless. In all the years I’d known her, she always had a smile on her freckled face. I’d never seen her so defeated.
I desperately wanted to say something, anything, to comfort her, but I didn’t have the words. I may have been handling this nightmare better than Jo, but I knew my hope was hanging by a thread.
I shook my head to snap myself out of those negative thoughts and took a bite out of my apple pie, trying not to let Jo see that I was just as scared as her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ben reaching over to wake Wyatt. Rubbing his eyes, Wyatt said something to Ben that I couldn’t hear, and Ben pointed in front of him towards the road.
Looking ahead now, Wyatt quickly sat up straight as though he was startled by something, then began rummaging through his backpack.

My heart started racing and my imagination conjured up terrifying images of what could be waiting for us just a little further down the road. But when Wyatt pulled binoculars out of his backpack and not a weapon, my terror began to subside and curiosity took its place.

I got up, stepped over Dixon as he devoured his food, and leaned on the back of Wyatt’s chair to see what he and Ben were staring at.
In the distance, I could see two figures walking along the side of the road.
“Zombies?” I whispered to Wyatt, not wanting Jo to hear me in case she panicked.
“I don’t think so,” He replied, still peering through his binoculars intently. “They’re holding hands.”

We watched silently as the figures grew bigger in the distance. As we got closer, I could see a man and a woman holding hands, just like Wyatt had said.
“I don’t want to stop again. They’re on their own,” muttered Ben. “We’re more than half way to Cairns, I’m not stopping when we’re so close.”
“Ben, they’ll die out here. We’re not leaving them.” said Wyatt.
“Yes we are. Wake up Wyatt, the world has changed. It’s every man for himself.” Replied Ben, clearly frustrated.
Wyatt and I looked at each other in shock. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Well, you know what, Ben? The world may have changed, but we don’t have to. We can still be good people. And good people help others.” Said Wyatt.
I heard Ben mutter “Give me a break,” under his breath, but when we reached the two strangers on the road, he slowed down.