Lavivrus

Chapter 9

Shai was warm – too warm. Despite the fact that they had been driving several hours, the heater was still cranked up to the fullest. No one else in the truck seemed to mind, and thus Shai didn't say a word. Instead, he stayed bundled up and sweated it out.

Fabian and Lake switched after two hours. Mav offered the same to Asumi, yet the girl stubbornly remained seated in the back.

The silence and the warmth combined were nice enough to almost let the teens inside forget their situation – almost.

"So..." Roanna spoke.

From beside Shai, Fabian let out a groan. "Do you always have to talk at the least convenient times?"

The driver scowled at him through the review mirror. "I don't like silence."

"Geeze, I would have never guessed." Fabian leaned his elbow against the window.

Both Mav and Shai didn't show that they heard either of the other two.

"Since it's a long road ahead," Roanna continued, "we might as well get to know each other."

No reply.

"We were obviously all in the same scavenging group. Haven't seen any of you before though. What part is home?" The girl's eyes darted between the road and the mirror.

Silence.

"Island 4," Fabian finally muttered.

"4?" Roanna's eyebrows rose. "Isn't that for farming?"

"Farming doesn't happen by itself."

"Ah." She adjusted her grip on the steering wheel. "How about you?"

Shai had opened his eyes only to make contact with hers through the review mirror. He held her gaze for a moment before turning to the dreary scenery they were passing.

"He's from 1. His sister is a commander," Fabian informed her. "You may have seen her with..." He trailed off, eyes darting to Shane.

The boy didn't react.

Fabien cleared his throat. "Lake on the other hand," he jerked a thumb to the back where the other boy was currently braving the cold, "his father is on the Force."

"Should I be honored?" Roanna stared ahead.

"It does explain the whining," Mav spoke. His eyes had been closed until that point but were now slowly opened. "High ranks tend to have a habit."

"Well, rank or not. It's all the same to the infectors and infected out here." Roanna nodded at him. "How about you?"

Mav leaned forward. "Don't call any of them home."

"Oh?" The car jerked as the girl took it off road to pass by a fallen tree that blocked the main way. "No family?"

"Dead." Mav sounded emotionless.

"Hmm..."

"You?" The original question was returned.

Roanna flashed a smile. "Island 2. As for family...got separated from them when the infectors first came...haven't seen them since."

"Harsh." Mav leaned back again. "I almost feel it's easier if you at least know..."

"Maybe." The car jerked again. "So...since we're all tin that generation were you guys in the middle of it when it first broke out?"

Silence.

"The chaos I mean."

"Well this is definitely a comforting topic." Fabien leaned forward. "All those pleasant memories."