Together We Survive

Trust No one

Elyza and I set off early the next day, we still had many hours of driving until we reached Santa Fe. I still had no idea who we were meeting or where our specific destination was in Santa Fe, if there even was one.

'So this group of people we're meeting, what are they like?'

Elyza chewed thoughtfully on her gum, pushing back a strand of loose blonde hair that had fallen into her face when a particularly strong breeze had gusted through the open window. It was too hot to keep them closed even as the summer months began to draw to an end.

'Some of the best people I know, they're a crazy bunch but a good kind of crazy,' she said with a smile. 'You'll like them, at least I hope you will.'

It was about the best I could get from her, possibly because she didn't want to build our expectations only to find no trace of them. I had once asked what had happened to separate the group but she had been reluctant to answer, something I was getting used to.

If we did meet up with them in Santa Fe I would get more answers, but for now we just had to focus on getting there. We had been driving for around four hours already, almost half way to our destination when we stopped for a short break. I hopped out of the passenger seat and stretched out my stiff muscles. The road we were on extended in front and behind us in a seemingly endless stretch of abandoned cars. I shielded my eyes from the sun and couldn't even see where it ended in the distance.

'Don't go far Alicia, there could be walkers anywhere.'

Elyza had her head bent over the hood of the car where she had laid out a map to reminded herself of the route. It was with a familiar bubble of annoyance that I was reminded of my mom's constant worry over my safety. She had never felt it necessary for me to use weapons, relying instead on my brother or Daniel to keep an eye on me. It was only with a huge amount of persuasion that she had allowed me to go on a supply run and even then it had been with Nick's assurance that he would keep me safe.

I was done being protected. It was about time I learnt to defend myself.

'Can you teach me how to fight?' I said suddenly, blurting the words out before I could change my mind.

Elyza looked up from the map, regarding me silently before slowly standing upright. I braced myself to receive all the reasons why it would be unnecessary, mentally arguing every point in my head so that I would be prepared. The one thing I didn't expect was to receive a wide grin in response.

'Finally, I thought you would never ask!'

My nervous anticipation at how well the idea would be received melted away in an instant, finding no reservations in Elyza's expression. For whatever reason she was more than willing to share her knowledge and I couldn't have been more relieved.

'It makes sense,' she explained, seeing my surprise at her acceptance. 'I wasn't going to force any kind of training on you, it had to be your decision. Some people embrace the apocalypse and learn to survive in this new, unforgiving world. Though there are those who prefer to hide from it, not wanting to bloody their hands in the fight against the undead. It's up to each individual to decide where they stand.'

She was right as usual. Elyza was a perfect example of the first statement, more than able to fight her own corner in the apocalypse. I had however met people who cowered behind others for protection, more than happy to stay behind the danger line and find a safe place to shelter until a better solution made itself known.

I had been pushed into the second category for so long now, and I couldn't stand it any longer. The apocalypse tended to change people, and now it was my turn to step up.