Finding Al was easier than they thought it would be. After hearing her on the radio, saying she was in a car park near the hospital, they were able to track her down on the way there, laying by a car unconscious. She was alive, thankfully, but she was carrying a message from the strange woman who was after Morgan. The latter had recorded herself on Al's videocamera, a message for Morgan about how weak he was, whatever that meant.
Kamille didn't worry about that for the moment, as she was relieved to know Al was safe and alive. They were resting in a field that evening where they'd parked the van and were waiting for Al to wake up.
Luciana and Charlie were out looking for another car as the others were camped around a small fire. The sun was setting and everyone was exhausted from the day's events, barely speaking but grateful for the momentary peace. Kamille kept to herself, trying to think of a way to leave the group.
She knew she had to – she couldn't stay with them any longer. It hurt too much and being around Alicia made her feel so angry, angry at how much they had both changed and how things felt out of her control. Leaving was the only thing that made sense, and now that she knew everybody was safe, she needed to make her move.
Kamille was stuck in her internal dilemma, away from the group, when she saw June and John helping Al out the back of the truck. She couldn't help but smile as she stood up, approaching her with anticipation.
"Al," she called, earning the journalist's attention. "You're awake, finally."
Al cracked a small smile, still a little tired. "Nice to know I was missed."
Kamille rolled her eyes playfully as June and John nodded her way, leaving them both alone and joining the group. Al sat at the edge of her truck and Kamille joined her, glancing her way with mild concern.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, noticing the thin layer of sweat on her forehead.
"Been better," Al quipped with a halfhearted chuckle.
"You're so stupid for staying back there," Kamille said with a frown. "You could have died."
"Good thing I didn't," Al joked, "I–"
"Al," Kamille cut her off seriously, making her look up. "Thank you. If you didn't do that, we wouldn't have got out."
"You would've done the same," she said knowingly, before adding, "How are you doing anyway?" She nodded to the group around the campfire. "We got everyone back."
Kamille pursed her lips, glancing out at the group. They were talking amongst themselves, eating whatever little food they had left. It was good that they were all back together, but it felt strange.
"Kamille, what are you–"
"Hey, guys!" June called over to them, cutting off Al. "Over here!"
Kamille was glad for the interruption, afraid of where the conversation would go and what she would have to admit if Al had continued. She looked to Al and stood up, nodding to her.
"Come on," she said, offering a small smile.
"We're finishing this conversation sooner or later, Kamille," Al teased, standing up, too.
"Uh-huh," Kamille played along, hoping it was later rather than sooner.
The two joined the others by the fire, taking a seat and tucking into some food.
"So, Mo-Mo," Sarah began, earning Morgan's attention, "you finally gonna tell us where the hell in Virginia we're actually going?"
Morgan smiled a little, looking down at his shoes. "It's called Alexandria. And there's a few places more or less nearby."
"Place with the king?" Al asked curiously.
Morgan nodded, smile widening as he remembered. "Uh-huh."
"Pet tiger?" she continued.
"We'll go there," he promised.
Al smirked at him before taking a sip of her water.
"How's the patient?" Strand asked Al, glancing at her with a smile.
Al nodded, returning the smile. "Better now."
Before Strand could reply, his radio went off, with Luciana's voice crackling through.
"Found a truck with a full tank. On our way back."
"Copy," Strand replied, before speaking to the group. "It appears we'll be arriving in Alexandria via caravan."
Kamille tried not to think about how she wouldn't be going with them.
"Well, we're gonna need the extra room," Morgan said. "Thought we'd make a stop where we first met – Polar Bear's truck stop. We'll load up the boxes and drop 'em on the road, whole way to Virginia."
The others hummed in agreement, seeming to like the idea.
"Well, we should get some sleep," John concluded. "We hit the road at dawn."
"Let's pack it in," Strand said in agreement.
Everybody began to set up for the night and Kamille tried to think about when the perfect time to tell everyone she was leaving would be, if she would even tell anyone at all. Wouldn't it be easier to just leave without saying anything?
Still torn with what to do, Kamille was returning from Al's truck after saying goodnight to her when Alicia was stood by her stuff where she was to sleep tonight. Kamille hesitated, wanting to backtrack, but Alicia caught her gaze and approached her, not looking away.
Kamille glanced around, trying to find a distraction, but everyone was settling in themselves, leaving the two girls alone by the fire.
"Hey," Alicia said softly.
Kamille swallowed hard when the younger girl stared right through her. Her insides ached as she felt cornered and unprepared.
"I wanted to–"
Kamille walked past her, making her stop talking. She headed to her make-do bed and tried to ignore the frustration that was building up the longer Alicia was there.
"Kamille–"
"No," Kamille cut her off, turning around suddenly, surprised to find Alicia stood so close. She breathed out and took a step back. "I have nothing to say to you. And I don't want to hear anything that you have to say."
She frowned, the orange glow of the flickering flames dancing against her skin. "I just want to say–"
"No," Kamille said adamantly, her heart pounding in her ears. She wanted to avoid this talk with Alicia, planning on leaving her in her mansion before the storm happened. It would have been so much easier. "It's not about you anymore."
"Kamille, I–"
"I deserve better," Kamille muttered angrily, eyes narrowing into a glare. She swallowed the lump in her throat, ignoring her racing heart. "Leave me alone."
With that, Kamille turned around and knelt down, back facing Alicia. She didn't need to turn around to know Alicia had listened and walked away, leaving her be.
Kamille released a deep breath, shoulders still heavy with discomfort. Being around the brunette was making her confused – she didn't know if she was angry, hurt or upset. Maybe she was all three and more. Either way, she hated that feeling.
–
The next day, Kamille knew she had to make her move. Staying was only making her more and more certain that she had to get out of there – there was nothing there for her anymore.
The group reached the truck stop Morgan had been talking about where apparently he had initially met Sarah, Wendell and Jim and found the boxes. Morgan himself wasn't with them though, as John revealed he had left in the middle of the night to try and help that strange woman who had tried to kill them all.
Kamille didn't understand why he was so adamant on helping her when she clearly wanted anything but. It wasn't her business anymore though, as she was taking her opportunity now that she had it.
The truck stop was better than Kamille imagined, meaning it was still intact. Most of its content had surprisingly not been looted, and it even had a generator with a bit of fuel to power everything, including the coffee machine. Everybody immediately made themselves at home, with Sarah brewing coffee at the first second she could.
Still not a fan of the bitter drink, even in trying times, Kamille decided against getting a cup for herself. Instead, she collected one for Al, hoping it would lessen the blow for when she told her about leaving. She was planning on leaving now, whilst everyone was distracted, as she had already grabbed some supplies from the store and was stocked up.
"Here ya go," Sarah said in her usual cheerful tone, handing a takeaway cup filled with coffee to Kamille. "You sure you don't want one? There's plenty for everyone."
Kamille gave her a small smile. "I'm, er, more of a tea person to be honest."
Sarah snorted, shrugging her shoulders. Kamille stepped backwards, about to leave, but she bumped into someone accidentally.
"Oh, shit, sorry," she apologised, turning around, only to stop when she saw it was Alicia.
"It's okay," Alicia said quickly, eyes darting up to Kamille's.
Kamille locked her jaw awkwardly and side-stepped the brunette before walking away. She probably should have said goodbye, but it didn't matter. Alicia was the reason she was leaving, whether she cared to admit it or not.
As she was about to leave through the front door, she was startled by Sarah's loud voice.
"You guys dated?!"
Everyone turned around, including Kamille, to see Sarah staring at Alicia with a surprised expression. Alicia seemed embarrassed, staring down at her shoes with flushed cheeks. Sarah seemed to realise how loud she was and chuckled awkwardly, glancing around, before muttering something to Alicia.
Kamille chewed on her lower lip uncomfortably, realising they were talking about her, and left the store as quickly as she could.
Just when she thought she was in the clear, she heard Charlie calling her name from behind and was forced to stop and acknowledge the girl.
"Hey, Charlie, what's up?" Kamille asked, once the young girl had caught up to her.
"I was wondering if I could talk about something with you," Charlie said hesitantly.
Kamille was a little confused, as she barely knew Charlie and had spoken to her only a handful of times. What could she possibly want to talk about?
"I guess," Kamille said, pushing her hair behind her ear.
Charlie's eyes darted around, as if debating whether to speak, before she finally looked up at Kamille. "Why won't you hear Alicia out?"
Kamille sighed quietly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I don't really want to talk about this with you, Charlie–"
"She wants you to hear her out," she continued pleadingly. "Please, just listen."
Kamille gave her a knowing look. "Did she really have to send you to do her bidding? Does she not understand that I don't want to speak to her?"
"She didn't send me to ask you," Charlie defended.
"Then why are you here?"
Charlie frowned. "Alicia forgave me for what I did, for... for killing her brother."
Kamille tensed up at the mention of Nick, always missing him along with everyone else she'd lost.
"She's trying to make up for what she did to everyone," Charlie continued, clearly concerned for the Clark girl; Kamille didn't realise how close they had become recently. "She's sorry for what she did. She's changed from what you saw."
Kamille glanced behind her, at Al's van, before looking to Charlie. "Look, that's good for her. I'm glad you're both okay now, but this is different. You wouldn't understand."
Charlie opened her mouth to speak, but Kamille didn't give her the chance as she turned around and left. It felt like everyone was getting involved where they shouldn't and Kamille couldn't deal with it anymore; at least she wouldn't have to for much longer.
"Knock knock," Kamille said, making herself visible at the open doors on the back of Al's van.
Al was sat down in the corner, checking over her tapes and camera. She looked up and smiled when she saw Kamille.
"Hey," she greeted, and Kamille took a seat inside, holding out the coffee.
"Sarah got the coffee machine working," Kamille explained as Al accepted the cup.
After taking a sip, Al hummed with satisfaction. "Mm, thanks. I'm glad you're here actually. I wanted to check in. We never got to talk yesterday."
Kamille pursed her lips, knowing now was the perfect opening to share her departure with Al.
"How are you feeling? Now that everyone is back together again?" Al began, leaning back and clutching her coffee. All of her attention was on Kamille.
Kamille chuckled awkwardly, avoiding her eyes. "I'm good."
She could feel Al's patronising look as the journalist said, "I know you're lying." When Kamille said nothing, she added, "Fine, don't tell me... how are you feeling about going to Alexandria with everyone? With Alicia?"
Kamille grimaced. "It's not up to me what they choose to do. I can't stop them."
"No, but you can choose to stay behind," Al said pointedly, jokingly suggesting it.
Kamille glanced at her, watching as her face changed from seriousness to surprise when she realised Kamille was doing just that. She understood now.
"You're leaving?" Al asked, raising her eyebrows. "Kamille, I didn't think you would actually choose to do that. C'mon."
Kamille shrugged. "Why not? I just wanted to make sure they were safe. I was planning on leaving before the storm. Nothing has changed."
"Yes, but things are different now," Al tried to reason. "You've seen them all. They're different. They're trying to make things right. Can't you see that?"
Kamille groaned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"I know they tried to kill us, but Kamille, we've all moved forward," Al explained. "We forgave them. Forgave Alicia. Why can't you?"
Kamille stood up, running a hand through her hair. That overwhelming surge of emotions was returning and she didn't know what to do.
"You guys didn't know them before this," she said impatiently, staring at Al with a bitter expression. "You didn't know Alicia before this. You didn't lose her for two years, searching nonstop for her, only to accept her death when in fact, she was alive the whole time. You didn't have to watch as she treated you like nothing, even after everything you'd been through together. Even after Madison's death. You didn't see the change, Al. None of you did."
Al frowned as Kamille took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"Being around her, around all of them... it makes me so angry," Kamille admitted aloud. "It hurts and I don't want it to anymore. That's why I have to leave. They are coming with us and I can't take it."
Al stood up slowly, finally nodding with understanding. "At least tell them goodbye. Everyone else and Alicia. She deserves that."
Kamille shook her head, gripping her backpack strap distractedly. "It's better I don't. The others don't need me anyway. They would barely notice I'm gone."
"That's not true," Al said.
Kamille sighed. "It's fine. It's better if I just go. I just had to tell you at least. You're the one who pulled me into this shitstorm. It's only fair you hear of my departure."
Al cracked a smile and Kamille let out a small chuckle.
"Take this with you," Al said, grabbing the radio from her driver's seat. "Just in case."
"Al–"
"You never know," Al cut her off knowingly. "You might change your mind."
Kamille doubted she would, but nonetheless, she accepted the radio and attached it to her backpack strap.
"You got enough supplies?" Al asked, and Kamille nodded.
"I grabbed some bits and bobs from the store," Kamille reassured her. "Water, medicine, food... I'll be fine."
Al nodded, smiling sadly. "Do you know where you're going?"
Kamille scratched her head. "Not really... I saw a pickup truck down the road. If it has petrol, I'll drive that and see where I end up. Anything is better than staying here."
"Gee, thanks," Al teased.
Kamille smiled with amusement. "You know what I mean... I've got to do this. You all have a goal here, with the boxes and Alexandria. A reason to live. I don't have that just yet. I've got to find it."
Al sighed, pulling Kamille in for a quick hug. "I really wish you'd stay and talk to Alicia."
Kamille retuned the hug and said nothing.
"I guess this is it," Al said when they separated. "Hopefully our paths cross again, Kamille Ali."
"I'd like that," Kamille agreed with a smile. "Thanks for being a good friend, Al."
Al returned the smile and Kamille hated that it was a goodbye, but she knew she had to go. With a final wave, she left the van and glanced out at the truck stop. Everyone was inside and they wouldn't see her slip away. Alicia, Strand and Luciana wouldn't be able to stop her. Now was her chance.
Praying to Allah for luck, Kamille began her trek down the road, finding the pickup truck she saw on the way. Thankfully, it had some petrol in, so she was able to drive away to God knew where.
It felt strange, leaving them behind, leaving the people she thought she'd never see again. But it had to be the right move. It had to get rid of the overwhelming feeling, right?
It had probably been fifteen minutes of driving, give or take, when Kamille suddenly felt really tired, her eyes crossing over momentarily. She tried to shake the random tiredness away, gulping down some water to wake herself up, but this only seemed to make things worse. Her hands were clammy, slipping down the steering wheel.
She tried to push away the dizziness and focus on the road, but her head felt too heavy on her shoulders, and she wanted nothing more than to lay down.
Distracted by the shivers and sweat dripping down her neck, Kamille failed to see the lone infected hobbling in the middle of the road until the last second. Swerving quickly, barely alert, she felt her car lose control and spin, before she was propelled forward into the steering wheel and knocked unconscious.
–
Kamille opened her eyes to a splitting headache and a weak feeling in her body. At first glance, eyes filled with blurriness and tiredness, she was sure she saw Adam sat in the passenger's seat beside her. But after forcing herself to wake up, she realised it was just what she wanted to see, and she was alone.
A thump beside her startled her, and that's when she realised there was an infected man banging on the window next to her. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking around and realising the front of her truck was smashed into a fallen tree off the side of the road.
A crackling noise made her look to the passenger's seat to see her radio laying there. Still trying to adjust to consciousness, Kamille grabbed the radio and turned the volume up, hearing her name being called.
"Hello?" she mumbled, using her other hand to touch her head.
She flinched with pain and was surprised to see her hand come back with blood.
"Kamille, finally!" June's voice came through the radio. "Did you drink the water?!"
Kamille tried to pull her seat belt off as she asked, "Huh?"
The infected man banging on the window was giving her a headache and she still didn't understand what the hell was happening. She didn't have the energy to get out and she didn't know why she had crashed in the first place.
"The water from the truck stop," June continued urgently. "It was poisoned, Kamille!"
Kamille caught sight of said water bottle on the floor of the passenger's seat. "Poisoned?" she asked, still dazed.
"The woman who was after Morgan," June explained, "she poisoned all the water here. Antifreeze."
"Antifreeze?" Kamille repeated, groaning again at the wound on her head.
"Yes, antifreeze! You need ethanol, Kamille."
Kamille squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring June for the moment. Her words were slowly starting to make sense and Kamille was beginning to piece it together. The water was poisoned, she had ingested antifreeze which was why she was getting weaker and weaker. That's why she'd crashed the car.
"Kamille, where are you?" June asked hurriedly.
Kamille looked around, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I don't... I crashed. I crashed the truck."
"Where, Kamille? Are you hurt?"
Kamille tried to get out of her seat, hoping to crawl to the passenger's side, but she was too exhausted to move and that worried her.
"I can't move," she finally responded to June, panic setting in when she realised how dangerous this whole thing was. "June, I can't move."
"It's okay, we're gonna come get you," June promised. "We've got alcohol and it'll help. Just hang in there." Kamille wanted to believe her, but she felt like her insides were shutting down. "Where are you, Kamille?"
Kamille tried to remember, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. "I was driving north of the truck stop... I didn't make it far."
"We're coming for you," June said, and Kamille could hear commotion in the background. "Can you get out the truck at all?"
Tears formed in Kamille's eyes as the infected man kept banging on the window, eyes staring at her hungrily. The front window was cracked, hanging on it's last legs, and Kamille's head was throbbing, blood still dripping down her forehead.
"I– I think I'm dying," Kamille said into the radio, her shaky voice betraying her fear. She didn't want to die there all alone in a stupid car crash with nothing but an infected man as company. It was terrifying.
"Kamille, it's Alicia," Alicia's voice came through the radio next, and Kamille hated to admit it, but her racing heart slowed down momentarily. "You're not dying, okay? I won't let you. We're coming for you right now."
Kamille squeezed her eyes shut, tears slipping down her cheeks.
"Kamille?"
"I hear you," Kamille answered Alicia, voice soft and tired.
She heard Alicia sigh with relief. "We're coming. You're not dying. Just stay awake."
Kamille nodded to nobody, dropping the radio in her lap and looking at the hungry infected man beside her. He looked as weak as Kamille felt, so would definitely not be breaking through the glass anytime soon. But if he miraculously did, Kamille knew for sure that she wouldn't be able to fight him off.
Her arms and legs felt unattached to her body and her head was heavy on her shoulders. She was sure she was dying and as her eyes crossed over once again, she was convinced the others wouldn't make it to her in time.
After some time, Kamille's mouth was as dry as sandpaper and her clothes were drenched in sweat. The infected man was still clawing at the window and Kamille hadn't heard anything on the radio. It had fallen onto the floor, and she wasn't able to move and pick it up anyway.
She could vaguely hear the sound of an engine nearby and hoped it was the others. Suddenly, the infected man's snarling ceased and Kamille watched as a sharp object was pierced through his head. The object was yanked back and his body slumped to the ground, revealing Alicia's figure. She'd made it.
Moving quickly, she opened the door and grabbed Kamille, pulling her out the car. Kamille was too exhausted to protest and instead let her help. Half of her was convinced she was imagining the whole thing.
"You're okay now," Alicia mumbled as she lifted her up and brought her to the back of Al's van.
June helped her set her down and Kamille saw the two of them moving about around her.
"Drink this," June said, before moving a beer bottle to Kamille's lips.
At first, Kamille couldn't drink by herself, but after the first two bottles, her energy was slowly returning and she was able to hold the bottle herself.
"Thank God you took the radio," Al said, appearing out of nowhere and looking down at Kamille with relieved eyes. "As soon as we realised you took the water, we knew you'd be screwed."
Kamille finished sipping her beer (the first she'd ever had, and she was surprised at the bitterness) and glanced at Al. "That woman poisoned us all?"
"She's taken care of now," June assured her, sitting beside her and beginning to clean the wound on her forehead.
"You shouldn't have just left, Kamille," John said from beside Al. "We were worried."
"Told you they'd notice," Al quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
Kamille's eyes flickered around, noticing the rest of the group lingering by the other truck Luciana had found, watching with concern. Her eyes settled on Alicia, who was stood with Al and John, and saw the worry staring back at her.
"Thank you," Kamille got out, knowing it was necessary. "For getting me."
"It's okay," Alicia replied quickly, and she looked like she wanted to say so much more, but she kept quiet.
"Thanks to all of you," Kamille continued, looking between the others and settling on June. "You didn't have to come back for me, but you did."
"You're part of the group whether you want to be or not," June said, giving Kamille a small smile.
Kamille breathed out and felt stupid, but also disheartened, that just when she had tried to leave, this happened.
"Keep drinking those until you feel better," June said, nodding to the beers. "Your head should be okay, just needs some stitches. You're gonna be pretty weak for a while though. We're all still recovering ourselves."
Kamille nodded. "Thank you."
"You should stick with us until you're okay," Al said, in a way that meant Kamille shouldn't argue that fact. "Morgan has a place in mind. Not in Alexandria."
Kamille was too tired to argue, so she nodded and accepted her fate for now.
As they all got up and returned to the trucks, save for June who was getting the first aid ready, Kamille felt a pair of green eyes watching her every move and felt uncomfortable. She was thankful that Alicia came to get her, but it didn't change how she felt about her. How she made her feel.
She still wanted to leave.
–
By the time the group reached the denim factory that Morgan wanted to show them, Kamille was feeling like her old self again, apart for the mild concussion that occasionally made her spin.
The denim factory was where Polar Bear worked, the man who had been distributing the boxes initially. Morgan felt it would be best to settle somewhere safe, big and with a good vantage point. It made sense, Kamille thought, but she didn't want to get too comfortable just yet.
"...Morgan, it can't just be about the boxes," Alicia said, as they all overlooked the abandoned factory in the distance. "We have to do what my mom did. Build this into something more. That's how you help people."
Kamille swallowed hard, her heart aching at the mention of Madison. Alicia resembled her more and more everyday.
"And where are we gonna find these people?" Strand asked, earning everyone's attention. "They're in short supply in case we haven't noticed."
"I got tapes, interviews with people all over the area," Al suggested. "Some of them weren't doing so hot. Start with them."
Everyone looked to Al with surprise, making her smile awkwardly.
"What?" she asked, avoiding their stares. "I got layers."
"I guess it's settled then," Sarah said, clapping her hands together. "Let's do this."
Everybody seemed satisfied with the plan and began to head back to the trucks to make a move. Kamille lingered, glancing out at the factory. It would have been so easy to say yes and stay.
"You still wanna leave," Al commented, making Kamille look her way. "I don't think you should."
Kamille sighed, chewing on her lower lip.
"Stay for a few days," she tried to reason. "See how you feel then. I've told you, they're different, they're sorry... Alicia wouldn't have come back for you if she wasn't."
Kamille hated to think that Al was right because that would just overcomplicate her feelings further – hating Alicia was a simple response. Not hating her was so much more tricky.
"A few days," Kamille agreed reluctantly.
Al laughed. "A few days. Great."
Kamille tried to convince herself it would only be a few days, just until her head felt better. She feared that wouldn't be the case though.
//
double update bc i told y'all i couldn't resist 👀
also i know you guys keep asking about mía and my advice is to be patient! i promise you'll get answers soon 😂♥️