January 26, 2025
Today is my 25th birthday! I don't think Seth even knows. He's just treating it like any normal day. About as normal as our days can be at least. We managed to talk some guys at some motel to into trading us medicine for a few cans of soup. It's enough to get us to at least the end of February if we keep it to half a can each every other day... I'm starving. I can barely remember what it's like to have warm food that wasn't heated up by a wood fire in a shelled gas station. I'm not even sure what part of Pennsylvania we're in anymore. Seth says Pittsburgh but I saw a road sign for Lancaster before we stopped here. I don't know. It's fine. Considering how things could be, I won't complain. God, why did I take Starbucks for granted? I'd kill for a cup of coffee right now. Just to have a warm meal that isn't tomato soup would be a dream. Maybe if we make it to Stamford. Seth says there's a huge safe zone just inside the city limits. I wonder if anyone else from back home made it? Seth says it's not likely, but I need to stay positive. For both of us.
Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks
DAY 208
Sasha dropped her lucky pen inside her worn purple spiral notebook and closed its cover. It was almost morning and she had just woken up, but she felt like she had been walking for days. She had been, in reality, and the miles traveled was now starting to take its toll on her. Sasha inspected her beat up Adidas sneakers; The toll was taking more out of her shoes than Sasha herself from the looks of it.
A light flickered in the corner of Sasha's eye. "Aha, got it," Said her travel companion, Seth.
Seth once again successfully got a fire started. Sasha wondered if it was a bad idea to start a fire so close to the main highway. But Seth insisted they'd be ok as long as they were alert. It wasn't likely that a convoy would roll this far outside of town, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
They happened upon this ruined gas station after close to a day of walking. It still had some parts of the roof and walls still intact, but it was only temporary. Keep moving: That's what Seth always said.
"Good job," Sasha praised with a small smile.
Seth jumped to his feet. "Thanks, Sasha. Thing took longer than usual, but I think that's 'cause the wood was a little damp still."
"As long as I get my share of soup," Sasha joked lightly.
Seth shuffled over to where Sasha had made herself a makeshift work station.
"You updating your journal?" Seth asked as he knelt beside the purple haired woman.
Sasha nodded her head. "I have to. I'll forget the date if I stop. And someone needs to remember what day it is if things ever go back to normal."
Seth chuckled dryly. "Yeah, that'll happen," He stood up and moved back to the fire. "Once we decide fighting each other over such a stupid fucking issue is dumb."
Almost a year prior, the United States split into two groups: Pro-life and pro-choice. The country divided itself practically in half, though this time it wasn't North and South. It was the People's Union of the United States, pro-choice, and the United Republic of Patriotism, pro-life. Tensions rose, the government fell to riots, and the country found itself once again in Civil War.
"What were you," Sasha asked. "Before everything fell apart?"
Seth sighed. "Pro-choice. But that changed when I watched my neighbor gun down three pro-life teenagers. They surrendered to him too. He let his personal beliefs overtake him and he... Took a life that wasn't his to take."
Sasha let the faintest hint of a smirk show on her lips. "You see the irony of that, right?" She asked.
Seth chuckled. "Shut up and come get some dinner, ok? We can't have this fire on for too long."
The soup was lackluster, as it always was. Sasha didn't complain about the food though. She knew it was pure luck to find anything these days. It never really settled in that one day there will be a last can of soup in the country. So, for now at least, she was perfectly ok with half cooked tomato soup and a bottle of water.
"Your hair's starting to turn brown again." Seth said.
It took a moment for Sasha to break away from her inner thoughts. When she did, she chuckled under her breath and tugged on her brownish-purple locks.
"I haven't put dye in it in months," Sasha explained. "Once you stop, it starts going back to its regular color. My normal hair is fine, but I never really liked the color."
"I like it," Seth said. "From what I can see now anyway."
Sasha shrugged her shoulders. "It looks fine. I just haven't had brown hair in a long time."
"Shit, I almost forgot," Seth pulled his backpack towards himself. "I hope you didn't think I forgot your birthday was today. I found something you might like."
Sasha smiled broadly. "You remembered? Seth, I don't know what to say..."
Seth handed a baseball cap to Sasha. "It's not much," He said. "But I thought of you when I saw it."
Sasha traced her fingers over the large 'B' on the front of the hat. "Boston Red Sox..." Sasha whispered.
"Yeah, you mentioned you're from Boston. So I thought you could use it to remember where you came from." Seth said.
On the verge of tears, Sasha set the cap on her head. She smiled; It fit perfectly.
"You like it?" Seth asked.
Sasha, not wanting to talk to give away her tears, nodded her head.
"Good," Seth turned his head towards the front of the store. "It's almost dark out. We can't keep the fire going much longer. I hope your coat is still keeping you warm."
Sasha wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her winter coat. "Yeah..." She sniffed. "I freakin' hate snow now."
Seth chuckled. "Well, after we get some rest we can get on the road again. I know it sucks, but we'll be in Stamford soon."
Sasha nodded her head. "Yeah, maybe I can finally take a shower."
"You and me both, sister." Seth joked.
Seth didn't mind having to share a sleeping bag to stay warm. He just hated not having any wiggle room if he needed to adjust. Sasha snored too. Not loudly, but it kept him up some nights.
Seth cursed himself for not killing the fire before going to bed. It was keeping them warmer, but it was too risky for his liking. But he gave in to Sasha's begging and let the fire burn longer than he would've liked. Her ability to get her way most of the time made him wish he just left her when he found her scavenging. But he knew it wasn't right to leave a woman to fend for herself. Especially when the country was in hell.
Seth's eyes began to finally close after hours of trying to sleep. But just as he was about to doze off, the faint sound of snow crunching under shoes came to his senses. Seth sat up, waking Sasha in the process.
"What's wrong..."
Seth pressed his index fingers to his lips.
More crunching.
Seth slipped silently out of the sleeping bag. "Don't. Move." He whispered to Sasha.
Tiptoeing across the room, Seth reached for his backpack. He gradually unzipped his pack and drew the handgun he carried with at all times. He slid the clip in, clicked the safety off, and cocked the pistol, just as the front door bell sounded, signaling someone just walked through the door.
"DON'T FUCKING MOVE!" Seth ordered to the intruder.
The person's hands shot up immediately.
"Wait, stop, I'm unarmed!" The person said; Judging by the voice, it was a woman.
Seth slowly shuffled closer to the woman. "What do you want?"
"I-I saw your fire from the woods," The woman began. "I would've come sooner, but there was a group of bandits walking down the road. I didn't want them to see me, so I stayed hidden."
"You alone?" Seth demanded.
"Yes, I swear. It's just me." The woman said.
Seth lowered his weapon. He grabbed for the flashlight near his pack and clicked it on. He pointed it at the woman. The woman was young, maybe Sasha's age. Black hair, dark eyes, pink winter coat and blue denim bottoms. The feature that stood out the most to Seth was the woman's hairstyle: A sideways ponytail towards the top of her head.
"What's your name?" Seth asked.
The woman squinted her eyes against Seth's flashlight. "Bayley... I don't want any trouble, ok? I just need help."
"What do you need help with?" Sasha asked.
"I got it covered," Seth said. "You don't need to talk to her."
Sasha, ignoring Seth, approached the woman at the door.
Looking into her eyes, Sasha saw fear. Fear of a woman that had been through a lot, from the looks of it. Usually someone would be defensive about having a gun pointed at their head. But this Bayley had tears spilling down her cheeks.
"What do you need help with?" Sasha asked, feeling sympathy for the woman.
The woman slowly dropped her hands. "Just some people to help. I need water, clothes, a just a place to sleep. I lost track of my group a few days ago, and I have no idea where they are."
"Why should we help you?" Seth asked.
Bayley slid her backpack off her shoulders. "I have food. Lots of it," She unzipped her pack. It was so full of canned goods, that it spilled several containers the moment it opened.
"Holy shit," Sasha muttered.
"Swear," Bayley said.
"What?" Seth asked.
"Sh-she swore," Bayley said. "I don't like swearing. Or this war..."
"Yeah? No one does; Join the club," Seth said coldly.
Sasha rolled her eyes at Seth. "You can stay with us. We're headed for Stamford. I guess there's a big safe zone there."
"Me too," Bayley said. "My group was headed there. But we got separated."
"Or they left you," Seth grumbled.
"Don't listen to him," Sasha told the stranger. "He's angry at the world right now and he's just looking for someone to pick on."
Seth shook his head and walked away.
Bayley chuckled under her breath. "Your boyfriend's a jerk."
Sasha shook her head. "Not my boyfriend. He helped me leave Pittsburgh before the checkpoints went up. We've been on foot since."
"You guys know you're almost in Lancaster, right?" Bayley asked. "Stamford is in the other direction."
Sasha nodded. "Yeah, I know. I was going to tell him in the morning. He'll be pissed, but at least we'll know we're going the right way."
Bayley threw her arms around Sasha's torso. "Thank you so much. You're a kind soul."
"Hugger, huh?" Sasha returned the embrace. "Not much of those left in the world."
"Oh, sorry, where are my manners? What's your name?" Bayley asked.
"Sasha. Captain Ass-Face is Seth. We've been on the road awhile." Sasha briefed.
"Swear. Me too. I don't remember what it's like to have a warm bed... or coffee."
Sasha sighed. "Girl, me neither. But how about we warm you up some food? We have water. I can't really help you with clothes right now."
"No, that's fine," Bayley said. "I mostly need friendly faces more anyway."
Sasha smiled. "Well, you came to the right place, Bayley."
DAY 209
Sasha and Seth, along with their new travel companion Bayley, set off once again for Stamford. This time, with the help of Bayley's map and compass, they were headed in the right direction.
Seth wasn't too thrilled to learn he and Sasha were heading in the wrong direction this whole time. An argument erupted between him and Sasha when she revealed she knew he was going the wrong way for a long time. Bayley tried to play referee, but stopped when Seth threatened to leave her behind.
The two girls walked a small distance behind Seth. They both silently decided to give him his space. Sasha was furious at the moment too; She knew her temper sometimes got the best of her and the best thing she could do was just let herself simmer.
"I'm sorry I got you yelled at," Bayley said to Sasha.
Sasha shook her head. "You didn't, Bayley. It was mostly my fault. I should've told Seth sooner. I just don't know why I didn't."
"Still." Bayley opined
The trio walked for another hour in silence. The snowy winter, along with their heated feud, made them less willing to hold a conversation. Even with attitudes at an all time low, Bayley still tried talking with Sasha.
"I like your hat," Bayley complimented. "You from Boston?"
"Born and raised," Sasha stated. It was clear, by the tone of her voice, she didn't want to talk.
Bayley nodded her head. "Cool. I'm from San Jose. My husband and I came out here to visit his family... Then the army showed up and took his parents away. We got away with some of his brothers. We've been camping out for most of the fall and winter until we heard about Stamford. Then I lost track of them... And now I'm with you guys."
Sasha relented. It was obvious Bayley wasn't going to give up speaking to her.
"We'll find your husband again," Sasha promised. "Chances are he's looking for you too. If he finds the gas station, he'll find your note and know to travel down I-98 to find you."
"Do you think I left enough 'Xs and Os'?" Bayley asked.
Sasha chuckled. "Yes, I think you left enough. I'm sure he'll be so excited to see you again."
Bayley nodded her head. "Our wedding anniversary is coming up soon. I think today is the twenty-eighth, which means it's almost February. February third will be two wonderful years of marriage."
"How can you be so upbeat in this freezing cold?" Sasha questioned.
Bayley giggled. "My mom used to say I'm a naturally spirited person. I was spirit squad leader in high school."
"How old are you?" Sasha asked, wondering why Bayley brought up high school and not college.
"Nineteen," Bayley said. "I'll be twenty in June."
"Jesus, you're just a kid," Sasha breathed. "Sometimes you forget that's a thing since the war started."
There was another moment of silence. Sasha looked over at Bayley; She was hunched over and trying to keep her face behind her hood.
"What were you before the war?" Sasha asked.
Bayley sighed. "Pro-life. I just can't imagine people killing babies..."
As she said that, her gloved hands slid over her midsection. Sasha pretended not to notice that, but she made a mental note to ask Bayley about it later.
"You guys wanna stop?" Seth asked.
"You talking to us now?" Sasha snapped back.
Seth stopped his march and turned around, making the two women pause also.
"Look," Seth began. "I'm sorry I yelled before. I'm just frustrated we lost half a day walking in the wrong direction. I just want us to be safe."
"I understand," Sasha bumped past Seth and kept walking.
Seth threw his hands in the air.
"Don't worry," Bayely said. "I'm sure she'll come around."
Seth shook his head. "I hope so..."
"GUYS!" Sasha called.
Seth and Bayley looked up in time to see Sasha take off running. With no time to respond, Seth and Bayley hurried after her.
Coming over a hill, Seth saw a massive cabin hidden behind the tree line. Even stranger, smoke was billowing from the chimney.
"Think someone's home?" Seth called after Sasha.
"Has to be," Sasha hurried deeper into the first. She eventually hit a trail that led to the cabin.
Before Seth could protest, Sasha knocked loudly on the door.
"Are you crazy?" Seth said once he and Bayley joined Sasha on the front porch.
"They have a fire going," Sasha said, out of breath. "I'm cold, hungry, and tired. I don't care if I have to put out, I'm doing whatever I have to to stay here for a little bit."
After a brief waiting time, the front door swung open. Standing in the doorway was a mountain of a man with a massive black beard and long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.
"The hand-off isn't until tonight," The man boomed in a deep bass.
Sasha shook her head. "We don't have a hand-off. We just need a place to warm up quick. We saw your chimney and thought you might help us."
The man looked at all three of the people huddled on his porch. "You with Corbin?" He asked.
"We don't know him," Sasha said. She saw Bayley's eyes widen at the mention of the name 'Corbin', but now was not the time to ask about him.
"Just you three?" The man asked.
Seth nodded his head. "Yes, sir, just us. We have plenty of food and medicine to trade if you let us stay."
The man shook his head. "No need," He stepped to the side and waved the trio into his home. "Hurry. Before you get frostbite."
Sasha, Bayley, and Seth rushed into the man's home.
"Holy shit, do you have the heat on?" Seth asked, feeling a wall of heat wash over him.
The man nodded. "Yes. Generator downstairs. Fire is for breakfast."
Sasha's jaw dropped at the wood burning stove and the massive amounts of meat sitting beside it.
The trio quickly stripped off their winter gear. There was apparently no need for it.
"What does you generator run off of?" Seth asked the man.
"Gas. People call me crazy for being prepared. They don't think I'm crazy anymore." The man replied.
Sasha turned to focus on Bayley. Her stomach did a somersault when she realized there was a long gash on Bayley's arm.
"Bayley," Sasha exclaimed. "Your arm!"
Bayley shook her head. "It's fine. Just a little scratch."
The man approached Bayley. He took her arm in his massive hands. "I fix your arm." He said.
"We can give you something in exchange," Sasha said.
The man shook his head. "No. I fix her arm. You get warm. Eat. Rest."
Seth and Sasha exchanged a look as the massive man led Bayley upstairs.
"What do you think?" Sasha asked. "Secretly a serial killer?"
Seth shook his head. "No. That's a bear skin rug, not a human skin."
"What's our game plan then?" Sasha asked.
"We stay for a bit," Seth said. "Eat. Warm up. When Bayley's ready, we can take off."
Sasha smirked. "You warming up to Bayley?"
Seth shook his head. "I still don't know what her deal is. Something seems off. Did you see her flinch when that guy mentioned Corbin or whoever? She knows who he is, and judging by his name, he doesn't sound like a nice guy."
Sasha shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. But I promised her we'd get her back to her husband. We at least should do that."
Seth nodded. "Sure. But the second she crosses us..."
"Then I'll put the bullet in her head. But I don't think she will."
"Fine," Seth took a seat on one of the couches in the massive living room. "I hope you're right, Sasha."
"I know I am," She promised.
Sasha must've dozed off. The first thing she realized was her coat and backpack was not where she left it. The second thing was the insanely cozy blanket draped over her person. Once her senses came to her, she heard the sound of voices coming from the next room.
Sasha followed the noise until she entered a room she figured was the dining room. Seth and the man they met were sitting at the table eating steaks.
"Hey," Seth said with a smile. "Good morning, sleepy. The sun's about to go down. You slept all day."
The man turned away from his wood burning stove. He set a plate in an empty seat in front of Sasha.
"Eat." He said.
Sasha eyed the slab of steak carefully. "What is it?" She asked.
"Venison." The man said.
"Deer meat," Seth said.
Sasha shook her head. "I had some peaches..."
"Eat." The man said again.
Sasha, deciding angering the giants was a bad idea, sat at the table. She stared nervously at the meat in front of her. She would've turned it down if her stomach wasn't rumbling. Giving in to her primitive instincts, Sasha took her fork and knife and sawed off a sizable chunk off the venison steak. She bit into it. Now she knew what being in love was.
"It's so good," Sasha mumbled through her food.
"Good." The man said.
Seth cleared his throat. "Look, we can trade you something for all this."
The man shook his head. "No. Don't get a lot of visitors since war. Plenty of food to go around. I stocked up for something like this."
"Do you do deals with bandits?" Sasha asked, remembering something about a hand-off.
The man nodded his head. "They stay away. I give them food. No one bothers me."
"What's your name?" Sasha wanted to know.
"Braun." The man sat at the table with his own steak. "Live here alone."
"Braun," Sasha repeated. "Is our friend ok?"
"No infection. Should heal fine." Braun replied. "She'll sleep here. So will you. Lights out at sundown. Deal takes place after. I don't want the bandits to know you're here. They are bad people. Unless you are married, different rooms."
Seth shook his head. "Not married."
Braun nodded his head. "Finish dinner. Wash up. Then go to bed."
Without another word, Sasha, Seth, and Braun continued eating.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Sasha stepped out of the shower, fresh as a daisy. Since Braun's house ran off a generator, he had hot water. Sasha took advantage of that and took a much needed shower. Someone must've came into the bathroom when she was in the shower, because there were fresh clothes on the counter when she stepped out.
Sasha tapped on the door she was told Bayley was occupying. She pushed open the door, then laughed at the sight she saw: Bayley, arm wrapped in gauze, had a massive tub of chocolate pudding in her lap.
"Hiya," Bayley said cheerfully. "I just took a hot shower for the first time in forever. Braun fixed my arm, then gave me pudding when I didn't cry during my stitches."
Sasha smiled. "That's so great, Bayley. I'm glad you're better."
Bayley nodded. "Much better. But if my hubby was here too, then it would be perfect."
"He'll find us," Sasha said. "I promise."
Bayley giggled and went back to her pudding. Sasha crossed the hall to an unoccupied room that had her backpack and coat waiting inside. Sasha sat down, pulled her notebook from her pack, then opened it to add another entry.
January 27, 2025
I made a new friend today. Her name is Bayley. She is really sweet and nice to talk to... Seth doesn't like her yet. I'm sure he will. Things got rough between us, but I'm sure it'll be ok again soon. We met a nice man named Braun. He's tall and scares the hell out of me, but he fed me deer steak and I loved it. Maybe he'll let us stay for a while. Or at least until spring. That would make things so much easier.
Sincerely, Sasha Mercedes Banks
"You ok?"
Sasha closed her book. "Yeah, just going to bed soon."
She turned and stood up. Seth was standing in her doorway with his hands in his pockets. From the look of it, Braun got him new clothes too.
"Listen," Seth said. "I knew we hardly know each other, and I'm not a nice person sometimes. But I consider you a good friend. I don't want us to argue all the time, ok? I'll try to best less stubborn..."
Sasha stood on her toes and lightly brushed her lips against Seth's. She giggled at the shocked expression on his face.
"I never thanked you for saving me before in Pittsburgh," Sasha said. "So, thank you."
Seth's face turned red. He struggled to catch his breath and speak, which made Sasha laugh.
"Separate rooms, Seth," Sasha gently pushed her companion into the hall and shut the door.
"Lights out!" Braun called from downstairs.
As been asked of her, Sasha switched her lights off and crawled into bed. Just as soon as she pulled her blanket to her chin, she could hear a vehicle approaching. Several vehicles.
She could hear a few voices downstairs. But as soon as it started, it was over again and the vehicles retreated down the driveway. She figured it was the bandits. Since this cabin was so deep in the woods, it would be relatively easy to miss it unless you knew where to look.
Feeling her eyelids grow heavy, Sasha rolled over to her side to finally catch a good night's sleep.