The wind whistles through the crooked trails that weave through hundreds of abandoned vehicles. I could tell it was chaos here. Windshields that were shattered from bullets, decaying corpses on the asphalt, dried blood decorating any surface.
It was no doubt the size of the horde that past through must've been massive. Thousands of people trying to cross the border. Cars and trucks piling up as far as the eye could see. People from Mexico wanting to head north but the American government didn't want to risk letting in infected. Then Americans trying to flee to Mexico but the Mexican government had lower infection rates and didn't want to compromise that. All those headlights, people talking, horns, would've attracted every infected for miles.
Now there is nothing. I'm sure when this border got overrun, there was still cities nearby that were in the midst of fallen, enough noise and people to attract the infected away. It wasn't like that when Jade and I had crossed the Canadian/American border. By the time that one fell, there was no one near to lure the hordes away.
I sit on the rooftop of an old minivan. Peering into binoculars at the surrounding area.
"What's today?" I ask.
"Tuesday. June 29th." Jade speaks from inside the van. "You got plans or something?"
I remain quiet, gazing over the sea of vehicles. The occasional Shambler that makes its way, mindlessly, through the border. They've never been a problem for us. If anything, they're an extra level of security.
"Three cans of soup, crackers, tubs of peanut butter...Not sure why everyone seemed to have peanut butter but they did...Chocolate." Jade slides her hand out from the back window of the van, raising a bag of some sort of Mexican brand chocolate to me, giving it a shake. "Want some chocolate? Hmm?"
I pluck a single piece of the round treat from the bag and plop it in my mouth. It's sweet, the undertone of fruit juice splashes over my tongue. I was always a fan of chocolate. Of any food, really. But even this border won't be able to sustain us forever.
We saw it as a gold mine when we first arrived. The original plan was just to pass into Mexico, apparently, it was safer than up north and thought I'd see for myself. But all these vehicles, most of them still packed to the brim with supplies, left to whoever pops the trunk first. It was too much to leave behind. We don't have to go far or risk our lives to earn clothes, food, or medical supplies. Just takes some searching and breaking windows.
Guns were easy to come by too. The border offices were packed full of them with enough ammo to fight off an army. Of course, we never would.
The door to the van clicks, it is pushed and swings open. Jade emerges from the backseat. Raising her arms up in the air to stretch out. Her joints cracking and popping.
She's got a fit appearance which is shocking since most of her days before the outbreak were spent on the couch. I guess it's the genetics. The tattoo of a cat seems more noticeable in the bright dessert sun. But the intense heat and long days have damaged her hair, what was once a vibrant bubblegum pink has now faded. Really, the only way we look like siblings is through our eyes. The same shade of hazel, brownish around the pupil but fading to green.
She took after our mother. I had inherited most of my father's traits. Dark short hair which I hated since, no matter how much I styled it before, it was so black no one could ever see the texture in my hair. I stood as tall as my father, over six feet. Unlike anyone in my family, I had to wear glasses which only made me look like a nerdy kid in high school. I guess I was a nerd back then but I didn't want it labelled on my forehead.
"I want to move more vehicles together and sharpen some spikes to make sure this area remains clear," I say.
"Straight to business. No 'good morning Jade' or 'how'd you sleep, Jade?'" She says.
"How'd you sleep, Jade?"
"I slept fine! Thanks so much for asking, Ashton," she says, grumpy. "That's a good idea, though."
"Is that a compliment I heard?"
Jade turns to face me, her eyes squinted against the sun. She raises her arm and flips her middle finger in my direction.
I'm glad she is back to her normal self. I remember when Mom got bit...Jade shut down. I could hardly get her to eat let alone do much else. I spent days laying down with her or talking about what good things were happening.
"I saw some swans," I would tell her.
"Found an orange tree and picked some fresh oranges," was another thing but then it took me hours just to get her to eat them.
But weeks later, she's recovered. Able to do everything on her own, talking much more often, helping out to keep everything running smoothly.
"We should probably hit up more cars too," Jade says.
"Lane 22?" I ask, "We haven't been down that row yet. I've been watching the area all day too, not much Shamblers. Could search cars for maybe a kilometre or two? See if we turn up with anything good and if not then was also thinking Lane 16."
"Lane 22 should work," Jade says. "Have you noticed any signs of tourists this morning?"
That was the only flaw to the border. Tons of people got trapped on either side which means it isn't uncommon to see groups moving pass to the other country. Most of the time they pass quickly but sometimes, like Jade and I did, they realize how abundant this place is and try to stick around.
I grab the handle to an assault rifle, one we managed to obtain from the offices. I pass the heavy gun to Jade who takes it without hesitation.
"If there is anyone out there, not like they're much harder to take out than Shamblers," I say.
First real chapter, wohoo!
Let me know what you guys think about the main characters, Jade and Ashton!
I'm hoping to get some regular updates going, maybe once or twice a week seems to be a good pace. Possibly more if I do lots of shorter chapters rather than fewer but larger ones. We'll see!
Hope y'all having a great night!