Chapter three: Traveling
Traveling will always be a must. The chances of finding a safe place is slim to none out here. So, a few tips for you:
Pack light. Only take what you absolutely need. This includes food, water and weapons. Clean clothes, if you have room, but they're not that important anymore. If you have a sentimental item, it's probably best not to stay attached to it. If it won't get you killed, by all means take it with you. If you'd risk your life to save an inanimate object, you should just leave it behind.
Sammy snapped her journal shut, staring down at the item in thought as she ran a finger over the coarse, black cover. Was this item so precious to her that she would die for it? No, she knew that she could leave it behind if need be. Maybe someone would stumble upon it one day and get some use out of it. She could find another notebook to fill with her thoughts and tips, surely. And it wouldn't kill her to not be able to write it all down.
"Hi," a feminine voice cut into Sammy's thoughts. Her eyes darted up to meet the Latino woman that had saved her earlier that day. Her gaze softened slightly, sending a smile to the woman standing over her. The group had eventually relocated farther away from the highway and set up camp. Someone stated a small fire, and everyone settled nearby for the night.
"I'm Carla," the woman introduced, returning the smile and sitting beside the brunette on the ground.
"Sammy," she returned as she went to put her journal away.
"So I've heard," Carla laughed quietly, but the sound held little joy. "What's that you've got there?" She nodded toward the book that Sammy was in the process of slipping into her pocket.
"Nothing, really," Sammy replied, slowly bringing the book up to observe it herself. "Just a notebook. Jot down my thoughts and ideas.."
"Like a diary?" Carla laughed. It ticked her pink, thinking that someone could hold on to a diary at a time like this.
Sammy laughed quietly in return and slipped the item into her pocket. "It's more like a 'Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide'," Sammy corrected with a shrug.
Carla's cheerful demeanor faded as quickly as it had come. "Oh." She sounded more surprised than anything. "That actually sounds like a good idea. Tips on how to survive... But, how do you know what will help you survive?"
"I've survived this long," Sammy said with a shrug, sending a smile to the woman beside her. "Partly thanks to you. Thank you, for saving my ass earlier." She rubbed her neck, staring towards the fire and watching as red danced against the darkness of the night. "I honestly thought I was a goner just before you showed up."
"Yeah, no problem." Carla let out a nervous laugh, her hands trembling sightly at the memory. It was the first one she's killed, but she was certain it wouldn't be the last. "Just promise you'll do the same for me, if the opportunity arises."
"Of course," Sammy promised with a small smile. The rest of the night passed in relative silence, but both girls knew they had just made a friend they could count on.
Always make sure your ready to leave at the drop of a dime.
Rustling woke Sammy up before the sun peaking over the horizon could. She sat up, inhaling sharply as she reached for her knife. She heard the groan before a zombie pushed its way passed a thicket of bushes and into their encampment. Sammy was on her feet in a second, taking a few more seconds to regain her bearings.
A shot rang out, and Sammy nearly jumped out of her skin as the bullet whizzed passed her. Another was shot before the creature fell. Silence followed, everyone awake now and on alert. Another groan came from nearby. Sammy was the first to make a move. She grabbed her bag, throwing it over her shoulder and going to the fire to kick out what was still smouldering of it.
"We have to go," she said, her voice quiet but her tone harsh. "Now."
No one argued as they quickly packed up their belongings and followed the girl, who had already made her way out of the makeshift camp.
You never know when you'll be pushed out of your home.
