That night, Alicia fell into a broken sleep. For the last hours of daylight, they bathed in the golden sun that filtered through the windscreen. Little conversation had passed between them since Alicia's outburst. She was glad Elyza hadn't questioned her, or, even worse, attempted to make her feel better. Somehow, that particular kindness she knew would break her already flimsy walls. She had kept her tears at bay in front of Elyza, but now that she was enveloped in darkness, she could feel her eyes prickling slightly.

She rolled over, pulling her blanket closer around her. Her eyes rested on Elyza's face, lit up by moonlight. In sleep, her hard, weathered face was relaxed, peaceful. She had lowered the front seat a few notches so that she could lie out more comfortably. Alicia had tried her best not to jostle her. Elyza had saved her life, and was even trying to help her get back to her mum, Nick, Chris, Ofelia and the others. Perhaps if they had gone west, they wouldn't have been separated.

Elyza shifted in her sleep, letting out a light snore. Her hands were still latched loosely around the shotgun. The metal gleamed in the moonlight. Alicia lay back against the bundled up coat. Elyza still refused to take it back, claiming she was hot enough already, coupled with a quick wink.

She closed her eyes, trying to squeeze in a few more hours of rest before dawn.


"Alicia!" called Elyza, hefting the last tank of petrol into the boot. They had stopped off at an abandoned way station early the next morning. Alicia was off like a shot inside, rambling about phone chargers as soon as Elyza had finished surveying the place, deciding it was safe. Still, she kept her shotgun primed and ready, just in case.

The way station was nestled at the side of the road, with no other buildings around for miles. That didn't mean that walkers hadn't strayed up here.

Elyza slammed the boot, casting a wary glance at the shrubbery around her. She reached for her shotgun, checking it was loaded for the third time in as many minutes.

"Alicia, let's go!"

Alicia didn't reply, so Elyza moved towards the shop, keeping her eyes peeled for danger. She pushed open the door, prowling the aisles like a wild animal, carefully stepping over mounds of spilled packets. "Alicia?"

She should be able to hear her. The shop was tiny. What if she had run off? Caring about the fate of another person wasn't a feeling she was accustomed to. Not recently at any rate.

She struggled to remain calm as she spied the store room door behind the counter. Vaulting the table, she heard broken glass crunch beneath her boots. Her fingers brushed the cold door handle before she latched onto it and pushed it open. Sudden movement inside spiked Elyza's adrenaline levels. She swung the shotgun at her target, her heart racing in her chest before she recognised the figure.

"Hey -" Alicia's eyes widened as she stared down the gun barrel. "Dude, chill!" In one hand, she held two plastic bags. In the other, she gripped an aluminium bat.

Elyza lowered the gun, breathing deeply. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?" Alicia held up the bags. "Ensure we don't starve? There's two of us now, remember."

"And that?" asked Elyza, eyeing the bat.

Alicia twirled the bat in her fingers casually. "I have a killer swing."

"Good to know."

A scuffling noise, followed by a thump made them both start. Elyza spun, training the shotgun on the door. She could hear Alicia's breath catch as she raised the bat, ready to strike.

"Get to the car," whispered Elyza, moving towards the door. Alicia followed closely, the bags held tightly in her hand.

Stepping through the door, she picked her steps with care, avoiding the crushed glass. She scanned the first aisle, seeing nothing. Light footsteps followed her. Elyza rolled her eyes. Alicia couldn't just listen to her for once.

The second aisle was also clear. A further thump from the next aisle made sweat break on her forehead. She swung into the third aisle, finger itching on the trigger.

"I swear to God." Elyza lowered her gun as Alicia's face lit up, dropping the bags and crouching on the tiled floor.

"Hello!" she said, her voice at least an octave higher than normal. She cast a quick look up at Elyza. "Do you think it's infected?"

Elyza regarded the small black creature with suspicion. "Best not to chance it. Let's go."

"Aww, you are just gorgeous!"

Elyza began muttering darkly, grabbing the two bags and carrying them out to the car while Alicia stroked the cat. "If you're not in the car in the next minute, I'm going without you."

She stepped into the sunlight, tossing the two bags into the back seat. Alicia strode across the grass, the cat purring in her arms.

Elyza sighed, leaning against the boot. "We're not taking it."

"But he's so cute!" Alicia pouted, putting on her best puppy-dog eyes.

"No. It's too unpredictable. I already have one stray to look after."

Alicia nuzzled the cat one more time, eyes wide and pleading. "Please?"

"It'll eat our food! It'll pee in my car! It'll wander off and attract a herd!"

For a few seconds, Elyza thought Alicia would argue, but she relented. "Fine." Alicia nuzzled the cat's fur once again before setting it down and opening up a small bag of cat food for it. "Let's go. We're wasting time."

Guilt coiled within her at the sight of Alicia's downcast face. The girl had been through a lot, but Elyza simply couldn't risk it. "It's survived so far," she said in an attempt to comfort her, but Alicia simply held up her arm to wave it away, storming out to the car.

Once again, Elyza caught sight of the marks on Alicia's arm, clearer this time. A badly pierced heart, by the looks of it. Again, she said nothing as she clambered into the car.

"Do you know where they were heading in the east?" asked Elyza, focusing on the dusty road.

Alicia shrugged despondently. "Just the desert. Where there's no people."

"Makes sense," nodded Elyza, thinking it over. "It'll make finding them more tricky." She paused. "Anything's possible though."

"Like this hell ever returning to normal?" suggested Alicia, her tone bitter. "Is that possible?"

Thinking her answer over for a few moments, Elyza responded as truthfully as she could. "It may not be the way it was, but people adapt. They find new normals."

"So you think it's normal to sleep in a car with a shotgun in your hands? It's normal to live every day not knowing if you'll make it to evening?"

Elyza shrugged. "It's what we have to do now. The rules have changed."

"I wouldn't call this living," Alicia grumbled, putting her feet up on the dashboard.

"Surviving then." Elyza leaned over and gently pushed Alicia's feet down.

Alicia watched as the last remains of the trees and grassland disappeared, turning into dust and rocks instead. The motion of the car had lulled her into a little stupor. A merciless sun beat down on them throughout the day, even though Elyza had the windows down, the breeze billowing their hair. With the sun just sinking over the distant hills on the horizon, Elyza pulled off the road and drove towards a hill.

Alicia looked over at the driver, frowning. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know about you," said Elyza, leaning forward to view the map on the dashboard. "But I could use a wash."

Soon, they had pulled over a few miles off the road on the bank of a river. The desert heat had left both women sticky and sweaty, and it was a relief to breathe in the cool, evening air. While Elyza meandered down the rocky bank to the river, Alicia got out, enjoying the opportunity to stretch her legs.

She stared up at the twilight sky. A few of the stars were just beginning to peak out of the darkness, the silver moon rising far away. The chirrup of crickets was steady and somehow calming. Down by the river, she could see Elyza pulling her shirt off. Alicia quickly turned away, deciding to build a fire. She had seen Elyza build one a few times now. It couldn't be that hard.

Collecting her baseball bat, she looked around in search of something she could burn. A dried out, gangly looking shrub looked ideal so she wandered over to it and began breaking it up into kindling. She could hear the gentle splashing of Elyza in the river as she arranged the sticks and fetched Elyza's lighter from the glovebox. Her eyes drifted back to the blonde, who stood with her back to Alicia, up to her waist in water. All along her left side, from her thigh up to her shoulder, was a long network of pink scars. An angry burn. It seemed as if it had mostly healed, but still, the skin was pink and inflamed. Her clothes were strewn on the bank.

Tearing her gaze away, Alicia concentrated on the fire, ignoring the slight flush of her cheeks. It was just the heat of the fire, she thought. As she set a pan on to cook, she heard rocks shifting as Elyza padded back over, her clothing damp even though she had quickly dried herself off with the towel she now ruffled her wet hair with.

"What's this?" asked Elyza, sitting down on the dusty ground opposite Alicia.

"Noodles. Chicken flavour."

Elyza smiled, pouring more water into a clean tin can and suspending it over the fire. Out of her rucksack, she threw in two small bags. "Tea," she explained. "Do you want some?"

Alicia nodded, accepting another tin can that functioned as a cup. She stirred the noodles absently. "Do you think we'll find them?" she asked, her voice barely audible over the crackling of the fire.

Elyza continued towelling her hair dry, her eyes focused on Alicia thoughtfully. "I hope so. If I could get my family back, I'd do anything."

Alicia sighed, continuing stirring. Then she looked up. "So, what was medical school like?"

Elyza smiled, whipping her towel over her shoulder and testing the temperature of the tea. "Well, technically I just started my seven year program. Finished my first year. But my mum taught me a lot before then. Quite often, we'd get people who couldn't afford to pay their medical bills. When I was old enough, she taught me how to help." Her eyes flickered up to Alicia. "What did you do before?"

"I was accepted to Berkeley."

"Nice," said Elyza with a grin. "UCSF."

Alicia returned her smile. "Are you an international student?"

Elyza laughed, leaning over to pour the tea. "Clocked my accent, did you?"

"Aussie is pretty hard to miss." Alicia rolled her jaw a little. "G'day," she said in a terrible approximation of the accent. "Put some shrimp on the ba-"

"That's just rude," laughed Elyza. "To answer your question," she said, ignoring Alicia's grin. "No, I lived here. My parents moved here after my dad quit his engineering job in Australia. I must've been about seven. They bought the farm, and my mum travelled around the nearby towns treating people."

Alicia took a sip of the tea. It was nice, the warmth soothing her. "Why be a doctor?"

Elyza shrugged. "My mum was one, I guess. And I liked helping people, plus I could go to a different city, see new things in San Francisco."

A smile graced Alicia's face, though it carried emotional weight. "I was so desperate to go. I couldn't wait to leave school, see a different part of the world. Even if it was only a few hours away."

"I get you," nodded Elyza. "I was the same. I loved the farm, but the city was nice too." She cast her eyes to the fire. "Everywhere's the same now. It's all crawling with walkers."

Alicia glanced up at the sky above them. "There must be somewhere. Nobody knows what's causing the –" Images of Matt's feverish face flashed in her head, shocking her with their clarity, closely followed by Su-Su. "The…" She tailed off, blinking a few times to clear her mind.

"Are you okay?" Elyza was dishing up the noodles, but she set them down on the ground, looking poised to get up.

Alicia nodded quickly. "I'm fine. Just memories."

"I get them too." Elyza passed her the bowl. "Eat up. We'll leave early tomorrow, try and get a head start on your family. I'll have to drive like a maniac to catch up." She then grinned, hoping to get that lovely smile back on Alicia's face. "Shouldn't bee too difficult, seeing as I am one."

Alicia nodded, taking the proffered fork and digging in.

"I wonder if there's an island somewhere," said Elyza dreamily between mouthfuls. "No walkers. No danger. Just a tropical island. The sea just lapping at beach, warm sand between your fingers. Endless cocktails out of coconut shells."

"If you ever find it, let me know," replied Alicia. If they had headed west, could she and her family be living that life? Had they made a terrible mistake?

Upon seeing her attempt at humour hadn't had the desired effect, she leaned over and nudged the girl gently with her elbow. "You'll be the first." Alicia turned to look at her. Elyza coughed and looked back at the fire, her damp locks dripping water over her jeans. "Now eat up and sleep. Early morning and all." Elyza scoffed the last of her food and walked over to the car. "Don't go adopting any foxes or rats or anything."