The two of them had been walking in silence for a long time. Ennis hadn't been keeping track of the time, but the sun was coming up, so they had been walking for a few hours. He didn't really feel tired from all of that walking because he was used to it, but he heard Jack breathing heavily now. He hadn't been paying attention to anything, so now the situation he was in came crashing back onto him. He looked at Jack then suggested that they stop and rest for a while. Jack immediately nodded then walked over to a rock and sat down.

Ennis looked around them. They had been following the road, but had veered off course because Ennis didn't want to be on the road. Roads led to towns and towns meant people. And people meant certain death if they were part of the government Jack had talked about the night before. They were in the middle of some field that looked like it had once grown stalks of corn. The land was a wasteland now. He could see a farm a few miles from where they were and made a mental note to avoid that place completely.

"Hey!"

Ennis looked over at Jack when he spoke up. "What?" he asked. He got the feeling that Jack had been trying to get his attention for a while. Ennis was just so used to being alone that he lost himself in the quiet and open space. A dangerous thing to do, but he found himself doing it quite often. It would probably end up being the death of him.

"How come you're not as tired as I am?" Jack asked, still breathing heavily. He gestured back the way they came then at Ennis. "We just walked for three and a half hours and you're not even breathin' heavy!" He ran his fingers through his hair. "You're like a robot or something." He got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Do you not sleep either?"

"I've been walkin' everywhere since I was nine years old," Ennis said. He looked down and kicked at the dirt. "I'm used to it. I only get a couple of hours of sleep a night if I'm lucky." He turned and started walking again though it sounded like Jack still needed more rest.

"If you're lucky?" Jack asked, following after him. It was amazing that he wasn't complaining about how little rest he was granted. "Are you really that afraid someone's gonna find you?"

"You found me."

"I found the car."

"That I was using."

"You need rest more than anything," Jack said. "Maybe a couple of days of normalcy. When was the last time you had a shower? A real meal?" He quickened his pace and stopped in front of Ennis, stopping him. "A good night's sleep?"

"A good night's sleep: practically never," Ennis said then stepped around Jack and continued walking. "I don't remember the last time I had a shower. I clean up in any river I come across. And what the hell is a real meal anyway?"

Jack hurried his pace to walk beside Ennis, pointing at the farm. "We should camp there for a while," he said, lowering his arm and looking at Ennis. "It's out in the middle of nowhere. I doubt anyone's gonna come lookin' around here for sick people." He gestured around the field they were walking through. "And it looks like they've already been here."

"They could be back."

"I doubt it."

Ennis stopped and turned to Jack, who had the confidence on his face that he had heard in his voice. "You really think we could hide out in a farm for a while without anyone noticing?" he asked.

"If things turn bad here, I know a place to go where we'll be safe forever," Jack said, not giving any more information than that. "You might not need it, but I'm tired as hell and need sleep. Plus I'm hungry." He turned and started walking, scratching at his head. "And I need a shower."

Ennis sighed, looked around once more, then followed.


Journal Entry Four

Jack is currently upstairs taking a shower. This is the only time I've been able to sit around and write down my thoughts about what happened today. We had walked all night. Jack suggested we stay here in this farmhouse. Still not sure I can trust him. After what happened with Alma, I'll make sure I keep an eye on him. Which is probably why I know I won't be getting any sleep today. Jack'll sleep, but I won't. Not after what happened with Alma. Can't trust anyone.

If he doesn't sleep, he's going to ask questions. He had sounded shocked when I told him how long I've gone without a good night's sleep. That has nothing to do with what's going on in the world. It has everything to do with my dad and how I was raised. He was always tough on me. I guess I'll never know the reason why unless KE can tell me. If KE's even still out there. What Jack said

Ennis didn't finish the sentence and felt that he couldn't write any more for now. He closed the journal and put it away, hating that he was here, perfectly fine, while his brother and sister were out there somewhere, suffering from something if they were still alive. Ennis didn't want to think about them testing positive. Not after what Jack had said. The government just holding them hostage somewhere sounded better.

He turned his head when he heard footsteps and Jack came downstairs. He was dressed, but his hair was still wet. He was wearing a T-shirt that looked just the slightest bit too small for him. The jeans were snug and he wore old, worn-in cowboy boots. He had a scar on his right arm and his fingers were like the rest of him, long and lean. Ennis didn't know why he was studying him so closely and looked away quickly when Jack just glanced at him.

"You shower yet?" Jack asked, walking across the room to where Ennis was sitting. He plopped down onto the couch, which creaked under his weight. Just a slight bit of dust flew up before settling. "The shower's great. Just the right temperature and the towels-"

"I'll find out on my own," Ennis said then got to his feet and headed upstairs.

He stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He set his backpack on the sink then started pulling off clothes, knowing he'd need to find someplace to wash them because taking a shower and putting on dirty clothes was dumb even though he was going to do it anyway. He climbed into the shower and turned the water on, sucking in a breath as the cold water hit his back. He adjusted the temperature and closed his eyes as he got comfortable.

After standing there for a few minutes he started washing up, seeing the water at his feet turn brown before it was washed down the drain. He hadn't realized how dirty he actually was. And how good it felt to be clean.

When he finally stepped out of the shower, he grabbed a towel quickly when he saw Jack standing there with a clean set of clothes. He wrapped the towel around his waist, noticing that Jack hadn't looked away. He took a few deep breaths, hoping he wasn't blushing from embarrassment right now.

"What the hell are you doin'?" Ennis asked, holding the towel so he didn't lose it.

Jack lifted the clothes. "Thought you could use some clothes," he said. "Found these in the bedroom. May or may not fit you, but I just figured it's better than puttin' on your dirty clothes again."

Ennis looked at the clothes and Jack set them down without a word. He reached down and gathered up the dirty clothes. Ennis didn't move a muscle or look away from Jack. "I'll get these clean," Jack said. As he turned and left, Ennis could've sworn he saw those blue eyes dart up and down Ennis' body before he was gone.

He closed the door and locked it after Jack was gone then just stood there against the door for what seemed like forever. He had never gone through something like that before. No one had ever walked in on him while he was naked. Normal people knocked before they went in. But, clearly, Jack wasn't normal. Ennis hadn't known a lot of people, but knew that Jack was different.

Ennis got dressed, glad that the clothes Jack had found fit good. He grabbed his backpack then left the bathroom and headed downstairs, hearing Jack in the back room washing clothes. He put the backpack on his back then headed toward the noise, seeing Jack washing the clothes by hand instead of using the washing machine.

"What?" Jack asked when he caught Ennis watching him. "I think it's faster than a washing machine. And I didn't think you'd want the noise bringing the attention to ourselves."

"How long are we plannin' on stayin' here?" Ennis asked.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "You're the leader," he said. "It's your call."

"Where's the place you talked about?" Ennis asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Where we can be safe forever?"

"Thought you wanted to find your siblings first."

"We're gonna end up where you say," Ennis said. He wasn't sure if KE would just want to hide for the rest of their lives, but Ennis wanted what was left of his family kept safe. "Where is it?"

"Wyoming," Jack said. "Walkin' might take a few months to get there. Not countin' goin' off course to find your brother and sister." He finished washing then hung the garments up to dry. "We need transportation."

Ennis wasn't happy about that, but knew it had to be done. It was faster. "Then we'll find a car," he said.

"But first," Jack said. "You get some sleep."

Not happening. But Ennis said nothing.


To be continued...