The next morning, they were still at the same fishing spot by the lake. Alex's anxieties about the water have almost disappeared, seeing as how the waves have not tried to drown him in his sleep. Jefferson remade the fire and was on water duty; he made sure that any container or bottle that they had was filled with freshly boiled lake water.

"You know. This probably isn't even super clean or anything. We can probably still get sick from this." He said as he held up a water bottle and looked at the slightly-foggy liquid inside.

"If you're dehydrated, you can't run. Think of it like that." James said. "I'd rather get a stomach bug than be infected by a zombie."

Jefferson shook his head, "Nah, man, I'd much rather get bit. This face does not look pretty when sick."

"It's not pretty to begin with." Alex replied, walking up to the two. James laughed at Jefferson's betrayed expression, and Alex chuckled along. He kept talking before Jefferson could insult him back, "What's the plan for today?"

"Cleaning." James replied, "We have some work we gotta do before get back on the road. Thomas has already started with the water. I was going to try and catch us a fish again, but if that doesn't work out, then we'll just skip breakfast. We desperately need to organize the truck and see what all of our supplies are. That includes packing those backpacks we got; we should start keeping those with us in the front at all times."

"We need to take baths." Jefferson said, "We haven't done that yet, and it's been too long."

James paused, and then glanced out at the lake beside them. "About that. Thomas, I want you to look around the clearing. What do you not see?"

Alex watched as Jefferson's gaze scanned the area, clearly confused. Alex did the same and decided to take a guess, "Cover?"

James nodded, his voice strange as he spoke, "There's nowhere private to bathe. Everyone could see…"

Alex could tell there was something hidden under that tone. He was referring to something that only Jefferson would understand. But Alex was hoping to God that Jefferson wouldn't be a stubborn dick about this, because there's no way Alex could possibly bathe in front of them without everyone knowing he was trans. He couldn't let that happen.

Thankfully, Jefferson understood what James was talking about. His face twisted into a conflicted pout. He chewed his bottom lip as he thought, his eyes kept flicking over to Alex nervously. "Uh, we could have our backs to each other…?"

James shook his head slowly, his expression unimpressed. "You'll just have to wait until the next chance."

"Do you realize how gross and greasy and sweaty and nasty we all are?" Jefferson asked, crossing his arms. "If I have to be stuck in a tiny truck with your dirty asses then-"

"Is it worth it?" James interrupted, "Are you actually going to strip right now and take a bath? In front of everyone? Or are you arguing for nothing?"

Jefferson closed his mouth and looked away. He crossed his arms and shifted on his feet awkwardly. He glanced at Alex again.

James clicked his tongue, "That's what I thought."

When it became clear that they weren't going to get into the lake for a bath, Alex let out the breath he was holding. Thank you, James. Alex would be totally screwed without that man.

It's quiet for a moment, as the men watch the waves roll across the muddy shoreline. The sun has just barely risen over the treeline and Alex finds himself peacefully content at the sight of it. A new day, another start.

"You always sound like Martha when you do that." Jefferson said, quietly. He sounded a bit sad, and Alex glanced over to gage his expression. It's distant, lost. Jefferson cleared his throat and offered James a small smile, "When you shut me down like that."

"She was good for you." James agreed in a soft tone.

The two look at each other for a long moment, and Alex feels like he's intruding on something, but then Jefferson glanced at him and said, "Those two would always team up on me. The wife and the best friend, against one poor, innocent farmer boy."

James rolled his eyes, "You are neither poor nor innocent."

Jefferson chuckled and put his hands in his pockets. He stared down at his feet for a second, his smile fading. He swallowed before he said, "I miss her. I miss her so much."

"Of course you do." James said, not unkindly. His tone was understanding, accepting. He put his hand on Jefferson's shoulder and mumbled, "We all miss our families."

Jefferson's talking to Alex now, as he said, "My Martha was something else. We met through my cousin, Gil, and we hit it off right away."

"You guys were disgustingly cute." James said, resting his head on Jefferson's shoulder.

"Nah, that was you an' Dolley." Jefferson smiled at Alex and asked, "You ever get to see him and his wife together?"

Alex grinned, thinking, "Once or twice, at a company party. They barely talked to anyone else but each other, and held hands the entire time. They always sat in the corner and whispered to each other."

James had a boyish grin on his face as he looked away and muttered, "We was gossiping."

Jefferson let out a snort, hiding his face with one hand. "JemmyJames and Dolley love to people watch. I bet you told her all of the office scandals."

"Oh, every single one." James agreed. "I'd come home, take off my jacket, 'Baby, you'd never believe what happened today!'"

Alex shook his head, holding back a laugh, "Liza and I are the same! I'd come home, ready to spill all the beans, and she'd pour us some wine, and we'd just sit there and gossip about everyone!"

Jefferson nodded, "I feel like all couples do that. And if they don't, they don't know how to be a couple."

Alex made a noise of agreement. There was a slight lull in conversation, until Jefferson turned to Alex and asked, "How did y'all meet? I met Martha through my cousin, James met Dolley in college. How'd you meet Eliza?"

Alex hesitated, "Um."

"I don't think I know this story." James mumbled to himself, "How did you meet Eliza?"

"Well, I don't like to talk about it much…" Alex shifted awkwardly, glancing away from the men.

"You don't like to talk about how you met your wife?" Jefferson asked, clearly confused. "What, is she a mafia boss or something?"

"No, it's just…" Alex looked at James for help, but the man was obviously not seeing what might make Alex uncomfortable right now. "Well, uh, most people wouldn't find it super romantic."

"That's alright. It doesn't always start romantic." Jefferson said, "How'd you meet?"

Alex decided that he'd only tell half of the story; like he usually does to people who aren't super close to him. "Okay, so, um, we met at a gas station."

"A gas station?" James asked, "Not at a party or something?"

"No." Alex bit his lip and looked away, "I mean, I was leaving a party, kind of. And I went to a gas station. It was New Years, so I guess that part's kinda romantic. But I went to this run down gas station on the other side of town, and she was working there. It was late at night - or, early in the morning, and we just talked a lot, since she was bored and no one was there."

Jefferson and James exchanged glances. Jefferson shrugged and said, "And that's all?"

"Yeah. Kinda." Alex said, not making eye contact. "It was kind of embarrassing."

"What was embarrassing about that?" James asked.

Alex flinched, realizing his mistake. "Nothing, really. I'll, uh, tell you later, if you want, I guess." He very obviously glanced at Jefferson as a way to say when he's not here, which James finally understood.

"Right. Of course." James mumbled, curiously watching Alex.

Alex desperately tried to come up with a new conversation topic, since the attention was still on him. Jefferson was glancing between the two of them suspiciously. Alex tried to sound casual as he asked, "So, uh, who cooked?"

James was trying to hold back an amused smirk as he replied, "Dolley and I switched off every other day."

"I cooked for us." Jefferson said slowly, still a bit confused about what was happening, "Especially when Martha became pregnant."

"Eliza was the cook in our house. I was always working late, so I couldn't help out much in that field..." Alex said, relaxing a little, "She'd have the kids help a bit. Pip working in the kitchen with her."

James nodded to Alex and said to Jefferson, "He had two kids. I only saw them once, when the youngest was about two?"

"Yeah. That was a long while ago. Years ago." Alex smiled, remembering when Eliza brought the kids to his work to coax him into leaving early. "When this all went down, Angie was ten, and Philip was fourteen. They were … fantastic, you know?"

Jefferson's eyes grew distant again, "Yeah. I thought I loved Martha more than anything in the world. And then, when Minnie was born, I realized that what I felt for Martha was nothing in comparison. I was willing to kill for that kid." He cleared his throat quietly, blinking rapidly, "I never thought I'd actually have to, um..."

Alex's eyes widened as he realized that Jefferson was trying not to cry. He looked over at James, who soothingly rubbing Jefferson's back. Alex hesitated, unsure if he should press. But he was never really good at being quiet, so he asked in a gentle tone, "What happened?"

"Alex." James started in a warning tone. His gaze grew sharp and his shoulders squared a little. Like Alex was about to kick his child. There was no doubt that these two were close, but in that moment, Alex saw the raw protection James felt for the other man.

"No, it's okay." Jefferson said quietly. He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. Alex and James looked at each other, equally surprised. Jefferson ran a hand down his face and explained in a broken voice, "When the first wave came through… and people became infected… well... my little Minnie Martha got sick. At first we just thought it was the flu but…"

Alex found he couldn't look away as the first tear rolled down his cheek slowly, wrapping down his chin and sliding below the collar of his shirt. The tear didn't seem to want to let go of the man, unwilling to drop to the ground like one would expect. It clung desperately to Jefferson's skin, refusing to be forgotten. Alex's gaze snapped back up to the man's face when he continued speaking.

"She was so little. Could barely even walk. But she was hungry, when she turned - or, or maybe she knew who we were, and was trying to get to us…" Jefferson rubbed at his eyes, clearing his throat. He let out a long, shaking sigh, when he mumbled, "I - I don't know…"

Alex suddenly remembered what James had said to him back on the bus a month ago: 'Thomas wasn't as lucky. He had to do the job himself.'

The world felt like it stopped spinning the moment Alex realized what must have happened. He couldn't hold back the gasp that slipped past his lips, he didn't even realize that he had spoken until the words were already heard, "You ... killed her?"

"I had to!" Jefferson said, his voice a mess, and his face not much better. He turned to Alex and suddenly all that intensity was focused on him. Alex took a step back, surprised by the raw emotion seen there. Jefferson's hands were shaking as he cried, "I - I had to- to shoot them both. Minnie and Martha! I - I had to look my baby daughter in the eyes and shoot her dead so she'd- she'd-"

"Shh, Thomas, it's okay." James said. Jefferson turned to him and crumpled himself against the smaller man. His face was pressed against James' chest, his fists shaking, buried, in the other man's shirt. Alex swallowed hard, not knowing what to say or do to help. He looked away, finally, and allowed the men a small bit of privacy.

He chewed his lip and wondered. Wondered what he would do if he was in the same situation. If Angie was bitten and Alex had to make a decision in the moment of what to do. Is it better to save his own life and shoot his child? Would it really even be his kid anymore? Or just a zombie? He thinks about the zombie child that he had to fight back in Schenectady. Yes, it was strange, a bit hard, to kill that kid. But he wasn't emotionally attached to it. What if that was his his daughter? His son? Could he have defended himself?

He doesn't think so.

Not too long later, Jefferson had calmed down. There wasn't even a trace of his previous greif on his face; back to normal, like it never happened. Alex finds himself shifting uncomfortably at the idea of it. He wants to tell the other man that his emotions are valid, and that there's no need to hide his past. But he doesn't think his input would be appreciated, so he stays quiet.

They get started on the chores that James wanted to get done. Jefferson and he are pulling things out of the back of the truck so that they can organize it better. Previously, they just shoved everything in place in a mad rush; not caring where it went. Even Alex could admit that they desperately needed some order.

For a while, they worked in silence; struggling to take off the roof, deciding to keep it on, reaching inside and pulling stuff out one at a time, and setting it on the ground beside them. While they did that, James tried again to catch a fish.

Alex was sat on the ground, three big backpacks in front of him. He had to decide what was important enough to put into these bags, in case they ran out of gas in the truck and had to walk. So far, he's only shoved some clothes and a blanket in one of the bags. He stuffs lighters and bottles full of lake water in as well. The work is simple and kind of calming. He rather enjoys the sorting, making sure that each of the bags have equal amounts of supplies. While he's always found busy work annoying, this kind of mindless task was somewhat satisfying.

This bag will hold the big fire starting kit. This bag will hold a small one. This bag, the one Alex mentally deemed as his own, will hold the medical supplies - including the pads and tampons Jefferson grabbed. One backpack gets extra food. One gets a pan and some silverware. One gets an extra blanket. Alex makes sure that any one of the bags will give the user a fighting chance on their own.

Alex breaks the peaceful silence as he holds up an oversized sweater that he doesn't remember picking up. It's far too soft for its own good; a pale blue that makes his heart skip a beat at the sight of it. "Eliza had a sweater like this. Hers was much smaller, of course. But otherwise…"

Jefferson pauses for a moment before he said, "I snagged that at one of the stores we raided. It looked comfy."

"It is." Alex reaches up and hands the sweater over to Jefferson to feel. "It's soft. This is the kind of thing I'd wear on game night."

"Game night?" Jefferson asked as he rubbed the sleeve of the sweater thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Well, we don't do it a whole lot anymore, but when my friends and I were in college, we'd have a game night twice a month. It was a lot of fun." Alex smiled to himself, taking the sweater back. He gently ran his fingers up and down the soft fabric, sighing. "We had a lot of fun those nights. Stupid, my friends were. But good people."

"I want to sit by Alex!" Pegs shouted as they wormed their way between Alex and John.

"You always sit by Alex!" John protested.

Pegs shrugged, "You live with him, you get to see him all the time. I only get to hang out with him every once and awhile."

John opened his mouth to argue, but Alex cut him off saying, "They're right. Pegs gets priority."

Pegs grinned and stuck out their tongue, "Take that, cis!"

John snorted and flicked Pegs' cheek, making them squeal. This was a common exchange at game night, Alex thinks it's more of a tradition by now than any real want to sit next to him, but he doesn't bring that up.
Everyone gathered around the table that they usually used. A dining room table at the Schuyler's place; a room that was only used when they had company. Angelica, Eliza's older sister, sat at the head of the table, picking at some chips and dip. Eliza sat next to her, with Alex on her other side. They held hands under the table and grinned at each other when something funny happened. Pegs, Eliza's younger sibling, sat beside Alex. John and Hercules took the other side. The boyfriends got distracted by each other easily and had to be kicked under the table in order for them to focus on the game.

They played many different games; from cards to board games to trivia. They were playing a pop culture trivia game on that day. Alex was losing, but he blamed that on Eliza being too cute.

"Okay, my turn." Angelica said as she took a card from the center of the table and read it outloud. "The card says, 'What is love?'"

"What kind of love are we talkin' here?" Pegs asked, "Romantic, familial, platonic?"

"That's all the card says, 'What is love?'." Angelica replied, flipping the card around to show them, careful to keep the answer hidden under her thumb.

Pegs thought for a moment, and then replied, "Well then, I'd say that love is a chemical reaction based on instinctual need to not be alone."

John shook his head, making a thumbs down, "No, no, no! Love is sharing your food!"

After he said that, he looked pointedly to Alex, who was munching on some grapes. Alex sighed and rolled his eyes, but passed the fruit over to the other man. John grinned happily and blew Alex a kiss.

"I'd say that love has to do with sex." Hercules said. "Good old fashioned fucking. That's love."
John rolled his eyes and nudged his boyfriend, "Of course you'd say that."

"I only do the dirty with people I love." Herc replied, quietly. John's mouth closed silently around a grape and the two stared at each other for a long moment.

"Aaaand we lost them." Pegs said under their breath. "Al? Lizzy? What's your guess?"

"Can I add on to Herc's?" Alex asked, then continued, "Because, yeah, sex is great, but only if you really have fun while doing so. You know, like, laugh and joke around."

Angelica raised an eyebrow, "You think love is laughing while having sex?"

Alex shrugged, then nodded, "I think that's an example of love, yes."

The table turned to Eliza, who was the only one left without an answer. She thought for a moment, and then placed her hand on Alex's knee, "Love is … staying together, and being there for each other, no matter what."

Alex grinned, feeling his cheeks turn a bit pink. He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Eliza's cheek, mumbling, "I like that answer, too."

Angelica cleared her throat to get everyone's attention again. Although she smiled at Eliza, she looked thoroughly unimpressed, "You guys are idiots. We're playing a trivia game. It's a fucking song. The answer was 'Baby don't hurt me, no more.'"

Pegs stood up and snatched the card from their sister, "I was the closest!"

"Bullshit!" John shouted, reaching across the table for the card, "My love was way better than yours!"

"I've never heard of this song in my life." Alex muttered as he watched his friends fight over the card.

"No one is gonna say it, but we all know my answer was the best." Hercules said as he joined in the fight for the card. "It was the most accurate!"

"No it wasn't!"

Jefferson was watching him, after he finished retelling his story of one of their game nights. Alex was expecting him to smile along with him, since it was kind of a funny story, but the man had a slight frown on his lips. Alex felt himself frown as well, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just…" Jefferson paused. He looked over to James, who was knee deep in the lake, and then back to Alex. He was only able to keep his gaze for a second before he looked down at his feet, "How did you have so many friends?"

"...What do you mean?" Alex asked, a bit surprised.

"You named off, like, five people." Jefferson said, chewing his lip. Alex saw his cheeks darken a bit as he shifted from foot to foot. The man was embarrassed; self-conscious. "I've never had that many friends before. It's only ever been me an' James. And, like, my wife and my cousin, but those two don't really count, you know?"

"I think Martha counts." Alex said. "If I get to count Eliza, then you get to count Martha. Besides, you should marry your friend, so it only makes sense that you'd include her."
"That's still only two people." Jefferson argued.

Alex shrugged, "Sometimes two's all you need. I didn't always have them. Before … before college, I had no friends. So I kinda, like, forced them to stay near me."

Jefferson watched him for a minute, before the strangely intimate look in his face disappeared and his normal cocky expression returned. He shrugged and said, "I just can't imagine that many people deciding they'd want to put up with you."

"Oh, fuck off." Alex said, shaking his head. "If it makes you feel better, two of those five were my girlfriend's siblings. And one was my girlfriend, so I really only had two friends, too. One, if you think your best friend's boyfriend shouldn't count."

"Not the same." Jefferson muttered, turning away to grab another thing from the truck. Alex's mind drifted off and he realized that he'd been seeing more and more of Jefferson as of late. The man before him isn't the same man that Alex met on that roof in New York. He was more open with him now; and Alex felt like he was learning something new about him every day. It was nice, but, also strange. Alex found he didn't really know what to say in times like these, where they weren't arguing or teasing or running for their lives. He hoped he'd figure it out soon.

"Why is there a bag full of bras in here?" Jefferson asked.

Alex's heart stopped in his chest. His head snapped to look up at Jefferson, who was holding one of the sports bras, frowning down at the rest. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck- fuck.

Alex's mind went unhelpfully blank, refusing to provide any solution, any excuse in this moment. He tried to come up with something clever, but his words failed him.

"Uh…" Alex said eloquently. He couldn't even feign ignorance at this point, it was too obvious that he was well aware of the situation and just didn't know how to respond.

"GUYS!" James shouted from the lake, "I DID IT! I CAUGHT ONE!"

Thank you, Jesus. Alex thought as he turned and ran over to the shore, "Awesome!"

Jefferson was by his side after a moment, congratulating James on his catch. It wasn't the biggest fish in the world, but it was bigger than they were expecting. The fish went from Alex's elbow to his thumb - skinny, but long - and it flopped in James' arms desperately. Alex had no idea what kind of fish it was. He couldn't tell a trout from a bass. But that didn't matter; fish means meat and meat means food.

"Let's grill this up!" Jefferson said, excited. All thoughts of the bras must've disappeared out of his mind. Alex shoots James a thankful smile, and the man only assumes it's for the fish. Alex is alright with that. He'll have to hide the bras better later. He decides he'll shove some of them in his backpack and hide the others with some different supplies or something. The hard part will be doing that when Jefferson isn't looking. Maybe he can get James to help. He's wearing a sports bra right now, and he has his binder in his pocket, but he really needs to find out what he's going to do with the rest. God, why didn't he get put on a team that had a woman with them? That would make a lot of this so much easier.

They watch as Jefferson skins the fish; wiping away stray scales. He carefully removes the fins and chops off the head. James gags and looks away from the fish's round, dead eye. Alex jogs over to the truck and fetches one of their pots that they stole in order to cook the fish. They position it over the fire in a way that won't immediately scorch the catch; handle facing outward for easy access.

Alex felt his mouth water at the sound of the fresh sizzle of meat heating up. His stomach growled loudly, making sure everyone was well-aware of his thoughts. Jefferson shot him a smile, something that made his stomach flip for other reasons. James licked his lips, now that their catch looked less fishy and more foodie.

It smelled delicious; Alex only wished that they had some kind of seasoning other than the smoke from the fire. He wasn't super fond of the taste of fish. He's always drown his cod in tartar sauce before even thinking about eating it. Fish sticks were pretty good, but they were so processed, there was no way they kept the original flavoring.

All these thoughts disappeared when Jefferson cut up the fish into thirds and served it to them. Alex's hands shook as he took the plate from him, his eyes wide as he realized he'd be eating food - real food - for the first time in a month. It won't be from a can, and it's enough to actually fill his stomach a considerable amount. He didn't even think about finding a fork or knife. He set the plate down on his lap and pulled the meat apart with his fingers. It burned a bit, he dropped the fish a few times before he finally got it in his mouth. But it was worth it.

He couldn't help the appricative moan that left his lips. When he opened his eyes - when did he close them? - he saw Jefferson and James having very similar reactions. Jefferson was licking his finger, trying to get every taste of the meal as he could. James had his eyes closed and was chewing slowly, his shoulders relaxed.

This was good. They needed this.

Alex let out a soft sigh as he picked up another piece. He shoved it in his mouth, having no time for finesse or class. The more he ate, the more he wanted to keep eating. He didn't realize just how hungry he was until the food was already in his mouth. It was like a domino falling, crashing into another, into another. He couldn't stop until he had eaten all of his portion. When his fingers bumped against the empty plate, with nothing else to grab, he let out a small whine.

"Same." James mumbled. He was brushing his plate like a cat would to a door when they wanted to go outside. His expression was a strange mix between forlorn and satisfied.

"JemmyJames, go catch another." Jefferson said, a twinkle in his eye. "You're the official fisher of our group."

"It took me hours to catch just that one." James said, shaking his head, "I don't want to stand in the water all day."

"There are worse things." Jefferson tried to convince him. "You could have to listen to Hamilton talk about his friends."

"Hey!" Alex gasped, but he was smiling. They were all smiling; laughing. Alex shook his head, shooting Jefferson a playful glare, before turning to James, "Really, though, this was amazing. Thank you so much for catching this."

"Yeah, Jemmy, you did great." Jefferson added, pulling the other man into a one-armed hug. Alex glanced away when Jefferson pressed a kiss to the side of James' head. Something in Alex shifted and he decided to get back to work. He stood up and went back to the truck. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure Jefferson wasn't paying attention, before he threw some bras into his backpack. He then bundled up the rest into a ball, wrapping them back up in the bedsheet. Frantically, he tried to find a place to hide them. He crawled into the back of the truck, trying to shift things around with one hand so he could hide the rest of his bundle. He knew it was stupid, they were just going to take them out again when they sorted through the rest of the truck, but they had to be out of sight right now. Maybe he could convince James to work with him in organizing and Jefferson can fuck off somewhere else. It doesn't matter where. They just need enough time to figure out what to do with his supply.

Alex's panicked searching was put on hold when he noticed a strange sound. He paused in his movements, focusing on the unusual noise instead. When he realized it was coming from behind him, he slowly crept back out from the back of the truck. He stood back on the ground and looked around. James jogged over to the truck, clearly as confused as he was. Alex shrugged and followed the noise up the small hill to the road. He knew that he recognized that sound. It was familiar. But he couldn't quite figure it out.

As he stood on the side of the road, he squinted down one way and found nothing. Then he turned the other direction. He frowned at what he saw. It was a car. A red Jeep Wrangler; flying far faster than any Jeep Alex had seen. He realized that the sound that he was hearing was the roar of the engine.

The Jeep must've seen him, because it laid on the horn as well, adding to the intense soundtrack. Alex flinched, stumbling backwards as the Jeep flung itself past him, down the road; horn still blaring. The sound only faded slightly as it got further and further away, echoing through the trees and across the lake.

"Those were people!" Alex shouted in surprise. They hadn't seen anyone alive and uninfected since the bus incident.

"Where were they going so fast?" James called from his spot by the truck. Alex turned to look at him, but froze at the next noise he heard. This noise sounded much like thunder over a gladiator's cage. He whipped around, hoping he was wrong, but knowing he wasn't.

The horn wasn't just a greeting. It was a warning.

Alex scrambled backwards, back down the hill, almost tripping in his haste. He ran to James, grabbing the man by the arm, and yanking him as he grabbed the backpacks in one quick motion.

"What is it?" Jefferson called from his spot by the fire.

"RUN!" Alex shouted as he shoved a backpack in James' arms and pulled him forward by the grip on his wrist.

"Run…?" Jefferson mumbled, and then, seeing what was behind them, screeched, "RUN!"
James yanked his arm free, shouting, "NO, idiots, the truck!"

By the time he turned around, sick, angry monsters were climbing on top of the truck and clawing the air hungrily. James let out a whine, but continued running, urging the others forward.

The road was blocked by a screaming wall of rotten flesh, so they did the only thing they could. They ran along the lake, towards the cluster of trees that spread out into the distance. Alex couldn't hesitate - hesitation meant death - as he leaped into the woods.

The zombies' growls and snarls were loud in his ears and he didn't want to stop to see if it was just his fear amplifying their volume. He felt tears form in his eyes as he sped up, not wanting to be snatched away by the creatures behind him.

His heart was pounding in his ears and his lungs burned with each breath, but he kept moving forward, pushing past tangles of bush and branches. Leaves and twigs slapped against his skin as he ran. The backpacks in his arms acted a bit like shields as he plowed through the thicket.

He doesn't know how far he ran, how fast, how long, which direction, or anything other than that his chest burned and his legs had gone numb. He took as deep a breath as he could while he was still running and tried to force himself to calm down. It was only when he swallowed hard, still panting, did he find enough sense of mind to realize that the growling had stopped.

He wasn't being chased anymore. He slowed to a stop, breathing harder than he's ever breathed in his life. He thanked God that he wasn't wearing his binder, once more. As he stopped, he leaned against a tree and looked behind him for confirmation.

There wasn't a zombie in sight. But there also wasn't a human.

"James?" Alex panted, his voice raw. "Jefferson?"

His knees felt weak as he kept breathing. Black dots formed in his vision when he moved too fast. He took a risk and sat down, closing his eyes and tipping his head up to breathe easier. He needed to rest. Yes, he had to find the others, but if he passed out while doing that, he'd be dead in an instant.

After a minute, he opened his eyes, watching, just in case. While he was sitting on the floor, he shifted so that the backpacks were now on his back; one awkwardly strapped over the other. This left a lot of weight on his back, but he didn't want to be one of those poindexers that had a backpack on their front as well.

When Alex's breathing slowed back to a more normal rate, he slowly climbed back up, relying heavily on the tree for support.

He swallowed and then called out once more, "Jefferson? James?"

No response.

He didn't even know where to start looking. All of the woods looked the same to him; trees, trees, more trees, another tree, oh look - a tree. He didn't want to yell; he didn't want the zombies to hear him. He also didn't want to walk backwards, towards where the zombies were. But he has no idea what to do otherwise. They didn't plan for this. What were they supposed to do if they all go seperated in the woods?

Alex took a shaky step forward. Then another. He turned in a circle, trying to see through the trees. He flinched at the sound of birds flying from branch to branch overhead; cawing through the air. His breathing hardened as his eyes darted around helplessly.

"James!" He said, as loud as he dared. "Jefferson!"

Nothing.

Alex chewed his lip, trying to find the right thing to do. He took another shaking breath and then stepped forward in a random direction. At every sound, he froze, waiting in terror to see if something was about to jump out at him and kill him. Nothing ever did approach him, though, so he slowly crept forward; hoping beyond hope that he'd find his friends.

He stumbled over a root and almost tripped, but he caught himself on a tree, his hands getting scratched up by the bark. He hissed and looked down at his bruised skin, shaking off the dirt and small pieces of wood. Alex chewed on his lip, pouting down at his hands. They weren't bleeding or anything, but they still hurt. Like a paper cut's dirty older brother. He continued to walk, taking more care to watch where he was going so that he wouldn't trip again.

After walking for so long that his feet began to hurt, Alex stopped when he heard a noise. It sounded much like his own footsteps, but clumsier. The rustling of fallen leaves; twigs and grass that's being kicked around as something moved through them. Alex held his breath and froze, slowly glancing around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from.

A bird cawed from overhead, and Alex sucked in a startled breath. His nerves were on edge, and he knew that if he were attacked right now, it wouldn't be an easy fight. He didn't have a weapon, and all he could really do is run. He still has two backpacks on his back, filled with supplies, and he was exhausted from running earlier; so it wouldn't be easy to sprint away from danger again.

Alex slowly creeps forward, his hands carefully raised in front of him. There was a rather large tree before him, and he swiftly moved to stand behind it, hoping to hide from whatever was approaching. The backpacks made it a bit hard to press up against the tree, but he made it work. He forced his breathing to come out in slow, quiet lengths. The shuffling grew nearer. Something groaned, low and deep, behind him.

Alex closed his eyes and hoped that whatever it was would just go away. No such luck. The leaves underfoot shifted once more. Then, it seemed like the thing grew to a halt. There were some more shifting noises, another grunt and a groan, and then silence. It had stopped. Alex realized that whatever had been making those noises was now waiting on the other side of his tree.

Alex internally groaned, trying to figure out his options. He could run, but the thing might give chase. He was tired and carrying twenty-five pounds of supplies. There's no way he'd out run it. He could wait here until the creature left, but it could shuffle around the tree and find him waiting; a perfect snack. His only other option was to fight. Alex glanced around and found a sizeable stick on the ground. It could work.

He carefully, slowly, so as to not make too much noise, reached down and picked up the stick. It was heavy in his hands, and would work well to hurt the monster behind him. He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the stick, and whipped around the tree to attack.

He could tell that whatever it was was low to the ground. He started swinging before he even really got a look at it. He swung with all his might, feeling the impact of the stick against the creature. He heard squealing and screeching, just barely audible behind the sound of blood rushing through his ears.

"Whoa, whoa! It's me! Ham! Stop!" A voice frantically said.

That didn't sound like a zombie. Alex halted, dropping his stick. His eyes widened as he realized what he'd done. "Oh, shit! Jefferson?"

"Yes, dumbass!" Jefferson said, panting. He looked up at Alex, his hands raised to try and protect his face. There was fear in his eyes, carefully masked behind annoyance. He looked a mess, exhausted and dirty. Alex was sure he looked the same.

"Sorry." Alex breathed sheepishly. He's just happy that he's no longer alone. Alex lowered himself on shaky legs so he was squatting in front of Jefferson. "Are you okay? Did I get you?"

"Just my arm right here. It's just a scratch, though." Jefferson said, rubbing his right forearm gently. He inspected the small wound carefully before deciding, "I'll be fine."

"Sorry." Alex said again, reaching forward and taking Jefferson's arm in his own hands gently. It had small pools of blood that were too small to spill over and cause any real damage. He couldn't tell if it was dirty or not, though. The stick certainly wasn't clean. They'd have to wash it later; getting an infection wouldn't be ideal. Alex gave Jefferson another apologetic look before he let go of his arm. "Thought you were a zombie."

Alex took off his backpacks, groaning as his shoulders got a moment to relax. He could feel the tension in his muscles, and he wanted nothing more than to have someone dig into them and loosen the knots.

"Not yet." Jefferson grumbled, "God knows how. I shoulda been bitten back there… I have no idea how I got away."

"Yeah." Alex agreed quietly. "Where did they all come from? We didn't see any zombies for a while, and we're pretty far away from any cities."
"Who cares." Jefferson shrugged, "They could've come from anywhere. This isn't our world anymore, it's theirs. They can just show up whenever they want."

Alex was quite a moment, thinking that over. He chewed his lip and asked, "Will it always be like this? Will anywhere be safe?"

"I'm sure in twenty years or so, when all of them starve out, things'll be different." Jefferson said, looking out at the trees surrounding them, "Until then? We keep running."

Alex sighed, sitting back on his butt. He hissed when his bruised hands pushed into a rock. He quickly shifted, holding his hands against his chest.

"You okay?" Jefferson asked.

"Yeah. I tripped and scratched up my hands." Alex explained, showing the other man his palms. Jefferson opened his mouth to say something, but they both froze when a squirrel ran by overhead. Alex felt his chest constrict, he didn't like the idea of being lost in the woods, knowing that zombies had followed them in. "We need to get going."

"I'm not leaving until I find James." Jefferson said stubbornly.

"What if you can't?" Alex asked, frowning. "You can't wander these woods forever."

"I can and I will." Jefferson said, crossing his arms. "Catch my dead ghost ass haunting these trees."

Alex sighed. He wasn't really going to fight him on this. But he wanted to at least put the thought in Jefferson's mind. False hope could only make things worse in the long run. They have to be realistic; there were a lot of zombies, anything could've happened. James could've tripped. He was carrying the other backpack, maybe it got caught on a branch. Alex clenched his teeth hard, hoping against all hope that he was wrong. Jefferson shifted, his eyes darting around. There was something in his eyes that made Alex's gut sink. There was desperation fighting in there; powerful and angry. Alex wanted to make that look go away, he wanted to see the man at ease once more. He didn't even stop to wonder why such a thing was so important to him; but he knew it was the right thing to do.

"Okay." Alex said after a long minute. "Let's go find him."

Jefferson looked over at him, slightly surprised. He silently nodded and watched as Alex stood up. He raised a hand, and Alex helped him to his feet. They each took a backpack, picked a direction, and started walking.

Already, Alex felt better, having someone by his side. He glanced over at Jefferson, taking in the man's focused worry. He nodded to himself and felt his determination grow. They'd find James, no matter what.

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