— Chloe —
I wasn't sure how long we'd been driving in the darkness of the truck, but by the time we stopped I was surprised to see that it was only just beginning to get dark. As Jesse, Donald and I crawled out of the back, stretching our stiff muscles, I immediately noticed that we were alone. I turned on Aubrey, who was descending the cab and offering a hand to Stacie as she followed.
"Where's the car?" I asked, somewhat more aggressively than I intended. She looked away guiltily. Something was wrong.
"We lost them." I felt my mouth drop open in shock.
"You… you lost them?!" My skin was flushing hot with fear and anger. Why was I angry? Aubrey seemed to notice this, and instead of rising to meet it as she normally would have done, she became even more timid. It was surreal.
"I'm not sure what happened, we were trying to look at the map and when we checked the mirrors they just weren't behind us anymore. We tried to slow down but they didn't reappear. We've stayed on the same road but… I think they must just have turned off somehow without us noticing." She stammered. I was furious.
"But… but why?" Jesse asked, beside me now, his face the picture of confusion. I couldn't understand it either. Aubrey shook her head sheepishly. I turned and strode away, unable to contain my anger any longer. I knew it wasn't her fault, but I was confused and terrified. What if they'd had an accident, or gotten attacked, or lost? Some rational part of my mind decided that if they'd had an accident it would have been pretty hard for any of us to miss, even over the roar of the truck's engine. So maybe they just got lost? It wasn't impossible with Amy at the wheel that she hadn't simply decided to take a different route. But we weren't aiming anywhere, so why would she? My brain was taking me round in circles. I pressed my palms into my eyes and focused on breathing deeply. Panicking wasn't going to help me now. I could hear the others behind me trying to figure it out too. Finally, I walked back over, unable to meet Aubrey's eye.
"We have to drive back and look for them." I said bluntly. They stared at me like I had two heads.
"They could be anywhere by now, and the infected…" Stacie whispered, trailing off as we all thought back to the threat we had only just so narrowly escaped. I clenched my fists at my sides.
"What else can we do? We can't lose them, and they may need our help." Jesse nodded his head, and I could see they reluctantly all understood what I was saying. Then Aubrey spoke up.
"We did… we did just pass a sign for the highway. I thought that maybe we should get onto it and maybe they'll do the same. If I got lost that's what I would do, it's the only signage I've seen this whole time." I took a second to consider this. As much as everything in me was screaming to just turn back around and search for Beca and the others, I knew that what Aubrey was saying made sense. It seemed most likely that they just got lost somehow, and if that was the case then they too would probably follow the same logic and turn onto the highway in hopes of finding us. I sighed, finally meeting her gaze. She looked so apologetic.
"You're right, Bree, that's a good plan. Let's get to the highway." I reached across and squeezed her hand. Relief flooded her eyes, and she nodded quickly.
"Yes, okay, good, it's only a few miles further now according to the signs."
"Good, alright. I think Jesse and I should take a turn in the cab now so you and stacie can rest. It'll be better to have fresh eyes on the road." I responded, and Aubrey nodded agreement. So, with a final stretch of our limbs, we returned to the truck and set off down the track once more. It wasn't long before we reached the highway, and turned onto tarmac for the first time since fleeing the warehouse. It was strange to drive on such a big road with nobody else there. Every so often, we would pass the wreckage of a car or flatbed truck twisted around the central reservation or wrapped around a tree by the roadside. Finally, as darkness took hold of the night, I pulled up in the outside lane. We would have to take the night in shifts, watching out for our friends but also any threats which seemed ever-more present the longer we spent in this exposed, man-made area. I spent most of the night awake in the cab, even when I was supposed to be resting. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the road, willing her to appear in the mirrors at any second, beaming and falling into my arms. I fell into a fitful sleep as dawn broke, and dreamt of her. I dreamt that we were back in my family home in Arizona, sitting out on the porch in the blazing sun and laughing at something she had said. I longed for that reality. I could only hope that when I awoke it might be to see her face once more. If I could take part of that dream with me, let it be that. Let it be her.