Things were new. That's all she could really say in a way, just new. Everything had been so bad for so long she wasn't sure she was use to this anymore. People walking safely in the streets. Kids playing. There was even a dog around here. It was just there, for anyone to pet.

Still she slept through the night and that was new. These people being nice and trying to cut her throat for a scrap of food. She wanted to believe it all. But part of her felt like it was a dream. Her clothes were clean and her hair washed and no dirt clung to her like a second skin.

What even was this place? Logan called it Appalachia. Everyone knew of the Appalachian Mountains. But something felt strange here. She felt strange here. Her skin hummed and her hair felt like electricity was whizzing through it. Like it should be standing on it's ends. She'd never felt so alive before in her life. She'd love to ask her mother about this but she was just gone had been for years. Cancer took her years ago.

Maybe her grandmother but that meant heading into Kentucky. And in a way maybe that was where she'd been going the whole time. In search of her grandmother because a part of her knew she'd be alive.

"Hey." A warm voice chirped. "Settling in good?"

Carol looked over and it was her neighbor, what a laugh that was too her. SHe had a neighbor now.

"Hey yourself, yeah it feels surreal."

"Names Cathy." The woman reminded her with a smile. "It did for me too when they found me out there."

Carol felt herself shudder at the thoughts of some of the nights she'd had with the dead passing below as she stayed belted into a tree. Yeah she would take her soft bed. At Least for now.

"GEORGIA!" A voice bellowed. Boots slapping the ground.

Cathy jerked and eyed her for a second. "You said your name was Carol right or am I mistaken?"

Carol let out a laugh on a breath. "It is. He just insist on calling me that."

Logan skidded to a halt in front of her and Cathy. He stared at Cathy like she had a second head and then turned to Carol. "Fancy seeing you here."

"You brought me here."

"We did didn't we." He churred.

Carol snorted and started towards the store with a wave goodbye to Cathy. She needed real clothes. Not Betty Crocker clothes that were given to her. Who did they think she was? A homemaker? No. She wanted boots and jeans and preferably to feel more comfortable, something that if need be she could run.

"Where we going." Logan stated. Carol rolled her shoulders and sighed. "You know you remind me a lot of my dad and that's not exactly the coolest thing."

"Then go find something cool to do." Carol sneered though a smile crept through.

"No." Logan retorted. "I thought you'd like to know Cathy is a snake in the grass."

Carol turned her head and came to a stop. This...she got a feeling again. Almost like she knew he was going to say that.

"Why?"

"She's only being nice making sure you stay away from certain people." Logan swung his arms wide like he was making all the sense in the world. "You know...like a snake."

"Snakes aren't nice."

"EXACTLY!" He pointed. "You get it."

"No, i really don't." Carol laughed. "Speak clearly."

"She has the hots for my dad. You're a new woman and," his eyes scanned over her before he smiled shyly, "And you're very pretty at that."

Carol felt her face grow hot and scowled. "Don't do that. Don't make some drama because you're bored."

Logan pursed his lips. Stared at her and she knew without a doubt she made him mad. It wasn't even his face it was something else niggling at the back of her mind telling her like a bell ringing she'd made this kid mad. That his entire mood was soured.

"You're right Carol. I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to your day." He didn't wait for a good bye or even a word from her. He turned on heel and marched off his stride determined to get away.

She noticed his uncle watching and Daryl his father. Both were eyeing her and then looking to Logan. It was with that same niggling feeling she knew that Cathy was watching all this avidly. She'd been rude just now and lost her source on the inside. LOgan would have told her what she needed to know about who simply because he liked her.

She started walking again and ignored the feeling. Best to get her head on straight before apologizing for her words. SHe made him out to be some gossipy kid. Something he obviously wasn't. She wasn't even sure why she'd been rude other than she had trouble looking at his dad. Something burned now in her throat and in her hands when she looked at him. She'd never felt it before but it was there.

She felt more like herself in a pair of well fitting jeans and a pair of new boots. They gave her more than she'd expected in clothes but from what she could see they had quite a bit built up. They were good on reserves. It made her feel humbled that she was just given all this new and with nothing more than a thanks asked from her. her heart thumped to the beat of her new boots. The boots... were a little rough on the feet at the moment but once they got broke in she'd be good to go. And was that what she was going to do? Go? Something in her stirred at the idea and sung at the thought of her grandmother.

She would give it time winter was almost here after all. She didn't want to brave Kentucky in the winter. Her grandmother use to talk about the winters there. About the wilderness of the Appalachia's. She wasn't sure she was ready to brave that even in the summer. Everything was so hungry now and the world was a desolate place. Maybe the best thing would be to bed down for winter and think on what to do.