{Little Easter egg in this chapter, though it may be extremely difficult to figure out. I wont say anything.}
Molly had awoken many times throughout the night. Each and every time she found it difficult to steady her heart rate that seemed to beat at a fast pace. During one or two of those awakenings, Molly had heard the little commotions of more people arriving at the campsite as some of the previous occupants left. She found It difficult to avoid a scowl when she heard people leave, wondering just what was wrong for them to up and leave during the night.
Almost as soon as the sun began to rise, Molly felt something tapping her cheek repeatedly. Her nose began to twitch as she mumbled something inaudible under her breath. A poorly stifled giggle was what brought Molly out of her dream state and forced her eyes to squint open. A smile fell onto her face as she looked at Jacob's face, a grin of his own taken residence on his face.
"Morning." Molly greeted him, bringing her own hand up to her sons face and brushing some hair back. "Did you have a nice sleep?"
"It was really, really good!" Jacob explained, his eyes twinkling at his mother.
"Just two really's?" Molly asked, fake gasping as Jacob giggled once more before he pushed himself to his knees and began to bounce.
"Really, really, really good!"
"Well now, that sounds more like it!" Molly exclaimed, holding her hand up and waiting for him to high five her. Jacob smiled as he hit her hand with his, continuing to bounce on his knees while she watched him for a few moments.
"Where we at?" Jacob asked as he shifted so that he was sat cross-legged in front of Molly.
Molly pushed herself up and leaned on one arm as she surveyed her son for a few moments, wondering herself where they actually were. "We're just outside Atlanta, camping… There's other people here too, but that doesn't mean you can go wondering off, okay? It's just not safe."
Jacob nodded slowly, trying to take in the answer to his question. If anything, Molly was almost certain she had confused the boy, what with usually letting him be slightly independent and agreeing to let him play at a slight distance. However, she knew she'd have to keep an eye on him in order to stop him from wondering. After all, he was still a toddler, barely even a child.
"How about we see what food we've got, yeah?" Molly asked, watching as he nodded frantically, his grin returning instantly. She had always been envious of his ability to smile at almost anything. If he fell and scrapped his knee, it always ended in a smile. "Might have some of them fruit bars!"
Molly watched him hop to his feet and bounce around excitedly while she took a few seconds to stretch her arms above her head before she rose from her sleeping bag and unzipped the door flap. She tilted her body to the side and let Jacob slide his way out into the fresh morning air. She followed closely, leaving the tent unzipped.
Instantly, Molly noticed just how literally Jacob had taken her words. He stood merely a foot's distance from her, waiting for his mother to make the first move. With a small chuckle and a shake of her head, Molly ruffled his hair as she made her way to the truck bed and began to rummage through her bag she had packed.
In seconds, her hand had grasped what she had been looking for. Molly pulled the dented box from the bag and pulled a fruit bar from the box that Jacob loved so much. She dropped the box on the truck bed before placing the packet between her teeth. She bent down and picked Jacob up, helping him to sit on the truck bed. He waited patiently for his mother to unwrap the bar, opting for holding his hands in his lap as he waited. A small thank you was muttered as Molly handed him the bar, balling the wrapper in her fist and leaning against the truck as she looked around curiously.
She noticed that many of the tents and cars that had been pitched and parked when she had arrived had gone, giving her an answer to who had up and left during the night. Not only did the man-made camp look less crowded, but it could almost be mistaken for an actual, legit camp site. What with the fire that looked as though an expert camper had built it and the logs that had been perched around it, Molly found it difficult to keep in mind that everyone had all but picked a clearing and declared it camp. However, due to the light being given by the sun, she could also see the tops of the building in Atlanta in the far distance, indicating that they were on a large hill of some sorts.
Running her fingers through her tangled hair, Molly began to survey the people that were awake, Wondering, half hoping if she knew any of them. However, she swore under her breath as she made eye contact with Glenn who grinned brightly and waved a little to enthusiastically. She muttered a few choice words under her breath as she forced a small and waved back.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed frantic movement. Molly tilted her head, watching as Jacob waved his hand at Glenn with just as much enthusiasm as the Asian had given. "Stop waving now, Hun." Molly muttered from the corner of her mouth. "We don't want him getting the wrong idea and coming over here."
"Why not?" Jacob asked, dropping his hand as he looked up at his mother, taking another bite from his bar as some of the crumbs fell on his top.
"Stranger danger." Molly muttered, knowing that it was all she could think of in that moment.
Her attempts at keeping Glenn away seemed to succeed but at the same time, failed. As she looked back around, she could see him talking to an older man and the cop she had spoken with on the highway the previous night. She swore once more as Glenn pointed at her, his lips moving to form words she couldn't hear before the cop nodded and began to make his way towards her.
"For goodness…" Molly trailed off in a whisper as she forced her smile back on her face once more. "Hi." She said as soon as he was close enough to hear her. She held a hand over her eyes, trying to block the sun from her vision.
"Hey yourself." He greeted, smiling brightly at Jacob who found it difficult to keep his own grin at bay. "I see you both made it out here alright." It was a statement rather than a question. "Glenn over there, you've met him right?" Molly nodded, raising a brow. "Yeah, well he's told me you might need a little hel-"
"With due respect, officer." Molly cut him off, trying to keep her annoyance at bay as she scratched her nose before continuing. "I recall telling Glenn that if I needed help, I'd ask."
Shane nodded, holding his hand up slightly as he turns his gaze to Jacob who had been grinning slightly the whole time. "Hey little man!" He exclaimed, his voice slightly higher than the one he had used before. "I can just tell you're gonna be trouble round here."
Jacob's eyes widened in slight shock as he shook his head, looking at Molly who couldn't help but smile. "We're on a trip, aren't we?" She asked him, turning her body so that she was facing him more.
"Mhm." Jacob nodded frantically, looking towards Shane as he opened his mouth once more. "Mumma didn't need work," He grinned, placing a hand on Molly's shoulder and using it to help him up. He stood on the bed of the truck with a grin as his eyes sparkled. "So, we is on a trip!"
Shane looked down at Molly who raised a brow, slightly amused at the behaviour her son so often used. "You must be excited, huh?" He asked him, leaning in as he pretended to whisper. "I've got some good intel that someone," he pointed to himself with his thumb, "Has some double chocolate chip cookies stashed away in his jeep."
Jacob's brows furrowed as he looked between the two adults, understanding part of what Shane had said. "Inel?" He muttered, failing miserably at his pronunciation.
"Intel, Hun." Molly corrected, a slight chuckle leaving her. "Means he has some information, he knows about it." She watched her son think her words over for a few moments, his eyes shifting between the two before he nodded slowly, indicating he now understood.
"Tell you what," Shane began, looking beyond Molly shoulder as he held a hand up. "How bout you two come meet the rest of the group when you're ready, could give you them cookies then." He offered, raising his hand to Jacob's head and ruffling his hair while the young boy's nose wrinkled and he tried to move backwards.
"Yeah, uh… We'll see." Molly replied, offering him a small smile as she held her hand out to Jacob, lifting him off the truck and placing him on the ground.
Shane smiled a genuine smile before he bid the two goodbye and spun on his heel. Molly watched him leave as Jacob made his way into the tent in order to rummage through his packed bag she had put in there last night. Knowing that a cop was at the camp settled her slightly. Not that she had ever gotten along well with their kind, but she knew that they liked to keep peace and stop fights and what not. To her, the cop seemed to be one of the nicest she met. Although, that was probably due to all the cops she had met before had been trying to arrest her in some way or another.
The rest of the morning had passed by in a blur. Molly had taken the tent down and re-pitched it herself, much happier with the state of it than she had been the previous night. She had also put all the bags and cases in the truck, locking them away tightly until a time she actually needed them. She felt slightly hesitant at leaving things lying around without any form of security.
Despite her plan to stay near her own tent, Molly couldn't hide her curiosity at the fact that people seemed to be smiling and laughing with one another in the middle of the camp. After a long debate and a quick talk with Jacob on staying by her side, the two had set of towards the fire pit and R.V. As soon as people noticed the two, smiles were sent their way as a few people greeted them fondly.
Whether it be from the sheer amount of people or never having been around so many people he didn't know, Jacob stuck close to his mother's leg, his hand raising up to take her hand as he stared, wide-eyed at anyone who got to close for his comfort. Molly lead him towards a spare log that sat beside the fire. She took a glance around to insure she wasn't bothering anyone by sitting on the log before she took a seat, pulling Jacob into her lap as he began to look around, surveying anything he could get his eyes on.
Molly briefly wondered if she looked unapproachable as an older woman with a young girl took a seat on the other end of the log, looking slightly hesitant to do so. She forced a smile on her face in order to try and show the woman that she wasn't bothered by her sitting there, trying to make herself seem less anti-social. However, she must have smiled a little to enthusiastically as the older woman leaned across, holding a hand out and introducing herself. "Carol Peletier. This is my daughter, Sophia."
Molly offered her own hand out, taking her hand and shaking ever so slightly. "Molly James, this is Jacob." She chuckled as Jacob's hand shot out and he leaned across her lap towards Carol who smiled softly and took his small hand in hers.
"Nice to meet you both... Is it just the two of you?" She asked, releasing Jacob's hand as she stood up and moved closer to the pair.
"Er, yeah... It's just us." Molly nodded, smiling softly as she greeted Sophia who offered a shy smile. "Just you two?"
"My husband, Ed is over in the tent. He's not a morning person." Instantly, Molly could see her smile had dropped from her face slightly and she seemed slightly less happy.
"So, uh... How long have you been here?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yesterday evening." Carol told her, looking as though she was thinking before she nodded. "Yes, Sophia, Ed and I came here with Shane, Lori and Carl. Not to long before yourself actually." She said, smiling once more as Sophia made a face at Jacob, causing him to fall into a fit of giggles. "Some people have been here awhile. Apparently, it's been hectic trying to get into the city... Though I suppose it was a god send that they hadn't got in, what with the... B, O, M, B, S." Carol spelt out over Jacob's head.
"Suppose you're right..." Molly nodded, trailing off slightly as she looked out towards the city. At first glance, it was difficult to believe that the city had been bombed hours before. However, the longer one looked, the easier it was to notice the smoke residue and dark spots that could only be described as burn marks. She shook her head, turning back to Carol with a smile. "Did you have to travel far?"
"Not to far, it wasn't too bad." Carol told her with a short shrug, raising a brow at Molly. "Yourselves?"
"A few miles." Molly said, laughing slightly at Jacob trying to mimic Sophia's facial expressions. "Took a wrong turning once or twice, I've never been to the city... Moved to Georgia a few years ago."
"Really?" Carol raised a brow as Molly nodded. "Where did you come from, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Virginia." Molly told her, a sigh leaving her as she thought back to the life she had growing up. "I moved almost as soon as I could... My parents were great while I was growing up. Well, as great as two people could be. I just, had to get away from it all."
"I know what that can be like." Carol mumbled, looking of towards the tents.
Molly followed her gaze as she raised a brow at the man that seemed to be glaring daggers at Carol and Sophia. "Do you know him?"
She asked, nodding towards the man who began to make his way towards the four of them. "That's Ed." Carol muttered, trying to make it seem as though she wasn't talking.
"Your husband?" Molly asked, looking at the older woman through the corner of her eye. Carol nodded slightly, forcing a smile on her face as Ed came to a stop in front of them. Molly stared blankly at the man as she watched him try to smile charmingly at her.
"Sorry to bother," He began, not looking sorry at all. "I need to borrow my family." Molly nodded slowly, bidding Carol farewell as the other woman smiled and stood to follow her husband, Sophia at her heal. Jacob leaned his head back against Molly's chest as the two watched them leave in silence.
She wasn't sure how long the two sat beside the fire, watching people busy themselves around them. Glenn had told her that Shane had gone back to the highway to inform people of the bombings and that there was a small camp. Which seemed to be the reason why people were arriving. However, more people seemed to be leaving, to where, Molly could only wonder.