My eyes opened from the sound of my wristwatch. I blinked several times, then started rubbing the sleep from them. I shifted to twiddle with my watch and shut off its alarm.

"Mornin' sleepin' beauty."

I looked over to the lone woman smirking at me. She reached across from me to pull open the blinds on the window. I flinched from the light. The sun was low and burning bright—almost dusk.

"It's not morning, Charlie." I said groggily.

"Don't be anal, Suga. It's just a greeting."

Now that I was fully awake, I gave the woman my full attention. As always Charlie looked as beautiful as ever. Her red lipstick glistened in the sunlight and despite living in an apocalyptic world, her coffee-colored skin was flawless and unmarred. Her black hair was a cut into a short Afro giving her a youthful look and her brown eyes looked at me with amusement.

She turned around giving me a good look at her waist and backside. She was thirty-eight going on thirty-nine and still had the body of a twenty year old. If I had not viewed her as a mother figure, I would have considered her more attractive then I already did. She handed me a cup of joe, despite it being almost night. I had the grave-shift.

"You know you should get more sleep than that Suga. You're a young man, still growing." She smiled slyly.

'She's always teasing me.' I found it endearing

I took a sip from my coffee. "I get enough."

"The bags under your eyes beg to differ." She pointed out a tad more seriously.

"Five hours is enough. We both got responsibilities, Charlie. I'm the Captain of Security and you're the Chief of Staff. Can't afford to waste time. Especially when going to an unknown place. You remember what happened at Huecos Nuevo."

Charlie grimaced. "Yeah. That was awful. That event cost us numerous lives."

"That's what this mission feels like." I said. "I know this settlement needs our help, but we'll be cut off from support from the others. We've never gone this far out away from our allies and everyone realizes this."

"Are you doubting Rush?" There was no accusation in her voice, she was just asking.

"You know I never do. I'll follow Rush to Hell and back. But that doesn't mean this whole thing doesn't stink."

"Then grab a can of air freshener, suga. The only way to unstink something is to wash it up, spray it down and clean it up. You do things with your bare hands."

"Right."

"Besides, if what that poor girl says is true then we gotta help these people. Way too many assholes like those Highwaymen out there."

I frowned. "Completely agree."

"I know you do. Say what do you think of our little guide?"

She was talking, of course, about Carmina Rye. The girl from the mythical Hope County.

"She's got fire."

Charlie smirked. "Of course, anyone can see that. Anything else?"

I shrugged, not taking the bait. "Not really sure haven't seen or talked much with her."

Charlie shook her head. "You're never gonna get a girlfriend at this rate, suga."

"Like I need one."

"Ah there's the attitude that made all those settlement girls hearts throb. Real shame you're as dense as a brick."

"I'm sure someone like her's got a lot of guys pining for her back home."

"Envious?" She teased.

"I'm going on patrol."

"C'mon, suga. Just say one thing about her that you like just one." Charlie pushed.

"Then will you let me go on patrol?" I whined.

"I swear."

I thought about for just a second. I really had only interacted with her a couple of times. Not enough to really gauge anything with her. Then it hit me, the one thing I really knew about Carmina Rye, besides her problems.

"She's got beautiful eyes."

"There was that so hard?"

"Painful." I responded lightheartedly.

She chuckled. "Get outta here you ass-mouth."

I hurried my way out before Charlie decided to grill me some more.

I walked through the train cars one by one. There wasn't really much to do when patrolling a trolly of trains. Just walk in a straight line, look around, rinse and repeat. Most of the time I was just making sure people were comfortable, but recent fights or other disruptions that could lead to someone getting sent to the doctor have happened.

Including myself, there were two to three people walking up and down the Eureka in opposite directions. From the engine to the caboose.

Most of the train consisted of barracks and living quarters. Civilians, fighters, and scientists were their residents. It wasn't just adults either. There were full families on board too. Kids and teenagers.

Some of them were orphans like myself, but a majority luckily had their parents.

All of them called the Eureka their home. This train has taken them far and wide to places no one ever thought they'd see again. Namely in the state of California, but still, many thought they wouldn't see a lot of the world again. That's why Rush called their long transport the "Eureka." Not only was it California's motto, but it also meant "I have found it!" and that's exactly what they were trying to do. Find places and people and bring hope to them in a hopeless world. That's what Thomas Rush dreamed about.

Speaking of Thomas Rush.

The main man himself was standing over a table, looking at a map Carmina provided. The man was decked out in military garb, had black hair and mustache, with a five o clock shadow, and an eagle tattoo on his neck

Even now Rush oozed charisma as he gave people direction and no one hesitated to follow it to the letter. That was Rush's power, how he was able to gain loyalty through his sheer character. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't how he got me to join.

As I moved through the car, Rush gave me a greeting.

"Well, how's my Captain of Security doing? Get enough winks, Kieran?" Rush asked pleasantly.

"I did, thanks for asking. Anything to report, sir?"

"Nothing, no. We'll be coming into Hope County soon, so be ready for that."

Already? "How soon?"

"An hour at least. I'd appreciate it if you could tell this to all the guards while you're on patrol, Captain."

"Yes, sir."

I looked down at the map. It was provided by Carmina and certain spots were highlighted like the mountains and borders. And certain spots on the map were marked in blue, indicating populated spots. Carmina said it's been months since she was in Hope County, so things were liable to have changed.

"You think we're ready sir? I don't mean to question you, but—"

"I want you to question me, Captain. You're in charge of Security; it's your job to keep us safe. But if you must know, I do think we are ready. We've handled well-armed raiders before. Will these Highwaymen be easy to remove? No, but I know we will succeed in the end, because that's how much I believe in our abilities and skills."

It was hard not to argue against that kind of confidence. He talked like that to everybody and everybody followed him without question. Rush's belief in the Movement gave everyone hope and he always, ALWAYS, managed to deliver on that hope.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons why he wanted to help Hope County so much. Its namesake could skyrocket the Movement's reputation if we saved it from the Highwaymen.

"Thank you, sir. I think I just needed to hear that."

Rush smiled. "Glad I could ease your worries, Kieran. Let's get back to it."

I continued my patrol and did as previously ordered. I met up with any guards I came across and told them to prepare to enter Hope County and to spread the word to the other guards. Most of the cars were barracks, rows of bunks for most civilians to sleep in. Guards got their own car for that. I also passed through the kitchen car, supplies, armory, the stables for our livestock and animals, and then I entered the car that she was in. Our newest passenger.

Carmina Rye.

She had full cheeks in a round face covered in cute freckles. A wool hat covered her semi-long brown hair and she wore practical clothes that kept her warm in the northern climates. But her most striking feature? He eyes. She had narrow eyes that were a beautiful shade of blue. He eyes were strong but held a deep kindness behind them.

The girl was sitting among curious children and listeners, talking about her home. Hope County, a land in the far north of the once-state of Montana. Apparently, outside the place was a myth. The entire county was inaccessible from the outside because of a vast radiated forest that not even roaches could thrive in. But somewhere in the center of all that nuclear devastation was an oasis. A flourishing county that still held untouched secrets and unimaginable beauty.

She went on about how the people there were hardy and stubborn. They survived in underground bunkers for years during the fallout. When they finally came up, it took everything they had to scrape together homes and lives; learn how to trust each other again and develop into a community. Though it wasn't perfect, they succeeded in becoming a strong community again.

And then the Highwaymen showed up. They just started taking and burning without warning. She spoke of horrors akin to hell itself. Families broken up or destroyed all together. Lives ruined and relationships spoiled because of the raider's corruption. Everything they worked hard to rebuild brought to ruin by raiders and their twin leaders.

She saw me and our eyes locked for a moment.

I kept an air of professionalism around me and approached.

She stood up and said, "Hi! You're the Captain of Security, right? We haven't really met yet despite seeing each other twice." She held out her hand.

I smiled and shook her hand. "Yeah, Rush usually likes doing all the talking. It's nice to meet you."

"So what are you doing?"

"Just patrolling."

"Don't you have guards to do that?"

"I don't just give orders I participate too. Besides this lets me check on everything and everyone myself. I trust my team, but I need to keep myself sharp too. If Rush needs me, he can contact me on my radio."

"Wow. That's really responsible of you." She said somewhat impressed.

"Thanks. By the way, you should know that we're going to reach Hope County soon."

"Good. I can't wait to see my mom again . . . and hopefully my dad too."

When Carmina first came to us, she had explained her own situation. When the Highwaymen arrived, her home was one of the first to be taken. Her father tried standing up to them, tried igniting a Resistance. It failed spectacularly and her father was captured. Now the young girl didn't know if her father was alive or dead. That was the last straw for her before she and her mother decided to seek help. Both Rush and I believed that her mother just wanted her out of Hope County before things got really bad with the raiders.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to see you too. Don't worry, there hasn't been a raider group that the Rush Movement can't handle."

She gave me a weak smile. "Thanks."

Suddenly, five little kids came rushing past, grabbing Carmina by the hand. "Carmina, Carmina! You promised you'd tell us about Hope County! Is it true that it's all lush forests and fields?"

The two laughed seeing the children so excited. She looked at me with a more mirthful smile. "Nice to meet you, Cap."

"Same to you."

With that said, Carmina was pulled away and I continued my patrol. Though it was true that Rush wanted to help Hope County, that was not the only reason he was aiding them. The post apocalypse was a harsh place and sometimes—most of the time— you needed to think more rationally and critically than emotionally.

The Rush Movement has settlements all across the east coast. Most, to near all of them, were self-sufficient, creating their own foods, clothes, and housing. However, just one bad harvest, problem, or attack could put the axe to that settlement.

Rush wanted to create supply lines so the settlements could support each other in times of crisis. What did that have to do with Hope County?

From what was rumored, Hope County was untouched land in the north with flora and fauna in abundance. Things there grew rapidly and fast-growing crops and materials could be of great use to the allies of the Rush Movement. Carmina confirmed that the people there were just starting to rebuild and that Hope County was still vast enough to support the many.

Though she could have been lying just to get us there, Rush believed her and he felt it was worth checking out at least.

However, some didn't like going this far out from California. There wasn't a lot of word about what was out there in the rest of the country and a lot of people were afraid they were getting into something too big for their britches.

It was not hard to understand why some people were scared. Especially Garrett Barnes.

Entering another Car, this one, more of a storage space, I came across one of our most recent members, Garrett, or Barnes as he preferred to be called.

"O-oh, hey Captain. How's it goin'?"

Garrett Barnes was relatively new to the Rush Movement, having only been with the group for a few months now. He joined up saying he wanted to make a difference.

If someone asked though, I would say he was pressured to join by the friends that volunteered before him. Barnes, despite being a diligent worker, was easily startled and lacked a spine. He was jumpy, and quick to turn tail if he thought something seemed too dangerous. He seemed particularly skittish about this mission

Despite this, he at least had some courage and has stuck with the Movement longer than I originally thought he would. He was one of us.

"Just on patrol, Barnes. What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Uh . . ." I saw him hide a piece of paper and pencil. "Just thinking."

"Just thinking, huh?" I said, moving around him. I had a feeling I knew what that letter was.

"Yeah."

"About?" I slightly pushed.

"Uh well, the mission we're on mostly."

"Uh-huh."

"We don't know anything about this Hope County or these Highwaymen that are invading it. We're just jumping into this thing blind with no real plan."

"That's why we're going. To make a plan with the people of Hope County, to understand the situation better."

"But so far from our home and allies?"

"I understand your worries, but everyone here is capable. Whatever happens we'll handle it."

"I . . . I just don't like it Captain. This just doesn't feel right. What that Carmina girl was telling us, about those Highwaymen . . . what they're doing to those people . . . I'm sorry she's going through that, really, I am, but we shouldn't get involved in that nightmare."

I frowned. "Maybe so. But it's too late now Barnes. We'll be arriving in Hope County soon and from what I hear, the place is surrounded by an inhospitable wasteland with only a few known exits and entrances. You can walk back if you want, but even Carmina barely survived doing that. You're stuck on this mission whether you like it or not."

Barnes glared at me, but the man was less than intimidating. "I—"

All of a sudden the train car lurched forward violently. In the moments I could recall, I was in the air, then on the floor, then the air again, then I hit the wall or the ceiling, then I felt something hit my head before I finally blacked out.