I was grateful to be back in the car for a change, still feeling somewhat shaken after the close encounter at the store. We remained quiet as we continued our journey through Arizona, not bothering to stop when we passed a deserted Walmart, Elyza sensing that I was not willing to waste any more time on stop offs.

'Do you have any more cereal bars left?' I inquired, feeling the all too familiar ache of hunger returning. Elyza nodded and gestured back to where the bag lay on the floor behind her chair. I twisted in my seat, careful of the sling as I reached out my other arm in an attempt to grab the supplies. Not wanting to remove my seat belt, I shifted in my seat and stretched even further, feeling my shirt begin to ride up as I tilted my body towards the back seats. I felt the car swerve noticeably and the unexpected movement gave me the reach I needed to grasp the material with my outstretched fingers, pulling the bag triumphantly through the gap between the seats and into my lap.

'Damn Alicia, I'm trying to be a safe driver here as requested and all you can do is distract me,' she teased, reaching out a hand in request for a cereal bar as I located them in the front pocket. With only one hand on the wheel, she skilfully tore into the packet with her teeth and set about eating as I did the same, setting the rucksack down by my feet before turning to face out of the window.

The desert had tailed off into a suburban town which was slightly more interesting to drive through with it's collection of small stores and deserted buildings. Staring out over the landscape was almost peaceful as the car rumbled through the streets and I found my eyes flickering shut despite the lengthy sleep I had only recently had.

'You should get some sleep,' Elyza suggested gently at my side, having noticed my attempts to keep my eyes open. 'I'll wake you in a few hours when we stop for the night.'

Sinking back into a more comfortable position I let my head fall back against the headrest and allowed my eyes to close, letting my tiredness envelop me. It usually took me a while to fall asleep but somehow, even in the moving vehicle, it didn't take long for the world to fall away.

I woke with a jolt when the rumbling of the engine cut out beneath me and with bleary eyes I glanced around to take note of where we were. The daylight was fading but even in the dim light I was able to make out the lack of buildings surrounding us as the sandy landscape stretched out for miles around. Wonderful, I thought bitterly, just some more damn desert.

'Elyza?' I muttered, my voice raspy as I came to from my sleep, turning my head to see the driver seat empty. My eyes quickly widened at her absence and, grogginess quickly overcome, I snapped the seat belt free and staggered out of the car into the unforgiving heat of the desert.

'Elyza?' I called out again, starting to feel slightly panicked as I spun around without seeing any sign of the blonde girl. Had she parked us up in the middle of nowhere just to leave me here? Surely not I thought, pushing aside the ridiculous thought and walked a short distance down the road, calling for the girl as I went. My gaze fell on an abandoned motor home, most likely having broken down on the side of the road. I approached it cautiously, still glancing around for signs of Elyza.

A scream caught in my throat when a figure jumped down from the doorway of the lone motor home, quickly recognizing it to be my traveling companion even as my heart pounded furiously in my chest.

'Jesus, you are going to be the death of us if you keep shouting like that,' she warned, pushing the sunglasses up onto her face as she observed my worried expression.

'You left me,' I accused, feeling my nerves diminishing now that I had found the girl, not knowing what I would have done if she truly had disappeared.

'Hardly, I was just searching this beauty for any leftover supplies whilst you slept,' she retorted, moving past me to where the car had been left unattended. I followed close behind, still irritated that she had not woken me before going off on her own but knew that there was no real reason to hold a grudge. I was just sick of the endless traveling.

'So where are we?' I finally asked her, lifting my good arm to rub at my aching neck, my body stiff from my rest in the car. I really didn't want to make a habit of it, I probably wasn't going to sleep tonight now.

'You'll be pleased to know that we crossed over into California a little over an hour ago,' Elyza called over her shoulder, pulling open the boot when we arrived back at the parked car. I couldn't help but smile at the news; we were finally back in the right state. Finding my family again had only seemed like a distant hope before now, and it felt like I wouldn't have to wait much longer to be reunited with them.

I broke out of my trance and turned my focus back to Elyza who was pulling some blankets from the boot of the car where they had been stuffed into a partially destroyed box, the cardboard ripped along one side with a line of tape holding the entire thing together.

I frowned at the action, realizing that this must be the place we were stopping for the night, it was best to get somewhere before night fell and the light was lost entirely. The problem was I couldn't see a suitable building anywhere on the side of the road.

'I hope you don't mind sleeping in the car again,' Elyza said before I could ask the question, not sounding like it would make any difference either way. She asked where I would prefer to sleep, throwing a blanket into the backseat when I shrugged, informing me that it would be easier to get comfy if I was spread out across the seats.

Not bothering to argue, I climbed into the back of the car as Elyza returned to the driver side, tipping the seat back to recline more comfortably. I had no idea what time it was but from the lack of light I guessed it was drawing into the evening.

'Could you not have found us an actual house to stay in?' I grumbled, not looking forward to even more time spent inside this metal prison.

'I have no idea when we will come across the next town, so unless you'd rather search around a possibly walker infested building in complete darkness then this will have to do for tonight,' Elyza countered, and with a defeated sigh I had no choice but to accept that there was little choice in the matter.

The blankets were more for comfort than warmth as the temperature during the night in summer was rarely cool, not needing any further layers to remain warm. If anything it would most likely get too hot with both of us cramped in the car, windows firmly shut to deter any walkers that might be close by.

'How much longer do you think we'll be traveling for?' I inquired, remaining upright in the middle seat as I considered how soon we would make it back to San Diego.

'We're about halfway back from where I picked you up, so most likely tomorrow afternoon,' Elyza guessed, depending on if we ran into any problems on the way. Excitement bubbled in my chest at the prospect of seeing my family again as soon as the next day. I couldn't even think of any other possibility.

'Well I'm exhausted,' Elyza admitted, and I realized that she hadn't slept half has much as I had recently and wasn't surprised that she was so tired. She spread the blanket out on the seat and lent back against the head rest, eyes closing as she withdrew from the conversation. I noticed that a handgun remained in her lap, close enough to grab if anything attacked in the night. She was always prepared for any scenario and I supposed that I could learn a thing or two from her.

I figured that it would be an early start the next morning and decided to take Elyza's lead and get some rest, which would have been a lot easier if I hadn't already slept the day away. It was frustrating to be left with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company but after a few hours of tossing and turning, jumping at the slightest sound in fear that it would be a walker did I finally fall asleep.

Elyza's POV

My hand went to the gun in my lap the second I woke early the next morning, instantly searching for any danger but finding none. Glancing over my shoulder I relaxed when I saw Alicia lying out peacefully over the back seats, her chest rising and falling with each steady breath. It surprised me how much the girl seemed to sleep but after the events of the last few days I could hardly blame her.

Turning back in my seat again I decided to give her a little longer in the bliss that sleep brought, taking you far from the reality that was now life. There was something about her that I was drawn to, her innocence constantly making me wish that she did not have to be swept up in this shit storm of an apocalypse.

It was beginning to get lighter outside and I quietly opened my door, careful to make as little noise possible so as not to wake Alicia. This was our final day of traveling and I didn't even want to think about what would happen later that afternoon. It would be great reuniting Alicia with her family once more, but I doubted that I would see her again after that. From what she had told me, her family seemed like respectable people though they were rightly wary and would not want a stranger who had kidnapped their daughter tagging along with the group.

I had grown strangely accustomed to having the brunette in my company, even if she did just end up getting herself into trouble the majority of the time. It was good not to be alone anymore. Leaving the door open to allow some fresh air to flow into the stuffy vehicle, I moved to the bonnet and easily maneuvered myself up so that I was sat on the metal cover, legs drawn up as I lent back on my hands to soak in what warmth I could from the faint rays of light, enjoying the freedom before having to return inside the car once more.

As the minutes slipped by I hadn't realized Alicia was awake until I heard the door click open and a few seconds later she rounded the side of the car and managed to clamber up beside me. I opened my eyes, not having bothered with the sunglasses and turned my face to smile at the girl. It turned into a frown when I saw that the sling was no longer in place, knowing it would be better for her to wear it for at least another day to ensure it healed without delay.

'My arm feels better now,' she explained, noticing the direction of my gaze and reached her arm out in front of her body, turning it this way and that as if to demonstrate.

'If you say so,' I chuckled, gently pulling her arm back down before she hurt it all over again. She appeared far happier today than she had recently, most likely thoughts of her family in mind.

'You're up early,' she commented, hugging her knees to her chest as she gazed down the seemingly endless road ahead of us. I caught myself glancing at her and focused my eyes forwards, wondering what it was about this girl that captured my attention.

'Must have been your non stop snoring that woke me,' I teased, suppressing a smile when Alicia turned her face to gawp at me. 'Then there was the drool, and the way you kept saying my name was rather distracting.'

Alicia turned a shade of red at my remark and slapped my arm lightly as she protested that she didn't snore, to which I raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly with a grin. That earned me another playful slap on the arm but it was in good humor and with a chuckle I gracefully slid off the bonnet and turned back to hold out my hand to Alicia.

'Ready to get back on the road?' I inquired, grasping her hand when she reached out and climbed down from atop the car with a bright smile.

'Let's go,' she replied, squeezing my hand lightly for a second before moving over to her side of the car. I was frozen for a moment, shaking myself out of the trance to return to the driver side, readjusting the seat to a more upright position before we set off.

Alicia POV

The desert stretched around us for miles and I could imagine how easy it would be to lose yourself in a place like this. It was a relief to be back in California and even with the multiple hours of traveling that we had left before seeing my family once more, it was more bearable knowing how close we were.

Nick would have made it back to the small boat to meet with the others; maybe they had searched the streets for me when the walkers had moved on. My mom would've been in such a panic when they returned to Strand's boat with one missing, I could imagine her reaction clearly enough.

The first hour passed fairly quickly as row after row of what was once agricultural fields lined the road, quickly having become overgrown without regular maintenance. All too soon we were back to the familiar barren land of the desert and boredom quickly set in once more.

Elyza had barely spoken a word since we had set off and I could tell something was bothering her though she would not admit it, lacking any conversation to pass the time. I threw my head back against the headrest with a sigh, finally drawing her gaze which had been previously focused on the road.

'I'm bored,' I stated, rolling down my window to allow a breeze to roll through the vehicle.

'I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass it is to have a passenger,' she pretended to complain, though I could tell that she secretly enjoyed the company. Another thing she would not admit.

'I believe there's a CD in the glove box under all that junk if you want some music,' Elyza finally replied, and I perked up at the mention of music, it had been far too long since I had listened to any.

I lent forwards eagerly and clicked open the draw, rifling through the old bags and wrappers to find a dusty CD located under the illegible map. I pulled it free with a smile, it was blank so I assumed it was personalized by whoever had previously owned the car and I could only hope that they had a good taste in music.

After slotting it into the player, the disk whirred for a few seconds and I was convinced it wasn't going to work until finally a faint guitar intro was heard bleeding through the speakers. I smiled stupidly just to hear any kind of music again but jumped in surprise when Elyza reached out and casually turned the volume three quarters of the way up so that the easily recognizable Nirvana tune was blaring so loud that the sound was somewhat distorted by the old speakers.

'Seriously?' I shouted to be heard over the din, quickly returning the volume to a more manageable level, very aware that anyone or thing in the surrounding area would quickly be drawn to our vehicle at this rate.

Elyza sighed in exasperation at my wariness, notching up the volume again but nowhere near as loud. 'You need to stop worrying so much, might as well enjoy the apocalypse.'

I huffed at her carefree attitude, she was seriously going to get me killed one day. Looking back out of the window I ignored the girl as she hummed absentmindedly along to the song, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel when the All American Rejects came up next, her head nodding along to the beat simultaneously.

It was a good few songs into the playlist when I abandoned my irritation and couldn't help but smile when Bon Jovi blasted out of the speakers and Elyza started singing along, raising her voice to belt out the chorus to Living on a Prayer.

Take my hand,

We'll make it I swear,

Woo-oo

Livin' on a prayer

I lost my composure entirely at that point and let out a laugh as she rocked out to the guitar solo, her blonde hair flicking through the air and it was a miracle that she was still able to drive us in a somewhat straight line.

Elyza had a grin on her face as I chuckled, she certainly didn't hold back when the moment was called for. She pushed her aviators up slightly after they slipped, and glancing out of the window I almost jumped in excitement when I recognized the area that we were passing through.

'This is Pine Valley,' I exclaimed, reaching out to grab Elyza's arm on reflex to get her attention as I looked out over the familiar streets.

'Whoa, you want us to crash?' she responded, very nearly ploughing us into a parked lorry when my sudden grip jerked the wheel slightly. I mumbled an apology but kept my eyes fixed outside, recognizing the various supermarkets and diners that I had once passed before the world went to shit.

We passed a speed limit sign indicating 55 even though we were going well over 60, no point following the limits anymore. I frowned when I saw the small pointer receding as the car slowed, glancing enquiringly at Elyza when we rolled to a stop at the side of the road.

'What now?' I asked, frustrated to be stopping when we were so close to our destination.

'Car still needs fuel unless you want to walk the rest of the way,' she told me, my confusion increasing even further though she was out of the car before I could question her further. It hadn't occurred to me how we were going to refuel; we could hardly pull up at the nearest gas station.

'Where do we get the fuel from?' I inquired, stepping out of the car to watch what Elyza was doing, not knowing half as much about the process as I would've liked.

'I used my last stash to get us this far, we could've stopped off at some farms along the way, they usually have fuel stored for their vehicles but I didn't think you would want to waste that much time,' she explained, moving around to open the boot of the car. 'That leaves us with option B.'

'And what is option B?' I asked, frowning when she pulled out a long, narrow tube and a plastic container.

'You keep watch and let me worry about that,' she said briefly, moving away to where the nearest abandoned vehicle was located just down the road. I sighed at her vague reply, not sure what it was I was meant to be looking out for in this deserted area but lent against the car to look out over the road, occasionally focusing on whatever it was that Elyza was doing.

She shoved one end of the pipe into the tank, surprising me when she placed the other end in her mouth, screwing her face up in disgust a few seconds later before dropping the end into the container on the ground.

I shook my head at the madness of the situation, it didn't look like a pleasant experience and I turned my eyes back to the road, crossing my arms over my chest to wait as Elyza moved further down the road to a second car and repeated the process.

My attention was drawn to sounds that I, at first, thought were merely drawn from my imagination but it soon became apparent that the pounding of frantic steps and moans of the undead were very much real.

I turned my head to where, a few meters down the main stretch of road behind me, a smaller track led off between the tufts of dry grass and sparse trees where a fenced gate marked the boundary of a nearby private property. I pushed away from the car in surprise when a figure came barrelling down the path on the opposite side of the fence, limping slightly from an injury to her upper leg.

'Elyza!' I called out, desperately turning to wave at the girl and draw her attention. She soon noticed my frantic movement and with the tube and container dangling in one hand she immediately set out at a jog back towards me.

Swiveling on my heels I saw the women reach the fence and let out a distressed cry as she was unable to open it, whipping her head around to see a mass of at least six walkers shuffling down the path towards her. She had no choice but to try and climb the obstacle.

Elyza arrived at my side a second later, slightly breathless from the run as she noticed where my gaze lay and swore softly under her breath. I lurched forwards with the intention of helping the woman when she grabbed my arm and pulled me back roughly.

'Don't even think about it Alicia,' she growled, maintaining her grip on my arm for a moment longer before stepping back to shove the container and pipe back into the boot. I hesitated at her warning, looking back at the women who was now halfway up the fence, her eyes catching mine as she noticed our presence.

I couldn't stand by any longer when she began to plead for help, her eyes wild with panic as she attempted to haul herself higher over the fence even when her injured leg made it almost impossible. Ignoring Elyza's protest I stepped around to the side of the car and pulled free a blade from the bag in the back seat, striding purposefully to the side of the road when she grabbed my arm for the second time.

'We need to leave. Now.'

I attempted to shake free of her grip but she was deceptively strong and had no intention of letting me aid this women.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' I snapped, turning on her in irritation, not understanding why she was so set on fleeing. 'We have to help her!'

'No, we need to leave so get in the car,' she told me in a commanding tone, and I bristled at the order, no way was I just leaving that poor woman. It wasn't so long ago that Elyza had saved me from a similar situation so I didn't see what was so different now.

I twisted without warning and managed to rip my arm free from her grasp, the woman's cries filling the air as I finally began making my way towards her. Elyza cursed loudly at my back and I heard her steps thudding on the ground after me as I ran to the path, but it didn't matter now as I stopped dead at the side of the road, eyes locking with the screaming lady as a walker latched its teeth around her ankle and another grasped her injured leg, hauling her back down as they gathered around their victim with a collection of groans.

A sickening symphony of tearing flesh and crunching bone was soon heard as the cries died away and I remained frozen in place, unable to look away, barely aware of Elyza approaching at my side.

'Alicia, we really need to go,' she said, the urgency in her tone breaking through my shock as I let her drag me back to the car and shove me into the passenger side.

Glancing in the side mirror I noticed the horde of walkers that was ambling down the highway behind us, explaining the previous urgent tone that Elyza had spoken with. The car took a moment to rumble into life before the blonde put her foot down and we tore down the road, away from the horror that had just taken place.

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