It was early morning as we kept walking through the thick Georgia woods. I was getting extremely bored. This whole wake up, walk for hours, take a break, keep walking, sleep, repeat the next day, was starting to irritate me. Seriously how can Alexis just do it without complaining? I loved complaining and whining, maybe it was because I get bored easily and that gives me something to do.

"Are we there yet?" I asked for the 10th time in the last hour.

"No stop asking!"

"Are we almost there?" I was getting whiny, I know, I know but she was used to it. She does say I raise her stress level on a regular basis.

"I do not know Noah!"

"But I am booored." I stressed out the o in bored to make my point.

She threw me a glare and I decided to drop it for a while. After a couple of seconds, I couldn't help it and I started humming to the Gummy Bear Song. I saw Alexis's clench her fists to her side as she tried to count to ten and calm down.

"Seriously Noah there is only so much patience I can have and you are reaching the breaking point. We have to be quiet and careful and you are humming to a children's song!"

I gave her my silly smile. "Sooooo… are we almost there?"

"If I say yes will you shut up?"

"May-"I couldn't finish my response because I had tripped with my own shoelaces and fallen. I could put my arms out before my face collided with the ground and turned to look at my untied shoe laces.

"Only you. You do realize if we were running away from zombies, they would be munching on you right now?" She bent down to tie the shoelaces of my worn out red converse. I turned the other way embarrassed at my myself. I know how to tie my shoes but every time I tie them, the little shits just come undone no matter what I do. It was like a curse that I carried with me since I could remember. We had meant to grab some appropriate boots and more gear but we had rushed out of the city as soon as we could.

Alexis and I were from California and she had moved to Atlanta last year to work as a social worker. I was just visiting for the summer. Our families were back in California but the last we heard, there was nothing to go back to. We didn't talk about it much we rather pray and hope that our families were safe somewhere or maybe it was better if they were already dead and didn't have to live in a place like that. None of us was close with our families, we both had bad issues with them for good reasons. I know I probably didn't cross my family's mind often but I didn't let it bother me anymore. I learned to forgive and forget in a way.

When my shoes were tied, she helped me back up and covered my mouth with her hand.

"Someone is coming," she whispered. I looked around and didn't see anyone. In the snap of a second an arrow was shot and hit a squirrel that was a couple of feet away from us.

"Run," Alexis silently mouthed. I wasn't thinking. I ran to grab the squirrel then ran after Alexis as fast as I could, avoiding branches and trees. Far behind I heard the southern accent of a man "Son of a bitch! That's ma fucken squirrel." He was running after us fast.

Alexis was up ahead climbing on top of a tree so I did the same. When we made eye contact, she held up her index finger to her lips meaning for me to be quiet. I gulped as I saw the man coming closer. He was a Redneck. Tall and built from what I could tell. His hair and face was covered in dirt and grime, it was hard to get a good look without moving. I held my breath and looked up to see Alexis do the same.

Eventually he went out of sight, still looking for the person that stole his squirrel. We didn't dare climb down until we were completely sure he was gone. It was probably a good hour until we slowly made our way down the tree. By this point my black t shirt was full of dirt and twigs. Looking down at myself, I tried dusting myself off. It was funny looking down at my chest and not seeing any boobs there. We had both wrapped bandages around our chest. It was not only safer but more convenient. They didn't get in the way.

"You. Stole. His. Food!? Are you crazy!?" I knew she wanted to scream at me but kept quiet obviously knowing he could be within hearing range. I held up the squirrel with one hand and tried to look innocent.

"I wasn't thinking I am sorry," I said trying to plead my case.

Alexis was deep in thought looking around. I put the squirrel, with the arrow still embedded in it, in my small tote bag. We traveled light just some two backpacks, 2 sleeping bags, and my tote bag. My gun was kept inside the tote bag and my slingshot was on my pants back pocket. The small bag filled with marbles rested in my left hip.

Suddenly she turned to me with a confident look on her face. "We are going to follow him, he must be part of a bigger group or have a camp set up nearby." Looking at her like she had grown another head, I responded "You are kidding, right?"

"No now that I think about it what you did was smart, look supplies here in the woods are close to none but there are other people out there with supplies we can use and you are small and sneaky and fast when you want to be. It can work. I know it can."

Well I am glad I did something useful but stealing from other people sounded mean. What if they needed it more than us?

As if reading my thoughts, she reassured me "It is not like we are going to steal everything, just whatever we need to keep surviving. You want to make it out here, you need to stop caring so much about other people. Right now, there is only me and you." I thought it over and nodded my head.

"All right, all right I will lead the way since I am the most awesomest tracker ever." At the sight of my silly grin and loud voice she shook her head and laughed.

I began following his tracks through the woods. This was fun and way better than following Alexis around all day. Tracking was like a game and games kept me entertained. We walked carefully trying not to make much noise in case he was nearby. I felt like a ninja on a very important mission. I liked making myself useful. It is true that I do not hide the fact of being a dependable person but I was good at some things and made sure to be the very best at the little I could do. I learned how to track at a law enforcement camp. They called it sine cutting but pretty much the same thing. It wasn't just about footprints but also any disturbances in nature like broken twigs, stepped-on leaves, dents in dry mud. It was a fun camp and I learned some useful things here and there but a law enforcement career wasn't for me. It was too serious and too many rules no place to be yourself. Instead I became a kindergarten teacher. I was to begin my first real job next fall but none of that now time to focus.

While following the redneck's tracks, we had hidden our hair in hats and rubbed dirt on our faces; didn't want to get caught looking like two young attractive women. Well one attractive woman and one scrawny looking girl because that is what people always took me for, and I came to not only accept it but embrace it. Not everyone is comfortable being themselves but I was. While Alexis had a good eye for what people used to call fashion, I enjoyed bright colors and could never color match my outfits. I was a walking rainbow as she used to say it. There was no room or place for bright colors now; with having to camouflage through the woods and stay protected and warm and on the low. I missed it. What I would give for being able to wear a bright yellow jacket around here.

However, look on the bright side, I don't have to show up early for work every day, and I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend and bug her every day. I loved being optimistic and always looking at the positive side of things; it's never good to be sad or stressed about something when you can turn it into something happy.

I was brought down from my train of thought when we heard an alarm like a car alarm out in the distance, it was faint but here in the woods you could hear it. I ran towards it without thinking.

"Bitch wait up! Stop you don't know what that is!" Alexis called and ran after me. When she caught my arm, and stopped me from running closer to the sound she began to scold me.

"What the hell are you doing? Do you ever stop to think things thru? No, you just-. " I knew why she stopped talking. We both heard it. People.

Not just one or two but a whole group of people. We got closer and climbed a tree together to get a better look without getting caught.

These people looked excited and happy. People were hugging and laughing. I hadn't seen this much positivity in a group of people since the virus broke out. It was the type of happiness that was contagious. At any other time and under different circumstances I'm sure I would have walked right up and be happy with them.

However, the guy we were following was not here. Mr. Squirrel's tracks had gone deeper into the woods but when we heard the alarm and I took off running, we stopped following him. This was much more interesting and rewarding. It was hard to make out what they were talking about but sounded like a reunion of sorts. It must be nice having people out there expecting for your return or praying for your safety. I know I didn't have that. All I had was Alexis and well my unnamed bear if you wanted to count him as a companion. I couldn't help but wonder if the redneck, Mr. Squirrel, had made it back to his camp and if he had people waiting for him and welcoming him like these people welcomed each other. I longed to belong in a group like that.

"I know what you are thinking and no we cannot trust everyone we meet I already told you." I must have been looking at them admiringly because Alexis punched my shoulder and said loud enough for only me to hear.

I tried to hide my disappointment and looking at what looked to be a family of 3 hugging and crying with happiness, I just smiled. Maybe I couldn't have that but I'm glad they did. The little boy looked so happy and the man dressed as a sheriff could not stop hugging his wife. The others around them just looked, unable to intrude on such an intimate moment. But there was someone that caught my eye.

It was a guy mid 30s I suppose, shaggy black hair big ears and a nose that looked like it had been broken multiple times like the boxers I used to watch on TV. It was not his appearance what really caught my eye but the way he was standing and what he was holding. He had a big gun. Now I don't know much about guns I know my gun was little but it did the job, but that thing was scary and the way he was holding on to it told me he knew how to use it and would not think twice about it. I know I am not known for thinking things true but maybe we might want to reconsider this whole stealing from them idea. I didn't want to find myself on the shooting side of that gun.

Hello!

Not sure anyone is reading this but either way i'm enjoying writing it. If anyone is reading this story let me know :) And if you are, well tell me if anything gets too repetitive because I think that is my biggest issue when writing, I use the same words and I don't even realize it so it would help out if any of you catch it from time to time so I can fix it. So next chapter there should be some interaction between the group and them and maybe some Daryl too. I will probably start writing it right away because I have many ideas but a review or two would be nice might even really motivate me to post it tomorrow or Sunday. My idea is to update this at least twice a week for now. For sure for sure you will never go a week without at least one new chapter I promise to make it like my little homework!

Anyways hope I am not just writing this for myself!