Rick

It's… It's been crazy, to say the least.

We're on our way to Fort Benning. It will hopefully provide some sort of safe haven. But after what we found out at the CDC… I gotta say, I'm not as hopeful as I was before.

If we all carry it, all it would take is for someone within the base to die, from any number of causes, and turn. And then… Well, I think you get the idea. Outbreak within.

Things have been tense in the group. Ever since the revelation that John wasn't just a regular superhuman, but the Juggernaut of all people… well, it kind of seems like he's a pariah. Some people are afraid to approach him, it feels like everything just seems so awkward.

Glenn and Jim will talk to him like nothing's changed, and Dale still treats him like he did before, as if nothing's changed.

Maybe nothing has. Powers or not, John's still the same teenage kid who saved my life in Atlanta.

Now I know what was missing from all his stories about Atlanta. How he opened that hatch on the tank. How he was able to just barrel through walkers. How he had no fear of them, why he carried no weapon… It all makes sense now.

I don't see the kid as any different. I don't think Shane does either. But it feels like a lot of the group are focusing more on the Juggernaut than they are of John Gallagher. Kind of like what it would be like to see a celebrity before all this.

I guess I'm just giving him some space. Everyone in the group has some questions for the kid, me included, like what on earth is he doing in Georgia for christ sakes?

But badgering John after everything that just went down is probably not the best idea.

We slept on the side of the road last night, a little pull off spot. We didn't try setting up any tents, instead, we just slept in the cars and the RV.

I'll say this, John's abilities make him like a sentry. Though we had someone with him on watch last night, John was up there all night without even an ounce of echaustion. Makes me wonder what we don't know about him.

Of course, everyone knows why he's the Juggernaut. He's really strong, and they named him after some comic book character, but what does the public- what do we not know about him? About his biology?

John's not the only pariah, but he'd definitely be better off. No one is too pleased with Jenner after all the shit that went down at the CDC. The only people outside of myself or John who treats him like a human being is Dale and Jim. Everyone else just gives him dirty looks or stays away from him.

Not that I blame him. I'm not his biggest fan right now either for the same reasons, but that's no reason to try and alienate the guy.

Now that we're all up and about… I don't want to get on the kids nerves, but we need to settle this now. We got a three hour trip ahead of us, and I don't want John feeling like an outcast.

Of course, there he is, playing sentry up on Dale's RV. He's alone this time, since now everyone is awake and alert, but he's refused to come down until we're all set up. He's got Dale's rifle, and I have no doubt he's got a keen eye on our surroundings right now, especially since we're surrounded by nothing but trees and road, just like in the quarry.

"Hey, John?" I call up to him, causing him to glance down at me. "You care to come down here for a bit?"

"We ready to go?" John asks in respond, to which I nod.

"Almost… but there's something we gotta do before we go." I tell him, putting my hands on my hips as I look up at him.

John looks at me in confusion. "What's up?" He asks as he jumps down off the RV. No need for a fancy roll this time, and though the gravel visibly distorts slightly at his landing, you'd almost think he just did a small little hop.

"People got questions." Is what I start off with, causing John to avert his gaze almost immediately. "And I don't want you feeling like an outcast while you're here."

"I get it." John says in understanding as he nods, propping the gun back up on his shoulder as he lets out a sigh. "I guess a few people are mad at me?"

I kind of figured this question was coming, and I can't help but to grin as I shake my head. "No one's mad, not that I've seen." I tell him, and I'm being honest as I say it. "I feel like too many people treating you like a celebrity. But nowadays, you're just another human being… who just so happens to be really strong."

John gives a small chuckle at my words, before his face falls once more. "I guess we oughta get it over with." He says with a sigh, visibly apprehensive. "I'm gonna say it now, though, I'm not sharing the story of how I got my powers." He says seriously, his gaze stern as he looks at me.

I nod. "No problem." I don't know his reasons, but the reason everyone here is alive is because of this kid, and he deserves a whole lot more than just some small request. If this is all he wants, then he'll get it.

John looks at me for a few moments, before he sighs, visibly apprehensive. "Let's get this over with." He says as lets the rifle fall from his shoulder and hang at his side.

I smile at his words, before turning around and calling out. "Hey, everyone!" All the heads in the group turn in my direction, and I start to wave them all over. "Gather up for a sec, we got something to do before we take off."

Everyone has varying looks of confusion or realization, but no one questions it. I can see looks of curiosity or, in a few cases, eager excitement as everyone drops what they are occupying themselves with and move to crowd around John and myself.

"What's the deal, Rick?" Shane asks as he looks at me, one hand settled on his belt buckle while his other one is relaxed on the shotgun on his shoulder.

"Everyone's got questions." I get straight to the point. No need in trying to draw this out or make it seem like it's some kind of fantastic event. "And I've noticed a lot of people seem to be avoiding John since the CDC."

A few different looks cross over everyone's faces. Surprise, confusion, and shame to name a few, but I'm not trying to figure out who did what here. I'm trying to put a stop to it.

"It's just… weird." Amy's the first one who speaks after a moment of silence, and I look at her, eager to hear her explain. She looks a little nervous, but there's a shameful look on her face as she gazes at both John and myself. "For the first few days, he was just like any normal kid, even after we found out he was a superhuman. No one really thought much of it because outside of being tough, he didn't really seem that different."

"But it's not just some random superhuman anymore that we happened to meet." Jacqui continued in Amy's stead, turning to look at John with an apologetic look. "We're sorry if we were making you feel bad, sweetie. It's just… the Juggernaut is a pretty hard pill to swallow."

John looks at Jacqui for a few moments, taking in her words with an unreadable expression, before his head drops as he lets out a sigh, before giving Jacqui a small smile. "It's fine."

"To find out that this kid we've had with us for a few days is probably the strongest being on the planet…" Lori started, an apologetic look on her face as well as she looks at John. "We're all just trying to let it sink in."

Nods and words of agreement spread through the group, and John's gaze flows over all of them in surprise.

"I uh…" John starts, a little put off by the unexpected response. Well… unexpected for him, anyway. "This isn't exactly the reaction I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Daryl asked bluntly, his arms crossed as he looks at John with a raised eyebrow.

John shrugged his shoulders, but it seemed like more of a habit than an actual answer as he responded. "Anger, hurt… I figured most of you would be pissed."

"Because there's a superhuman among us?" Shane speaks, before he lets out a snort of amusement that turns into a chuckle as he shakes his head. "Shit, John."

"Why would we be mad?" Dale asks John, a pleasant smile on his face as he asks the question. He's genuinely curious as to why John would think that.

"I mean… I was keeping a pretty big secret." John spoke, before his head falls as a guilty look overtakes his face. "And I probably could have done a lot better cutting loose."

"That might be true," Dale replies, but the smile never leaves his face. "But that doesn't make you to blame for what happened on the quarry. Everyone was running around panicking, some of them probably ran into the walkers themselves."

I put my hand on John's shoulder, and give him a reassuring smile. "He's right. What happened up there ain't your fault."

John looks at me for a moment before his gaze moves towards Dale, and then he lets out a sigh.

"If you say so."

It doesn't sound like he believes it himself, but I don't get to make any further comment on it before he looks up at the rest of the group.

"So I guess we're having ourselves a little Q'n'A session. You ask, I answer." He says, going silent for a moment to let his words sink in, before continuing. "Only one restriction: I absolutely will not discuss how I got my strength."

"Why?" Carl asks almost immediately.

John looks at Carl for a moment, looking as if he's trying to think of a response, before he sighs.

"Too personal." He replies with a sigh. "Don't like talking about it."

Carl doesn't look satisfied with the answer, but as he goes to speak again, I give him a stern look to tell him to knock it off, and Lori intervenes as well.

"Don't badger him, Carl." Lori said sternly, looking down at Carl. "He already said no."

"So who's first?" John asked, opening an invitation for anyone to ask away.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Shane asks first, looking at John curious. "Everything I heard about you said you were in Ohio. The hell are you doing out here."

"Remember that organization Jenner mentioned?" When Shane nodded his head, John continued. "It was a superhuman militia that worked alongside the government. I was a part of it. When shit got bad, Alex sent his more powerful agents out across the country to defend the shelters. One superhuman to a shelter."

"You were at the Atlanta shelter?" Andrea asks in disbelief, looking at John with wide eyes, before turning to look at Jim. "Did you know about him?"

"Wasn't my secret to tell." Jim answered Andrea, while also answering the follow up question in that one sentence before it was even asked. "I don't care how powerful he is anyway, he's still just a kid. Shit like that shouldn't be his responsibility."

"Did anyone else know?" I'm honestly surprised that Carol is the one who voices the question, but I'm not gonna question it.

John nodded in response, and pointed out to Glenn. "I told Glenn the day I met him. Didn't expect to be staying here for good till he talked me into it. Told to keep it a secret till I decided whether I'd stay or not."

"What reason would you have to leave?" Daryl of all people is the one who asks that question. "Even I'd go crazy after months alone without talking to anyone."

"I was… I was too scared to get attached." John admitted with a sigh and a shake of his head. "Didn't know if I could handle losing anyone else. Already tried to kill myself."

Well, that's news to me.

Gasps rang out among us all, and it's no shocker that a lot of people look at John with horrified surprise at his almost casual admittance that he'd tried to kill himself.

But I don't think anyone wants to know what he tried to do, considering just who he is.

"Anyway, I told Glenn to keep it a secret." John says, as if he hadn't just admitted to being suicidal at one point or another, like it was no big deal. "Actually, you all would've found out a day sooner if Jenner hadn't let us into the CDC."

"That's what you were going to do." Shane says, his eyes wide as he recalls shouting at John moments before the shutters had opened. "You were gonna rip the damn thing open."

"Just a note for future reference," Jenner suddenly pipes up, taking all attention to himself as he looks at John. "It may not matter, but if you had ripped open the door, the security measures would've kicked in and we all would've been blown to hell a day early."

At that, John's eyes widen in surprise, and he looks almost horrified at the revelation.

"Well, that didn't happen." I interject, trying to stifle any kind of negative thought John may be getting. "And I don't thank we'll be going to anymore CDC centers, but thanks for the heads up." I say, nodding my head to Jenner in appreciation. "Any more questions?"

"I don't mean to get into the more… science-y aspect of it, but how exactly do your powers work?" Jenner speaks up once more, looking at John curiously. "By all rights, you should've taken that door down in one hit last night."

"Physics don't work like that." John responded simply. "No offense, but you should know that, doc. I forget the proper name for it, but it's the same reason I couldn't lift a vehicle over my head without the whole damn thing warping somewhat: All that pressure isn't getting applied to the whole thing, just the area around my hand." He explains, and while I'm no scientist, that makes sense. "If that door were any weaker, I'd have put my fist through it."

"How strong are you, anyway?" T-Dog spoke up, catching John's attention. "Even with the whole physics thing, I've heard you're still strong enough to do shit like lift takes over your head with one hand. So like the doc said, shouldn't you have taken it down in one hit?"

"I wanted to make a point, I guess." John says with a shrug and a sigh of confusion. "To tell the truth, I probably could've taken the door from the frame with ease, but another thing was that I was irritated, wanted to hit something. Door was the best option, don't you think?"

Uh, yeah, I agree with that. And clearly, so does everyone else.

"So I take it picking someone up and just jumping them out of danger isn't an option either?" Shane guessed with a sigh, to which John nodded.

"Unfortunately." John said with a sigh of his own. "If I tried that, the sudden force would probably snap your neck. Hell, if I were to pick you up and run, shit like bugs hitting you would still hurt like hell."

"How fast are you?" Sophia asks, her little head tilting curiously as she looks at John. "I thought you were just strong."

John actually let out a chuckle at that, before looking at Sophia with a smile. "Kiddo, every single muscle in my body is strong, not just my arms. At a full sprint, I can go damn near three hundred miles an hour. I'm just barely faster than a Lamborghini."

At those words, everyone's eyes widen as their faces take on looks of disbelief, including my own.

Jesus Christ… this kid is only seventeen, and yet not only is he stronger and tougher than all of us, he's easily faster too.

Kind of makes you feel like the child instead of the other way around.

Next person to speak up, to my surprise, is Merle.

"Something I'm curious over… what the hell you still doing here, kid?" He asks, and I'm glad I'm not the only one confused at his question.

"What do you mean?" John asks him with a raised eyebrow.

"Kid, when the shelter fell, you had no reason to stay here." Merle clarifies with a chuckle. "You probably could have just jumped on back over to Ohio and be with your folks."

Oh, he was asking why John stayed in Atlanta.

Actually, he's got a point there.

Never thought I'd say that.

"Why did you stay in Atlanta?" I can't help but to ask as I turn to look at him as well. "You probably could've cleared miles of distance easily."

John's face becomes one of sadness as he answers. "Rick, my sense of direction is complete crap, and I got here with a ride in a jet. I couldn't tell you which way I had to go, and I don't know how to read a map for shit." He admits with a shake of his head. "I'd probably have ended up even more lost."

Damn… I feel for the kid. I went through hell to find Lori and Carl, and if it weren't for John, that never would've happened.

I wish I could help the kid, I really do. He helped me find my family while his own could be alive or dead somewhere else in the country. I got my family back thanks to John… and there's absolutely nothing I can do to extend the same courtesy.

All that power… and he really is just a lost kid, hurting from the shitshow that the world is now.

"Any more questions?" John asks with a sigh as he raises his head to look at everyone else.

There's complete silence for a moment, and no one raises their hand or anything, as if debating on whether they should ask a question or if they even have one worth asking.

And then Amy speaks up.

"What are our chances of encountering other superhumans?" She asks, and I have to admit, that's actually not a bad question to ask. So far, the only superhuman I've seen in my life is John. Even before the world went to shit, it was pretty hard to just happen across one in public. Now that the dead are walking, chances might've only gotten slimmer.

"Higher than you think." John says, completely throwing me for a loop. "Superhumans make up a quarter of the planet's population. And even though they probably are already infected, if what Jenner said is any indication, they have a lot more ways of defending themselves than a regular person does." He explains to everyone, letting out a small chuckle of amusement. "Hell, it'd make more sense for us to encounter a superhuman more than it would to encounter a regular person."

"That's good, right?" Andrea can't help but to ask, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"Depends on the person." Daryl answers, rather than John, and at the looks of confusion, he raises an eyebrow. "Superhumans are still human. Not all of them are gonna be good people."

"He's right." John said with a nod, agreeing with the archer. "Our chances of encountering of encountering a good guy or a piece of shit are about the same with both superhumans and normal humans." He informs us. "So, for god sakes, if you encounter a superhuman, be really careful. I speak from experience when I say that superhumans out there can be just as twisted and psychotic as anyone else."

There's a feeling of discomfort at the thought of encountering a superhuman who's intentions are less than stellar, especially considering all the possibilities. One thing I do remember hearing about superhumans is that the powers they develop varies from person to person. John's the only one I've heard of with super strength as his key ability, that's usually a by product from what I've heard. Shooting fire, moving water, controlling metal… shit from comic books and superhero movies all the sudden seem a lot more real and scary.

If we were to encounter a tougher one, even half of what John can do, we'd still be so hopelessly outmatched that they could do whatever they wanted to us and we'd never have a chance.

Now, I'm really glad how our luck turned out with John.

"I don't mean to put a damper on the festivities," Shane speaks up, catching everyone's attention. "But we probably should continue this later. We're exposed here, and the longer we stay, the more danger we're in."

He's right.

"Alright, everyone, you heard him!" I say, deciding it best to end this little gathering for the time being. "Load up! You all got your radios, and remember, honk once, and it'll stop the caravan! Let's move!"

As everyone disperses and begins moving towards their vehicles, I turn towards John. "Feel better?" I ask him.

John's silent for a moment, before he lets out a small chuckle and shakes his head. "Yeah." He answers as he turns to look at me. "Thanks, Rick."

"Don't mention it." I say with a smile of my own, patting his shoulder. "You're a part of the group too."

Rachel

They say you never know what you have until it's gone.

Maybe that's why the dead began to rise. All good things must come to an end. Including a functional society apparently.

There is no government anymore. That's a pipe dream. The refuge center was a waste, a bad idea. Didn't do any good, just gathered up the food, herded the cattle.

Area 51 is gone. Yes, the Area 51, in Nevada. No, it wasn't a place for aliens and space shit. It was so top secret because that was the base for the militia.

I volunteered for Montana. I did my best, I really did. I was lighting up as many of the biters as I could. But… it wasn't enough.

The shelters were massive. At least, the one in Montana was. And for all my destructive capability, biters coming in at every single angle were just too much. I don't have Peter or John's gifts. I can create and control fire. Comes with it's set of perks, for sure. I'm fireproof, my natural body temperature is higher than most, and as I can survive in the most extreme temperatures.

But in terms of physicality? Well… I'm no different than any other teenage girl. I just happen to have fire coming out my fingers. I'm not stronger, not faster… Well, I guess I am tougher since I can use fire to heal myself, but that's about it.

I couldn't just jump from one side of the shelter to the other. In hindsight, I probably could've just created a giant wave of flame and swooped it over the dead, but that creates its own risks, like lighting the entire shelter on fire, and I was never the strategist or the leader. When me and John would go on missions, Peter was a strategic genius. And though he'd deny it to this day, John was the one with the leadership capabilities to put us where we were needed most.

Me? I'm just… the Flamethrower. I just push my way through, focus on one thing.

I wanted to help, but I guess I wasn't cut out for it.

The Montana shelter is gone, but I'm a long ways away from there, now.

Peter picked me up in a Red Hawk. It's a modified Blackbird that was painted red. Not exactly original, but it's a nickname. It's still technically a Blackbird.

The Cincinatti shelter is gone too. Peter told me everything when he picked me up. John's family made it to the shelter… but Shiela's the only one that made it out.

Bryan got bit. At the time, we still didn't know what was causing it. He got bit by one trying to attack Debbie when they stopped at a gas station. No one thought to check for a bite, and he was let into the shelter with all of them.

He turned while Peter was fighting off a horde. From what he said, all the biters were coming from different directions. Even when he'd cleave a massive chunk of the horde to pieces, they'd just gather up somewhere else. When he finally realized that the shelter was lost, he went back to get the Gallaghers.

When he found them, Debbie and James were already dead. Bryan turned and disemboweled Debbie. When James tried to save her, he was bitten on the arm, so he'd have been dead anyway. Shiela, the poor girl, called John, terrified out of her mind. The phone was thrown from her hand when Bryan turned and lunged at her.

Despite having a chunk of his arm missing, James managed to save Shiela from Bryan, only to have his throat ripped out.

When Peter found them, Shiela was a sobbing mess, and Bryan was feasting on James' corpse.

He was only fourteen. But he was just as much of a hero as his brother.

God… John's gonna be so devastated.

If we can find him.

Peter put Bryan out of his misery, and took Shiela out of there. They went to check on Maddie, since we have no clue where Levi was. According to Peter and Shiela, he never made it to the shelter, and when they stopped at Maddie's place…

They found Alice already turned, feeding on Floyd's corpse.

Maddie was gone. There was a busted window in her room with blood on it, so it's safe to assume she cut herself trying to escape, but they had no clue where she was, and for Shiela's safety… Peter deemed it best to consider her a lost cause.

They picked me up, explained things to me, and then we went to the base in the hopes that we could regroup, come up with a plan to fight them.

Instead… there was nothing left but a crater. My guess? Someone either triggered the base's self-destruct system, because of course a top secret military base is gonna have a defense like that, or more likely, someone snapped and their powers blew the place to hell.

I have no idea what happened, and with nothing left, there was absolutely no way for us to figure it out either.

We took the Red Hawk and decided to go look for John. Of course… nothing can go to plan, can it?

With the base gone and no idea where else to refuel, we managed to get the Red Hawk over to Arkansa before we had to land or risk a crash landing. Without any way to really refuel, we had to leave the thing behind.

It took a solid eight months of traveling, stopping when a car would run out of gas, having to refill, stop for supplies, helping the occasional survivor or fighting off a group of bandits…

It was hell.

This world is hell.

Even with our powers, we got some guns and other weapons where we could. Shiela's only twelve, but we wanted to be safe rather than sorry, so we made sure she knew how to use a gun and, when we had the time, we'd give her basic training.

I'll give her credit… She's a fighter. Just like the rest of the Gallaghers.

I don't care if her last name is Guthrie, she's a Gallagher, through and through.

When we finally made it to Georgia, the first place we went to was the Atlanta shelter. But it's no big shock, the damn place was wiped out.

John wasn't there.

We stayed in Atlanta, though. In unfamiliar territory, John would familiarize himself with his area and stay there. He might've been a good leader, but his sense of direction was awful and he couldn't read a map for shit.

But we couldn't find him.

Of course… nothing ever could've been easy.

But as if that wasn't bad enough… We were only there for half a month.

And then… god…

We… We lost Peter.

The Metal Maker.

We lost the toughest man on the planet.

And all it took was one bite.

We were out scavenging. We were running low on supplies, and we needed to get some. Unlike John, all three of us need food and water on a regular basis to sustain ourselves.

Three weeks without food. Three days without water. Three minutes without oxygen.

We found this little convenience store. It was ransacked, but we were desperate, as bad as it sounds coming from two superhumans.

We had Shiela with us, because we definitely weren't going to leave her alone somewhere. Not only is a place not always safe, and Peter didn't want to exhaust himself when supplies were so scarce nowadays.

And there was a single corpse in the shop. We all thought it was dead. I mean, we all walked right past it, and it didn't move.

And then Peter saw it's head move when Shiela moved to grab a small pack of beef jerky next to it.

Peter didn't even think to armor up. Didn't have time to attempt to. He just reacted. He shoved Shiela out of the way, and the damn thing clamped down on his arm.

We hoped… we prayed… I mean, he's a superhuman, right? Maybe this thing wouldn't affect him like it would normal people.

That was an excuse. We all knew it. We just didn't want to admit it.

But we didn't have a choice.

I'll give him this, though… he's still the toughest man I've ever met.

It took two days for the virus to finally take its toll on him. In his final moments, I sat there with his head on my lap, crying my eyes out. Shiela refused to leave his side. She blames herself. She says if she'd just paid attention, it wouldn't have happened.

But we all thought that biter was already dead. It wasn't her fault.

When Peter passed, I cremated him. I couldn't let him turn. I couldn't.

Now, it's just me and Shiela.

I can't bear to have Shiela leave my side for a single moment. I just… I can't bare the thought of losing her too.

Before all this, me and her had barely spoken a word to each other. Now… she's like the little sister I've always wanted. I love her like a sister, and I'll be damned if this world will take her from me too.

Not to mention John.

We're still looking for him, but it's only now that we find a shred of hope.

Yesterday, there was an explosion nearby. At the CDC center. Me and Shiela went to check it out. I fried all of the biters in the area, made it safe enough to investigate for the time being.

Back up power ran out, that's my guess. It was a disease center, after all.

At first, we had no reason to believe that John was anywhere near there when it happened.

Then I saw a biter.

It was dead, but it wasn't me that had killed it. It was already dead when we'd gotten there.

Bodies littered the area with biters that had been killed recently, bullet holes in a few of them. But a lot of them weren't killed with bullets or melee weapons.

Being a part of the militia, I've seen people die in different ways, unfortunately. I've had to fry people alive, just look at Jack.

And I've seen John's handiwork. Whether he's in the middle of a battle, or in a rage.

Some of them looked like they'd been ripped apart. Crushed. And I don't mean with a sledgehammer or a baseball bat or something.

Some of them were ripped in half, their skulls stomped in, but a few of them had only mangled messes of gore left as their heads.

Maybe I'm grasping at straws, I'm almost certain of it. But if there's a chance it's John…

There were skid marks left on the nearby road in a U-turn. From the looks of it, they were heading out of the city.

If we're lucky… we can follow the road, and find John.

He may still be in the city, or he may have left long ago. I mean, it has been eight months.

But we have to try.

I found a car that worked, a red Dodge Challenger. Managed to siphon some gas to fill it up.

Now, me and Shiela on our way, following the road. The city is a few miles behind us at this point.

Shiela's sitting in the passenger seat, curled up into a ball. She's dressed in a pair of jeans, a pink puffer coat that we managed to snag for her a few months ago, and a plain blue shirt with a pocket on the breast. She's like her brother in choice of footwear, because she didn't hesitate to snag a pair of steel toed cowboy boots we found. She even wears her pants over them rather than tucked in.

Unlike John, she prefers square-footed instead of pointed.

Me… I got a little green utility jacket I snagged from a military surplus store, a red shirt with a small fire emblem on it, a pair of brown utility pants, and some combat boots.

I'd like to have something a little more fashionable… but fashion won't save your life. Function can.

It's been a silent ride, so far. Shiela's hasn't said a word, and I can't think of anything to say, really. She's been through so much. We both have, but she's just a kid. She's only twelve, she's not even a teenager yet.

We're holding onto a sliver of hope that this… vague lead, admittedly, will pay off. That we'll finally find John.

I know we can find him. And if we do… When we do… I know he'll be alive.

Peter might have been as vulnerable as anyone else without his metal skin, but John… Well, he's just tough. He sat with me when I built up too much energy, absorbed too much. And from what I hear… when I finally let it loose and passed out, he carried me out of there, without so much as a scratch on him.

Our clothes… well, I'm fireproof and he's tough. Clothes are not.

Yeah, that means when I give myself a flaming shield, I'm sacrificing my modesty and opting to rock it nude… which is why I'm very very picky about when I use it. I'm not a fan of walking around like a porn star, thanks.

I'm jolted from my thoughts when Shiela suddenly speaks, the first words either of us have said since we left Atlanta.

"Rachel?" Her voice is small, quiet, as if she's scared to speak normally. Considering that sound draws the biters, it's understandable considering the habits we've had to create.

"What is it, sweetie?" I ask, giving her a quick glance before focusing back on the road.

"Do you really think we'll find John?" She sounds like she's lost hope of ever finding her brother, her voice is filled with so much sadness and misery… It's heartbreaking.

"Of course we will." I assure her. Even if this lead doesn't doesn't pan out, we will find John. Eventually.

"How can you be sure?" Her voice has a quiver to it, and I don't even have to look at her to know there are tears in her eyes. "It's been eight months. We've been here for an entire month, and this is the only possible sign of John we've found." Her breath hitches, and I can't help the feeling of sadness that wells within myself.

"Shiela, do you really think the biters can hurt John?" I ask her, putting a smile on my face as I glance towards her. "Come on, there's nothing on this earth that can hurt him."

"Except for drowning."

I do not like the sound of that thought process.

"Do you really think John would try and kill himself?" I can't help but to ask Shiela in disbelief. "He might be worried, but I don't think he'd kill himself." Unfortunately… Now that she's given me the idea, I'm not sure if John hadn't drowned himself.

If he believed everything was gone, and his loved ones were dead… he might think he has nothing to live for.

No. NO! John wouldn't do that!

… would he?

"Even if he's still alive, how can we find him?" Shiela can't help but to ask me. "We've got this little lead, that may not even mean anything, and we're not trackers."

"Don't think like that." I tell her, trying to keep hope in my own voice as I smile at her, even though I'm trying to figure out a proper answer to her question. "Have some faith. There isn't anything on this earth that can stop John, so we will find him, eventually."

Shiela goes quiet, and I can feel her eyes on me, before I can hear the sound of her clothes ruffling slightly.

"O-Okay…" She says, and I can hear her leaning back in her seat. "W-We will find John." She says, trying to sound hopeful herself.

Even if she's got me a little skeptical now, I don't want her to know that. And I don't want her to dwell on the possibility of never finding him either.

"Remember when Peter tried to help Bryan change the tire on his truck?"

After a few moments of silence, a small giggle escapes from Shiela, and I count that as a win. "Papaw was mad when Peter left hand prints in the fender." She recalled with a snicker. "I remember John had to actually hold Papaw back from hitting him."

I can't help the grin on my own face as I recall the event in my mind as well. "Debbie's sitting there chewing out Bryan for even trying. Especially since he'd have just broken his hand, probably."

"If Peter wasn't armored, Papaw would've probably broken his jaw." Shiela shot back with a laugh.

"Assuming John wasn't there to stop him." I can't help but to say with a roll of my eyes. "Besides, he was going to slap him, not punch him."

"I don't know…" Shiela said, and I can practically hear her shaking her head. "He was making a fist."

"Everyone does that when they're mad." I say with a shrug. "You know times I'd see John clench his fists at school, even before he got his powers?"

"I didn't know you knew John that long." Shiela replied, confusion evident in her tone. "I thought you met him after he got his powers."

"I didn't know him personally." I correct her. "But we went to the same school. I knew who he was."

"Ooooh." Shiela says, sounding more like the child she is as she nods in understanding. "That makes sense. I remember him saying that before he actually met you, he thought you and Peter were just the weird kids who avoided people."

I can't help it when the giggle escapes me at Shiela's words. "He's not exactly wrong. Me and Peter have had our powers a lot longer than John has had his. We just stuck to ourselves."

"Do you still have a crush on him?" Shiela asks me randomly, and I can't help it when my eyes go wide and my face heats up. I just know I look like a tomato right now.

"U-uh, w-well, I don't- um, I mean-" Of course, Shiela figured it out. She's always been more perceptive than people give her credit for. And instead of an actual response, I'm a stuttering mess at being called out on it.

I can hear Shiela cackling like a mad woman from next to me. "Oh my gosh, you do!"

"Shut up." I can't help but to mutter in irritation at being called out on it.

It's true, I have a crush on John. I never really followed through with it, because I didn't have confidence in myself. We're friends, I didn't want to make it weird. Plus, Maddie became my best friend, and when she and John finally got together, I felt bad for even feeling that way towards him when she'd loved him for years.

Now… Well, I don't even know where Maddie is, but dead or alive, I just can't shake the feeling that I'd be betraying her if I even tried to act on them now.

"Please don't tell John that when you find him." I can't help but to beg. Yes, I'm begging to a twelve-year-old.

"Okayyy…" Shiela responds with a playful tone in her voice, but I reall have no choice but to accept her word for it, honestly. What am I going to do, threaten her?

Yeah, no.

"You know, I think he'd like you too." Shiela suddenly says out of nowhere.

"What makes you say that?" I can't help but to ask her with a raised brow.

"You're like him!" She responds cheerily. "You're strong, tough, you're really nice to people, and you can be really scary when you're mad."

I… yeah, that's all true.

"I think you'd be a great match!" She says in excitement, and I don't know if she's trying to get my hopes up, or if she just would genuinely love to see me and John together.

"We'll see." I don't want to crush her hopes, but I don't see anything happening between me and John.

For the rest of the trip… it's silent.

I don't know whether to be thankful, or disappointed that the silence is back.

I just hope this lead is what we've been looking for.