Winter's coming, my dad said last night looking up at the clear sky. Infected seemed to disappear when winter comes, they tend to hide from the snow and cold, which is good for the living to trek the wilderness with lowered fear but all too heightened caution. We plan to go back to the settlement my dad had made after the attack. It's a state up north, colder region, but it's a lot safer than being in tents and open spaces.

The morning came with bitter cold air. I looked out of the tent to see Hunt going about running wild back and forth in my view. Cal was running laps with him while Nash was helping out with packing up the gear. I stretch out and fix myself before going out and look for my dad. I spot him at the front of the camp talking to some of his men, he's arranging a scout team. Young men, agile and fast looking, lean and quick, that's what they look like as I neared the group. They all look towards me and I give a quick wave of the hand as I walk to my dad's side.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Setting up a scouting route, these guys are the best there are and I'm sending them ahead to scout the area back to Settlement"

"We really should discuss your name for our new home" I said looking at the map. There were numerous red circles, arrows and x's. I spot the small town me and Hunt met Jake and his girls. I wonder where they are now. I spot the field I slept in when I first met Hunt. The map was fairly large with some other landmarks circled or crossed off on the map.

"It's a week's journey from here under these conditions, even without infected chasing our asses" he says as he looked down on the map again. "You must be hungry" he said looking at me.

I shake my head lightly, "Not really"

"Go eat with the others, go find Cal and Nash, I want to talk to them about something"

"Are they going with the scouting team?"

"If they're up to it, yeah" he said scratching his beard"

"Once we get back, you need to shave that thing off, you look older than you look"

"Oh? How am I supposed to look?"

"I dunno, but not like grandpa" I chuckled as I walked back towards Cal and Nash.

Hunt was lazily sitting beside a tree, Nash was sitting from across Cal at the table. "What up, lil sis? You hungry?" asked Nash.

"I am, actually"

"Sit here, I'm gonna grab some for you" said Cal as he stood up with his empty bowl. "I'm about finished anyway" he added walking towards a huddled group of people just north of where we sat.

Cal came back with a new bowl of hot soup and a piece of bread. He gives them to me and sit a few inches to my right. Hunt goes about leaping and running through the field chasing some imaginary thing. I eat through the bread and soup almost immediately, I didn't realize I was this hungry until I tasted bread that wasn't stale or had pockets of mold on it.

"Well, aren't you a pig" teased Cal.

I nudge him at the ribs. "ow" he says but his face, smiling and chuckling, said it didn't hurt at all. "Well, at least I don't stink, take a bath Cal"

"Sorry, I just finished working out and hadn't taking a bath" he said sarcastically. "If I could just find a river that's you know, not frozen"

"Andrea, none of us had taken a good cleaning since we left, winter's already frozen the lakes and rivers"

"Heat some water up"

"That'll take time" said Cal. "Something that we don't have if we're looking for someone"

"But hey, if it makes you feel better, once we get back to Settlement, you can take however long of a bath you'd like" said Nash.

"I feel great, already. Oh, dad wants to talk to both of you by the way"

"About the scouting party?"

"Yeah"

The two looked at each other and said their goodbyes to me as I watched them leave. Hunt comes to my side and nudges me from behind. I look down on him and he has a squirrel in his mouth.

"Hunt, no. that's… uh" It's not really gross for him to eat or put in his mouth. "You just do what you want, Hunt" I said returning my attention to the two who were talking to dad by now.

It ended up both of them were going with the party. It was around noon when they left and the first radio check-up was due in three hours before we leave. A lot of the women that joined the search party was left along with the children that either were rescued or brought along by their parent/s. I sat with Hunt by a large tree, he peacefully laid his head on my thighs as I stroke his head under the hoodie. I can hear soft growls from him as I watch the other survivors pack up with the necessities.

"Hunt" dad called out. Hunt raised his head and jumped out from my hands. He's much like a trained dog than an infected. He sure acts like one.

I watch dad tell him something before he goes off into the distance in the direction of the scouting party. I walk towards dad and slung the bag in his arms unto my shoulder. "Ready to go?" I asked.

He nodded. "By nightfall, we'll be with the scouting team. They'll position themselves at a strip mall not far from here, we'll spend the night there"

We packed up. We left the camp, Hunt was a few hundred yards in front of us.

But the danger was just coming up ahead.