Levi smiled down at me again as we walked. I still couldn't understand how he smiled so much. We had been traveling to the mountains for a few days now. Setting up camp where ever we stumbled upon. "Whats on your mind kid?" Levi asked,adjusting the strap on his backpack. I shrugged. "stuff. thangs." I said with my heavy southern accent. " Mostly my life before." Levi gave me another smile. Seriously he passes these things out like cupcakes. "Oh yeah? What was your life like before?" I became very interested in my hoodie strings. "what do you want to know?" "I dunno,who were your parents and stuff." I stared ahead and watched a crow fly over us,screeching and resting in a tree. "My mom liked girly stuff. And my sister was from a different father. They both liked shopping and doing nails. I'm more like my dad I guess. My mom said he's a crazy red neck deep in Georgia.I never met him" Levi chuckled. "How'd you pick up bow hunting? You're super good." I laughed,the familiar memory of my crazy grandmother flooding back. "My grandmother was a little bit crazy at the time. Therefore,she gave me a compound bow for my ninth birthday.I didn't even drop hints that I wanted one. Come to think of it I never even mentioned it once." Levi snorted and looked back at me,his hair was deffinetly dirtier. Whenever we'd find a shelter he let me take showers and baths first. He needed to stop babying me,I can fend for myself. "Sounds like a crazy woman." I nodded and fingered the scope of my bow. "But I loved her." I shook my head,snapping out of my stupid sympathetic faze. "What about you dude? You've never really told me about before." Levi threw his hair back. "I had an art major. I was gonna be an art teacher in fact,guess thats on hold for a while." I smiled at him. "D'you think this is gonna be in the history books one day?" I asked. Levi cocked his brow and shrugged. "What part exactaly?" I kicked a small rock,sending it sailing through the woods. "Y'know. Crazy sickness killing you and makin' you come back. People surviving with nothing but their guts?"Levi nodded. "Yeah I can see that some time in the future. Now c'mon we gotta get moving." he shot me another smile and picked up his pace.
We traveled for three more days. A whopping total of a week before we came close the the mountains. Levi passed me a water bottle as we sat on rocks,the sun beating down on s the higher up the mounatain we got. "What d'you thinks up there?" He asked me as I took a careful sip of water. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve and handed it back to him. "I dunno but if theres a nine day old moldy pizza. I think I'd eat it." Levi threw his head back laughing. "Whatever kid lets keep going."
We made it up the mountain. Levi was kinda getting on my nerves with his whole clown act. Trying to keep the mood I did my best not to say anything. We walked side by side,too tired to go ahead of one another for safety. My legs felt like lead as we walked. We came closer and something big and white came into view. An RV? No,no,no,no. Did this mean someone else was up here allready?! Levi and I froze as we heard people talking and the sound of kids. He looked at me,each of us thinking the same horrifiying thought. What if these people were like Radioactive's group? What if they took this horrible time to advantage just to kill people? "W-What do we do?" I stammered. Levi stared back. "We go up. Worst case scenario,they send us away with bullets flying at our head. No big D." I offered a weak smile and we trudged up the mountain to the other group.
"H-Hello!" Levi called out. The group was gathered around us,a tall man with curly black har at the front. It was made up of quite a few people. Two women held back their children as I looked at them. Did they seriously think I wold hurt a kid? Levi seemed at a loss for words as a violent looking man with a crossbow came to the front,I spoke for him. "We've been traveling for a few days to get up here...we..we uh wondered if it was safe." They stared and the crossbow guy snarled. "Why should we let ya' up here? We don' know you and your blondie friend."Crossbow guy looked so familiar. Where had I seen him? "Do I know you?" I asked him. He scoffed and raised his crossbow at me. The curly haired guy shot him a look but nodded,causing him to lower the weapon. "We are allways welcoming people who need help. Have you killed any people?" Levi gulped and stared at me,why was I doing the talking? Wasn't he the adult? I nodded meakly. "Y-Yeah...ya'll haven't?" The curly haired man kept a stern look as he shook his head. "We don't kill the living. Ya'll are gonna have to go." I felt tears come to my eyes. "B-But we've been traveling for days with no food or water! Theres gotta be something-" "Get out!" Crossbow guy shouted,coming closer to me with his weapon. "Daryl!" The brown haired woman with a kid shouted a warning. My hands shook. "P-Please.." I begged. WHY WASN'T LEVI TALKING?! He was supposed to be my gaurdian or something like that. "We'll give ya' some food and water,but ya'll have to go." The curly haired man said,turning and leading the rest of the group with him. He retrned a few moments later with some water and food. I took them greatfully and told Levi to come on. As we walked back down the mountain,I looked back at crossbow guy one more time. Where had I seen him?
We took shelter in an old cabin that night. I didn't speak to Levi and him me. We ha dno enegry and we were way to tired. As I rolled out sleeping bags on the floor I heard Levi vomiting in the bathroom. I rushed to his side. "Levi?" I asked nervously,placing a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head and smiled at me. "whats up kid?" I looked into the toilet. His vomit was a familiar red color. Blood. "Levi what happened!?" I demanded. He shook it off. "Just sick kid thats all."
His being "Sick" Went on all night. Constantly waking me up every hour. And every hour I spent with him in the bathroom,I saw his face loose color more and more,becoming too weak to support himself. "Levi." I said at three am,sitting next to him as he had finished vomiting again. "Whats up?" He asked,offering me a wavering smile. "L-Levi." I took a shaky breath. "Y-You've got the sickness and you know it." Levi stared down for a while. "I do kid." He mumbled after a while. "S-So you're gonna..." I trailed off. "Leave." Levi demanded after a moment. "What?" "Leave! Go find shelter! Don't ever come back here again! Meet up with a group and stay alive." I stared,my eyes welling up with tears. "B-But you-" "Don't worry about me! You have to go! You're strong kid." His own tears spilled onto his yellow tinted cheeks. "You're gonna beat people like Radioactive. A-And you're gonna tell you're grandkids about it too okay!Y-You're gonna be a good person in this crappy world.I've had a good run. But it's your turn now." I sobbed,squeezing my eyes shut. "O-Okay Levi. I-I'm not ever gonna forget you..a-and you..you're a good person. You don't deserve this." I looked up at him through my tears,giving a watery smile. "Now go." Levi said for the final time,squeezing my knee.