Chapter 2
Claire stopped the Hummer when they reached a gas station. The place is so dead. It's empty. No people. No trees but the best thing is, there are no undead.
Claire parked the Hummer and the other vehicles lined up on the empty road. Claire picked up her walkie talkie. "Carlos, LJ, Mikey? Let's check the place and see if there are those things here. We'll make a camp here for two nights."
"Got it." Carlos replied.
"Okay." – Mikey.
"I'm on it." – LJ.
Claire prepared her favorite shotgun. She reloaded it with full ammo and got her pistol from the dashboard.
"Here. Take this." Claire said and handed Kmart the pistol.
"What am I gonna do with this gun? I don't even know how to use this." Kmart said.
"It's for your protection. You should protect yourself when I'm not around. You only have to use this in case there's an attack." Claire explained to Kmart.
"Okay I get it. I promise I'll be careful." Kmart said with a small smile.
"Then, we're good." Claire didn't look at Kmart as she grabbed the shotgun and opened the door. Before she finally jumped off the Hummer, she turned to Kmart for another order.
"Before I forgot, don't you ever get out of the car not unless I ordered you, do you hear me?"
"Yes Claire. I got everything you said." Kmart replied.
Claire nodded first and went out of the Hummer.
"Mikey, LJ, you go on to the back of the store and see if there are infected there, Carlos, you go with me and check the inside." Claire commanded.
"Got it Claire." LJ said and signaled Mikey to follow him on the back of the store.
When Mikey and LJ left, Claire went inside the store followed by Carlos. It's too dark inside, good thing Carlos brought a flash light.
"Claire, you might need this." Carlos said and gave her the flash light.
"Thanks." Claire said and walked again as she led Carlos inside.
"Uhmm, Claire?"
"Yeah?"
"Why did you come here?"
Claire stopped from walking and turned to Carlos. "What do you mean?"
"You don't usually go on a search. Why now?"
Claire shrugged and walked again. "I just wanted to."
"You're really hard to read."
"You don't need to read me Carlos. Let's just get this done so the convoy can settle." Claire said.
"Yes ma'am."
Kmart is holding the pistol Claire gave her. She felt a little awkward because she never held one before, but now she has to be used of carrying a gun or else she'll be dead by those creatures.
"What took them so long?" Kmart muttered.
Kmart went out of the Hummer together with the pistol. She knew it was wrong and against Claire's will but she's getting worried because the four aren't back. It was unusual for Kmart.
Kmart walked almost half of the way to the store when she saw familiar faces coming. Claire, Carlos, Mikey and LJ are done clearing the area. Kmart was stopped when she saw that familiar angry glare from the redhead.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Claire angrily turned to Kmart and walked to her.
"I-I was just…" Kmart stuttered.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the Hummer?" Claire was frantic seeing Kmart outside the vehicle without her permission.
"'I'm sorry Claire. I didn't mean to disobey you. I just got worried." Kmart explained.
"Do you know how dangerous it is outside nowadays?" Claire almost yelled at Kmart. That's the time Carlos went in between the two.
"Quit fighting please. Let's just settle the convoy." Carlos said and looked at Claire and Kmart.
"Get back to the Hummer." Claire said to Kmart and walked out of the group.
The convoy is already settled. Some are cooking for dinner, helping Otto. Some are setting up the tent. The kids are playing around while Kmart is just sitting on a log alone.
She's just playing with the sand. Writing stuffs on it when Carlos noticed her. The soldier went to her and sat beside her. "What's up, K?" Carlos smiled at her.
"Oh hey Carlos. What are you doing here?" Kmart peered up her head and met Carlos's gaze.
"I should be asking you that. What are you doing here alone?"
"Nothing. Just thinking of something." Kmart shrugged.
"Are you thinking about Claire? About what happened earlier?" Carlos asked.
"I just don't understand her. She's always mad at me. Everything I do, it's always wrong to her." Kmart said and she felt sad again.
"You know, she's not really mad at you. It's not true. She just wanted you to be safe and be matured enough. She just wanted you to grow up." Carlos explained.
"How can you say that? Did she tell you that?"
"No. But that's what I see every time I see her with you. And you know what? That's the only time I saw he be like that in years." Carlos smiled again.
"I just wanted to befriend with her just like with you, Mikey, Betty, Otto, LJ and with the others."
"How can I do that?"
"It's up to you. You always have the way in everything Kmart, don't you know that?"
Kmart just shook her head.
"Let me tell you this. You have this ability to charm everyone. You're charming. You can make everyone smile."
"But if it's true, it doesn't work on Claire."
"Let's just say, she's the hardest one to get. And she's your goal to achieve. What can you say? Challenging enough?"
Kmart smiled at that. "Can you do the challenge?"
"Challenge accepted." Kmart said and smiled widely.
"Then that's good to hear."
"Thank you Carlos."
"You're always welcome, K."
"Well, I guess I have to go now. I have to help Otto cook dinner." Kmart stood up.
"Okay then, see you later."
"Thank you for the advice, Carlos." Kmart said and Carlos just nodded.
Otto and Kmart are now serving food for the convoy. They are serving soup and canned goods. They are already done serving the convoy members and it's just a matter of minutes when Claire approached them.
"Oh hi there Claire. Here's yours." Otto handed her a bottled water and canned good and Kmart gave her a bowl of soup.
"Thanks. I'll just take the canned good. Save the soup for you two." She said and didn't look at Kmart. "So how do we look in here?"
"Well Claire we're running out of supplies. I guess we need to hunt if we want to keep going." Otto replied with a concerned look.
"How long do you think it will last?" Claire put the bottled water and the canned good on the table.
"I guess it will only last for two days."
"Okay, after you eat we will have a meeting. Let's plan when and where are we going to hunt for supplies." Claire said and with that she left the two forgetting the food.
"Claire!" Kmart called out but the redhead didn't hear her.
"Oh she will not eat again." Kmart muttered. Otto smiled at her.
"You worried about her?"
"Yeah, she didn't eat anything since this morning."
"Well, I guess you have to go to her and give her this." Otto handed Kmart the bowl of soup. "And this." He gave her the bottled water.
"Thanks Otto." Kmart smiled.
Claire is holding a map. She's maybe studying to where they will go next. Claire looked exhausted. Kmart knocked on the Hummer's front door and Claire immediately opened it.
"Thanks." Kmart said and went inside the Hummer. Claire helped her for getting the food out of her hands. "I brought you dinner."
Claire raised an eyebrow. "I didn't tell you to bring me that."
"I know but you need to eat." Kmart said. "You didn't eat anything since this morning."
"I'm not hungry. Just give that to the other member or you just eat that." Claire said just as the time her stomach grumbled.
Kmart chuckled. "Tell that to your stomach." Kmart pointed at her stomach. Kmart jumped off the Hummer again.
"Where are you going?" the redhead asked.
"I'll just get you the canned good. The soup won't suit you." Kmart said and ran towards Otto's place.
When Kmart went back to the Hummer, Claire almost ate half of the soup. "Good thing you ate that." Kmart said. "Here." The teen handed Claire the canned good.
"I'm okay with this." Claire said. "Just save that for the other day."
"Claire, I know we're saving food but it doesn't mean that you won't eat. Come to think of it, you didn't eat anything since earlier."
For the first time, Claire didn't argue with Kmart. The teen is right. She's losing energy because she didn't eat anything sine this morning. And she needs to have enough strength to carry one and lead this convoy.
"Fine." Claire said and accepted the canned good.
Kmart smiled as she watched Claire munched on her food. "What are you looking at?" the redhead asked.
"Nothing." Kmart looked away.
There was a moment of silence between the two. Claire is silently eating her food while Kmart is just looking outside.
"Claire?" Kmart broke the silence.
"Hmmm?"
"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to disobey you." Kmart looked at Claire. "I just got worried about the four of you. I thought something bad happened t you."
"What if something bad happened to us. What are you gonna do?" the redhead stopped from eating.
"I don't know."
"You're only a child Kmart. You have to learn to protect yourself even in the simplest way first before you try to protect someone."
"Okay, I got your point. I just wanted to help but I know I'm not that good enough to fight those creatures."
"That's not my point. What I'm trying to say is, if you really want to help, make sure you're safe and out of reach of those things. With that simple thing, you're helping us because we're not worrying so much about you." Claire said. Kmart smiled a little because of what Claire had said. Claire didn't mean to say those things. She never did but it came out and there's no getting it back. She just let Kmart think of what she wanted to think.
"I'm sorry again." Kmart said.
"Just don't do it again."
"I promise."
They fell silent again.
AN: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I got busy at school but here's the chapter 2. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy reading.