The ride to the camp was in silence. He didn't bother asking questions, and neither did I. but the silence was comfortable. Unlike the silence in the dead of night. Where moans and groans could be heard in the street, echoing against the walls of the large buildings.

As we made our way up the dirt road, I looked back on the city skyline. What used to be my home for weeks. There was nothing left for me there, and now only I was here, to deal with things on my own. No one to tell my secrets to. No one to comfort me as I sit crying, depressed over the loss of so much life. I didn't know what to expect out of these people. But I sure didn't expect sympathy. Which is what I got.

I could see an RV up on the hill. There was someone standing on top of it, no doubt looking out for us. The car slowed to a stop as we reached the camp. He was the first to get out, grabbing the bags from the back seat. I opened the door, slinging my backpack over my shoulder, and carrying my bow.

Glenn was bombarded with questions about me.

"Who is she?"

"Where'd you find her?"

"What happened to her shoulder?"

The questions didn't seem to end until one lady stood before me, her eyes wide.

"I'm Lori," she stated reaching out a hand.

I took it gratefully and replied, "Lane, nice to meet you."

There were about a half a dozen people standing before me, waiting to be introduced.

Glenn took over and started with the introductions.

Shane was the first person I met, other than Lori. A rather handsome fellow he was, with just a little stubble on his face. He smiled crookedly at me saying, "It's nice to have someone else here."

Next were the sister Andrea and Amy. They were both gorgeous in their own right, with perfect blond hair and womanly figures. It seems they have eaten well since this whole thing started.

I was no doubt a horrid sight for them. I was still dirty and grimy, my hair greasy and messy, my face splotched with dirt. My shoulder was still hurting but wasn't bleeding out anymore. I looked too skinny to be alive as a man named Dale took my hand and led me to a fire where there was something cooking in a small bowl.

"It looks like you could eat," he said gently, steering me away from the group.

I nodded my head, following him. I briefly took a look back at Glenn, who just shrugged his shoulders and smiled. My steps faltered as I distinctly smelled meat.

"What is this?" I asked Dale, who looked in the bowl, taking a whiff of the stuff.

He gazed at me, eyebrow raised, "Squirrel."

Visibly, there was disgust written on my face. Squirrel? Ugh. I didn't know what to think.

Dale looked at me again, "It seems like you haven't eaten for days. Seems the squirrel is the best you got."

I nodded my head, taking in the smell again. Well, it didn't smell too bad. I guess. Squirrel would have to do.

Bringing the meat up to my mouth, I opened my chops and began to tear at the squirrel. Surprisingly, it didn't taste bad. It just tasted, different, unlike anything I had ever eaten before.

Dale stood, patting my shoulder, and walked away. I watched him walk towards the RV, where he climbed to the top on look-out.

I sighed, looking around the camp as I ate. I could see a make shift shower on the right side, behind a few tents. Tents were scattered in different places. And there were three campfires scattered as well. There was a clothesline to my lefts, along with an ironing board. Who thought to bring an ironing board? Was it that important? Next to the clothesline, I could see pails with old washboards. Again, who thought of these things?

Glenn plopped down beside me, watching me eat. I gave him a dark look and he turned his head to gaze at the ground. I didn't like eating in front of others. Especially when they were just watching me.

I heard a sigh from him and I gave him another look. "What?"

He cleared his throat, "I put your stuff in my tent. But i-if you don't w-want to sleep in there…"

I chuckled at his discomfort, "That's fine. Just don't try anything funny." I pointed a finger at him and he smiled lightly.

Setting the plate down, I looked at him expectantly. "What should I be doing?" I asked.

He pointed to the two sisters, "They'll tell you what to do. Just don't sit on your ass all day like Ed over there." Glenn pointed him thumb to the other campfire, where a large, port fellow could be seen smoking a cigarette, glaring in to the coals.

I nodded my head, "Right. I won't sit on my ass." I smiled at my new friend and stood up to talk with the two sisters. God I could use a cigarette. No! No cigarettes right now. Just wait till the night.

"Lane," Andrea nodded at me, a smile on her face. "We were just heading down to the quarry to finish the rest of these clothes. You want to help?"

I smiled, grabbing a pail of clothes.

After about a week at the campsite, I felt more comfortable around the people, and sleeping next to Glenn every night. I met Carol and her daughter Sophia, the Morales family, T-Dog, and Carl. For the most part, the children stayed with their parents. But when they needed a break, I took the form of baby-sitter.

The Morales children, Eliza and Louis, were adorable. They liked to play around in the dirt and in the quarry, looking around for cool rocks. I walked around with them one day, looking for rocks. There was a cool blue one I found to add to their little rock collection. The two were digging their feet in the sand as I stood behind them gazing out at the water. It wasn't crystal, but it was a nice bluish green color. Rather relaxing.

"Here," I said, digging into my pocket. "I found this for you guys."

Eliza and Louis looked up at me, squinting their eyes from the sun. I held the rock out in my hand as I knelt down behind them. "Here you go. Found it over there while you guys were playing."

They smiled and Eliza took the rock out of my hand, glancing it over. Louis peered at it as well, scrutinizing the bright blue rock.

"That is so cool!" Louis said happily. I smiled in response and stood.

"I think it's time we head back to camp."

They groaned and stood as well, wiping off their bottoms. I grinned as they trotted up in front of me and led the way back where the others were.

The kids were all I had to take care of. That and doing the laundry with the other women. Except Lori. I still can't figure out exactly what she does to help. A few times she went off to gather berries and mushrooms, but she always returned with nothing in the bucket. I thought something was up when I saw Shane disappear through the forest only minutes after she left. I wasn't sure what was going on there, but my bet is that she doesn't miss her dead husband as much as she says she does.

The day waned and it turned to night as we all sat by the campfire. I sat next to Glenn and the sisters as we all ate what was on the menu. Squirrel—again. There were only two people I hadn't seen much of. And that was Daryl and Merle. Everyone warned me to keep my distance. But I couldn't hold my curiosity much longer as they sat eating around another fire. Merle, I knew was loud-mouthed and racist. Daryl didn't talk so much. He just sat there and brooded as Merle would crack jokes that would only make Daryl smirk in response.

Glenn leaned towards me and said, "Don't even."

I looked at him in wonderment, surprised how he knew what I was thinking. I wanted to go over and talk to them, ask them about their day, and get to know them. But I knew the others wouldn't dare let me. So I just sat, like a lump on a log staring at them.

After dinner, most gathered back to their tents to sleep. But I decided to stay up and light a cigarette. Ahh…it tastes so good on this day. I hadn't been able to have one since last night. This had become a ritual for me. Stare in to the fire while smoking a cigarette and thinking.

I was alone at the fire, gazing in to the lowering flames. At night the fires went out. And the last person to go to sleep had to distinguish the flames. I saw Daryl take sand to the other fire pit and put it out. My interest piqued as he came to stand by my fire.

"Can ah have one?" He said in his lilting Georgian accent.

I pulled out my pack and handed him the pack and the lighter. He smirked, what I'm guessing was a grateful smile. He sat down opposite me and threw the pack back at me as he lit the cigarette.

"Ah haven't 'ad one o' these in a lone time," he said inhaling the smoke.

I smiled at him and decided to keep silent. He passed the lighter back to me and mumbled a thank you.

He was relatively nice, no wise cracks, no sexual harassment, no racial slurs. He was nice. And it was comfortable in the silence of the night. Listening to the crickets and the frogs. It was nice.

When I was done with my cigarette I told him good night and walked back to my tent.

Glenn was still awake and rolled over to face me.

"What'd he do?" he asked accusingly.

I turned off the lamp and got into my sleeping bag. "Nothing. We just smoked."

"No sexist remarks, nothing?"

I nodded, rolling over with my back to him. "Nothing."