Chapter 319
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After the bus left the crowd seemed uncertain what they should do now. Some hoped the second bus would come, that they just didn't put all the refugees in one bus. But would they really put all the essential personnel and minors on the same bus? And could they really spare the extra fuel right now. They waited for hours, but it never came. Some believed they could return to Brooklyn, beg for forgiveness. Their chances for survival weren't great, but maybe better than if they just stayed here. There were rumors of "fronteir towns." Places where loyalists and collectivists worked together, peacefully, and were left alone by Mason's government. But they were also ruled by warlords, even if they were chosen, they'd never be allowed to leave. This group wasn't far from Manhatten, maybe a day's walking. Governor Jenkins' office might provide some answers. Everyone needed to make this decision for themselves. About twelv people decided to go to Manhatten, among them Eve and Jamal. However small their chances of survival, this seemed their best chance.
The sun rose about an hour after this group started their trek towards Manhatten. They had little food, all were very tired. Around noon they made camp, ate what was left of their food. Eve feared they wouldn't all make it, not unless they caught some food. They hadn't seen any humans since the large group split up. There were wild dogs roaming this area, and some birds. If they could catch any of them, that would do for now. The group split into three groups. They all agreed to meet back here in an hour, with or without food. During their hunt Eve and Jamal's group saw a wild dog, dying in agony. They killed it and brought it back to camp. It was possibe, even likely, that this dog was sick. But since noone else brought anything back, this would have to do.
The group skinned the dog, ate part of it, saved the rest for dinner. They walked a little further, then made camp again shortly before sunset. They minished off the rest of the dog meat, Eve felt weird about eating an animal that reminded her so much of Cujo. Maybe Karen was right to have had Cujo euthanized, at least he wasn't eaten by savages like this. During their trek they'd seen flyers regarding a swap-meet of sorts. Anyone could come, trade whatever they had with each other or the house. The flyers were several months old, no guarantee it was still around. But walking like this they'd covered half the distance they'd hoped to do. They had the dog's fur, it's bones. Individuals had clothes, hair, teeth. Maybe they could trade some of these for food. If it was still there, it was worth a shot.