Chapter 3: The Pilgrims

(Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 - Countryside near Villedor, Romania, The Balkans, Europe - 6:13pm...)

I've only met Spike a couple of times on the road and though we were acquaintances, he was a nice person to socialise with. That's probably because he didn't bother trying to kill me when we first ran into each other, but still. There's also not much to say in regards to his background; just that he was pushing 50 and that he used to work as a professor at the University of Southern California which was somewhere in the US. That sounded interesting enough, but I'll admit I was—! I was shocked to find out he was among the thousands of people who got trapped in Harran last year.

So, cue an endless amount of questions! Which, thankfully, he didn't mind answering.

Nobody knew how the outbreak kicked off and they liked to come up with their own theories, similar to how everyone's been discussing the Fall. There was also... some kind of Global Athletic Games happening? Not an Olympics 2.0 apparently, but close enough. Spike wasn't in the arena when everything went to sh*t, but he was lucky enough to make it to this sanctuary called The Tower. And to be honest, that sounded like my type of place! It was originally an apartment complex that had been turned into a HQ of sorts. There was a Gym set up in the building next door, someone had organised a miniature farm on the roof and among the residents were a group of runners led by a parkour instructor, Harris Brecken.

He wasn't the only familiar name there, too. His second-in-command happened to be his girlfriend, Lena. There was also a famous kick-boxing champion, Jade Aldemir, whose call-sign was the Pilgrims' signature animal. That sounded pretty cool! Then we have the big man himself, Kyle Crane. My friend told me that they didn't talk much at first, since he initially saw him as unskilled labour. But those first impressions went out the window when they teamed up to get people to safety and found out a way out of Harran in the process. What's happened to him and his group since then? Well for a while, that was open for debate - but I digress.

Back to it.

I...! This is gonna sound stupid but at first, I thought that my walk to the meeting spot would be simple enough. I'd tag along with Spike to... whatever it was he wanted to show me, make small talk and that would be it. Pfft, sounds so easy! A series of sudden screams, accompanied by rapid footsteps, told me a different story however. Okay...! Where is that coming from? And should I be worried?

Pausing in my tracks, I turned to investigate the source of those noises ... only for my heart to sink rapidly. What?!

"Sh*t!" I yelled, turning back round and taking off in a frantic sprint with a small group of virals chasing me down hungrily. Where the f*ck did they come from?! "Nononono!" Run!

"Come on kid!" Spike's equally worried voice crackled on the other end of my radio. "Get your *ss out of there!" What do you think I'm doing?!

Heaving gasps of air, I tore through and jumped across rows of abandoned cars before narrowly ducking a biter's attempts to claw my face. Woah! I then leapt across a large pit, just managing to grab a piece of rock and watch as my assailants stupidly jumped after me - only to fall into the icy chasm below. Oh pfft, that never gets old! Holding back a small smirk, I climbed my way up onto the snow and briefly rested my gloved hands against my knees. Okay... You're good, Aiden. You're okay.

"Woo Whoo!" I heard my acquaintance applaud, prompting me to look up and spot him standing on a nearby cliff. "You still got it!" Uuuuh, were you testing me again?!

"You know, this game used to be more fun!" I shouted, panting.

"And you used to be reckless!"

"Yeah, and dumber!" Still am! I'm willing to admit that much!

If Spike could sense my indifference, I couldn't tell. "What matters is, you're still just as fast! Because a slow Pilgrim's a dead Pilgrim—!"

"A dead pilgrim!" I interrupted with a sigh. "Yeah I know, I know," Cue an amused chuckle. "What is it you wanted to show me?"

"You gotta see it for yourself, kid," Oh for f*ck's sake! You're leaving me in suspense! "Get up here,"

"Ugh, fine," My shoulders slumped in defeat. Yeaaah, that's to be expected by now. Just accept it and move on, man.

Bearing this in mind, I took off in a simple run and stepped across a tree that had been blocking my route before I grabbed hold of some rocks in front of me. Time to start climbing again. Not as exciting as what happened earlier, but hey! No point in making a big deal about it. Once I pulled myself up onto the ledge, I jumped over to a smaller one and began to weave my way through a path accumulated by multiple rocks leading to the cliff where Spike was standing.

"Sh*t man!" I heard him remark in an impressed manner. "You're still strong," Well... I've learned from the best, didn't I?

One appreciative chuckle from me and a running start later; I leapt across and narrowly managed to grab a hold of the cliff before my acquaintance took my hand, hoisting me up to my feet. "Thanks. It's good to see you, Spike. How long has it been?"

Upon first glance, I'm not sure if anyone would have figured out that he was a former college professor. I mean, I certainly didn't. Not until he brought it up. And despite remembering what he told me about his reputation, he... he wasn't all that bad. His brown eyes lit up through the glasses he wore and his green scarf, distressed long-sleeved shirt, pants (which were tightened by a dark belt with a Scorpion badge) and boots appeared to be simple enough. He also had a pair of gloves in hand, but the surprising thing I noticed was the black necklace with his wedding ring. Oh! Why did I think you'd given up by now?

Pfft, that's also funny coming from someone who has a similar goal. Give him some credit!

"Far too long," The older man answered. "But don't get all mushy on me now," Naaah! Wasn't planning on it! "By the way, are you good? The biters didn't get you?"

"Nope, I'm clean,"

"Good. Keep that way and you just might make it," He flashed a relieved smirk, before gesturing for me to follow him. "Let's get going. The Pilgrims have an Outpost not far from here and the sooner we get there, the less likely we'll freeze to death," Alright, fair point.

"Okay," I responded as I trudged through the snow behind him. "Uh, what have you been up to over the last few days?"

"Same as before, still looking for Jane," Figured. "Got a new lead on her, by any chance?"

"Nah, trial went cold after New Paris,"

"Which route'd you take?" My acquaintance asked. "Through Baines or Garry?"

"Baines, what a sh*thole," I grimaced. "Some five rickety huts left and a ramshackle fence," And was there decent hospitality? No. But, as annoying as it is, that's another thing to be expected by now. "I didn't stay there for very long though, thank god,"

Hearing this, he hummed in a sympathetic manner. "Hm," It didn't take long for a small grin to paint his face. "Oh! You remember that old herbalist we helped escort to her village?" Eloise? Yeah, course!

"Oh yeah, the one who had that saying," I murmured, realising that my spirits were brightening. "Remember: chamomile and honey are gifts that keep giving,"

"Combine them and, lucky you, you just might go on living," Spike added fondly. Yeah. Just sucks that we're gonna have to wait a couple of months for them to start showing up. "I ran into her last week, you know,"

"Really?" My eyes lit up with curiosity. Oh wow!

"Yeah," The man confirmed, as the two of us climbed up a higher ledge and continued our trek. "And in case you were wondering, she's doing well,"

"Good, good," I smiled. "I'm glad to hear it,"

"I bet you are," He shot back amusedly, much to my confusion. Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?! But before I could question him, he pointed to a tall metal gate that led to a large house nearby. "Not far now, kid. Come on,"

Okay... Here's hoping that whatever you've got planned will be worth it.