It wasn't just the mountain chill that made the road seem so cold, everyone awkwardly dispersed and began to move towards their own vehicles but Nancy followed Cooper.

  She gnced towards the pick up, saw Ralph marching towards it, so she shook her head, she pnned to speak to Wyatt when they stopped

  Her son was first and foremost in her mind. She opened the door as softly as she could as everyone prepared themselves.He was curled on his side crying and Nancy felt her heart breaking.

  "Cooper?" she called and he quickly tried to quiet his sniffling, whipping his face frantically before he sat up to face her.

  "Why'd Dad say that?" He whimpered softly, burying his head further into his elbow.

  "Your dad says things without thinking." Nancy leaned into the car to gently comfort him, setting his hat to the side so she could pet his blonde curls "Wyatt's your friend because he wants to be, because he's a good guy, because anyone would be crazy not to like you," she assured, trying to watch him and the group, trying to assure they don't get left behind "You're a great kid Cooper, everyone here thinks you're great, so does your dad. He just thinks you're so great that you're too good to be Wyatt's friend, your dad's always been terrible at compliments." She tried to add a bit of humor, a half smile on her lips but it didn't truly make it to her eyes.

  Nancy slumped when Cooper didn't perk up. She gnced around again, saw the line of cars begin to assemble. "Your father doesn't get along as well with others as you do." she said, shaking his arm gingerly before she pulled away, the sound of tires on the gravely road made her more anxious to go "I have to drive now, but let's keep talking. Okay?" Nancy asked before she shut the door and moved towards the driver's seat.

  Engines sparking to life the caravan began to move. Dominic, in the box truck, led them all forward.

  The long road in front of them bent and rounded across patches of thick foliage, the trees spttered with thin forest pines while a few others had luscious green leaves, they continued forward across dirt roads that had been driven over for years, packing down earth and keeping it mostly barren of pnts, and easily traversable.

  The stress of the day has finally caught up to them all, Iona especially, as she had practically colpsed into her mother's chest, falling asleep as she comforted her. Irvin was driving the family wagon. He kept gncing back at the mirror, at the reflection of his family in the back seat. Iona's bagged eyes were shut, Ruth had removed the patterned band from Iona's deep bck curls and undid her tight bun to allow her to stroke her head, petting her hair as she lulled her to sleep.

  Irvin tried to focus on the soft humming melody Ruth sang rather than the tired look on her ashen face. Ruth gently wrapped part of her home sewn bnket over her, settling in to rest her head against Iona's.

  Behind them in the long caravan of survivors was Dixie's van, Penelope was in the passenger seat beside her, curled into herself with the book Cooper gave her bundled in her arms. She gnced up briefly, blinking, her lost expression searching her mother's face.Dixie was staring forward at the Stokes' wagon, watching every minute bump in the road, she was silent, she kept on like that ever since they began traveling with these people, like her every nerve was frayed.The end of world seemed to have broken her stress meter, constantly on edge, heart pounding was normal now, no more dreams during her fitful rests. She was scared to even blink, fearful her daughter wouldn't be there when her eyes opened.

  "Mom?" Penelope's call startled Dixie so much she nearly swerved the van.

  Dixie quickly regained control and returned to driving straight and slightly below the car in front of her's speed, she took a deep breath and forced a wavering smile on her face "Yes?" she replied, only taking her eyes off the road for the briefest second.

  "Is Fronie going to die?" She asked frankly.

  Dixie sputtered. Voice faltering, she stammered and sputtered out nonsense. "What!" She excimed, then shook her head. "No!" She shouted "No, no! Who told you that?" She asked, tone high, strained.

  Penelope went to speak but her mother's sudden expulsion cut her off again "I will not have anyone talk to my daughter like that, who said that to you? You don't need to hear that, you're a child!" quickly she looked at Penelope again just as fast as the st time "Who said that to you?" she asked again, nearing a demand.

  "No one!" and that was the closest Penelope has ever come to shouting at her mother. The shock on both of their faces proved as much. Now her voice returned to the quiet monotone it usually held "No one told me anything." Penelope huffed as she curled into herself, looking off into the woods "That's why I asked. No one said anything." then a sigh left her lips, her mother was stammering, too many words with too little said, then silence.

  Dixie took to driving instead, unable to muster another reply.

  "Are we all going to die?" Penelope asked in a whisper.

  A chill went down Dixie's spine before she was overcome with guilt and sadness. She couldn't bear to look at her but Dixie replied with "As long as I'm around I won't let anything bad happen to you." with a stern conviction in her voice.

  Neither could carry the conversation. Now both focusing elsewhere. The van went quiet and kept on following the Stokes' wagon in front of them.

  The car behind Dixie's was driven by Renáta, who desperately wished for the comfort of the radio, sure, she had a few CDs she could throw on but that would be extra gas and extra noise, not to mention how many times Irvin has shouted about the need to remain covert as if he was still back in his boot camps days, Renáta didn't care too much, would probably take the comfort of music over the mileage but she didn't want to rock the boat.She had bonded with a select few of these survivors, a bit anyway, Arlene seemed friendly and Nancy was like a reclusive gossip that likes to know everyone, they were alright but she knew she they would side with others if it came down to it, they had their own loyalest, everyone one the caravan did. But her.

  She was surrounded by pairs and siblings, families who would save their own blood over Renáta, she didn't fault them, she knew deep down she'd rather have her sister here with her than these people, but there was a twinge of hurt. Loneliness. She was the outsider and she felt it, no matter how much the group tried to include her. The feeling has improved, but still the insecurities lingered in her.

  She took a look at herself in the rearview mirror, at her decently maintained visage, but her eyes were bagged.

  Then she looked back at the road. She was determined to earn a pce, but still, a cwing doubt kept her from thinking deeper. She briefly gnced backwards to ensure the long line of cars behind her were still there before she kept on following the st shaky van in front of her.

  Bonnie squinted, noticing Renáta shifting around in the sleek car ahead of her, Bonnie was still stuck between fuming and frustrated, she loved this ragtag gang but the bickering was weighing her down.

  She wanted to be the one to fix things, Bonnie, being a recovering recluse, now liked to try and help every passerby. She felt downtrodden. However, like always, she kept on. She flicked on her blinker and singled the turn for Arlene behind her.

  Arlene waved in thanks but it didn't seem like she noticed her appreciation. Arlene's attention was quickly taken away by the moaning in the van behind her.

  El-Mae gently rubbed a damp cloth across Fronie's feverish forehead and tried to soothe her best she could. Fronie's eyes were shut but she twitched and mumbled, groaning and even jerking her arms back and forth, she never spoke, never opened her eyes, she drooled excessively, Arlene cringed at the foam like look of it before El-Mae wiped it away.

  Ford was sat on the floor just staring at his sister's pale face. Her hollowed expression and her unconscious thrashing. Tears rolled down his eyes but he made no noise, staring dumbstruck.

  El-Mae kept whispering affirmations to her, soothing her despite her unconscious state.

  Arlene gripped the wheel tighter.

  Trailing behind her was her brother's truck. Wyatt was at the wheel, lingering back to be the 'long link' connecting Nancy and Arlene, as Nancy kept her speed low, falling behind as she tried to pay more attention to Cooper than she did the road.

  Wyatt was depressive, zily lounges back with a hollow pout on his face. Ralph reached his hand out, ft and expectantly, Wyatt was so far in his head he didn't even notice him, thinking deeply on the events of the day, the actions he took, dissecting and regretting each one.

  "Don't be greedy." Ralph scoffed, spping his chest.

  "What?" Wyatt snapped, gaze hardening but he didn't look away, fearful for losing Arlene from the frequent turns in the woodsy roads.

  "Gimme a smoke, I'm out," he demanded, opening and closing his fingers in a grabby manner "I can see"em in ya pocket, ain't even try 'n lie to me." he scoffed, not dropping his hand.

  Wyatt ripped the carton from his pocket and smmed it down onto his palm, nearly forcing him to hit the middle console between them, Ralph huffed as he pulled the smokes towards himself "Damn, save it for them undead baby brother." he mumbled before he picked one out from the crumpled box, less than a handful remained, and Ralph began to light with up with no remorse.

  A fsh of Bonnie's scolding went through Wyatt's head. He felt himself speaking before he even thought about what to say "I ain't like it when you call me that." lowly, matching Ralph's mutter.

  "What's that?" Ralph asked, raising a brow and looking his way, Wyatt didn't reply, just kept staring forward focusing on the road.Ralph took a deep drag of the lit cigarette and spoke with an exhale of smoke "Take the cock out 'ya mouth before ya talk to me next time." with his voice holding a bitter sneer.

  Ralph mumbled out a few curse words and looked outside, too angry to look at his idiot younger brother anymore, or else he'd only get more angry. With a tight chest and a twitching fist he looked to the side mirror, at Nancy's car behind, and he spat out of the window.

  Nancy kept spinning around to try and pat, pet, rub, any sort of physical affirmation or comfort she could give to him, however he tended to shrink away or roll his shoulders, Cooper was a mixture of despondent and frustrated.

  He was angry at the three of them, at his parents for fighting, and at Wyatt, for, being there. He was just angry. His small chest felt like it was going to explode, he was frozen with anger.

  He wanted to yell at his father, talk to Penelope, he felt trapped in that wobbling car but didn't want to make it worse. He tried to calm down his breathing and think of something else.

  Nancy kept speaking reassurances.

  Cooper kept ignoring her.

  Dominic kept driving. Leading the pack forward until a small single story ranch house with a shoddy barn came into view in the distance.