Karl, Marilyn and Kyra have slowed our pace from when we left the hospital. We keep needing to stop because Marilyn is worried about Kyra being afraid. Although the girl hasn’t said anything. Anytime she attempts to open her mouth Marilyn quickly covers it. I don’t know what kind of secrets the little girl is holding but Marilyn doesn’t want it to be told. I don’t know if she thinks people don’t care that mommy is a kleptomaniac at the end of the world, but we don’t. We haven’t gone far, but we’ve had more run ins with grubs than we had before. Meanwhile, Karl keeps limping and complaining about his injuries forcing him to rest. He hasn’t said that Marshall beat him while we watched, but I think people know what happened. I also think they understand why it was done after getting to understand Karl. He’s someone that wants to manipulate others into providing care for him by providing a menial benefit to society. Despite Marshall’s recent behavior, I feel Karl is more detrimental to the group than anything Marshall has done. Karl claims he wants to get to the rescue location, but he isn’t eager to do so, he has no real plans or goals. He simply tends to hang around and cause some kind of dispute in the group, almost as if he’s purposely slowing us down.

I leave Karl and speed up, catching up with Niko, who’s still sober and hasn’t asked for anymore pills. He’s someone who has put his vice to the side for the greater good and I can only respect that.

“How are you holding up,” I ask him.

“Karl makes me want to inject the liquid form of sunshine directly into my veins. It’ll either kill me or permanently alter the chemical makeup of my brain, but at least I won’t have to listen to him complain about how hard he has it anymore.”

“Well you’re doing a good job staying focused and keeping your head in the game.”

“Thanks, it’s been kind of hard. I never really learned to socialize because I’m weird, but sunshine helped. Luckily, most of you have been pretty good to me. Thanks for not telling everyone how high I was by the way.”

“If you think about it, we’re all a little weird and things don’t get any weirder than society collapsing as a bug human hybrid takes over wanting to devour human flesh.”

“I guess you’ve got a point,” he laughs. “What are you planning to do when you get off this planet?”

“I hadn’t thought about it. I’m more focused on getting out of here first. Right now, I’m just making sure everyone’s head is straight going forward.”

“Well, I’ll follow you anywhere Captain,” Niko gives me an awkward salute.

“You’re a funny guy, consider comedy when we’re off world.”

Aaimina is walking with Marilyn and Kyra. She’s trying to make a game with Kyra to make her move faster. Yet every time Kyra seems to have too much fun, Marilyn intervenes to calm her down for some reason. Perhaps she doesn’t want Kyra to get too excited and run off. The bigger thing is I’m spotting a wad of bloody bandages in Marilyn’s hand. I don’t recall her being injured, but I suppose I could have missed something.

“Hey, I’ve been a sort of medic, I can take a look at that hand if you’d like,” I offer to help Marilyn.

“No, this is nothing,” she pauses, “I dropped a knife,” I don’t believe the story but don’t push the issue.

“You don’t want that to get infected, I lost a friend like that. I won’t force you, but if you change your mind, let me know.”

Kyra laughs loudly with Aaimina and Marilyn rushes over to cover her mouth. I wince as she uses the wounded hand to cover Kyra’s mouth. Her face grimaces with pain, but Kyra seems to calm down.

“That family is so damn weird,” Aaimina speaks her first words to me since leaving the restaurant.

“I know, especially because she’s got a cut on that hand. Just nasty.”

“I think I might be sick,” Aaimina jokes.

Everyone pauses at the sound of two gunshots. I rush forward to where Marshall and Thore have taken lead of the group. The two of them had killed two grubs that were heading our direction. It’s the third time we’ve come into contact with grubs that we were unaware of. We didn’t have this issue when we first left the hospital. I’m starting to wonder if something is drawing them to us or they’re simply more numerous towards the center of the city. We can’t even avoid the center of the city because the rover, lab and evacuation spot are all on the East side and we have to make the trek. That’s why the rover is so important.

After calming the group, we continue walking. I stay up front with Marshall and Thore who pick up the pace. It’s clear they want to have a meeting of our little triumvirate out of earshot. I keep pace and pull ahead of the group waiting for Thore and Marshall to open discussion. Likely whatever they had been talking about before the grub sighting.

“I think we need to let he family go,” Marshall says. “We’ve had nothing but bad luck since they’ve joined our group.”

“We can’t just leave them to die,” I interject.

“That’s true, but you can’t say you haven’t noticed the bad luck. It’s as if these things are attracted to us now. We just had to keep a normal volume and stay out of distance before, now it doesn’t seem to matter,” Thore seems to read my mind.

“Then what do you suggest? We can’t leave them and I’m sure you wouldn’t want me wasting three bullets,” Marshall jokes, but nobody laughs.

“Ask them to go their own way,” I suggest.

“They won’t agree. Marilyn may, but Karl has become too dependent already. He likely believes we owe him,” Thore responds. “We’re close to the rover, perhaps we just abandon them afterwards.”

“Then we might as well do it now.”

“How about we just use them as bait if things get too bad,” Marshall suggests. “I don’t see things getting easier and you two bleeding hearts refuse to leave them. Let’s just agree if things get bad, they’re not a priority.”

Thore doesn’t respond. He seems to be weighing his options. Personally, I want to save as many people as I can. Even if Karl is the most insufferable person I’ve ever met, and Marilyn makes my skin crawl, I don’t want to leave them for dead.

“Agreed,” Thore speaks up. “We don’t need to leave them for dead, but we don’t have to rescue them either.”

“I guess I’m outnumbered,” I respond.

“Seems that way,” Marshall shrugs. “I know we’ve been friends for a long time, but if you risk your life to save them, I won’t help, even if you’re facing death.”

“Thanks for the reminder.”