“Mmm, seems like a good time to stop for some lunch, besides I’m wiped” I plop my pack onto the bed of a pickup sitting in the middle of the road. There’s plenty of vehicles on the road for the taking, though none of them would work after the emp. There must have been plenty of traffic then, but now it’s all one big traffic jam that will never move. I sit next to my pack on the bed and start rummaging for some food and water. The sun is at its peak for the day and have a few hours before it starts to get dark. “What are you talking about? I could go for another hour” Doug speaks up anxiously. “You probably could but I’m not so use to this as you. And it looks like she could use a bit of a break too” I point over to Alexia who’s sweating and as slight labored breathing. “And plus it’s not good to over do it” I wave my finger at him. Doug shrugs and leans his pack against a car next to him, the other two do the same.

“Ahh, I forgot how pretty the sky can look, been too long since I’ve really studied it. I really should get out more” I chuckle at what I just said. I’m laying back in the bed of the truck after eating my small lunch. I admire the scenery of the river of sky and the trees and either side to hold it all in. “How can you be so calm right after what just happened to your home?!” Alexia exclaims rather loudly. Quite a few emotions must be brewing inside of her right now, and the biggest one is probably anger. “Alexia” Helen hushedly snaps at her. I sit up and hop off the truck and wave Helen off, “No no, it’s fine. Let’s get the rest of this out in one fell swoop” I walk towards while trying to stretch out my sore limbs. “What would you have me do? Be angry about all of it, and to whom? Maybe to the guy who followed you and trashed the place, or how about towards you from leading him to me” I begin to raise my voice to facade anger ” Fine then, and PISSED at you. YOU screwed everything up for me, if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have to be out here right now, I could be laying on my couch reading a book right now. But NOooo you just had to come into that building and take it from ME”. Alexia is flinching and cowering back, while Doug worriedly let’s out my name, I hold my index finger up to him. I lower my voice back to normal, “Look I know I already discussed this with you already but you need to understand this and move on from it. Who’s ever fault it may be, does it really matter? It’s happened, and there’s no amount of feelings I can feel or things that I can do to get it back. Would you look at me?” Alexia has her head hung down. “Alexia I need to see that you’re understanding what I’m saying” I reach down to her chin and tilt her head up to look into her eyes, she isn’t crying but they are red. “It’s in the past and it won’t be coming back. With this new world we have, we have to look towards the future and prepare for what’s to come. There is no time to live in the past and wish it to be so. Make the most of what you have and not dwell on what you once were… So take a minute to sort out your feelings and make a plan, what are you going to live for?” she awkwardly stands there for a moment and I watch as her face slowly shows relief. I pat her head, “you good” and she nods her head. “Good good, now we best be going, only got a few until it gets too dark” I walk over to the truck and grab my pack.