“We’ve got to go; they already broke through the back fence. They got in the kitchen.” she bellowed, opening the driver’s door and retrieving a sawn-off shotgun. She loaded it and began firing as the gates fell and Walkers started to spill in, “Hurry the fuck up and get in the cars!”
“Jack’s still upstairs!” Riley yelled back.
Scarlett hated that man, but they had already lost so many people and she wasn’t prepared to lose anymore.
“If you have to leave… just go,” she said, looking to Riley and Travis.
“I’m comin’ with you,” Travis stated, “If he can’t walk, you ain’t gonna be able to manage on your own.”
Scarlett nodded and they made their way back inside and up the stairs.
As far as they were aware, the Roamers hadn’t made it up there yet. There was too much commotion outside for them to be interested in struggling up the flight of steps.
Scarlett threw Travis a new clip for her pistol, which he loaded.
“What number?”
“Next to mine; three-two-three,” Scarlett informed him.
As they reached the corridor leading to the third floor, they could hear the exasperated grunts that signalled to them that Jack had already started dragging his ass out, exhausted.
Turning the corner, they found him; practically hopping, using the wall for stability. Scarlett and Travis took an arm each and supported him.
“What the hell’s going on out there?”
“You don’t even want to know,” Scarlett began, “We can’t stay here.”
They pulled him painfully down the stairs and Scarlett used her free hand to draw her other pistol, shooting quickly, but efficiently, taking out the Roamers in their path.
They made it outside to see that the other cars and the passengers from the truck had gone.
Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the others were safe as they battled their way to Travis’ beat up flat bed, loading Jack and Number Six onto the back. Travis climbed into the passenger seat and Scarlett into the driver’s side. She started the engine before reversing as far as she could, then put her foot to the floor, smashing through a huge number of corpses and onto the road.
Catching her breath, Scarlett glanced into the rear-view mirror and watched as the Bluehaven Hotel, the place they’d all worked so hard for, disappeared into the distance.
She didn’t know how many they’d lost, and she didn’t want to know. They were without supplies; food, clean water, shelter, most of their weaponry. Back to square one; tents and sleeping bags and sleeping with one eye open.
Travis looked at her, trying to think of something to say. Nothing would help.
Jack tapped on the window and Travis reached back to slide it open.
“Where are the others?” he asked.
“How the fuck would we know that? We were savin’ your sorry ass when they left. They probably think we’re still there,” Travis answered dryly.
“And I’m grateful for that,” Jack said sincerely, “You had every right to just leave me after what I did, Fox.”
“Yeah, well it’s no fun if I can’t watch you being ripped apart,” Scarlett replied sarcastically, “Besides, we lost enough back there and as much as I hate to admit it, we need you.”
“You did all you could, Scar.” Travis assured her.
“Don’t,” she said weakly, “I’ve had enough of losing people. I just want to find whoever’s left and get them to safety.”
Chapter Eight:
It wasn’t long before they caught up with Riley and the others. They’d stopped in the middle of the road and a few of the passengers were standing around, some of them were in tears, but most were still in a state of shock.
Scarlett pulled the truck over behind the vehicles and turned off the engine. Travis climbed out to speak to Chino while Scarlett just sat there, staring at the survivors. Only now did she realise who they’d lost. Just three of the children had made it out; Helena, Thomas and Felix. They were terrified. Travis approached them and, although Scarlett couldn’t hear what was said, she knew they were asking for her when Travis turned and pointed to the truck.
She sighed and climbed out of the truck, leaving the keys in the ignition, followed by Six, who clung to her side defensively.
The children ran to her and Scarlett held her hands over the axes on her hips as they each wrapped their arms around her.
She crouched down in front of them and tried her best to comfort them with words. Helena’s father hadn’t made it out of the kitchen after protecting his daughter and the other kids by pushing them toward the exit.
While Scarlett allowed the children to cry in her arms, Riley approached with Henry.
“Are you alright?” Riley asked gently.
Scarlett looked up at him and gave a sad nod.
“We need to find somewhere to set up camp, at least for tonight,” she responded weakly as she stood.
“Okay, Mouse and I will--”
“I’ll go,” Scarlett interrupted, “I need to do something. I can’t just stand here.”
“If you’re sure,” Riley said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s probably a good idea to get everyone back into the vehicles in case you need to move on,” she suggested, “Just promise me you’ll keep those kids close. Especially Helena; she lost her dad.”
“Of course. Here, take this.” He handed her his walkie-talkie, “Chino has another. Let us know if you find somewhere to go.
“Can you look after Six for me?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to take him with you?”
“Nah. He needs rest. Dogs get tired too and we’re gonna need him to be alert if we’re sleeping in the open. Just make sure he gets something to eat and drink.”
“But what if y--.”
“I’ll go with her.” Travis announced, pulling on his leather jacket.
“See?” she smiled.
Before she could go anywhere, Riley grabbed her by the hand and drew her into a firm, fraternal hug. Pulling away, Scarlett glanced behind her and nodded to Travis, who climbed into the driver’s seat of his truck and started the engine.
Travis continued to drive away from the hotel. They got a few miles from the others when Scarlett began to feel numb inside and her tears started to fall uncontrollably down her cheeks. Travis looked at her and watched her crumble, unrestrainedly emitting loud sobs. He had no idea what to say to her – he’d never seen her like that before. He wished she was angry instead, at least that was something he’d already experienced and, to an extent, knew how to deal with. He sighed and stopped the car, turning to look at her.
“Hey,” he said, his voice low, “Are you okay?” Scarlett looked at him, her eyes puffy and red. “We’ll be alright.”
“Really?” Scarlett croaked, wiping her face. “Tell that to the people who got ripped apart.”
“You know that wasn’t your fault, right?” he enquired, bowing his head down a little to try to catch her eye, “There ain’t no way we could’a prepared for that amount of Roamers. You did what you could.”
Scarlett looked up at him, her eyes heavy with exhaustion and sadness.
“Of course it was my fault,” she said dejectedly, “What do you think attracted them to the hotel in the first place? The gunfire the day Jimmy died.”
“That was months ago, Scarlett.”
“So? They’re slow; it probably took them that long to find us.”
“It’s more likely to have been the vehicles travellin’ up and down that road every goddamn day. I told Riley we should limit the amount of runs we make, but he was too concerned with stockin’ up; didn’t wanna be a bad leader.” Travis assured her. “It ain’t your fault, you hear me?”
“Then whose fault is it, Travis?” Scarlett questioned, her anger finally breaking through.
“Nobody’s--”
“Every time I find a little bit of happiness, it all just gets ripped away from me w
hen I least expect it,” she sobbed, “My mum and our new life, Alice, Jimmy, Bluehaven… all those people. It’s dangerous for people to get close to me.”
“It’s just how the world works now, Scar--”
“Will you stop?” Scarlett snapped, her fury now completely bubbling to the surface, “I don’t need you to try to talk me round. I’m fully aware of how the world works, but before Riley and Jack found me at the side of the road, they were doing just fine. They had more than thirty people until today and I just shut most of them in a fucking kitchen. It’s bullshit.”
Travis could see that she needed to vent, and he was pleased that she had stopped crying, but the fact that her annoyance seemed to be toward him was just pissing him off too.
“Why don’t you stop, Scarlett?” he bit back, “Stop being such a fuckin’ victim. Like it or not, the people we have left are lookin’ to you and Riley even more now. Stop thinkin’ about yourself and wallowin’ in self-pity. Suck it up and give these people some damn hope!”
“I don’t have any to give.”
“So you’re just gonna give up? On your friends? No, your family!” Travis took a deep breath to try and calm himself before continuing, “Do you know how long I’ve waited to be accepted like I am now? My whole fuckin’ life, Scar. Yeah, I had to wait ‘til the world ended, but I finally have a place, a purpose. I lost people today too. Fuck, everyone on that road back there lost people. Do you see any of them givin’ up?”
“I’m not strong enough--”
“Well, they think you are. So you better learn how to be strong enough. It ain’t all about you, y’know.”
Scarlett paused, staring at her lap. She had nothing to counter with. Travis was right, she knew that. She didn’t want to admit it.
“We should carry on. It’ll be dark soon.”
Travis turned the key in the ignition. The engine spluttered and coughed, but wouldn’t start.
“Fuck!” Travis spat, slamming his hands on the steering wheel. “Should’a taken one of the other cars. I knew this pile of shit needed some work. It’s gettin’ dark and we’re in the ass-end of nowhere with half a bottle of water between us.”
“We could make it back to the others.” Scarlett suggested, “We can’t be more than a couple of miles away.”
Travis observed the area around them; the highway was ahead, fields to their left and woodland on the right.
“No. We can’t,” he growled. “Can’t risk moving on foot in the dark. We’ll have to find somewhere to spend the night. See if we can find an open spot in the woods.”
“What about the truck?”
“We can get it tomorrow. As soon as the sun’s up we’ll get back to the others and hope that they’ve got some tools.”
Scarlett looked at him for a moment. Spending time alone with Travis was awkward enough when they had an objective, but the thought of sitting around a campfire all night with him filled her with dread. Travis wasn’t exactly one for small-talk, and neither was she. But she had to admit, she’d rather that than traipse through the woods or along the exposed roads in the dark.
“I’ll get the sleeping bags.”
The pair eventually stumbled on an open space among the trees. On one side was a narrow dirt track which Travis discovered ran to the main road.
“Alright,” Travis began, throwing Scarlett his zippo lighter and loading his crossbow, “You start on the fire and I’ll see if I can find us somethin’ to eat and drink.”
With that, he disappeared into the trees. Scarlett stood alone in the cold air, feeling tiny in the silence. She crouched down and felt the leaves on the ground. They were dry, so she gathered as many as she could, along with some sticks. She knelt down and began patiently starting a fire, blowing on it gently to spread the small flames until they grew to a satisfactory size. Enough to keep them warm and cook some food if Travis found any.
Scarlett shivered. Her thin shirt and vest kept her cool enough in the daytime, but the nights got remarkably cold, especially with an empty stomach.
She sat herself as close to the fire as she could stand and wrapped her arms around herself.
A short time later, Travis returned with his ‘bow over his shoulder and a limp rabbit carcass in one hand. Hooked on his back pocket was his canteen which, from the way it was pulling on his trousers, he had clearly filled.
“Wow, nice work.” Scarlett complimented, “You hunted that in the dark?”
“What’s with the tone of surprise?” He smiled, dropping his kill on the ground next to her, “Hand me the mess tin from my bag, will you? Should be a metal gauze too.”
Scarlett did as requested and Travis knelt by the fire and poured the murky contents of his canteen into the tin, balanced the gauze on the fire and rested the tin on top.
“It’ll be fine once it’s boiled,” he said. He sat himself down next to Scarlett and felt her shivering when his arm brushed against hers. “You’re cold.”
“I’m fine. Just not used to being outside at night.”
Travis slid his leather jacket down his arms and placed it around Scarlett’s shoulders. Scarlett smiled at him.
“Thank you.” She said.
He looked at her and nodded before quickly turning his attention to the dead rabbit. Drawing his hunting knife, he began to butcher the animal.
* * *
Travis licked his fingers and threw a small bone into the fire. Scarlett took a swig from the canteen before offering it to him. She stood and unravelled the sleeping bags, shaking them out.
“Where do you wanna sleep?” she asked, her voice croaky with fatigue.
“I’m good right here.”
Scarlett handed him a sleeping bag. He crawled inside it but didn’t zip it up. He knew there was every chance that they could have a rude awakening. Scarlett smoothed out her own sleeping bag on the other side of the clearing and Travis sat up to watch her.
“What’re you doin’?” he questioned.
“I know it’s dark, Travis, but really?”
“No, I mean what’re you doin’ all the way over there? Gotta stay close in case anythin’ happens. I’m not gonna bite you.”
“Oh... Sure.” She said, dragging her sleeping bag next to his.
She unfastened her weapon belt, placing it next to her temporary bed, and clambered inside. Closing her eyes, Scarlett knew her attempts at sleeping would be futile, but she was exhausted, so had to try.
The night air sent a chill through her bones and she quietly reached out for Travis’ jacket which she’d slid off her shoulders when organising the sleeping bags. She pulled it up to her neck and instantly felt warmer. It smelt like him and she was comforted by that. She turned her head to look at Travis and noticed he was already facing her, laying on his back, with one arm above his head. He quickly shut his eyes and pretended to sleep. Scarlett smirked and felt herself slowly drifting off.
* * *
Travis woke suddenly to the sound of Scarlett’s pained cries. Simultaneously sitting bolt upright and clutching for his hunting knife, he looked at her, still sleeping, but shifting around, her cheeks shining with tears. After quickly observing the empty space around them, the only light coming from the embers of the fire, he leant over and gently tried to wake her.
“Scarlett,” he whispered, “Scarlett, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”
Her whimpers and sobs only got worse and, concerned about her noise attracting Roamers, Travis gently shook her arm.
“Please don’t hurt him.” she mumbled.
“What? Scar, it’s Travis. Wake up.”
“No, Jimmy!” she shouted.
Travis shook her again, a little firmer this time. Scarlett’s eyes flew open and she emitted a blood-curdling shriek, at the same time grabbing for an axe.
Travis was quick enough to seize her arm as she swung it at him, aiming for the top of his head.
“Scarlett, stop!” Travis boomed, panicked, snatching away the weapon and throwing it behind himself.
> He held Scarlett by her shoulders and forced her to look at his face. She saw the glow of his blue eyes and her terrified expression diminished, leaving sadness and remorse. She stared at him for a while as he slowly freed her from his grip.
“Oh... Oh my God,” she stuttered, “I’m sorry, Travis. I thought...”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. You were just dreamin’.”
“I’m sorry...”
“I know you don’t like me much, but wasn’t that a little extreme?” Travis joked, catching his breath.
Surprising himself, he flinched when Scarlett leapt up and ran unsteadily toward the nearest tree, bending double and heaving. Travis sat forward and rested his arms on his bent knees, his heart still racing. Like a car crash, he couldn’t help staring as his evening’s hunt was spilt onto the ground.
Once she thought she was finished, Scarlett began trying to spit the taste away, holding out her hand. Travis threw her the canteen. She caught it, opened it and quickly took a few short sips.
She made her way back to her sleeping bag, dropping herself on top of it cross-legged. She knew that sleep was no longer an option. Her entire body was dripping with sweat and her hands were shaking. She was beginning to wonder why Travis wasn’t asking about her dream. Maybe it would have made her feel better to tell someone, maybe not. Perhaps he was just giving her time to gather her wits.
She looked at him. He was looking at her, but didn’t avert his gaze this time. He held it, and they silently agreed that they would stay awake until dawn.
* * *
As the sun rose, Scarlett and Travis rolled up their sleeping bags and collected the few belongings they had with them. Scarlett switched on her radio. She still felt sick and shaky; a combination of the lasting affects her nightmares had, along with the lack of sleep.
“Riley, you there?”
“Hey Scar. Been waiting to hear from you. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Did you have to go far? We’ve found somewhere we can set up the tents. There should be room for the cars too. We’re on foot until we get some tools though.”
Roamers (Book 1) Page 11