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Follow The Leader

"How did you meet Glenn?" Maggie asked, presumably trying to distract me from the gunshot that rang out not so long ago.

I took my chin off my knees, stretching my legs out on the couch beside her. They had been curled up like that for a while and they were starting to ache. "It wasn't that long ago. A couple months now. He found me in the city and took me back to camp."

Glenn talked a lot, that's what I was beginning to realise the more time we spent together. I thought once Tilly died I would never hear another human voice again, but I guess you don't always get what you wish for. At least I had couple of days of peace and quiet.

"-then there's Dale. He's got an RV, which is super cool. So when we get there you can use the shower and we can get you a sleeping bag-"

He was telling me all about the people in his group. It sounded like there was a lot of them, he had been talking for hours. I thought it would bother me more than this, but maybe I actually missed having company.

"There's Carl and Sophia and a couple other kids. I don't know their names but their Dad's name is Morales. I don't know if that's his first or last name but it's too late to ask now. I think they're about you're age, how old are you?"

I snapped out of my thoughts at the questions. "Eleven. Unless we already passed August, then I'm twelve now." I answered, my lips falling into a thoughtful frown. My birthday wasn't something I made a habit of celebrating, but it was useful to know how old I was.

"Well, Andrea tries to keep track of the days but I'm not sure how accurate it is. I would say were in September now, so...happy birthday?" Glenn sheepishly offered.

"Thanks. Are we nearly there?" I pulled the straps of my bag to keep it from slipping, the heavy amount of food dragging it down my back. We had brought with us as much food as we could fit, both of us carrying two bags each. I wouldn't be surprised if this was my best first impression ever.

Glenn squinted his eyes, looking ahead before his face lit up. "Yeah, we're out the city now, cars just ahead."

"You got a car?" I was stunned in amazement. The only cars I had seen recently were crashed or flipped over in a pile of fire and debris.

"Yeah, we gotta get up that somehow." He pointed ahead, my eyes following curiously. They kept going up and up until they reached the top of a huge quarry, the solid stone white and gleaming compared to the gravel I walked on.

"You see the smoke up there? That's the camp." I could see it- soft billows like gray clouds dissipating into the sky.

We got in the car and sped off up the bumpy path, the thought of seeing so many people coupled with the landscape whizzing past making me feel sick.

Glenn appeared to sense my nerves, giving me a little nudge from the drivers seat. "Hey, kid. Don't worry about it. These are good people, okay? You're gonna do great. And if you don't, well, I'm here." He smiled at me in a way that I couldn't help but smile back, even if it was small and uncertain.

Maybe I would be okay here.

"He was so scared of me when we met. It's hilarious." I finished, the small smile on my lips full of warmth and reminiscence.

"I wasn't that scared." Glenn stood at the open door, his tired expression struggling to light up.

I jumped from my seat and tackled him in a hug, relief running through me like cold water. "You're okay!" Glenn squeezed tightly, and now I could feel how fast his panicked heart was beating.