Kenopsia

As God's Will

They scavenged cars along the sides of the four-lane highway as they walked, fields and fields of ice and snow surrounding them, a few naked trees dotted here and there, and occasional skeletons and dead animals could be seen littered across the road. The wind began to hit harder, and the thick snow flurries began to shift into thin ice shards. Frozen rain. The sky rumbled overhead dangerously. Spere hoped they'd find a secure car to stay for the night. Spere scavenged a few cars as they walked. She found a pretty blue pickup truck, and ran her hands along the pristine interior. She didn't know much about cars, but could tell quite obviously that this one was older than the others, and in great condition, surprisingly, despite the busted windows. Then, she walked through, and found a large black van, with horribly tinted windows. She hated tinted windows, especially in cars without any broken ones. She'd always find complete skeletons in these types of cars, concealed by the black and intact windows. Someone trying to wait out the storm right after The Event, but failing. She didn't mind skeletons, but they still ringed an eerie sadness to them. Especially child ones.

She checked the door, and it was locked. Spere grew excited, for the first time in a while. She'd felt nothing but anger and grief recently, sad and belittled and wishing for something, anything more. But now, she was excited. She loved to scavenge, and she knew a locked door meant something good was inside. Although, as Rebel used a crowbar to break the glass window, shards scattering across the ground, Spere wasn't expecting to come face-to-face with another living person.

The woman simply stared at Spere, dumbfounded, eyes wide, as though she had never seen another human before. Spere probably looked the same way; the girl was an eerie image of herself. Not appearance, but she was likely the same age as Spere, and dirty, and scared. And confused. She had pasty white skin that reminded Spere of cloudy, and frizzled blond hair that was up in a bun, and wide blue eyes. She had a few scars across her face, and many freckles, though they were hardly noticeable.

"Are you okay?" Spere finally asked. Her voice was shocking in the silence.

The girl stared for a while longer and then said, with a thick country accent Spere didn't recognize, "You just broke into my car, so no."

"I didn't know you were in there," Spere said. She didn't know what she was even saying; her brain had stopped working the moment she laid eyes on the girl.

"Are you alone?" Rebel asked, behind Spere.

The woman nodded, "'Pose so."

Rebel asked again, "Where you from?"

"Don't know, maybe Louisiana? Alabama? Are those states close to each other? I don't do a whole lot of readin," she shrugged. "Y'all seem like nice fellows."

"Some of us are," Spere grimaced.

"Yikes. Well if y'all could leave me alone now that'd be great. I'm waitin for the storm to brew in," she said.

Spere asked, "What for?"

"Fishin!" The girl said excitedly. "A river down in that field down there," she pointed through the window, "only gets open when hail breaks the ice. Got my fishin' gear in the back. That's how I live."

"You mean fresh meat?" Spere said, almost grinning at the idea of it.

The woman nodded, "Yessiree! How bout y'all? Take to scavengin', I'd assume. Smart, but ain't worthwhile round here. These cars all already been looted."

"I've noticed that," Spere said. "Do you have a name?"

"Yeah, 'pose I'll tell ya. Call me Andrea," she held out a hand.

She shook it, "Spere. This behind me is Rebel." Spere decided not to mention Cloudy or Windy, just in case this girl was some sort of trap. She seemed honest enough, but Spere had had her fair share of dishonest people.