The Long Road Home

Chapter Nine

Pig was happy to see Burkton in the distance. The sign for the south junction was off in the distance. Bret had made the last three days on the road miserable. He had made oinking noises every time she ate something. She was sure she wasn't eating any more then anyone else. Pig frowned thinking of the incident back at the store with the root beer.

When they sat to eat, her root beer exploded when she opened it. She laughed with everyone about it, but was sure Bret had shaken it when no one was looking. He had also ambushed her in the aisles several times trying to scare her. Annoyed that it never worked, he resorted to calling her childish names.

Pig put an end to it by making sure she was never alone. He never bothered her when one of the others were with her.

She spotted Martha wiping tears from her eyes. The woman gave her a said smile.

'Sorry Pig.' She said. 'It just hit me you will leave us soon.' Pig frowned nodding. She would miss Martha. The woman was a good friend.

'Well,' Pig said trying to stay positive. 'If you don't find what you're looking for down south, you are more then welcome in NY.' She pulled her pad of paper out and wrote down the directions to her cabin. Pig tore it off and handed it to Martha. 'It's isolated with a lot of land to farm, a lake, and endless woods to hunt in. My brother installed solar panels before he was shipped to the Middle East. The cabin will have power.' Martha nodded and Pig watched her fold the paper with care and put it in her pocket.

'Thank you Pig.' She said. 'We will keep it in mind.'

'It's not like she is leaving today.' Tucker said joining the two. 'She promised to show us how to sneak around a city.' Pig nodded.

'I wanted to camp at the junction for a couple of days.' She told the two. 'There is a big wooded park right there. It's got a pond that's great for fishing.' Tucker rolled his eyes.

'Girl you're going to grow gills.' He teased and she smiled amused.

The south junction was just outside of the city itself. It was far enough away they would not have to worry about the infected, but close enough to walk to the small bank of stores in less then an hour.

'We will set camp here.' He said motioning to a grassy outcropping. 'Tomorrow we will hit the town.'

'A small group Tucker.' Pig warned. 'It will be to hard to keep all of us hidden from the infected.' He nodded

'Me, Bret, and Gwen will go.' He told her. 'We are the only ones in the group with any hunting experience.' Pig nodded her approval and then put up her lean-to. Once her sleeping area was in order she gathered her bathing supplies and put them in a sack.

Pig left the camp and headed for the trees on the other side of the highway. Something hit her in the back and she saw a pebble tumble onto the ground. She looked back the way she had come and spotted Bret sitting on a guard rail playing with another pebble.

'Sneaking off to stuff your face again piggy?' he snickered. Pig felt heat rush to her face and something inside her snapped.

'What are you five?' She demanded felling an anger she did not know she was capable of. 'Did you revert back to a kindergartner when the world ended? Dose it just make you feel better about your self to insult and tease someone who's different?' She went right up to him and poked him hard in the chest. 'You don't know me Bret, so don't judge me.' Pig turned away from him muttering outraged.

'What did you just call me?' Bret demanded

'I called you a fucking asshole.' She snapped not bothering to look back at him. She went through the woods heading for the pond in the center of the park. It was warmer today then it had been for months and she decided it was warm enough for a swim. She needed to work off this anger.