PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: SARGE

It had been a month and we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be.

I still don't know who's idea it was to let Johnny navigate, but never again.

I lost count on how many times we had to backtrack, because he made us take the wrong turn.

"How are we doing for time now Sarge?" Melissa asked from the passenger's seat.

"Still behind, but at least we're not lost anymore." I answered with a small amused smirk.

"How many time do I have to say that I'm sorry?" Johnny asked from the backseat.

"I will forgive you when we finally get where we need to be." I said with a slight growl in my voice.

"Sarge, he was holding the map upside down anyone could make that mistake." Amber defended from the back window.

"Most soldiers know how to read a map and could tell that the cities were upside down." I argued back. "Where are we headed now Mel?"

"Looks like we might be entering Chicago now...hey Johnny maybe we can go check on mom." Melissa suggested with a smile to her brother.

"And see her like the others? No Melissa...I can't kill her too." Johnny said sternly.

"Johnny, we can't just leave her and not go see her; just because you are afraid to see her as a Crawler. Melissa argued back with a frown. "Grow some balls Johnny, you're going to need them if you want to survive this...and we need more supplies."

"Melissa is right John, on both accounts."

Johnny let out a small sigh and looked over to the little ones beside him.

"Fine, but I'm not going to be the one to kill her if she is one." Johnny finally agreed. "You may not love her anymore, but part of me still does."

"I know Johnny, so if it comes to that than...I'll do it." Melissa said as if the thought had crossed her mind before. "It's the least I can do after getting you into this."

Johnny reached his hand over the seat and touched Melissa's arm.

"None of this is your fault Mel, especially not me being here...I would have joined with or without you." Johnny said as he leaned over the seat and giving his sister a make shift hug. "You being here is just a bonus."

"Thanks Johnny." Melissa said as she held his arms. "I just wish you would have stayed home with her."

"I know..." Johnny said before he pulled away and sat back in his seat.

After that the truck fell silent...well at least it would have been if Lilly-Bella and Timothy weren't awake and making little cooing noises.

It had been a couple of hours since we last fed them and we were running out of formula. From the last count we only have only have one and a half canisters left, and even less food for all four of the adults.

It didn't help that Johnny allowed Amber to eat as much as she wanted, on the grounds of us having plenty of food.

"How long have we been driving?" Amber asked from behind us.

"Abou 12 hours." I answered trying to hide my annoyance. "And before you ask...no we aren't stopping until I see actual fucking buildings and not just trees."

I was tired of listening to her bellyach about her how she hadn't 'aten' all day and how we were trying to sure she was malnourished. When all were trying to ration what little food we had left.

"Hey Johnny...can you get me the key to the trunk, I need some water?" Amber asked in what she thought was a whisper.

"Here you can have what's left in my canteen." Johnny said before handing the bottle through the small window.

Amber had tried that trick before on Melissa and it worked, but only once...and she wouldn't dare try it on me.

"Thanks...I guess." Amber said audibly disappointed.

"If you don't like the rations, maybe when we get into town you and Johnny should go and get us more supplies since you two ate most of our food." I said as I continued driving down the dark back road. "We don't want you to starve, we are just trying to make sure that we all suvive...you saw what happened."

Amber didn't respond to what I said, probably because she wasn't listening to me at all.

You know what they say...in one ear and out the other. I might as well have been talking to a brick wall.

"No offense Sarge, but you don't know what you are talking about." Amber said seriously.

It took all my will power not to stop my truck and pull her out and leave her as crawler food.

She would probably be the best meal any of them have had in a while, but I couldn't live with myself if I actually did that.

So for the time being we were stuck with each other and we were going to have to learn to live with that.

"Hey Sarge..." Johnny said breaking me out of my thoughts.

"What's up John?" I asked softly as I looked at him through the rearview mirror.

"Are you sure that Andie is in Charlotte's Ville?" Johnny asked curiously.

"I'm not, but I can hope."

"Who's Andie?" Amber asked with a deep breath.

"The person that is going to help Sarge end all of this...he thinks she may know how to find the cure." Melissa answered with a smile over at me. "She's the that he saved from the lab where they made the virus."

"So she has the cure?"

"No...she might be able to figure out what they did with it though." I answered confidently.

"That's why its important that we know where she is." Johnny said before pulling out his phone. "It's ashame that we are nowhere near close to that."

"Have a little faith Johnny...this will be over soon."

Poor naive Melissa this was only the beginning...-Sarge.