Alamort | Troy Otto

2.1

[2.1]

They couldn't find a car. The highway was blocked, with cars and the dead, and so they had to walk. They gathered their belongings, which weren't much, just water, food, and weapons, and started walking. They didn't stop for a long time. Thena was determined to get to Atlanta by nightfall, and she didn't care about anything else. She knew there was no physical way of her plan to work, and Troy wouldn't stop reminding her. He managed to convince her to camp somewhere for the first night, and in her tired state, Thena gave up. She was the first awake by morning and ushered Troy on his feet to continue their walk.

By the time the sun was down for the second time, the two had gotten closer to the city as they ever were. The woman wasn't planning on barging in the city, she just needed to get close enough so memories of her way home would surface in her mind. They still had approximately one hour of walk, and as much as Troy wanted to stop, Thena wouldn't.

He tried to convince her, but the best break he got was of ten minutes, time for the woman to change the bandage at his head. They didn't talk after their break, only continued their trip in silence. Thena's axe was swinging by her side, the handle, as well as her hand and arm up to her elbow, were covered in the blood of the dead that got too close to her.

When they started closing up on Atlanta, Thena slowed down. Troy looked at the big road sign to their left before his eyes fell on the woman next to him. She was looking towards the left side of the upcoming intersection, her eyes slightly glossy. The moon was shining brightly and there were no clouds in the sky, and the man was grateful that they weren't in winter.

"Where to now?" he asked gently, walking closer to Thena. She raised her tomahawk and pointed to the sign a few feet away from them.

"King County. My house."

Troy stared at the back of her head as she walked away from him. She turned her body to him, raising her hands and her eyebrows in question, a small smile plastered on her bruised lips. The man scoffed and gave a small laugh before he jogged up to her and they both made their way towards Thena's childhood home in silence.

~

The twilight shadows that the rising sun cast upon the familiar street made it look less gray than Thena remembered. The nice neighborhood was deserted. There was no sign of life, and the dead were nowhere to be seen either, but the place was a wreck.

Thena's pace slowed down as her eyes wandered on the houses. Her hazel orbs seemed out of focus, as if she was reliving her memories. She remembered the time she fell off her skateboard at the corner of her street and broke both her wrists, the sidewalk where her father taught her how to ride a bike, the small patch of greenery in front of their porch where she saw Carl for the first time at the mere age of nine.

She didn't realize she had stopped from walking in front of the familiar sight of her home until Troy's voice woke her up. "You ok?" he asked calmly, a few small creases appearing between his eyebrows as he frowned.

Her eyes focused rapidly, blinking at a fast rate. She slightly turned her head right, and from the corner of her eyes, caught Troy's stare. She nodded, a raspy yes coming out of her throat. She turned away from him and her eyes fell upon the ajar entrance door.