Alyssa Chávez has felt alone for most of her life. She was never good at making friends. She always felt a distance between her and her family. So when the apocalypse happened, her social life didn't take much of a hit. After losing her family, Alys...
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Chapter Thirty Found
After spending the night in the living room of the farmhouse, Alyssa and Mikey went back out onto the road at first light. They had opted for some messenger bags over the plastic trash bags she had found earlier because they'd be easier to carry.
They had both gotten a fresh change of clothes from the upstairs closets before they left. Mikey had grabbed a plain grey t-shirt and a red flannel. Alyssa found a wine-red tank top that was a little bit too small and crept up her stomach and a black sports jacket.
As she walked, Alyssa's right hand rested comfortably on one of the pouches of her utility belt. The sun was still low. It wasn't that warm yet, so it was more comfortable to walk than yesterday if you didn't take the weight from the supplies into account.
"What do you think will happen?" Mikey spoke up. "When we find them?" he clarified. he grabbed his water bottle and drank some. They had plenty and the more they drank, the less weight they had to carry around. And if that meant a few more pee breaks, so be it.
"You want the honest answer or the sugarcoated answer?" Alyssa asked. There were a few ways this could end and depending on his answer, she had a limited amount of options she'd go over.
Mikey thought for a moment before deciding what he wanted to hear. "Honest."
"Well, we either find them alive and well and we find a plan to go home together. Or they could be injured and we have to devise a plan to get them home safely. Or we don't find them at all because they've gone someplace else. Or we find their remains and have to deal with the fact that they're gone and we went out here for nothing," Alyssa theorized.
Mikey took a deep breath in and sighed. "We wouldn't have been out here for nothing. At least we'd have an answer. But, uh, I think I'd like to take home my dad's wedding ring. You know, for my mom."
Alyssa nodded. "Guess you have a point there. But I'd like to think we're gonna find something good. I saw a ladybug on the porch this morning. My mom told me they're good luck. It's a weird superstition, but sometimes it's comforting to have some faith," she said.
"Are you religious?" Mikey wondered.
Alyssa shook her head. "Not really. Well, sometimes. I was raised Catholic. There's been moments these past few years where I believed in God and miracles and all that and there's been moments where I didn't," she explained. "Faith is complicated like that. We can't rationalize it, and I hate not being able to do that. Bad things happen and you don't know why. And then some good things happen and you try to find a reason for it so you can hold onto that and live it again and again."
"That is...an answer." Mikey chuckled.
Alyssa smiled and looked down at the ground. "Sorry, I'm tired," she apologized. "But on the bright side, we're almost there," she said as she pointed to the buildings in the near distance.
