Fight To Live

Chapter 4

][=][ Ethan Barton's POV ][=][

The truck rumbled down a gravel path that we had taken off of the main road to get away from any prying eyes or swarms of the dead. After a while, we came to a stop in a small clearing. After the one-eyed boy instructed the driver to stop so that we could discuss a plan. We all unloaded from the truck and stood together in a circle. The man with the dreads walked the tiger off towards the woods, instructing her to go hunting before he came and rejoined us.

"So, you guys know our names but we don't know yours," I stated as we all gathered together.

"Yes, introductions are in order," the man with the dreads said as he smiled at me. "My name is Ezekiel, and the tiger's name is Shiva."

I was still wrapping my head around the fact that these people had a pet tiger in their group. I mean, don't get me wrong I wasn't upset about it because she certainly added a very strong layer of defense, but it didn't make it any easier to understand.

"I'm Carol," the gray-haired woman stated simply as she smiled at Mom, Tony, and me.

"Enid," the teenage girl said as she simply waved at us with a friendly but somewhat skeptical look on her face.

"Carl," the one-eyed boy said unenthusiasticly as he crossed his arms and switched his gaze between each of us.

It was silent for a moment as Enid, Carol, and Ezekiel all looked at Carl with looks of confusion. I was also very confused because he was not acting like the same person who had previously saved me and Tony from the RV. He seemed very closed off and cold.

"Right," Tony said as the silence started to feel uncomfortable and uneasy. "Well, it's great to meet y'all. Thanks for the save back there."

"Yeah sure whatever," Carl responded as he shrugged indifferently. "We gotta make a plan. I don't know where you were headed before, but my group was heading to San Antonio. We thought the Alamo would make for a very good base since it's a fort."

"Oh no," Mom said as she shook her head. "That's where we came from originally. San Antonio isn't safe at all."

I nodded in agreement, remembering just how hard it had been to escape the city when the military moved in right at the start.

"Well then, I guess that's off the table," Carl said as he frowned. "That's the reason we even came this direction. Where were you headed?"

"Our plan was to find a ranch up here in the countryside. It'd give us space to grow food, safety, and security," I responded as I gestured around us.

Our rescuers looked at each other, considering that plan.

"I mean, that sounds about as good as anyone could wish for right now," Carol stated as she shrugged. "It'd be like Hershel's farm or Hilltop. We find the right ranch we can build a wall and keep it protected pretty easy."

Carl bit his lip as he glanced at each of his group members and then at the three of us.

"Alright... so we just wander around aimlessly looking for a ranch?" He asked as he adjusted his sheriff hat.

"It shouldn't be hard to find one around here. There's a bunch of ranches and farms all over the place in this area," Mom explained as she glanced around. "We could probably find one today."