Zombie survivor

[27] The next step

The evening air was thick with the scent of canned stew simmering on the stove, a blend of canned vegetables and whatever seasoning Morgan had left in her pantry. The group gathered around the small dining table, digging into the warm food with a kind of desperation that only came from days of scrounging and rationing.

Morgan sat at the head of the table, eating in silence, her eyes sharp as she watched the teens hungrily scoop food into their mouths. After a few minutes, she set her spoon down and spoke, her voice cutting through the low murmur of conversation. "What's your next step?"

The group glanced at each other, a bit taken aback. Jean cleared his throat, swallowing the last bite of his stew. "Uh, well... we hadn't really thought that far ahead."

"Typical," Morgan muttered, shaking her head slightly. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "You think you're just gonna sit here forever? My supplies last one more week, tops."

Brittney huffed, rolling her eyes. "Can't we, like, take a breather? We just barely got here. It's been, like, three days since everything went down, and we've barely even slept."

Morgan gave her a hard look. "And you think it's gonna get easier? Reality check, kid. This isn't the start of some fun camping trip. You want to survive? You need a plan."

Chloe leaned back, twirling her fork as she raised an eyebrow. "Well, genius, where would you suggest? We don't exactly have a map of safe houses around here."

"Somewhere remote," Morgan replied curtly. "Natural resources. Food, water, maybe some game. This place is temporary. You stay here long enough, you're dead."

Evan looked around, nodding slowly. "She's... got a point, guys. We're kinda in the middle of nowhere, but there's not enough here to last us if more people show up or... if the zombies find us."

Jordan scratched the back of his head, staring at his half-empty bowl. "Dude, how about we just, like, go north? Zombies probably freeze, right? Just park ourselves in Canada or something."

Lucas snorted. "Yeah, 'cause the first thing we need right now is to go full wilderness survivalist. I'm sure we're all ready for subzero temps and snow."

Tyler shrugged. "Actually, he's got a point. We get far enough north, maybe we can find a place that's hard to reach. Zombies'd have a tough time if we're deep in the woods. Less chance of running into other people, too."

Morgan watched them, her face unreadable. "Canada's not a bad idea. Harder to survive, sure, but fewer people means fewer threats. That's the point."

Chloe crossed her arms, looking skeptical. "So we're just supposed to, like, rough it in the Canadian wilderness? I don't know about you guys, but I'm not exactly thrilled at the thought of freezing to death."

Akira, who had been quietly listening, spoke up, her voice low. "But it's safer. If we stay here... we'll run out of supplies, and we'll have to keep moving anyway."

Morgan nodded in agreement, her eyes flicking over to Jean. "Your friend's right. Safe isn't comfortable. You want to stay alive, you do what it takes."

Jean considered her words, nodding slowly. "So... we go north. But how are we even supposed to get that far? We barely have enough gas for the bus as it is."

Ms. Heather, who had been listening intently, cleared her throat. "There are small towns along the way. If we can avoid the major highways and stick to back roads, maybe we can scavenge supplies and fuel as we go."

Blake raised a hand tentatively, glancing around the table. "Uh, just a thought, but wouldn't it be... better to find a smaller, fortified town first? Somewhere where we can stock up for real. I mean, Canada's far, and we're not exactly well-prepared."