Perhaps We'll Meet Another Day

The Hand That Feeds You

Keeping up with the group of three men hadn't been that difficult after all. They seemed to engage in more loud conversation than even Penguin and Shachi did on a regular basis. Of course, considering they'd just recruited a new and strange survivor they knew nothing about warranted a bit of conversation. Thankfully it just made it all the easier to track them.

They didn't even have to worry about any nearby zombies either. While there wasn't an abundant amount of undead roaming this city to begin with, any that the survivors alerted they took care of pretty quickly. All Law and his group had to do was lay low and wait for them to be taken care of. The biggest problem was just keeping out of sight and quiet enough not to alert the others that they were there.

And, of course, once they actually left the city and started walking through the forest, this became much harder of a task. The leaves underfoot crunched with each step, and they had to significantly increase the distance between their two groups just to ensure they weren't heard.

"How far away can this camp be?" Shachi whispered amongst them, glancing down at his feet as his weight snapped a stray branch. "We've been walking for like 20 minutes."

Law only shrugged, torn between watching the ground to avoid the driest and therefore crunchiest-looking pile of leaves as they walked, and keeping a steady gaze on the group they were following. "It can't be too much farther. Look, it's getting dark already."

He pointed up to the sky, which was still visible through the canopy of leaves overhead. Indeed, the sky was beginning to darken into that blue-gray hue of the promise of night. The air was a bit chillier than before too, though it hadn't become apparent until Law said something about the change.

Penguin's stomach growled loudly, reminding them all that they were starving, though the constant reminder wasn't really necessary. It was one of the most prominent thoughts and fears in their minds.

The worry having dulled any conversation they would have had, they trudged on carefully, zigzagging their way from tree to tree in an effort to stay out of sight of the group up ahead.

It was another 15 or 20 minutes before the group up ahead took a sharp left in their path, walking out of Law's sight. Noticing the sudden change in behavior from their targets, Law frowned and held up a hand in warning, prompting them to hide behind the nearest tree. He waited a few seconds, making sure they hadn't been discovered inadvertently, before signaling they continue.

As the companions approached where they had turned, Law spotted a bit of bright color in the muted earth tones of the forest, he frowned, crouching down to delicately finger the bright orange ribbon tied at the base of a tree. It was thick and unmistakable.

"What is it?" Shachi asked, not quite sure of its significance. Law stood and turned towards where the group had started heading. He waved them to follow.

"It's a directional marker, so they know how to return to their camp if I were to guess."

So saying, they continued down the path the three men had presumable gone. They weren't within sight, and after several minutes of walking without knowing where they had gone, Law stopped with a frown.

"Looks like we've lost them." He admitted, running a frustrated hand through his hair. Great, this past hour might well turn out to be a waste. Still, they had to be nearby somewhere.

"Well, we can always leave while we still can." Shachi shrugged, still the dissenter in this situation. He wasn't feeling too comfortable following these people into potential danger, regardless of Law's curiosity or plan of action.

The three stood there in the middle of the forest, stomachs growling continuously with each passing minute they didn't eat. What had started as a dull ache that morning had grown to a pounding, all-consuming pain that never seemed to ebb. They all felt much more tired than before, the lack of calories slowing down their bodies in an unconscious way to reserve strength.