Ashes // D.D [ Anguish sequel ]

- TWO: ALWAYS MOVING

"THIS IS INSANE," Jodie Hunter rubbed her face out of frustration with her left hand. Of course, it would be Jodie to speak first amongst the group. The morning held a bitter taste as they traveled and during that time, no one spoke a word. Not until Jodie threw up her hands. Determined to be heard.

"Keep your voice down," Willow whispered towards her sister, glaring down the empty back road.

"We can't keep doing this," Jodie whispered back harshly. She held her rifle in hand, sniffing at the morning fog. "We are going to die out here if we don't find somewhere safe."

Rolling her tongue against the inside of her cheek, Willow agrees in silence. As much as she wanted to believe the group could jump from place to place, safety is becoming difficult to find. Willow knew it, and so did Rick.

Willow peeked over her shoulder as the others gathered around their remaining vehicles. Standing beside Maggie's SUV, Rick ran his fingers through his curly hair. The stress was clear as day. Anyone could tell that their leader has grown weary. Every turn could be a death trap. With no options, Willow could see the lines of anxiety that had been carved on his forehead.

"We should leave," Jodie spoke lowly.

Snapping her head towards Jodie, Willow narrowed her brows, then breathed, "What?"

"We don't belong with them. You know that. They look at us like we - like we are -"

"Different?" Willow finished.

"Yeah....different. But we ain't! I mean, yeah, some nut job said we are immune but how true is that? It can't be. And even if it was, we can still die. Doesn't make any difference. Me and you are still fucked."

Willow listened.

"So what do you think we should do? Take Daryl, Aya, and Sophia — and just leave? And go where exactly? Didn't we have this conversation after the whole farm thing and you disagreed with Aya?"

Willow shook her head once Jodie refused to answer. She continues her reasoning;

"We are different. At least for now. We don't know if we are immune and I'm not about to find out. Keep your mind in check, I'm not taking a teenager out in the wilderness because you are paranoid. Grow up and stop being wishy-washy."

Jodie glared at her eldest sister. It wasn't like Willow to speak such things, but hunger and exhaustion make people say and do offensive things. Still, Jodie squeezed her rifle and rolled her eyes at the remark. She only believed Aya to be right.

"Yes ma'am, Queen Bitch."

Annoyed, Willow pulls roughly at the younger Hunter's ear. Throwing her hand against the side of her head, Jodie cries out before scowling back up at Willow. The two sisters have enough of the other's attitude. Tensions between them had picked up since the farm. And neither couldn't quite understand it.

Maybe adaptations truly change people.

***

"We got no place left to go," T-Dog says as Maggie rolled out their map across the hood of her SUV.

"When this herd meets up with this one, we'll be cut off," Maggie points out, sliding her finger from north to east. "We'll never make it south."

"What would you say? That was about 150 head?" Daryl questions, scratching his chin hair.

"That was last week. It could be twice that by now," Glenn shook his head, squinting through the sun.

"This river could have delayed them. If we move fast, we might have a shot to tear right through there," Hershel jabs his wrinkled finger onto the map, then he scratches at his long beard just as Daryl had done with his chin hairs. Their time on the road gave Mr. Greene even more reasons to age. Sophia called him Santa Claus behind his back often. Giving Willow a reason to chuckle under her breath.