Don't Let Me Go

Together Again

Minx's eyes narrow, counting the infected she sees walking through the trees too close to them. Their path is blocked, there's no way they can go any farther. Trying to push through the dead is suicide. She turns to her friends, and as she opens her mouth to tell them to go back, one of the infected crosses into the trees directly between the small group of three. Minx quickly yanks the knife from Dave and kicks the infected in the knee, sending it spiraling to the ground. She then drops down, slamming the knife into the infected woman's skull, effectively ending her infected life. Minx stands, wiping the blood off on her jeans before handing the knife back to Dave. She whispers, "We're going back the way we came. We can't go any further with them in the way."

Dan and Dave nod and follow as she takes lead again. They travel as quickly and quietly as they can through the forest, not wanting to gain the attention of any other infected that might be in the area. They walk until the sun starts to set without a break and Dan finally speaks up, "We need to stop, we haven't eaten in two days."

"We can't stop here," Minx frowns, "It's far too dangerous right now. We can stop once we've found someplace safe."

"We're in the middle of the fucking forest," Dan's eyes narrow, "Besides there is no safe place in this world, so you're just going to run us into the ground and we're all going to be fucking dead!"

"Keep your voice down," Dave looks around wearily.

Minx turns to Dan, "I'm keeping you alive, aren't I? I know you're stressed, and the world is fucked, but you have to trust me. Look, I don't want to lose any more people, but you're more than welcome to leave."

Dan crosses his arms, "We're stopping to eat. Now."

Minx looks around, frowning, "Fine, if you're going to throw a fit over it. Just be quick about it."

She crosses her arms, walking a few feet from them, keeping an eye out. Dan and Dave sit in the dirt and eat a few random things of food from their backpacks. Dave gets up and goes over to Minx. He hands her a granola bar, smiling softly, "You should eat something, too."

She shakes her head, "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." he puts the granola bar in her hand then goes back and sits beside Dan. Minx keeps watch for awhile to give her friends a break and then they finally continue their trek to nowhere. After awhile more of silence, Dave speaks up, "So, where exactly are we going?"

Minx sighs, "We're going to go back to the farm house we found. At the very least it's safe there."

Dave nods and the three continue in silence. Dan watches them with careful eyes as he trails behind them. Minx is his friend, he won't deny that, but he can't bring himself to really trust her any longer. She's not the same as he remembered, but he expected as such given the lack of a certain someone he knows would be with her. But she's become distant, and under her guise of "what's best for the group" he can't help but to wonder what her goal truly is. She kept them moving for days, becoming irritated when either he or Dave asked for a break, no matter how small.

He doesn't trust she cares enough to actually keep them alive. Sure, she's quick to help if infected become a problem, and she's a fierce leader, but she's cold now and compassion isn't something to forsake in the changing world. Dan would rather have someone who will let them take the breaks they need and eat when they need over someone who keeps searching nonstop for some magical safe haven they all know doesn't exist. 

They suddenly come to a stop as rustling in the bushes to their right catches their attention. Minx's eyes narrow and Dave and Dan exchange glances. The three friends stay still, ready to act depending on what crosses their path. After a few fear-filled moments pass, three people they know come out of the foliage, stumbling onto the path. Minx gasps and hugs Cry instantly, "I'm glad you guys are all right!"

Cry chuckles lightly, hugging her back, "That's a hell of a haircut."

Phil runs over to Dan and the two embrace as Minx laughs, burying her face in Cry's chest, "Shut up."

Ohm smiles, "Glad to see everyone in one piece."

Minx pulls back, nodding, smiling, "Tell me about it."

She then surprises him by running up and hugging him as well. They exchange no words, but they don't have to. The tension between the two seems to dissipate with this one action. Ohm smiles, hugging her back. The group of six spends a few minutes making sure everyone is okay, and then they continue back towards the farm house. Having no better option, and not really wanting to spend the night in the woods, the group walks on in tense silence. he walks seems to take forever, and Phil limps along beside Dan, having twisted his ankle sometime before they met back up.

Dan frowns, "We need to stop."

Phil looks at him, "I'm fine.."

"We're almost there," Minx replies quickly, almost annoyed.

Dan's eyes narrow and he growls, "We're stopping. Now."

Phil shakes his head, "Dan, it's fine, really. It's not bugging me that bad."

Minx turns to them, glaring back, "Quit being such a fucking baby. We're almost there, and I don't know about you, but I really don't want to spend the night sleeping in the fucking dirt. We're all tired and hungry, but whining about it and stopping every few minutes isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Guys," Dave sighs, crossing his arms, "Can we not do this?"

"We should keep going." Cry looks worried, "We can see the farm up ahead, and there's no that many infected nearby. If we're quiet, we might be able to get in unnoticed. Then we can all rest, okay?"

Minx huffs and turns back towards the house in the distance as she continues towards it. The rest of the group exchange glances before following after her.