The Safe Haven

Run For Your Goddamn Life

We were now in the city streets. Buildings surrounded us from all sides, barely holding together. Most of the city was burned and decaying. The streets were flooded with many travelers. I let Newt lead the way, only a few steps behind. It's like we were dragging ourselves to our destination. Like we weren't rushing things. After a short period of time, walking behind Newt, I had noticed he walked with a limp.
I wonder where that came from?

"Newt, where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, we have to get a map. There has to be a place that sells them, or at least has them."

"Isn't this 'Safe Haven' a secret island or something?" I asked, using my hands to make quotation marks in the air.

He turned to me briefly, giving me a smirk grin. "I've seen the map that Thomas had. I'm hoping there's a map like it."

We continued to walk through the busy streets, not knowing what to look for. Newt spotted the red, decaying building first.

"Come on!" He shouted as he ran to the doorway of the store.

I decided to stay outside as Newt searched for his map. The sky was clear of any clouds, letting the burning sun shine bright. I twisted a pocket knife against the ground, scraping the ground with the blade. The door to the store made a loud thud and I turned to see Newt..and his empty hands.

"No luck?" I asked feeling a little defeated.

He unzipped the red and black jacket just enough for me to catch a glimpse of yellow folded paper. Newt gave me a wink and hid his prize away.

He jokingly said,"I've never stolen before. Am I a rebel?"

I rolled my eyes at his ironic comment. Considering neither of us had any money, one of us had to be the robber.
After we had turned a few corners from the store, Newt took the map out and scanned it. He furrowed his brows, concentrating on the maps' content. He looked quite frustrated.

"So.. where are we? And where should we be going?" I asked, taking a glance of the map.

"This here," Newt pointed to a small island at the top of the script," I think it may be the safe haven that Vince wanted to go to."

"Vince?"

"He helped my friends and I escape from Wicked." He looked off into the distance, muttering,"Bastards."

Newt returned the map to its holding place and pointed toward the mountains. "There are roads up there, leading to the sea about a day or two from here. If only we had a car.." He covered his mouth in frustration. It was understandable. Who would want to be traveling unprotected, especially at night? The infected could be anywhere.

"Let's look around then." I suggested.

"For a car? Do you know how rare it is to find a working car?"

"Looks like you're going to have to steal again." I smirked.

We peaked inside a dozen cars, all of them burnt from the sun. I was peaking into a red truck, immediately spotting a gun wedged between the driver seat and passenger. I gripped the door handle, praying it was unlocked, and to my surprise it was.

"Newt!" I shouted.

I planted myself in the driver's seat while Newt took the passenger. Letting my hands navigate through the car, I felt the pistol's solid body brush my finger tips. I skimmed past it in hopes for the keys.

"Move over." Newt chuckled.

His fingers worked tirelessly with the wires of the truck. Once he was finished twisting two wires together the roar of the engine echoed through the car. I had never heard such a powerful motor.

"Thanks." I shifted the gears and began driving.

It was a rough ride through the mountains, but boy, was the sight beautiful. The sun was perfectly connected with the horizon, giving the land a water affect. Newt was the first to speak after our silent, but short, ride to the mountains.

"Lovely isn't it? Not many days you can enjoy a view like this."

"Yeah, it is lovely." I mimicked.

I could see him smile but his grin soon faded.

"Nora," He muttered," I hope we can survive through this journey. Because if we don't you would've wasted time on a boy who wanted to die."

What did he just say?

"Newt.."

"I'm serious. You could've saved yourself some trouble. It's not that I didn't appreciate it, but this world is just too cruel. Especially for someone like you."

I gripped the steering wheel until my hands were white. The blood from my face had drained. I wasn't feeling as good as I did before.

"Maybe you should drive."

Newt took the wheel and we drove in silence for miles. Letting only the sound of the engine keep us company. It had dropped to nightfall and an eerie fog had cloaked the land. The fog made it very difficult to see, even with the brights of the truck on.

"We should stop and rest." Newt suggested.

Seemed like a perfect idea. But as we had settled into our seats, I found it hard to close my eyes. Had Newt really wanted to die? Those words made me sick to my stomach. It hurt to know how much he didn't care if he was alive or dead. Maybe it was a mistake to save him. I mentally pinched myself after that thought. I needed him. We needed each other. I would still be a lonely girl living in this shitty world. I mean, the world is still shitty but with Newt..it's a little brighter.
~ ~ ~
I was the first to wake. The sun was brighter than ever. I put my hand up, letting it protect my eyes.

"Newt." I whispered as I gently shook him.

He looked a lot more at peace when he was asleep. And I had remembered what he said last night. You would've wasted time on a boy who wanted to die. My stomach clenched in disgust of the memory. I opened the door of the truck and jumped out. The thick fog was still covering the ground, but it had cleared just enough to see a few small buildings ahead of us. I heard the other door open and close quite quickly and hard.

"Nora! We have to go. Now!" Newt exclaimed.

"What? Why?"

Newt grabbed my arm and shoved me to see the driver's side. Only a few yards away a massive group of the infected were walking towards us. Good. They hadn't noticed us yet. I opened the passenger door and grabbed the pistol.

"What the hell are you doing?" Newt begged.

I showed the pistol to him and shoved it into the front of my jeans. Then we took off. Full. Fucking. Speed. Because now, the infected were chasing us. They had spotted us and they had our scent. Newt and I didn't stop for anything. My legs were aching and my throat was burning. How long could we keep this up for? The buildings were becoming larger as we ran. But the infected hadn't lagged behind. They wanted us.

"Run for your goddamn life Nora!" Newt screamed.

I could tell he was terrified. Neither of us wanted to get bitten. But one of us had already experienced the infection and I knew it wasn't a good feeling.
Just as we were coming up on a building I spotted a gas can. I quickly grabbed it and threw it as far as I could towards the running roaches. My hands reached for the pistol, I adjusted my eyes to the gas can, and I waited. Waited until the group had come only kilometers from the gas can. And I pulled the trigger.