Hope is Dead

Chapter nine

Luke crouched while they approached a deer minding it's own business, Luke raised the makeshift bow at the deer while Tyler and Evan stayed behind him, he lined it up with the deer's head then let the bow fly, it hit the deer right in the eye socket and it freaked out for a bit before crashing to the ground, they stood up and headed down but as they approached they saw small specks of something in the air, Luke turned to them and pulled his shirt over his mouth and nose so they did the same seeing something wasn't right. 

They approached the deer some more and Luke turned away running back a bit moving them back as well, he pulled the shirt down and looked at them shaking his head ''Something's wrong with it.'' the two went to where he was and were very confused ''It smell's like those infected people.'' they looked back at it then at him ''You think this caused it?'' Luke shrugged it ''But I feel we shouldn't be breathing that stuff in.'' he said and looked at their shirts and at the water, he pulled his shirt off and started rubbing the shirt getting the contaminated stuff off his shirt, Evan was next to do this knowing Luke knew more about survival then all of them combined, Tyler soon copied and they got out of there.

Getting back to the camp with their wet shirts the other's looked at them ''What did you do, fall in the river?'' Lui asked holding the last bowl of soup, Luke hung his shirt on a line that Silvia, one of the girls in the camper, set up for clothes the day before ''Nobody goes near the deer alright?'' he asked going back over to them, Thomas, one of the boys in the camper, got three towels from inside the camper bringing it to the three so they wouldn't have bare chests ''Why not?'' Brock asked while Brian took the pot away from the fire that Marcel was putting out.

''When I shot one, spores came out from it.'' Brian turned to him ''Are animals infected too?'' Luke shrugged ''Not sure.'' Evan and Tyler stayed quiet behind him seeing he was explaining everything ''We only have five more can's in the cupboard?'' Silvia mentioned making Luke think about what to do next ''Is there a small town anywhere nearby?'' they all thought ''Tacoma.'' they looked at Marcel who then lowered his eyes looking at the grass ''What's the fastest way there?'' Luke asked and Marcel got up ''The road.'' he nodded and looked around ''You don't have to take us along with you, just... Bring stuff back for us.'' Mark said, one of the people that came in a separate car.

Luke nodded ''Alright, we'll head to Tacoma and bring back food, clothes and thing's we might need.'' they all nodded and went to their cars, Luke, Evan and Tyler grabbed their shirts and got into the separate cars with everyone else and waved goodbye to the other's who were civilians who they befriended. They drove on the small dirt road reaching the road seeing the abandoned cars and turned right heading towards the police barricade. They still didn't get anything on the news about all of this happening, everything was still quiet ''Ok, so, clothing and food?'' Lui asked Brian making a list ''Yeah, I'm thinking water as well.'' David looked at them ''What about other things?'' Lui looked at him ''Like what?'' he asked and sat back in his seat ''Thing's we might see and want?'' Brian nodded ''Yeah, I'm sure we can get personal items as well as things we see and want.'' Lui leaned on David's shoulder writing on the small note pad.

Marcel stayed quiet while they drove along side the cars basically on the side of the road till they passed the police barricade taking the whole road now, no one talked in that car, all of them were silent thinking of different things. The car ahead of them was no different ''I'm sorry I snapped at you.'' Craig didn't take his eye's off the road while Tyler spoke ''It's fine.'' Tyler looked at him then at the dash board ''It's really not.'' Craig sighed a bit ''Tyler, you lash out all the time you snapping at me wasn't that bad, don't think about it as much.'' Tyler reached over lightly holding Craig's hand not noticing the color change on his cheek's. He didn't' say anything after that just, kept his hand there for a while before pulling it away and looked outside.

They drove for a long time before Evan checked the gas meter of his truck ''Damn it.'' the other's looked at him ''What?" Brock asked as Evan pulled over, Brain then stopped his car behind them and they flagged down Craig getting him to stop as well, Brian got out and walked over while Evan lowered the window ''It's almost empty.'' Brian went on his tippy toes to look inside as Tyler walked over with Craig ''Do you have enough to make it to Tacoma?'' Evan shook his head ''She can go for maybe another mile.'' they looked at each other ''I can fit two more people.'' Brian said looking at them and gesturing to his car.

Craig looked over at his ''Maybe one, if I try to fit two it'll be very squishy and uncomfortable.'' Evan looked at the others and sighed ''We don't have a choice.'' he said and rolled the window up turning the truck off while the other went back to their cars, Brian opened the door and looked back at them ''Two of them are coming in here.'' he said as a warning and Lui pushed off David leaning on the window sill. 

''Why?'' David asked seeing Brock and Evan walking over ''Truck ran out of gas.'' he said making him remember to check his, he saw that his was low but it could get them the extra three miles. He got inside as Brock took the seat beside Brian while Evan got in the back with the other two. Luke got in the back of Craig's car then Marcel squeezed in beside him, Luke put his arm's on the top of the seats so it wouldn't be so tight and it helped, Craig then started driving with Brian behind them.