ZRP-2 Chapter 6: Scattered

(James)
=I winced=
"Sorry."

"Its ok daddy..." Eve reassured him softly.

(James)
"Hopefully we get close before dark, or else we'll have to camp somewhere. And I don't want to be out in the open here."

"I know..."
Eve just watches the river idly.

(Sam)
=As we rode down the rode, my mind was consumed with worry for Eve and James. I knew she was in good hands, but unlike us they didn't have a means of transportation=
"Think they'll be okay?"

"I'm sure their ok Sam. James is scrappy and Eve is a strong girl. They'll be fine."
Hibiki sped up for a few seconds. "See any signs that could direct us to Owenboro?

(Sam)
"Not really. We may not be close enough. Most I know is that its along the river, which was why the boat would have been a big help."

"Alright!"
Hibiki slowed down even more. "Sam! Pull my hair back and tie it into a ponytail. Hard to see."

(Sam)
"Can't promise anything perfect!"
=I let go of her and grabbed her hair, my legs squeezing around the bike to keep from falling. Carefully, I tied her hair into a ponytail=

"That good?"

"Yep!"
Hibiki waited until Sam's arms were around her again, then sped up.

(Sam)
"Okay, so we need to find a road that goes along the river. We need to follow it."

"Which I'm doing right now." Hibiki said.

(Sam)
"Ah, got it."
=I clung to her=

"And don't worry about me clinging to you like this. I'm sticking with Eve."

(James)
=As we continued along the river, it went long before we came across some bad news. A group of walkers was in front of us, and they soon spotted us. Nomad reared up, the scent of them making him panic=
"Whoah! Whoah there!"

=I looked for a way out, and I soon found it=
"Eve, hold on!"

=Then I spurred Nomad forward and to the left, and we raced on through the forest away from the walkers=

"Good. Because I'll stick with James." Hibiki grinned.

Ev held on tightly.

(James)
=We galloped through the words and. Was thankful there w enough space between trees for us to move=
"Don't let go!"

Eve hugged tigher.
"Not letting go!"

(James)
=And on we galloped, breaking through the line of trees and back into a field. I yanked on the reigns and slowed Nomad down=
"Okay, so riding by the river isn't an option."

"Nomad should be renamed that one horse that ran on water." Eve said. "Maybe he'll run on water too."

(James)
"I don't think naming him Jesus would make anything better....."
=We continued through the field=

"Arion! From the Percy Jackson series!" Eve said. "I said horse, not Jesus! Jesus!"

(James)
"I've never read any of those books Eve."

"Then you denied yourself awesomeness." She stated.

(James)
"Denied myself awesomeness? I like to think I live a life of awesome everyday!"

"Daddy. If your life was awesome everyday, then me and Sam would be together on top of the yacht in bikinis while you and Mommy were driving. This isn't awesome. This is hell."
Eve sighed.

(James)
"Life's what you make of it Eve. I used to define this as hell.....then I found you, your mom, and everyone else. Now it's not hell for me. It's more like one of the fantasy games I used to play as a kid, only a bit more real."
=I shrugged my shoulders=

"You start thinking your world is hell, it makes it harder and harder to get up and live."

"It's hell without Sam." She muttered

(James)
"Same without Hibiki. But I'm still here. Still living. Not going to just curl up because they're not around."

"I can't use my bow...and it's gone..." She sounded pretty upset at that fact. "What use am I without my bow? I'm not the best with a gun..."

(James)
"Well, I can always help teach you how to shoot better. And who knows, maybe we'll find you another bow."

"I'll stick with finding Sam...she's more dangerous then my bow any day. You know how dangerous a redhead can be..." Eve said quietly.

(James)
"Yeah, she can be deadly at times. Hey, while your back there, see if you can check Nomad's saddle bags. They're might be good stuff in there."

Eve started looking through the saddlebags.
"I found a few revolver rounds...uh...box of shotgun shells." She looked through the other. "Two canteens of water. Few things of jerky...and what looks like a box of...cigarettes?"

(James)
=I made a sound of disgust=
"Toss the cigarettes. No real use for them."

Shrugging, Eve chucked them away. "Guess the guns were on the guy. Unless there's a sawn-off shotgun up there I didn't see."

(James)
"Maybe. But we'll have to check when we next stop for a rest."

"Daddy. if there's a shotgun on this horse, you should feel or even see it." Eve said.

(James)
"Eh, true guess. Still, would have been nice."

"Yeah. Would have been nice..."
Eve sghed softly.

=South of the commotion, Cooper and his people drove onwards. Over the walkie, Cooper posed a question to the group=

*Cooper*
"Alright everyone, listen up: while we already have a destination set up to meet with Marcus and his team, it looks like we'll be passing by a town soon. So I'm asking you all, do we risk the guarantee of meeting Marcus and drive into town and check for supplies, or do we skip it and keep moving?"

(Andrew)

=I frown skeptically. Luck with towns hadn't been well, and I had gotten someone injured because of my decision. I look to Mira and Sarah, putting Cooper on hold=

Hey there you two. Cooper says we're nearing a town soon.

=I pause for a moment=

So...you want to go to the town or pass it by?

"I'd rather get to safety." Mira said.

(Andrew)

=I cock an eyebrow at the enigmatic answer=

So...we skip the town?

=I keep Cooper on hold=

*Cooper*
=There were a few people that wanted to check the town. Even more though that said skip it=
"Looks like it. Alright, if we keep moving we should be able to meet up with Marcus and his group by nightfall, hopefully."

Mira settled back onto Sarah's boobs and closed her eyes.
"Wake me when we get there."

(Sarah)

=I turn red a bit, but smile=

You got it.

=I give a glare at Andrew=

Same goes for me, Andy.

=I try my best to get some sleep=

(Andrew)

=I nod, letting an exhausted sigh escape me=

Alright then Cooper, let's keep rolling.

--Small Timeskip of Several Hours, Nighttime--

(Jason)
=As Eve and I had traveled by horseback, we switched from the fields in favor of traveling along the road, and we were lucky enough to find a house, albeit slightly worn and damaged. After checking to see if it was clear, we had moved in, tying Nomad to a tree out back. Now, Eve and I sat in the living room of the house, a fire lit in the fireplace. With us in the middle of Fall, the nights were starting to get a little chilly=
"You warm enough?"

(Sam)
=Hibiki and I were holed up in a convenience store. Not the four seasons or anything but it certainly beat being outside. And by the looks of things, no one had been here in a while or even looted the place, yet. At least, until we got there. Most of the stuff had expired, but there were a few bags of chips that had made it=
"Any idea how much longer it'll be before we reach Owensboro?"


=Both Marcus' group, and Cooper's, managed to rendezvous by nightfall. There were cheers, friendly embraces, and by the end of it they had made camp by the road=

(Sarah)

=I had waked Mira, and Andrew seem happy to see the rest of the caravan=

Well...you feeling cold, Mira?

=I just simply stated an obvious question=

(Andrew)

=It was good to see everyone, although there were four less than I expected. But...I chalked it up to something that happened that was out of Marcus' control=

Well...how close are we, Marcus?

=I knew that we were close, but I didn't know how close we were=

Eve scooted closer to James.
"Still...a bit cold." She said.

Hibiki took a bite of a chip. "Maybe a few hours. Depends on how the road is." She sighed. As she ate, she reached an arm out...and found air. She looked at her side, a bit surprised. Then she looked crestfallen.
"Eve..."

Mira snuggled up to Sarah. "Not if you hold me." Ahe stuck her tongue out at Andy.

(Sarah)

=I smiled and put an arm over her shoulder=

Okay. I'll keep you warm.

=I bring her in a bit closer, and Andrew nearly rolled his eyes, but he doesn't=

Don't worry, Andrew...I'm not taking your place. At least...not entirely

*Marcus*
"Well, we're not that close at all. We're still maybe.......twenty or thirty miles, maybe more, from Owensboro. Mostly since we had to come down and group with you."

(James)
=I wrapped my arm around her, and pulled her against me=
"I'm here for you Eve."

(Sam)
"I'm sure she's fine Hibiki. James would probably die before he let something happen to her."
=Still, I couldn't really say I wasn't worried myself. I missed Eve=