Cameron listened politely while Justin spoke of Omega’s religious teaching. To her, it was all bullshit. Humans are born, they survive, and then they die. Fertilizer for the Earth. No god was going to come save them. What god would let them kill their planet which in return, killed them? What god would allow Cameron to be attacked and raped? What god would let Chesapeake, Omega, and all the other villages get slaughtered brutally? No god. Because there wasn’t one. And Cameron held tightly on to that belief. But instead of being rude, she nodded and smiled as she spoke. Everyone needed hope.

She took his hand when it was offered and stood up, watching him blush as he complimented her hair. “Thank you,” she said with a smirk as she brushed off the back of her jeans. Justin was a lot different than the men she had known in the past. He wasn’t cocky, first of all, which was a refreshing change of pace. Secondly, he was kind without an ulterior motive. He didn’t owe her anything, and he also didn’t seem to want anything other than a companion on a trip to which she gladly obliged. It was so nice to be free again. Thirdly, although he was four years older and seemed to have seen a lot in his time, he had a quirky innocence about him, which was extremely unfamiliar territory to Cameron. She was jaded, scarred, over having to struggle to survive. But yet, Justin still had this positivity in him, and it was almost beginning to rub off on her. 

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Cameron and Justin were talking lowly and laughing as they made their way back into the unknown territory that engulfed them. The pair, despite the circumstances, were in much better spirits than when they entered the convenience store. Until –

She gasped and covered her mouth at the sight before her. The stories that she had been told all her life had been unfolding before her eyes, and she felt nausea take over as she looked away for a moment. They were sitting ducks awaiting another ambush, one more hostile than the last one. Cameron took the liberty of reaching in Justin’s pocket to pull out the map. “Sorry,” she said unapologetically as she unraveled it to figure out their location. 

“The freeway isn’t gonna cut it,” she blurted, trying her best to read the shapes and lines on the wrinkled paper. “It’d be out of the way,” the words were coming out strained as she was processing it all, getting closer to him so he could get a view, “but if we head west, and then travel up the coast here,” her thin finger traveled up the paper, “we should be able to get there. Unless you know of other… hostile settlements that way.” Cameron looked up to him and was able to, for the first time, able to observe his face in daylight. It may have been a bad time, but her mind forced her to say it. “You know, I’ve never met anyone with green eyes before,” she admitted, looking at them for a second more before returning her attention to the map. Her irises were such a light blue that they nearly lacked pigment, but his were full of rich color. Fascinating. 

“We can head west until we find some where to camp for a bit. No offense, but you look like you could use some sleep,” she laughed as she scanned their surroundings. No hostiles. A sigh of relief emerged from her. At least at Chesapeake, Cameron didn’t have to watch her back constantly.

They slyly climbed over the fence on the interstate and plopped down onto undeveloped land. A small river ran underneath the dilapidated road and out both east and west. “Probably their boundary,” she mumbled, referring to the group that had impaled the man they saw earlier. They traveled quietly and quickly, both looking like paranoid animals as they kept low and continually watched the trees and grass around them. Better to be safe than the guy with arrows in his neck. Any time they heard any noise, Cameron would cling to Justin like a child until they realized it was nothing, or when she realized what she was dong. Part of her felt pathetic for it, she wasn’t used to being this… [i]broken.[/i] But part of her almost enjoyed it. Relying on someone for comfort was foreign, but it didn’t feel awful either. 

After a few hours, they approached a clearing that the sunlight speckled through the trees. Cameron was exhausted and panting as she dropped her pack on the ground. “Is this a good spot for you? My lungs need a break,” she laughed as she smiled, observing the small area. Thick blades of green grass covered the ground, and tall, rustling trees swayed around it in a circle. It was peaceful, and she wanted nothing more than to lay down and enjoy it. That, and the inside of her eyelids. 
She took a minute to stretch and groan before plopping down on the soil and feeling her joints in muscles cry in relief at the break they were receiving. 

Although Cameron was relaxing, she didn't let her guard down. Her muscles still tensed with every sound that the landscape around them produced. The terrible mix of the trauma she had endured, the lack of a good nights sleep, and the unfamiliar territory were the cause of her jumpiness. 

"So, I'm sorry if I sound daft, but what exactly are we trying to accomplish in Portland? How do we know that the other settlements haven't gotten there first?"