[IC] The Walking Dead: The Journey North [Chapter I]

[RumikoOhara]

HOMESTEAD



The Beginning of the Uncertain Future

Karen sat at a salvaged desk in her little makeshift Hospital at the Homestead thinking about her and everyone else's future. She like all those assembled had heard the message from the Evergreen community of Canada saying that they were a town of over 5,000 people and a safe haven for any who could live in harmony.

They needed all sorts of people with any type of. Skills for Evergreen was going to be the best hope of mankind. Their message was one of hope which appealed to anyone who might be listening.

Karen as a Doctor knew that DNA was a tricky thing in a low population and most experts agreed that to prevent genetic trouble in the future that you needed at least a base population of 6 to 10 thousand.
Evergreen's recruitment was most likely stirred by this concern. Then there was the herd mentality of safety in numbers. With a large population they could fend of marauders an walkers alike. It all sounded like a wonderful idea till you balanced it with the idea that the animals of humanity might see it as an opportunity, not to strike Evergreen but to lay in wait along routes which those fleeing to a better life. Like the crocodiles that waited at river crossings in Africa for the great migrations.

Yes Evergreen sounded wonderful but it would need clever thought to make it there safely.

While she was engrossed in thought one of Homestead's elders entered the Hospital and took one of the two chairs Karen kept near her desk.

"Evening Doctor White I hope ya don't mind my stopping by?" says the old man

"Not at all Elder Jenkins, please feel free to drop in anytime." Karen answers back

Well I suppose you know why I stopped by Doctor" he says with a gentle smile

"To try and convince me to stay on, I know and believe me I understand but as I said I think Homestead is the best place I've stayed since this all started but the raids not to mention the walkers are getting closer every day. she says as she reaches out an takes the old farmer's hands in her own.

"I know Doctor but we old people are just too tired of running and you've got to admit making the journey will be a lot more dangerous" counters Mr. Jenkins

"Unfortunately that seems the case in these times we now find ourselves in. In a larger population we'd have a better chance of making a future and I think I have a plan to make our trip safer". she says squeezing his hands

"We have forty head of horses here and nearly two hundred cattle We can use the horses as mounts and some of the more docile cows as Pack animals just like our forefathers did.
If we kept away from roads and towns we'd be harder to spot and on the open prairie we could see potential trouble before it gets to us. she says as she begins explaining her plan of escape

Mr. Jenkins listens to her idea and then counters with Homesteads Spider community which was the brain child of two former Vietnam vets.

Modeled on the subterranean designs of their former enemies they hope to be able to head under ground at the first sign of trouble. The construction of these earth warren had been under way for nearly a year now and were to say the least impressive and extensive.

Karen told Mr. Jenkins she would give him her decision in two weeks at the latest of whether to stay or go. Mr. Jenkins bid her farewell and headed back to the main house of the compound leaving her alone once more to pour over her maps.

[Mason]

Ellis laid on his on his bed staring at the ceiling in the room he shared with his brother. Mason always thought of it as his responsibility to take care of Ellis. Ever since this thing started, Mason would never let Ellis out of his site. He always made sure Ellis' needs were met before his. Ellis always looked up to Mason. Ellis knew that Mason would do anything to protect him and he would do anything to protect Mason too. The nights where Ellis cried himself to sleep, Mason was by his side comforting him. The days Ellis went without food, Mason always gave him all the food he found the next day.

Mason sat in the corner on a stool wondering what to do for his and brother's future. When he heard the transmission on the radio, he knew immediately he wanted to leave right away. He thought everyone else would think the same way that he did. He sat through the debates, and from what he has heard has changed his mind a bit. Mason wasn't able to make up his mind due to all the pros and cons of the journey. He knew that if he and Ellis made it to Evergreen, they would be safe and not have to worry. They wouldn't have to worry bout food, water, shelter, and especially walkers. He also knew the journey to Evergreen would be treacherous. If they were to stay, they wouldn't have to worry about making the horrid journey where anything could go bad at any second. But also at the Homestead, he knew that something bad can go wrong at any second. That a horde of walkers could come through and tear the place down.

The bed creaked as Ellis turned to his side to face Mason.

"We don't have to go."

"But what if Evergreen is what it says to be?" Mason says looking at his brother.

"And what if it isn't? What if it's runned over by walkers by the time we get there. What do we do then? Ellis replies looking at Mason with his big blue eyes. Mason couldn't say no to those eyes.

"I don't know then. I don't know. We have time to think about it. Don't worry. I will always keep you safe." Mason said getting up to give his brother a reassuring hug.

"I know you will." Ellis said squeezing his brother.

[GuySenpai]

Blake crossed the short overgrown patch of weeds and plants leading to the makeshift motor pool, three small stone walls and a large metal gate made it fairly secure, he set down the box he was carrying and went for his key. Homestead had amassed a small treasure trove of vehicles over the course of the outbreak, from cars to vans and of course the RV, but thanks to the availability of horses as a safer form of transportation the cars seldom went used unless a large scavenging trip was being carried out. He fumbled with the padlock on the gate and slid it off, checking over his shoulder to see if the rattling had attracted any dead heads. The gate swung open and he stepped inside, taking the box with him, he went to the far right and opened up the RV, putting the box away in one of the cupboards. He sighed and sat back on the sofa, the sleeping back that lay over it acting like a soft pillow. Looking around he made note of the modifications that had been made over time, the back had been converted into sleeping quarters with a bunk bed fitted in which could hold four, then there was room on the floor for a sleeping bag and then one more space on the sofa. The bathroom was a small cubical beside the kitchen, a sink, a microwave, a refrigerator, a broken oven and some storage cupboards.

Leaning back on the chair, Blake reached into his pocket and took out the half empty pack of cigarettes and a lighter, he places one in his mouth and just as he was about to light it he heard the RV door open. His gaze turned to fix on the intruder, a tall skinny woman with brown shoulder length hair in her thirties, it was Linda, the only one left from his original group. "Don't smoke in here, you'll stink the place up." Blake laughed and took the cigarette out of his mouth, putting it back in the box and then away in his pocket. "Yes ma'am." He said jokingly. "What are you doing out here? What'd you do with those cans you took from the store room?" She asked, folding her arms. "They're our cans Lin, we brought 'um here seems fitting that we take 'em with us." She frowned. "Take them where?" Blake smiled. "Evergreen." Linda simply sighed and shook her head. "Blake, quit fooling around, get that stuff back in storage before someone other than me finds out!" He stood from his seat. "Dammit Linda I'm serious! Let's go now, both of us, we're only gonna wind up surrounded by dead heads if we stay here!" She swiftly countered. "And if we go out there we'll die before we make it half way to Canada! I'm going back to the house and I'm staying there." Her tone was final and she went out, slamming the door behind her. Blake sat down on the sofa and sighed, rubbing his head with his hands. "God dammit..."

[Anvil]

Earl sat in what used to be the lounge, and stared out through the open window. The cold breeze brushed past him gently, and the curtains slowly swayed from side to side. He was debating what to do. He had heard people talk about the colony, but he couldn't decide if he should go. It was a long journey, that much was for sure. They had vehicles, probably enough to transport everybody that wanted to go, but fuel might not be so accessible. Besides, they had everything they needed here.

He looked on into the distance, across the dead grass and through the patch of tall, grey trees. He was worried about the cold. It had been two years since the outbreak. He had survived through two winters already, and he wasn't looking forward to the next. The question was, could he survive here. The building was safe from walkers, and hidden from people. But it was cold. Too cold.

Besides, he was of no use here. He barely left the house anymore. What was his job here? He tied knots. He helped tidy up. Sometimes he even helped with the cooking. But that was about it. He hadn't ever been to Canada before, but maybe it was time to change that. Why sit around here and collect dust. There had to be something better. There were 5000 people to look after. He was sure that he could find some way of being helpful. He grabbed his climbing axe, and headed outside...

[Wintergrey]

Astrid woke with a start, sitting straight up in her bed. She immediately regretted it as pain flared through her shoulder. Tears sprang out of the corners of her eyes and angrily she shoved them away. Crying was below her, that was from her past life. Now she was tough and strong. Without her father to control she could be who ever she wanted. And that wouldn't be a stupid little girl crying about a little pain in her shoulder.

Kicking off the sheets covering her bed Astrid struggled out of bed. Her foot caught in one of the folds of the sheets, however, and caused her to tumble over herself getting out. One of her feet still attached to the bed, her face and shoulder fell towards the ground. To any outsider this act would have looked comical, but as Astrid's shoulder hit the ground her eyes when white with pain. The tips of her fingers tingled with sensation and her shoulder was blinding fire. Letting out a muffled scream, Astrid brazenly cursed out loud, "Mother fucker!" She lay her head down on the ground breathing deeply.

Suddenly her head moved up thinking about what she had just said. "Mother fucker." She repeated starting to giggle. Swearing was such a new and taboo thing for her in her past life that doing it with out consequence seemed hilarious. Swearing to herself between fits of laughs Astrid stayed in her position head on the ground, foot trapped in the bed covers. She soon forgot about the pain in her shoulder as the laughing shook over her body.

[Wintergrey]

[Edit double post failure]

[TheMadAsshatter]

Jacob examined the bolt head of his AK carefully. He had noticed the other day while cleaning it that the firing pin was getting sticky. It probably wasn't a big deal, but Jacob didn't want to take the chance of having a slam fire incident. He used the small punch he had to push the small vertical axis pin out of place, allowing the firing pin to come free. It was easy to see the gunk that had been building up on the firing pin, along with inside it's chamber. It wasn't too surprising; an open space in a part of the gun that isn't regularly cleaned getting some residue buildup. Nothing some gun solvent, oil, and a q-tip couldn't fix.

Jacob dipped one end of a clean q-top into the cleaning solution before plunging it down the firing pin chamber. He made sure to do a thorough job of cleaning it out, since he couldn't really get a good look inside. He went through about 4 q-tips before moving on to the firing pin itself, which proved much more easy to clean, needing just a cloth and a dab of solvent to completely purge it of contaminants. He put the solvent away and took the bottle of oil, squeezing a few drops onto the sides of the firing pin before sliding it back into place. He began to search for the axis pin when he realized he forgot where he put it.

"You gotta be kidding," he muttered, setting the incomplete bolt aside and searching his table for the pin. He knew he wouldn't have put it anywhere other than somewhere easily accessible... right? After checking every part of the table within arms' reach, he began to check his pockets when he heard something small hit the floor next to his chair. "Oh," he said, realizing it must have slid off of his leg. He picked the small pin up and gave it a quick wipe-down with the cloth before setting it back in place. He shook the bolt a bit, making sure he had gotten rid of the problem. Satisfied with his work, he put the bolt back in the carrier group and began to re-assemble the rifle. He always admired Kalashnikov's principles of making a rifle simple enough for a monkey to use and more reliable than any other rifle in it's class. He could only think of one drawback, and that was it's tendency to overheat under sustained fire.

Once he got the rifle re-assembled he racked the action, emitting a satisfying *cla-chack* that brought a smile to his face. "Man, I love guns," he said, pulling the bolt back a little, then pressing the trigger to release the hammer in such a way that it wouldn't dry-fire. He gave a look at the magazine and scope he had set aside, attaching them both to the rifle before standing up and slinging it over his shoulder. He let out a sigh before heading out of the makeshift shop to see what the others were up to.

[tchtkrmkc]

Jason woke up. He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. 20:46. Dammit. I'm late again. The night shift at the hospital started at 20:00, and it was his turn. As far as he knew, there were only two doctors in Homestead. A woman named Karen and himself. As if they didn't have enough pressure, people would go to them for the smallest of problems. Splinters, broken nails and even paper cuts. They were probably scared of catching whatever is was that created the walkers, but he explained to them that it doesn't work like that. Anyway, at least he was doing something useful. Many survivors here didn't have a real job to do and they got very bored very fast.

After getting dressed and washing his face, Jason quickly ran out of the building where he lived together with 4 other people, in the direction of the hospital. Arriving at the hospital, he noticed that there was someone inside. Probably Karen. He walked in, and saw Karen poring over some maps. "What's that?" asked Jason loudly, announcing his presence.

[Anvil]

Earl had gone for a walk. He had been gone for quite a while; maybe a couple hours? He was bored. 'Well your not helping by walking around in circles.' He muttered under his breath. So what should he do. He saw some guy messing around with a gun. Earl didn't know much about guns, but he knew they were loud and dangerous. He gripped his climbing axe a little tighter. He wouldn't change it for anything. It was light, fast and deadly. It was precise, and controllable but most of all, it was silent.

He wondered if anybody needed help with the vehicles. They had quite a few, and they were probably getting them all working ready for the journey. Not that earl knew anything about cars either, but he knew damn well they were a better choice than horses. If he was going to leave, he was gunna do it the right way. Maybe he would speak to Blake and ask about riding in one of the RV's. Now wasn't the time though, he would bring it up in the morning. Which didn't leave him much to do. He decided he would head up to the hospital for a bit, see how everyone was doing. It would probably be a quite night for them anyway, and he could do with somebody to talk to. He walked back inside, climbed slowly up the wooden steps, and knocked quietly on the door. "Hey, uh. Anyone in there? Just thought I would come keep ya company." He spoke quietly, but not too quietly that they wouldn't hear him. He had come to help, but the last thing he wanted was to barge in.

[RumikoOhara]

Karen had the surface of a large folding table covered in Maps and several books.
She was presently engrossed in a map of Kansas an Nebraska as well as a large Book of the Plains tribes liberated from a public library. On the state maps she'd used a highlighter marker to begin laying out course of travel.

Karen was studying the migration routes of the buffalo and the native american tribes that had followed them. She knew that the others preferred the speed an comfort of motorized vehicles but she saw them instead as death traps which attracted marauders hoping for fuel, parts, supplies and slaves. She had a different view as she remembered her own exodus to homestead on horse back. She had avoided the marauders an wacks by simply never presenting herself on their favored hunting grounds of Roads and towns.

When she'd first thought of escaping towards Evergreen she had worried over how she'd get there and began gathering maps. She'd found that her direct line of travel would take her north on a dwindling number of roads which would mean a concentrated area of danger very much like the river crossings of the African herds.

She disliked the odds and sought a way to gain an advantage she could exploit. That was when she remembered this book that someone had brought up from Oklahoma and it's descriptions of the vast Buffalo herds. It was then that she'd also remembered studying in geography that Kansas, Nebraska and the over states of the great plains owed their rich soils to the Buffalo which came down from Canada.

She was so busy trying to connect landmarks from the book to her maps that she didn't hear Jason come in till he asked
"What's That?"

Karen looked up a bit startled at Jason then calmed down saying "Maps.
I've been studying different routes we could take to get into Canada.

She sits down on a stool next to the table and sighs
"I now wish I'd have brought my brother's books on celestial navigation an his sextant.
I know the others will want to use cars but even with good fuel mileage we'll need at least three refueling points just to get to the border

[tchtkrmkc]

"Maps." answered Karen, "I've been studying different routes we could take to get into Canada. I now wish I'd have brought my brother's books on celestial navigation an his sextant. I know the others will want to use cars but even with good fuel mileage we'll need at least three refueling points just to get to the border."
Jason was taken by surprise. "So you're going to Canada? I thought you would stay. I think it would be better to stay here. We have a pretty good life, people seem happy enough. Also, there are children. The way to Canada is very dangerous, here we are much more protected. And if I decide to go as well, what will be with those who stay? We are the only doctors around, what if they get hurt? But anyway, I believe that even if you take horses it will be hard to avoid dangers, especially with a large group. It would probably be better to split up into a few small groups. That way if one group gets caught, the others can still make it."

A knock on the door interrupted Jason. Someone outside said "Hey, uh. Anyone in there? Just thought I would come keep ya company."
Jason walked to the door and opened it. In front of him was standing a middle aged man. Jason thought he recognized him.
Al, right? Thought Jason.
Jason forced a smile to his face and exclaimed "Hey there! Come on in! Karen here was just about to explain to me the sense in traveling to that colony in Canada. Right Karen?"

[tchtkrmkc]

oops.

[GuySenpai]

Blake stayed in the RV for the best part of an hour, performing his final checks on supplies and making sure everything was securely tied down that needed to be. He moved to the driver's seat and looked over the needles that indicated the vehicle was ready to move, he tapped the fuel gauge, a full tank, all was good. He stood up from the seat and tapped the head of the small alien on a surfboard, watching the bobble head and smiling slightly. Shutting the RV door and twisting the handle to keep it closed, he turned to house and headed back, locking the gate to the motor pool and tucking the key into his pocket.

Blake moved towards the house, Linda was on the porch, resting on the fence and watching him closely, as he approached he opened his mouth but she spoke first. "Don't." She said swiftly, bitterness in her voice. "I'm leaving in the morning, taking the rest of the sensible folks with me." He said plainly, stopping by the door and not making eye contact. "Tsk, you'll never make it half way." She looked out over the darkening lands around them. "I 'aint staying here 'nother day, all we do is survive, I wanna live, not sit around here and wait for our ammo to run out." He turned to face hear and leant against the wall, she looked over her shoulder with narrow eyes. "We can make this work, we can find a way, Blake just give it time." He shook his head. "So that's it, you're just gonna leave us? Leave me?" Blake began to laugh quietly to himself, this escalated until he was laughing in her face, he calmed himself. "Lady, what do you think you mean to me? We are in the same group, we live together, that's all! I'm not gonna' stay here and get like one of them old timers, big bushy beard and no brain cells left. Help, if I didn't know I needed help I would have left on my own." He could gaze was fixed on her as she stepped forward, raised a hand and slapped him hard across the face, leaving a red mark as she slammed the door behind her and headed upstairs Blake sighed.

After a little while Blake went to find Jacob, he leaned in to his room and frowned, where'd he gone? He moved down the hall, heading towards the hospital and spotted Jacob. "Hey, Jake!" He called out, when he had the man's attention he lowered his voice and moved close, keeping his voice low. "You finish off doing your..." He wiggled his fingers in front of the other man's face. "Gun stuff with my rifle? I need it back." While Blake had made no attempt to hide his intentions of leaving, he was keeping his tone vague, not sure weather Jacob had decided to side with the ones who were staying or if he too wanted to try his luck and head north.

[RumikoOhara]

"Actually I was discussing only a little and it was a lament of having no one that can teach celestial navigation or owning a Sextant so we could know our Latitude she says as she uses a rough compass measurement to determine the distance between two points.

"I'm worried about fuel and dependability issues as well if we were to take vehicles.
Let's face it they require a limited resource to move and to find it requires exposing ourselves to danger. she says as she remembers the last of the brave men who died so that she could make it to Homestead.

"I know vehicles are faster and more comfortable than animals but they are confined to where they can travel.
When I came here all alone I survived because I avoided any man-made structures, roads or towns. she says as she turns the book with the old buffalo migration routes on it.

Karen's eyes barely meet those of the men as she feels the old emotions of sorrow try once more to bring her to tears. Her mind swarms with old memories she has to bury each time they bubble back up.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Corporal Marks squats near Karen as they hunker down near a broken down school bus. He reaches out with his left hand an squeezes her arm to reassure her that she's not alone.

Thankfully Margaret Winters a former Tulsa deputy sheriff has stopped screaming as the walkers rip into her. Karen worries that she's going to fall apart if she has to see one more friend die so gruesomely.

Marks motions for Karen to get up and follow him back to the HUMVEE. She is quick to stand because at the moment he's the only other living person that she knows of in this town of horrors.

They make a break for it both armed with powerful 12 gage shotguns which to clear a path to the only thing that can get them quickly out of here they don't hesitate to fire.

The report of the combat load shells echos around the buildings of what was once a quaint little main street. Marks dives in and stands in the roof gun hatch who's heavy machine gun lays useless for lack of shells. Karen dives behind the wheel and has to coax the battered utility vehicle into cranking as Marks has to maintain a steady suppression fire.

The vehicle heads off with a lurch of it's abused clutch only to die about three hundred yards up the road. Karen curses the machine stomping the floor when it sputters only to die short of restarting..

"Karen!
They're coming from the left and behind, we gotta get out an run." screams Marks

Karen is about to agree when the moody military machine cranks and soon they're headed off.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Karen shakes off her reverie and looks down at the map hoping that no one noticed she'd totally zoned out

[Anvil]

He smiled as the door opened. "Earl, that is. And you are Jason and Karen? Seems like we have quite the discussion on our hands. What's the plan as it currently stands?" He looked over to the piles of maps and books that were spread across the table. They were obviously taking this pretty seriously. "Remind me again, why not just grab a couple vehichals and just plow our way along the roads?"

Earl had been thinking about it more, and he was certain he wanted to go. But he would rather walk to Canada rather than get on a horse. He turned around to see Karen in some sort of a daze. "Hey, Karen. Karen?"

[TheMadAsshatter]

Jacob turned when he heard Blake call out to him. He remembered the rifle Blake wanted to have cleaned and tuned up. He knew why; Blake wanted to go with whomever else would be heading North, and though he hadn't directly said it, he wanted the rifle to be in good shape to last the journey. He had cleaned it some time ago, though he had forgotten to inform him about it. "Ah, right, of course. I did everything you asked, along with a couple of things which should make everything a bit smoother without sacrificing dependability. All in all though, that rifle is pretty dependable, even without my working on it. I don't think you'll have anything to worry about." He gestured back towards his shop. "If you want it, it's in there," he said with a nod.

He continued walking towards the hospital, if you could really call it that. Even for a band of ramshackle survivors it was pretty makeshift, but it was functional at least. He figured Karen would want to make the trip, and it's not like Jacob disagreed, but he wanted to make sure of some things, and even help a bit in the planning process. Canada was pretty far away, even at it's closest point. It likely wasn't going to be an easy trip. Of course, Jacob figured he practically had no choice in going. He'd have to make sure all of the guns were working... but that also left those who would stay here without a gunsmith. He could just give every gun in the camp a thorough cleaning, maybe even re-finish them for added durability, but with how many weapons there were it would take at least two days of straight work. Still, it would probably take just as long to prepare for the journey.

Jacob entered the hospital and walked up to Karen's room, which happened to be quite populated already. He let himself in, but kept quiet, listening to the conversation at hand. He would save his own questions for later.

[tchtkrmkc]

"Earl, that is. And you are Jason and Karen? Seems like we have quite the discussion on our hands. What's the plan as it currently stands?"

Karen explained some stuff, But Jason noticed she avoided his questions.

"Remind me again, why not just grab a couple vehicles and just plow our way along the roads?" Earl asked.

Earl. I'll try to remember that. Though Jason to himself.

"Horses are better than vehicles in this situation, because vehicles have to drive on the road and through cities. Those cities are full of walkers and bandits." Jason turned to Karen and started saying something, but noticed that she was lost in thought.

"Hey, Karen. Karen?" Earl wakes her from her daze.

"So I was saying," Jason continued, "Karen, you didn't answer my questions. What will be the people who stay? They won't survive here with most of us leaving. And wouldn't it be better to split up? That way-"

Jason was interrupted as the door was opened and a man walked in. It was Jacob the gunsmith.

Jason greeted Jacob, "Hi Jacob. You got my Jericho ready yet?" then turned back to Karen, finishing his question, "That way if one group gets caught, the others still have a chance of making it."

[Anvil]

Earl nodded to Jacob as he entered the room. "Ha, your gunna have fun telling Blake he can't take the RV." He looked down at the maps that were spread across the tabletop. "How far is it? Are we talking days or weeks? I'm just saying, there could be advantages to driving. I don't know if we have enough horses for everybody for a start, and we have even less riding gear. There are people who can't ride, me included. If it's a couple days journey, maybe some people could walk but any longer. I mean, I know I'm not too important round here, and I shouldn't have much influence in these kind of things but... I just don't see how we can make it without the vehicles..." Earl looked down and started kicking his feet together quietly.

[RumikoOhara]

Karen speaks her Mind

Karen snapped back into focus and looked around the room at the others, Jacob, Earl an Jason.
She thinks back to Jason's cascade of questions
"I thought you would stay.
I think it would be better to stay here. We have a pretty good life, people seem happy enough. Also, there are children. The way to Canada is very dangerous, here we are much more protected.
We are the only doctors around, what if they get hurt?
If you take horses it will be hard to avoid dangers, especially with a large group. It would probably be better to split up into a few small groups. That way if one group gets caught, the others can still make it."

Then she considers Earls questions before forming an answer

"How far is it?
Are we talking days or weeks? I'm just saying, there could be advantages to driving.
Do we have enough horses for everybody for a start, and we have even less riding gear. There are people who can't ride.

She takes a deep breath and then begins to answer the questions in what she considers the order of importance
"The Distance to the Canadian border from where we are now is 820 miles which at an average walking speed of 5mph 6 hours a day is 28 to 30 days.
The horses need to graze rest and take on water an we'll need rest as well.
As for tack we have 12 saddles here including the three I brought in.
Riding a horse that isn't balky isn't difficult and is easy to learn. In fact with the right lead horses and a little practice people can actually doze in the saddle. Horses are herd animals an they love playing follow the leader.

As for avoiding dangers that is why I prefer horses. We won't be taking roads or needing to raid towns for fuel which is were the wacks an marauders are. Also as far as I know I'm the only one who's decided to head for Evergreen.

Driving presents hazards of a sort that I'm unwilling to accept.
Vehicles are confined to the mode of travel they are suited for and most are limited in terrain
They require a fuel that is becoming more and more difficult to find an because of that more dangerous to locate. Horses eat grass an drink water; I don't know if any of you have looked but their fuel stretches as far as the eye can see.
Blake's RV while comfortable uses 1 gallon of fuel every 8 to 12 miles which comes to around 375 miles a tank which means 3 tanks just to get to the border. And yes I'm aware that the third tank is merely a partial one.

And now to the question so urgently needing an answer"What if people here need a Doctor?"
Well first off the biggest need here of medical help is First Aid an Midwifery. The first aid thing can be handled by the people here who already know how and the second is something that women here long ago did on their own. Also Elder Meeks wife delivered two children before I even arrived an was teaching the other women the skills of a midwife.

I feel that as a Doctor staying here is a crime against my profession, a profession which will plunge back in time if it's not passed on to the younger generation.
I need a place to teach several students at once and access to a printing press so that as I transcribe every bit of knowledge I have it can be printed into books and preserved.
I'm going to eventually die and I don't want the regrets of a wasted life on my mind.

Okay as for splitting up that doesn't seem to matter except for the fact that there is safety in numbers an so far that number is small

Karen sighs and bends her head putting her palm against her forehead as she tries to drive out the need for tears.
"I must stay strong, I must survive" she says to herself

[Anvil]

Earl chewed on this for a moment. It's not that he didn't know how to ride, just that he couldn't stand the idea of it. He wasn't sure if he was physically capable. Last year, he could have done it but he had just been sitting around ever since he arrived at the farmhouse. He tapped his fingers on the desk, and thought to himself 'it's called survival of the fittest...' He looked around the room again. "Well, I guess I will go tell Blake..." He said before turning and exiting the room.