“Where the hell am I going to go,” Erik said to himself.

Erik and a young girl, named Rebecca, walked alone within a sea of brainless thrall, stalled cars and tall grass. Erik carried a duffle bag, Rebecca a backpack.

Ahead of them a few neglected buildings, behind those a forgotten city. High-rise buildings rotting and falling apart.

“I don’t want to go into the city. I want to avoid it if possible.” Erik said after confirming there was no thrall within listening distance.

He looked back to see Rebecca holding a knife near his side. Upon her face, fear.

“Stab me if you want,” Erik said. “I will scream the entire time. You will not make it 100 feet.”

Rebecca stared at Erik.

“I just… almost lost my life for you.” He snapped.

“That’s a great sign. I’m starting to think this was a stupid idea,” Erik thought.

“I need a drink,” he said, ignoring the threat.

Erik and Rebecca stood within a column of closely parked cars. Thrall stood 50 to 100 feet away. The monsters, when not triggered by noise, would sleep. They would sway like large monstrous blades of grass.

Erik set his duffle on the ground, opened the bag. The whiskey bottle inside was busted. The pungent smell of whiskey wafted up and out.

“Are you a drinker?” Rebecca asked. “My father was a drinker.”

The suddenness of the comment/question caused him to pause. He hadn’t had a conversation with a real person in a long time.

“Where is your father now?”

“Dead and in the van back there,” she said emotionless.

“I see,” was the only reply he could muster. He pulled out the contents of the bag and dumped out the wet garbage.

“All this crap is destroyed and I forgot my bat,” . “How am I going to defend myself… you,” he added as he stared at the nearest thrall 100ft away.

“What else is in this bag,” he continued. “I guess it would be good to have a bag but I have a couple knives and a tire iron. I need to fill it back up.

“So killer,” Erik said. “You’re rescued, you’re free to go in any direction. I don’t know where I’m going,” he admitted.

He turned to face Rebecca. Her face solemn but strong reminding Erik of his daughter he lost but with glaring exceptions. Anne was never tough as nail, like this young woman. Dirt on Anne’s face.. oh no.

She wouldn’t have stood for that. Rebecca looked as though she has been through 3 lifetimes. Hard lines and scar-traced tears upon her face. Rebecca’s dark hair was the same color as Annie’s but Rebecca’s was unwashed… and Rebecca didn’t seem to mind.

Something Rebecca did mind was a middle-aged stranger staring her down as he dreamt about a lifetime that no longer existed.

Her knife struck out at Erik. It was a warning and not an attempt on his life but it was enough for him to fall backward and string together an obnoxious combination of swear words.

When Erik regained his senses he recognized the consequences of his action when thrall began the stir.

“F – you lady,” Erik snarled. “I don’t care if you’re a kid. That was uncalled for. Can I go pass? Are you going to try to cut me?”

Erik had an adrenaline, filled fury. She had the advantage and could easily get a few swipes in. She would definitely hold both of them up long enough to face the thrall. Erik didn’t want to die under the thrall. That was not an honorable way to die.

“Honorable… ha,” he thought. “Of all the words in the English dictionary. You’re a bum, Erik.”

“I was honorable once,” he accidentally said out-loud as he slid past Rebecca.

Erik watched as Rebecca glared at him. Erik slid clear of her and passed the bluish bumper of an older coupe. He looked out into the sun-drenched, grass-covered wasteland. He saw a sea of heads bobbing back and forth. Thrall marched toward them. He was mapping out, in his head, an escape route but it just wasn’t appearing. He walked past the bumper and sat down beside the car.

“I don’t know what to do next,” he thought as he let his shoulders fall.

“I don’t know where to go. Maybe this is the end. It was a great plan.”

“Are you serious?” He replied in thought. “You complement me and my plan. My impulsive rescue plan that…”

He stopped because Rebecca sat beside him and apologized. She explained her situation. She explained that she had to kill her parents in the van. She was a resident of MARS and had a plan.

Erik sat for a moment. He watched as the closest thrall came within a 50 foot radius of them followed by 3 or 4 additional rows of brainless, humanoid monsters.