Papa Oden had a firm grip on her wrist. Hope felt stuck. She couldn't process that yet another person in her life was ripped away. Harvey was gone. Sweet, innocent, naive Harvey. Just like that.

Papa pulled Hope through the chaos. People were screaming and crying. Pushing and shoving, desperate to get out of the way of the raid. Papa suddenly veered off down a back alley.

"Come on Hope, work with me here!" He growled.

Hope's legs were numb. Her hands were cold and shaking. Her eyes were wide and glassy. She was just following at this point, no way she'd be able to get back to the truck at this point. Her brain just shut off. It was her defensive mechanism, shut down, fall in on herself, shield herself from being alone.

Papa sighed. Knowing she wasn't going to be much help at the moment. They had to get back to the truck. Papa pulled her down the alley. It took them twice as long, going around, and hiding in the shadows when someone passed by. His old military training coming back in handy as they snuck through the city.

They finally got back to the truck. David was anxiously waiting for them. Hope had zero recollection of how they got there. Oden opened the door and ushered the girl into the middle seat.

"We need to leave. Now."

"Wait. You're missing one. Where's Harvey?"

"Sweeps picked him up. They are combing the city right now. Now get your ass in the truck." Oden demanded already starting the engine.

David looked with horror at Hope sitting stiff and glassy eyed in the middle seat. David slid in beside her. Oden was already peeling out before the door was closed. Oden didn't slow down until the city was a hazy dot in the rearview mirror. Hope hadn't said a word. She remained stiff and far away, squished between the two older men.

The ride back was quiet and tense. It wasn't the first time they had lost someone. But usually it was a None Immune, and an older person. Immunity wasn't rare. It was just usually in the younger generation.

It would always be the same, a regular trip into a city would go sideways and someone came back with an infection. Usually the person would leave on their own; gather their things and leave. The odd time they would need to be forcibly removed, dropped into the city.

It always sucked. It was never easy. Sometimes, they would beg for a gun with a bullet, and end it before they became fully Gone. Today felt different though. Harvey was young, strong, and capable. It wasn't the Flare that got him, it was WICKED.

Papa Oden sped into camp and skidded to a stop on the gravel road. Lanna and Vera came running from the sleeping quarters, huge smiles on their faces. But when they saw Papa helping Hope out of the truck, their giggles stopped and their smiles turned to panic.

"What the hell happened?"
"Where's Harvey?"
"Is she okay?"

"Girls!" He cried. "Enough." He held a hand up. The girls stopped and went quiet. Hope stood staring, her eyes still glassy.

"WICKED showed up and was doing a surprise sweep-"

"They're looking for them."

Everyone turned to Hope. Papa grabbed her shoulders, shaking her ever so slightly.

"Hope, say that again. Looking for who?"

"They...they are looking for them...the ones who escaped."

"Who escaped what? Hope, you're not making any scene!"

Hope ripped away, angry all of a sudden.

"WICKED. These elite kids, these candidates from the first round of Maze Trials. They escaped. Are ran I to the scorch. Probably in the direction of the city. WICKED wants them back!" She was yelling, there were no tears. She hadn't cried in a long time. Tears were just a waist of time and energy. But anger she knew. Anger was a constant companion. "Harvey and I saw a flyer in every available window, WICKED is rounding up Munies. Ages five to eighteen."

Oden kicked the truck tire and let a long string of curses out. Lanna and Vera stood their mouths open and terrified.

"That's it, were moving. Spread the word, we move out by tonight." Oden barked, turning back around. David nodded and took off.

"Where are we going?" Vera squeaked.

"Deeper into the mountains."

The girls nodded. Hope spun around and walked away. Down the road and to her room.

•°•

Hope sat on the mattress, her sleeping bag already rolled up and ready. Her backpack packed and the few items she owned were tucked safely in her bag. Except for the old blanket and stuffed animal. She held them in her lap. The little stuffed duck wasn't as white as it used to be, and the blanket wasn't as fuzzy soft, but for being in the middle of some zombie apocalypse game of survival, they were in pretty good shape.

There was a small knock on the door and Lanna came in she didn't say anything, just came over and sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug. Hope let it happen. Lanna knew Hope wouldn't cry, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurting. The girls sat in the quiet empty room ready to leave yet another place they had called home.

"How's Sir Crackers doing?" Lanna finally asked.

Hope gave a dry sad chuckle. She sat up straight and held the little stuffed duck up.

"He's just fine. Needs a bath."

"So, tell me again why Crackers?"

"Because I was like three and I could say quack. And Will teased me relentlessly."

Lanna giggled quietly at the story.

"He was the one who gave it to me." Hope said suddenly. She never told Lanna this story. "I wasn't allowed out of the house or away from the yard. Had to stay on the farm. If I was outside I had to have a parent or Will, just incase they needed to hide me. Will would be gonna all day at school. When he would come home...I was always in his room, talking to the stuffed animals...because I had no one to play with...he finally gave me the duck, because it was small and I could take it into the dug out with me when I needed to hide. And also he teased me, calling me an ugly duckling."

"Okay, that's like the funniest saddest stories ever. And he seemed like the best big brother."

"Ya..." Hope trailed off sadly.

Lanna reached for her bag and pulled out her pink pig. The girls were both too old for stuffed animals, but it was a small piece of their childhoods. A small sliver of the good memories before all hell broke loose.

"Well, Hammy loves Sir Crackers anyways, even if he had a lisp."

They let out a bitter sad chuckle. Hope leaned her head on her best friends shoulder. Lanna laid her head on top and they sat, arms looped together, their childhood stuffed animals in the laps.

•°•

° a short stop on our trauma train for a little emotional damage and a visual of Sir Crackers & blanket and Hammy. °
•°•

The few trucks were packed and ready to go. Their group wasn't big. Thirty people at most. Hope, Lana and Vera were the only girls their age. There were definitely way more boys, there were a bunch of people in their thirties or forties. David and Papa Bear were the oldest and most experienced, they led their little rag tag group of survivors. About half the group were not immune, but had somehow not caught the Flare. Everyone here had lost at least one person if not multiple people. They formed their own families now.

Papa Oden had collected Hope and then Lanna. They had their own family. Papa Bear and his girls. He gave them a sad look when they wandered out of the Wearhouse with the little possessions they had. They were being evicted from yet another place. All he wanted for them was a safe place. A place to call home, moving from one abandoned place to another, camping, scavenging, that wasn't living, it was surviving.

He was banking on these rumors about the Right Arm. Their supplier in the city had always been right, trustworthy. He said the Right Arm apparently had an outpost somewhere in the mountains. Find the old highway and they would find you...

That was the plan. Find the old highway. Pray and hope for a miracle and they stumble upon this resistance group. Because strength in numbers. Easier to run and hide in small numbers, but they were done hiding.

•°•

Hope sat in the back of the truck with Lanna, Vera, Tim and a few others. Their bags in their laps, sitting among the supplies and equipment they piled in. They followed the old gravel road higher up the mountain and deeper in. The ride was quiet. Harvey's loss took them all by surprise. Tim's eyes were red rimmed and puffy. Vera sat beside him holding his hand. The line of trucks and jeeps were slowly rolling. They had to stop every once in a while and push the trucks. They would get stuck in the mud and gravel. The tires would spin and they wouldn't get anywhere. They had to all hop out, unload the truck, push it across the washed out road, reload the truck and keep going.

They had to spread out in the trees and make camp for the night. Papa made a camp fire for their little family unit. Hope past out the cans of food.

"Uhg, chili again." Lanna wrinkled her nose.

"I got some kind of pork and beans. Wanna trade?" Tim asked.

Hope sat quietly, staring into the fire as they ate. Hope's mind was busy. Busy with what she didn't know. She was just lost in her thoughts and melancholy feelings.

"Hey, penny for your thoughts kiddo?"

"You'd be broke." She retorted.

"Doubt it. You've been staring into the fire and chewing your thumb nail for the past 10 minutes. Now what's going on?"

Hope sighed. She looked down into her lap, out her can down and pulled her knees up, and placed her head on his shoulder.

"I dunno Papa Bear." She sighed. "I'm just...tired. Tired of life. I'm just tired of watching people being ripped from my life."

"I know, little one." He sighed, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side. "That's why...I'm hoping to find the Right Arm." 

"What? You believe in ghost stories?" Hope scoffed, sitting up and looking at him. 

"Yeah. I sure do. They have an outpost somewhere in these mountains." 

"Papa.." Hope tried to reason, "This mountain range is huge! We could be wondering for months! And I doubt we can do that with this amount of people, and those trucks wouldn't last!" 

"Is Hope feeling a little hopeless?" He teased, as she scoffed again and rolled her eyes. "Do you think I would blindly run into the forest?" 

Hope's shoulders sagged, "No." 

"How long have we been together?" He asked, raising one of his bushy grey eyebrows. 

"Coming on eleven years." She sighed, "What's your point?" 

"Have I ever made a rash decision? Have I ever done anything that puts you or Lanna in harms way?" 

Hope picked up a stick, and snapped a piece off, tossing it into the fire, staring moodily at it. "No." She huffed.

"No. Right. So, I fully believe in the Right Arm, and that they are out there. Somewhere. And they can do a better job of finding you a place to call home." 

She snapped another piece and slowly turned her head, "wait.." She said slowly, "Why does it sound like your saying good bye, some last act or something..?" She paused frowning. "You better not be saying good bye, Papa Bear! Are you dying?" 

"No! No, not at all. I ain't that easy to get ride of! I'm immune remember? And it's my job to get you to a safe place so you can grow old, and make me an official great grandfather!" 

Hope threw the stick into the fire and leaned back into Papa Bear's shoulder. They sat quietly, staring into the fire. 

"Hey Papa?" 

Hope said quietly. He hummed in response. 

"How did you meet Nana?" 

"I've told you this story before!" He chuckled. 

"I know. I just...I want to hear a happy story right now." 

"Yeah!" Lanna pipped up. "We wanna hear a sappy love story!" 

"What? Sappy love story?" Vera perked up, "I haven't heard this one! You mean this big grizzly papa bear had a wife?" 

The girls gave him big puppy dog eyes, he sighed exasperated with them and caved. They giggled and settled down into their sleeping bags and lay quiet listening to the sweet romantic love story of how big bad berserker Viking warrior Oden met his wife. Hope felt a little better, knowing there was still some sweet, some good left in the world. Maybe...if this Right Arm was real, maybe one day she would have a sappy love story to tell her grandkids one day. Maybe..one day. She sighed, and curled up tighter in her sleeping bag. She didn't have time for sappy love stories right now. Right now was time for survival, time  for just making it one more day. 

•°•

° Short chapter, sorry. We'll meet up with the TMR "elites" soon enough °