We had been on the abandoned interstate for over an hour. I was quickly running out of options as the gas gauge continued to count down, like an executioner before he pulled the electric chair switch. The sun would eventually set and I couldn't have us out here in the open, sleeping in the car. We needed to find a house or something we could temporarily secure.

"Where are we goin'?" Chloe spoke up.

I took a deep breath, "I don't know."

She shot me a look like she couldn't contemplate my level of stupidity, "Well that's helpful."

You can't hit a child. You can't hit a child.

"Then what does the all mighty Chloe suggest?" I retorted and realized I was arguing with a kid.

"Dunno, but just drivin' is stupid."

I clenched my jaw, "Okay, well how about we take the next exit?"

"And then do what?"

"Well we need to find a place to sleep and some food. We should keep the stuff I brought as emergency rations."

"And then what?"

I breathed through my nose, "I don't know."

"You say that a lot."

This was not going anywhere.

"Can you look in the glove box and see if John has a map in there?"

Chloe unlatched the box and started to rummage through the contents, "I don't see nothin'."

I propped open the center console, "See if there is anything in here."

"Nope."

"Crap."

I needed a map or something as a rough guide. John and to a lesser extent, Taylor had attempted to teach me the ways of the map reader. I wasn't too bad now.

"That sign says Westwego, 20 miles," Chloe pointed out.

"So I guess that's our first stop."

There were no signs of life on the interstate, which could be taken both ways. There were no sign of Ethan's truck either. I recognized the stretch of road from our recent supply run and I prayed that we didn't run into the psychos from the police station. Gretna was still a good hour or two down the road, but they may be on the move. Thinking about them made me itch to turn off of the interstate.

After a bit, we went down the turn-off, a small town greeting us. The streets were as lifeless as the interstate. A few cars lined the road leading into town. The store fronts were closed up, a few windows had been smashed in.

Nothing moved, except for the few roaming infected. All towns had become ghost towns. It was hard to believe over three months ago, this place would have been busy with life. I turned down a residential area, side-swiping an infected in a torn apron with cats on it. None of the houses looked damaged, but it was hard to tell.

"What are we doin'?"

"We're going to find a house to secure for the night. Gather some supplies and find me a map."

"Then what?"

I hated when kids asked questions all the time. Especially when I didn't have an answer for them.

"Try to see what this Hargrove place is. Maybe it's a town or a building. It's kind of the only lead we have right now."

"Then we should get another radio too."

"Good idea." Chloe smiled at my praise.

I had no idea how to go about this. Should I secure a house and leave her there while I went to find what we needed? Or should I bring her with me, in case something happened to her while I left her? Neither choice was ideal.

We found ourselves in an older residential area. I pulled into a house that was somewhere in the middle of the round cul-de-sac. There was an old Ford Taurus parked in the driveway, but judging from the grime that coated it, the vehicle had been there for a while. The house looked intact; no busted windows or boarding up. I turned off the engine and peered around us.

A straggling infected was slowly shuffling towards us. Chloe stared at me wide eyed as the decayed thing got closer. I reached into the back for my bag and pulled out my new hunting knife.

"Stay here."

I took a deep breath to steel my nerves, and then exited the car. The door clicked softly behind me. I could hear the gurgling sound the infected was making; she was maybe twenty feet away. The knife was gripped tight in my stressed fist and once again I found myself missing my Berettas with the silencers attached.

The late afternoon sun was illuminating the infected from behind, so I had to squint to keep a steady eye on it. I noticed the rake that was left abandoned on the neighbour's front yard to my left. I jogged over to retrieve it and the infected followed my movement. With the claw end held up, I started towards the oncoming infected. It reached for me at the exact time I raised the rake like a bat and let it swing. The thing made a low, squealing sound as the metal pegs connected with its face. My arm shook with the force, but the infected was still flung to the ground.

The rake, which was probably rotten from being outside this whole time, snapped in two. Wood splinters flew all around me and I was left with a short spear. Waste not, want not. I twirled the broken handle so that the sharp edge was facing the ground. I stepped over the female infected and brought it down with all the force I could muster. The broken end landed roughly where her right eye was and embedded itself with a sickening, suction sound.

Her limbs stopped moving and muddy blood dripped from the wound. I placed the back of my hand against my mouth, trying to block out the smell and keep myself from hurling. Do I do something with the body? I wasn't sure if it would attract others or not. I grabbed the things legs and dragged her towards the opposite houses. They had some bushes that lined property that were now badly overgrown. They would do for hiding a body.

Dear god, what has my life come to?

A freshly killed corpse would signal to other survivors that there were living people nearby and I didn't want that. I was huffing from the exertion when I returned to the car.

"That was gross." Chloe made a face as I opened the car door.

"You shouldn't have watched that." I was doing a terrible job babysitting.

"You never said to close my eyes."

"It was implied."

"What's that mean?"

I sighed, "Never mind. Just stay here while I scope out the house."

"Should I close my eyes?"

I shot her a look, "No, you need to keep an eye out. If anything comes, I want you to duck down and keep quiet."

She gulped and nodded.

"Pass me that bag please."

Chloe rooted in the back seat and passed me the plastic bag with the ammo in it. I quickly reloaded my empty clip and added more to the one currently in the gun. I should have kept that rake. I didn't want to have to use the gun because it would draw in the unwanted attention.

"I wasn't kidding. Stay here. And lock it after I close the door." I pointed at Chloe, ironically the way my mother used to do to me, so she knew I was serious.

"I will."

I closed the car door and heard the lock mechanism spring into place. I had the gun in my hand as I tentatively approached the house. There was no movement inside; the curtains were left wide open. The porch stairs creaked under my feet as I approached the house. I peered in the big living room window. Still no movement inside. I tested the door and of course it was locked.

Going back down the stairs, I decided to try the back entrance. The grass was overgrown and weeds had taken over the yard from the lack of maintenance. I unlatched the lock on the gate and stepped into the backyard. It was just as overgrown as the front. Children's toys were lying all over and I had to step over the bike on the pathway.

I glanced around the fenced backyard before I stepped in any further. There were no infected, just a rusty swing set stood towards the back. The swings were moving slightly from the breeze. The house had sliding doors, so I tested them out. The glass door slid to the side and I let out a breath in relief.

The inside was musty and hot from being locked up for so long. Not even a window was cracked. I stood still for a few moments, to see if I heard anything rustling. Silence. I moved towards the front door with my gun still gripped in my hands. I flipped the deadbolt in case I needed to make a quick escape out front.

The main floor wrapped around the whole house, so I started there with my inspection. It was clear. Next was upstairs. The old staircase groaned as I walked up to the landing. I started with the rooms on the left and worked my way down. Sweat was running down my temples from the oppressing heat. We would have to open up some windows if we were going to stay the night.

There was no rotting smell, which was always a good sign. A body, stuck in this heat would have stunk up the whole house. All the rooms were clear; I even made sure to check the closets. The main bedroom was in disarray, as if they had left in a hurry. There was a boy's room that was a complete sty, but I assumed that had nothing to do with the infection.

I ran back down the stairs to grab Chloe from the car.

"Come on," I said when I opened the back door to the car.

Together we lugged in the few bags we had, which wasn't much. I locked the door behind us and closed the curtains throughout the house. I decided to open some windows upstairs to let the breeze in. We plunked down the bags in the middle of the living room.

"Are we goin' to sleep here?" Chloe looked up at me.

"Yeah. Later I'll drag the couch in front of the door and push the table up against the back doors. Maybe we can drag a mattress down here so we can stay on the main floor."

"Are we goin' into town?"

"I think I should go by myself."

Chloe ran to me and grabbed my arm, "You can't leave me here by myself!" She looked like she was on the verge of tears again.

"Chloe, I can't be worrying about watching you when I need to watch for the infected," I tried to reason in the calmest voice I could muster.

"No!" Now she was crying.

I kneeled down to her level, "You will be safer here. I will make sure you're secure before I leave."

She shook her head defiantly, "Please don't."

My head was swimming with turmoil. Both choices were less than ideal. Chloe was scared and what if something happened to me? Then she would be stuck here by herself. But then again, if I brought her, something could happen to her. She sniffed and launched herself at me. I patted her head awkwardly as she clung to me.

"Ok, fine. But you have to stay right beside me and do whatever I say without hesitation. You think you can manage that?"

She nodded eagerly as she unlatched from me. This was going to be a long day.