As the two drew closer, my mind started to go blank. I had no idea what to do. I hit the gas again, but the car remained in place. One guy shouldered his weapon and put his hands up in a 'we mean you no harm' gesture. Roy and I shared a look.

"You think he's one of the mercenaries?"

My mouth was dry, making it hard to answer, "I don't know. It's not like they have a uniform."

The two I had dealt with back at the apartment had nothing similar about how they looked. It wasn't like they wore a team jersey or anything. The guy got close enough that he was able to drag away a couple of the bodies from the driver's door by their legs. I finally jammed a full magazine into the Berretta just in time for the man to reach my window.

He reached for the door handle and I pointed the gun at him. He held his hands back then motioned for me to come out.

"I got your back," Roy stated, his own AR-15 in his lap.

I wanted to tell him that his words were less than comforting, but I decided against it. Instead of opening the door, I rolled down the window with the gun still pointed towards the man.

"Dere, dere, dawlin'," the man said in a heavy Cajun accent. "We ain't here ta harm."

I couldn't tell if I believed him or not, hell, I couldn't even tell if I'd heard him right. I was having a hard time understanding his accent. He must've been somewhere in his late twenties, early thirties. And he looked like he was permanently tanned under his tank-top, which showcased his slim, but muscled physique. He had some brown stubble outlining his face and the widest grin I had ever seen.

"Now put down ta gun, you," he put his own arms down.

"I think I'll keep it here for now," I said back, the gun still pointed at him. "Who are you?"

The man took a deep breath, "We're from da Hargrove place. A scoutin' group lookin' for other survivors and supplies."

I tensed. If they thought they could rob us, they had another thing coming.

"Prove it," I demanded.

His eyes narrowed, "Not sure how ta do dat without takin' ya back. How about ya follow us?"

He could just be leading us into a trap.

"I have a better idea, how about you follow us," I countered.

We had the map leading us to Hargrove from Ethan. If these guys were legit, then everything would be okay when we arrived. If they weren't, then we had back-up anyways. The man's eyebrows shot up and a grin spread across his face.

"If dat what it takes, miss," he said. "We just around da corner." He jerked his head towards the end of the street.

"After you then."

The grin never left his face as he nodded and headed towards his ride. The others followed him, sparing a couple of glances back at us.

"Holy shit," Roy let out a huge breath.

I rolled up the window, my fingers slightly shaking. I stuck them in my lap, resting on my Beretta until the adrenaline left my system. The others didn't need to see that.

"They didn't do anythin', that's good right?" Chloe asked.

"All I know is that once we clear the car from being stuck, we don't get out again until we hit Hargove," I said. "Come on, Roy. Let's get this over with."

We got out and cleared the pile of bodies from underneath the car. One of the legs I was pulling came off, the hip bone jutting out of the socket. I grimaced and flung the appendage away from me. I got back in and hit the gas while Roy stayed outside and pushed. After the car cleared the biggest hump, we were finally able to move again. I steered around the bodies, stopping just long enough for Roy to get in.

We rounded the street corner, the other men in their old GMC SUV ready to follow. Once we passed them, they pulled out from the side and kept a few car lengths behind us. Chloe and Amanda turned and peered out the back window at them, waving. The Cajun man waved back.

"Sit down you two," Roy commanded.

"How far off do you think we are?" I looked out the rearview mirror.

I was getting cold feet. Having them follow us was making me even more nervous.

After scanning the map, Roy answered, "I'm no expert, but I'd say maybe an hour?"

It turns out Roy was pretty accurate with his time frame. After another turn, we found the main road we needed and just had to worry about dodging infected at that point. I kept hoping that the guys behind us would accidently hit one and wreck their truck so they couldn't follow us.

They hadn't tried anything. They just kept up the pace and followed three car lengths behind the entire time.

"I think we're here." Roy's words brought me out of my thoughts.

I slowed as we turned onto a long, paved driveway and approached a metal gate. An entire area was gated off with tall brick walls that had to be over twelve feet high and added barbwire on top. We passed a worn wooden sign reading, "Hargove Retirement Community." This was a senior's village after all, but I doubt the barbwire was there before the outbreak. I could see just the peaks of houses overtop the brick fence and the tops of leafy trees.

"Smart, those brick walls look sturdy," Roy muttered.

The iron gate at the front was a solid slab except for a thin slot spread-out across the entire expanse. As I stopped, I could see a pair of eyes peering out. The truck stopped behind us and the Cajun man yelled from his window, "Bruce, open da damn gate, you!"

I could hear the groaning of metal on metal. Flecks of rust began to rain down from the hinges, like autumn leaves from a tree. The large door swung inwards, leaving an opening big enough for vehicles to pass through. I hadn't realized how long I had been staring at the open gate until Roy cleared his throat.

"We going in?"

I nodded and drove through slowly. We passed by two men holding the gate, and some others just standing around. A woman wearing a blouse and slacks was in my way, holding her hand up indicating that she wanted me to stop. Once I did, I looked around.

The area looked about the size of a large, round cul-de-sac. All of the houses were single level condos with a one-car parking pad in front. Every building looked similar except for the obvious variation in colors to make the place look less generic. People were on the street, bustling around. It looked like a commune. The minute anyone offered us Kool-Aid, I would be hightailing it out of here.

"It looks like a real village," Roy commented.

I heard the creaking of the gate being closed behind us. The inside of the brick walls had guard lookouts made of ladders and wooden beams on both sides of the gate. I was willing to bet that they had a few others around the community. At least they had a decent perimeter. As far as I could tell, only the guards that had opened the gate were carrying weapons.

"Well, shall we?" I said as I turned off the engine and got out, the others following.

The woman acting as a traffic cop flashed me a warm smile, "Welcome to Hargove! Wyatt will be here soon to give you an official welcome. I just need-"

She was cut off by Chloe's high pitched squeal.

"Ethan!" Chloe screamed a few decibels more than necessary.

She was right.

Only a few yards from us with a couple of other people, Ethan was coming out of one of the first houses. He stalled his purposeful stride, a look of utter bewilderment plastered across his face, but then he threw down the arm-full he was carrying as he snapped out of it. They ran to each other, him scooping up her small form. Chloe's legs flailed behind her as she hugged him with all her might still squealing.

I stood frozen beside Roy and for the briefest of moments, I felt like an outsider.

"Oh my god! Bailey!" a familiar voice yelled.

I whipped my head to the side to see Zoe running at me in a full sprint. I barely had time to put down the backpack I hauled out of the car before she collided with me. We started jumping up and down as we hugged excitedly, like a couple of teen girls meeting at school after summer break.

I couldn't stop smiling. Relief was a bucket of ice water dumped on me, soaking down to my bones. I had found my best friend again and got Chloe back to her brother. All the trials of the past two weeks had been leading to this and to see it come to fruition was almost indescribable. Even against the odds, I had got us here.

"Zoe, you're alive!" I yelled back.

We separated, her still grinning like an idiot. I'm sure my own smile matched.

"Not just me, everyone else made it too!"

That meant John and Darren were around here somewhere. I couldn't wait to see them; even Darren. I finally noticed all the other strange faces gathered around us. Some were smiling at the reunion scene, while others looked apprehensive.

The Cajun man came up beside me, that grin still in place. "Told ya I meant no harm."

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So how about them apples, huh? I'm willing to bet a few of you are screaming, "Finally!" at your screens ;)