"Are you going to shoot me again?" Lincoln asked a few hours later, limping behind Marissa. For some reason, this was his number one concern and the fourth time he had asked that ridiculous question.

"I have five bullets in my gun. You really think I'm going to waste them on you?" Marissa asked dryly. She heard him curse at her back and she just grinned.

"So where are we going?" Lincoln finally asked after he had finished cursing Marissa and her future (if any) children and grandchildren.

"We decided to head towards the most unlikely of places." Ellie Rae stated in an airy, almost showman like voice." Away from all of... That." Lincoln ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"And where would that be?" The girls looked at each other in silence. There was a small part of Marissa that thought that if they told him, maybe he would go his own way. But then it would also be unfair not to tell him.

"Edge of the Wilderness." Marissa stopped walking as she said it, turning to face Lincoln. His jaw quite literally dropped.

"There?!" He practically squeaked. He came to a stop in front of her and leaned on his crudely made walking stick. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am." Ellie Rae jogged up beside them after having not noticed that the two had stopped. "It's like El said, the most unlikely of places."

"And what makes you think that being there is any safer than back home, aye? You realize that the Wilderness is just as bad, if not worse. We could die!"

"We aren't going in, idiot. We're going to make camp just outside it. Plus, we'll cross that bridge when we get there." Marissa said with a sigh. "We need to get out of this place, that's for sure. I don't want to be here if an earthquake decides to hit again." Lincoln nodded. Ellie Rae adjusted the straps of her bag.

"Or if a horseman decides to show up." Ellie Rae added. Marissa gave her a curt nod. Lincoln just leaned on his stick and readjusted his backpack, opting to not say anything incase Marissa decided she would use one of her last bullets on him.

"Which would be just as unlucky as an earthquake, but I'd rather have the horseman." Lincoln cocked an eyebrow.

"I think I'd rather have the earthquake." Marissa didn't know what to say after that. She just pursed her lips and breathed heavily.

"Shall we continue?" Ellie Rae asked, looking between the two of them. They took off at a slower pace, Marissa taking point, Ellie Rae in the middle and Lincoln hobbling along in the back. Marissa hadn't voiced the reason for him to bring up the rear, he had just done it. For the first time that day, (and hopefully not the last), Lincoln had understood the unspoken requirement that as the weakest link, if someone gets them- either animal or human- the girls would be able to make a run for it. Marissa had nodded her thanks at him when she had turned to make sure everyone was still present. She didn't like the guy- he was also self-centered and obnoxious- but he seemed to understand that right now was not the time to whine.

They walked a couple of blocks before Ellie Rae stopped them, having bent down to pick something up off the ground.

"Hey Mar? Didn't you draw this?" She turned the paper until it was the right way up, the edges of it burned and flaking in the wind, crumbling between her fingers. Marissa's looker over her shoulder and frowned.

"I... I think so?" She turned and carefully took the page from Ellie Rae and could see through the bits of unburned paper that it was, in fact her notes. "Oh yeah, I drew that yesterday." She swung her head around, looking for where it possibly could've come from.

"Uh ,guys? I think I found the rest of your stuff." Lincoln had hobbled over to a nook in between the buildings and had struggled his way to the ground and was prodding at a sad little pile of ashes. Marissa scowled at the name but ran over and knelt beside him and picked up a small, smoking piece of what was left of her leather notebook. She scoffed and shook head before dropping it back into the pile of ashes.

"Great. Just great." She muttered. The remnants of her pencil was there too, looking like it had been used to spark the fire. Marissa sighed. There was a scuffling noise that made the three of them look up and away from the smouldering. Ellie Rae took a few steps back, gently tugging Lincoln with her.

"Ger away from me shuff!" A gruff voice came from the shadows of the nook. Marissa shot up straight and aimed her gun out in front of her as a grubby old man came out of the shadows, waving the shotgun Marissa had found earlier like a mad man. Marissa swore and took a few quick steps back, making sure to stay in front of Ellie Rae, as the old man ran at her. He stopped a few feet in front of them and planted his feet in a defensive stance over what Marissa assumed was a very pathetic attempt at a fire pit. "I shaid ger away!"

"Okay!" Marissa raised her hands in the air in surrender but didn't let go of the gun. She had her finger close enough to the trigger if needed but kept it the air and not pointed at his face. The old man nodded and started muttering to himself and waved the gun between her and Lincoln, who was barely holding himself up on the stick. He was shaking slightly, Ellie Rae no longer helping to hold him up. He coughed slightly and nodded slightly too where Ellie Rae was. Marissa fought to keep the surprise off her face. "We were just looking."

"Just looking, my arse. Thash me stuff! Me shuff me shuff me shuff!" He sounded like a lunatic. He dropped the gun to the ground behind him as he scuffled around his pathetic fire pit, muttering to himself. And because of all this, he had yet to see Ellie Rae. He was so caught up in claiming his stuff that he didn't notice Ellie Rae inching around carefully so that he didn't hear her. She made eye contact with Marissa and nodded, pointing at the gun the old man had dropped to the ground. Marissa gave a minute nod back and then focussed on the old man.

"Alright! It's your stuff!"

"Thash right! Thash my shuff!" He didn't have any teeth so when he smiled at them as she agreed with him, his rotted gums glistening in the sun. "Thash my shuff! I gosh it fair and squarie!" Lincoln was staring at the old man like he was losing the plot. He spoke before Marissa could stop him.

"You stole that stuff!" He argued back. Marissa stared at him wide eyed and shook her head. He wasn't looking at her though, he was staring at the old man accusingly. "You stole it!"

"I ish not a sheif!"

"Lincoln, are you an idiot?" Marissa hissed at him. Lincoln scowled and ignored her. She should have shot him higher.

Fortunately, Ellie Rae had the most perfect timing. Lincoln was just about to say something else when Ellie Rae swept her leg out and knocked the old man to the ground. He hit the concrete with a thud and started cursing and yelling. Ellie Rae grabbed the abandoned gun off the ground and leapt over the man.

"RUN!" Ellie Rae yelled as he started to get to his feet. Marissa set off at a run, not even looking back to see if Lincoln was managing with his messed-up leg. If the old man got him, Marissa wouldn't complain. Ellie Rae sped up beside her, her long legs matching with Marissa's slightly smaller ones. They pounded their way down the street, Marissa turning her head slightly to see if they were being followed and to her surprise, Lincoln was speedily hobbling on after them, his face grim and focussed as he ran. Behind Lincoln, there was no sign of the old man.

"He's... gone." Marissa panted as she slowed down, head pounding from the run. She put her hands on her knees and stayed bent over as she attempted to catch her breath. Ellie Rae stopped a few feet up from her and coughed as she tried to get more air in her lungs. Lincoln was less out of breath but was sweatier than the two girls. He stopped just in front of Marissa, leaning on his walking stick and panted. She gave him no time to react and slapped hard him across the face.

"What the hell?!"

"YOU IDIOT! WHY CAN YOU NOT KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT WHEN IT WAS HANDLED?"

"Stop yelling at me!"

"WHY? I HAD HIM CALMING DOWN. HE WAS MOVING AWAY FROM THE GUN. YOU ALMOST PUT ELLIE RAE IN MORE HARMS WAY."

"I'm fine, Mar." Ellie Rae said quietly, approaching Marissa and laying a hand on her shoulder. Marissa was seething but she lowered her voice, straining to not yell. Or hit him. Ellie Rae took the other gun from Marissa who was seething and took a few steps back. She bit her lip as she watched the two of them stare each other down.

"You just had to put your own two senses in, didn't you?"

"He stole your stuff!"

"Does THAT MATTER?!" She yelled again. Her hands were clenched into tight fists as she tried to control her breathing. "He had a gun. He was a crazy old homeless man." She said through gritted teeth. She was shaking. Ellie Rae took a step forward, becoming a barrier between the two of them. Lincoln looked like he was ready for a fight now, standing up straighter and looked down at Marissa.

"He was insane. It didn't matter if you could calm him down. He still would've shot at us and then taken any other supplies he could've gotten his hands on!"

"You're an idiot, Lincoln." Marissa hissed.

"And you two need to cool down." Ellie Rae finally said, clearly having had enough. She popped the guns at her feet and then laid a hand on both their shoulders and pushed them down, forcing them both to lean over and stare at the ground and not at each other. Ellie Rae was surprisingly strong, holding both in their leaned over positions. "Take some deep breaths, both of you." She demanded. Marissa focussed on a pebble by her brown boots and did as she was told, counting her breaths as she did so. Gradually, she could feel her heart rate begin to slow down and she knew that Ellie Rae could feel that too because the pressure on her shoulder lessened and she was able to stand up a bit more. Ellie Rae kept her hand where it was but let her stand up.

"Okay?"

"Yeah." Marissa confirmed. She felt a little dizzy from the sudden burst of anger. She didn't look at Lincoln when Ellie Rae let him up. If she looked at him, the boiling rage would burst up again and she may just use one of her five bullets on him. It seemed like a stupid thing to be angry over, but he had stepped in when he shouldn't have and could've made things much worse if Ellie Rae hadn't already been in motion.

"Let's keep moving." She muttered, pushing her now loose hair behind her ear. The hair tie must've come loose while they had been running. She cracked her knuckles and picked up both guns that Ellie Rae and laid on the ground. In an offering of peace, she reluctantly held out the shotgun to Lincoln. She felt him take it and started walking in the direction they had been running in. Marissa knew that eventually it would lead them towards the bushland area but it would be a few days before they would get to the Island that boarded the Wilderness. Ellie Rae said something to Lincoln, and he muttered something back, something Marissa couldn't hear. Ellie Rae left him, and half ran to walk beside Marissa.

"Mar-."

"Save it, Ellie Rae." Marissa said tiredly. Ellie Rae tilted her head. "I know I need to hold my temper."

"I understand why you lost it."

"First my pencil gets used as fire starter. Then Lincoln made things worse. And now I feel like I've run a marathon when it was only-."

"Three blocks." Ellie Rae finished, having already done the math. Marissa wiped a hand across her forehead as they walked. "Are you really just peeved about your pencil being used as fire starter?"

"It was my favourite pencil." Marissa shrugged, making Ellie Rae laugh.

"So what's the plan?"

"We'll walk until the sun starts setting. Then we'll find a place to sleep and eat and hopefully hydrate. And we'll keep doing that until we can't or we get somewhere safe." Ellie Rae nodded.

"You get that, Lincoln?"

"Loud and clear." He responded.

"Good." Ellie Rae looked back at Marissa. "Where do you think we'll get some food too?"

"I'm pretty sure I've been here before and there's a supermarket just down that street." She pointed down a street and turned. Ellie Rae nodded and then sped up a few feet and walked point, leaving Marissa in the middle and Lincoln still at the back. Good, Marissa thought. He can be their canary in the coal mine if they get attacked by any other random homeless people.

They did this for a couple days, ducking in and out of hotels and motels, and setting out through the city throughout the day, the air getting progressively cooler as the days went on. They broke into a clothing store and stole some clothes that were in one piece. Marissa found some more clean material to wrap up Lincolns leg, making sure to wrap it around tightly enough that he swore when she tied it off, but she did him the favor of making sure it was loose enough that it didn't cut of circulation in his leg.

They dressed themselves in warmer clothes as the mornings became frostier. It was amazing just how much had been left untouched over the years. Even though production had since stopped for most products, the things that had remained continued to surprise Marissa.

Dressed in a thick black, knee length coat, a beanie and an unripped blouse, Marissa rubbed her nose in the early morning sun. As she breathed, she could see her breath rise in front of her. She sniffed and then turned to her companions, Ellie Rae dressed equally as warmly as Marissa was, only had chosen to don her pair of gloves whereas Marissa had popped them into her bag for an only if she needed them case. Lincoln, who could walk a little better and without the aid of the walking stick was dressed in a clean pair of jeans and a thick sweater. He still had a limp as he walked but the fact, he was slowly speeding up was a good thing. Ellie Rae kept giving him some of her stash of painkillers as they hadn't been able to find anymore. Marissa still wasn't talking to him, and he seemed to have no problem with it.

"How long do you reckon we have left in this place?" Ellie Rae asked as they walked down the streets. Marissa squinted up at the sky, green eyes dark as she tried to figure it out.

"I reckon a few more hours than we should almost be at the edge."

"Oh good, more homeless people to piss off?" Marissa ignored that. "What could there be out there?"

"No idea. It's bushy. So... trees?" Marissa answered shortly, eyes facing forward. Ellie Rae snorted at that. Lincoln sighed and motioned to Ellie Rae. She nodded, and Marissa watched as she sped up ahead, leaving Marissa with Lincoln. She kept walking and looking straight ahead but that didn't stop Lincoln from keeping up with her, despite his limp.

"Listen, Marissa, I'm sorry, okay?"

"What, no random name?" She looked at him out the corner of her eye.

"What do you want me to call you, Maisy?"

"Can I retract my previous statement?" Lincoln smiled at that. "You were saying?"

"You're ridiculous. But I am sorry. I should have listened to you. I should've kept my mouth shut." Marissa stopped walking and stared at him. He stopped walking as well and turned to face her.

"Did Ellie Rae tell you to do this?" He hesitated. "She did, didn't she?" He nodded.

"But she was right to tell me to." He sighed and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "I should've listened to you. You were right."

"I... Well... Huh. That doesn't happen very often." Marissa stared at it him for a moment. "I. I'm sorry too. For yelling. And shooting you." Lincoln smirked and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"Apology accepted."

"You're an ass." She muttered and his smirk widened. She rolled her eyes and started walking again, quickening her step, moving to catch up to Ellie Rae. "Are you coming?"

"That's what she said." Marissa groaned. He was back. He was never going to shut up again. She was doomed.

"Let's go." They both sped up to Ellie Rae, who was idly walking around, staring up at the buildings as she walked around, waving around a branch that she had found. She turned when the two approached her and smiled brightly.

"Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." Lincoln smiled back and Marissa flashed a smile at her and nodded briefly as she adjusted the strap of her backpack before squinting back up at the sky. "Let's get moving. I want to get out of here by lunch." Lincoln gave a mock salute and the three started walking again, still cautious and not wanting any surprises.

"I've never been this far away from home before." Ellie Rae mused. She was still swinging her stick around, taking in the sights. Marissa smiled.

"And what do you think?"

"I miss home?" She looked at Marissa with a half-smile. "It's okay. I hope that little beaver is okay." Marissa groaned.

"I forgot about that dang beaver. It's going to pee everywhere."

"Within the cage." Ellie Rae reminded. "Besides, we don't know if we're going to go back home." Marissa almost tripped over her feet.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't know what's going on there still. Hell, we don't know if any of it is still standing." Ellie Rae shrugged and then dropped the stick and shoved her hands in the pockets of her warm coat. Marissa frowned. "We may never go back there."

"Don't say that." Lincoln said seriously, frowning. Marissa felt something in her stomach jolt a little bit. They might not go home. "Yes, we don't know happening. Yes, we don't know what's left or who's left. But regardless of that, if home is where we are meant to be when all this calms down, then home is where we will go." There was some finality in his tone that made Marissa appraise him briefly.

"Didn't know you could be so serious, Lincoln." Marissa commented but let a small smile warm her face. Lincoln smiled back and shrugged.

"I'm just being honest."

"We have to have hope, Ellie Rae." Marissa added as they walked. "Because if we don't have hope, then we have nothing. So if you're struggling for something to hold on to, put your faith in seeing another day come. Hope to see another sunrise, to eat another meal. If we don't hold onto that, then what's the point at trying at all?"