After some time, hunger ceases to be an urge, a voice, a calling, but rather a dull ache. At this moment, Sean could feel it throughout his entire body. Deep in the pit of his stomach, down to the bones of his tired legs. Every step forward felt uncertain. When his body gave out, would it feel instant, or would he crumple on the ground in agony until his breath left him?

He had been on this road for several days, or perhaps a week already. It was nearly impossible to keep time with the sun hidden behind a thick haze. His watch had stopped working a while ago. He certainly slept, but never fully aware of it.

The ache had been his only companion since he left Los Angeles. Out here the roads were windy, mountainous and mostly desolate, save for the occasional coyote. Food was nearly impossible to find. Broken-down cars of those who had fled would sometimes yield a chocolate square here, a bag of nuts there.

If he was running from something, he wasn't entirely sure what it was yet, or where he was supposed to go. Out here, it was safer to trust no one than to survive.