The road stretched on for a long ways. Miles and miles of black tar and gravel. Faint white lines dot along it unevenly. The caw of crows echoed in all directions as the murder awaited their meal.

Bonnie’s pigtails bounced with each small step she took, her electric energy waning in the hot wind. I couldn’t help the small smile that crept on my cracked lips, imagining her bouncing through the old house as if high on sugar.

But that was then, and this is now.

She’s a few years older then then, and has seen far more then a nine year old ever should.

I return my eyes, and mind to the road ahead.

Far far off down the road, was the ocean. And a city of life, honest people surviving and rebuilding.

Five hundred miles, that is what separated us from that ocean. I figured we could make it in two months. We had enough to survive on and a small creek ran along the road almost the whole way, feeding into the sea.

We were almost halfway now, there was no turning back.

Bonnie stopped, sweat drenching her brow under her straw hat. “Can we stop yet?” She asked sluggishly.

I looked up at the setting sun, it was gonna get cold soon.

“We can rest for an hour, then we can’t stop till morning.” I stop next to her, and point to an outcropping of rocks. “Over there, out of sight.”

She nodded happily, and skipped off towards the rocks. I shook my head at her sudden influx of energy but follow.

We refill our canteens, and settled behind the large boulders. Resting as the sun peaked behind the horizon, and slipped into darkness.

You never light an open flame out in the road, the smallest light could be seen for miles. And you never know who’s looking. We ate bits from the homemade jerky I packed ever so carefully, and ate the berries that grew in the thorny bushes along the creek.

Bonnie leaned up against me, already asleep. I patted her head, deciding to give her a few more minutes before I woke her. The night was quiet and still. The only sound was the running creek, which seemed to grow louder and louder. My eyes shot open.

In the distance, was the sound of trucks.

From the way we had came, drove a convoy of trucks and vans. Their headlights split the night, lighting up the road. All the vehicles smeared red, bullet holes punched through the doors.

Rust Jockeys, road bandits.

One by one, they stopped in the middle of the road. Just a mere few hundred feet away.

I held Bonnie close to me, she still slept blissfully.

There was no way they could see us, right? I reached for the small .38 on my belt. It only held three bullets but just waving it around had saved us countless times before.

But there was at least fifteen vehicles, full of men hooping and howling. All more then likely carrying weapons. I heard yells, a few appeared to be fighting, blows thrown around each other.

A gunshot rang off, Bonnie jumped awake. I held her still, hushing her. Her eyes wide in the bright night, but she stayed quiet.

More whooping and laughter arose from the convoy. And then one by one, they raced out down the road, tires screeching.

We waited a good hour before we crept out from behind the rocks, waiting between each step for the sounds or lights from them returning, but they didn’t.

A body laid out on the road, his breath hard and rattling. Blood pooled out of his mouth, his eyes didn’t register us as we approached. He whispered incoherently, ma, dust and milk, was all I could make out.

A few minutes later he fell silent. It wasn’t the first time either of us had witnessed death. Bonnie’s face was stoic, such an odd expression for someone so young.

I hugged her, before grabbing her hand and continuing down the road.

The road was a taker, the thorn covered path leading to heaven or hell.

I held her hand tight, and I wasn’t ever letting go.