After what happened with Annie something broke inside me. I gave up.

Not on living. I would continue to live even if it killed me.

No I gave up on caring. On having emotions. On pretending I could ever be happy again.

Annie had driven into a certain massacre. I knew it.

She was gone. Mason was gone. Dad was gone.

Jake was gone, but I could get him back.

So if it's been a month what have I been wasting my time with? After all clearly I haven't found Jakey Jay or else I would have said so.

I'm still stuck in California. Disappointed in my progress? So am I. It's been insane simply trying to survive this chaotic wasteland. But I'm alive and on my way North.

My estimate: About twenty percent of the population is left. For the whole country. Other countries?

Well it depends. Some are completely shut off from the rest of the world. Most won't allow anyone from North America in. That's as far as it got to my knowledge. The rest of the world is arguing over whether or not to send aid to us. At least I assume they have. There's little opportunity for watching the news.

I caught up with a guy a couple weeks back and that's what he told me. We went our separate ways. He was headed to Hawaii. He offered me a ride, pestered me about it, practically tried to drag me with him, but in the end we went our separate ways.

My legs ached. I'd been walking all day, towards Nevada. Last night I'd slept in a locked convenience store. Not exactly a five star hotel, but hey, I was alive.

I packed light. Something I had learned from one of my favorite zombie movies. Honestly I wished that the water bottle I kept in my bag was a bigger. It was California in September after all. I suppose the month doesn't matter. California is California.

If the road was not so empty I would have looked for somewhere to stop and rest. There was nothing for miles. Just the horizon, yellow lines streaking towards it.

I squinted, sunlight beating down on my face. I cast a shadow, using my hand as a visor.

No... The yellow lines streaked towards a figure. A human figure.

I raised my gun. I had found a new one after Annie had disappeared to save Mason. I had learned to use it too. I had adapted to the new world and that's why I got to live in it.

My hands no longer shook as I held it, pointed towards the human figure.

I did not shoot. Too far to anyway.

We walked towards each other. In the distance as she approached I realized the figure was indeed a very much alive teenaged girl, likely no older than fifteen.

The closer she came the easier it was to identify her. Black, stringy hair, tied in a short and messy ponytail. A brown leather jacket and a satchel on her person. If I had to guess I would have said she looked to be biracial, possibly half Chinese, but I was not an expert enough to know. She wavered even less than I at the thought of shooting a living person.

Mere feet away now. Neither of us dropped our guns. My eyes met hers.

I nodded. She copied.

I slowly lowered my gun. She followed.

"First human I've seen in at least a week." She commented, a somewhat lazy North-Eastern accent in her voice. I couldn't pin where it was from but I had always grown up on the West coast. "Where you headed?"

"Montana." I stated bluntly. "You?"

"North. Canada, hopefully. We're passing through Montana, actually." She scowled, but more due to the brightness of the sun rather than her attitude towards me.

"We?" I asked.

She was alone.

"I'm meeting a guy- acquaintance I kinda know- only person I got ahold of. He's meeting me at Avalon Creek."

Oh... Avalon Creek. Less than a day's walk from where we were currently if I had to guess. A decent enough town that held a rickety little amusement park and some of the worst memories of my life.

"What's your name?" She asked, eying me carefully. "Are you a maniac?"

"I'm not a maniac or a cannibal or anything disturbing." I stopped to think, struck by her question. Erica wasn't right. Erica was too close. Too personal. Too homey. Something kept my tongue from uttering my given name. Instead I answered,

"Locke. Just call me Locke."

She shrugged. "Alright, Locke, wanna ride?"

"You don't have a car."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Astute observation, Captain Obvious. Clearly I'm not hiding one in my jacket. No it's that guy I mentioned. He's got a car. You're welcome to join us, I guess."

She aimed the barrel of her gun at my head. "But try anything funny and I shoot."

I nodded. "Sounds about right."

I turned to walk besides her. "I'll join. As long as you don't try to get too buddy-buddy?"

"Works for me."

We began walking towards Avalon Creek Amusement Park. I shivered as the memories began to resurface.

It was for Jake.

It was all for Jake.