The road was empty again.
Three days since the overpass. Three days of nothing but gray asphalt and white crates. No blue. No purple. No gold.
Just survival.
Alex sat on the roof of the RV, legs dangling over the edge, journal in his hands. He'd read every entry a dozen times. Memorized the handwriting. The phrasing. The way his mother crossed her T's.
Day 47: The chassis reinforcement is complete.
Day 52: Installed the second fuel tank.
Day 60: They're getting closer.
They.
Still no answer to that mystery.
"Your mother was a worrier."
Cole stood below, leaning against his Harley. The old trucker had been quiet since the overpass. Thinking, probably. Same as Alex.
"She had reason to worry."
"She did." Cole lit a cigarette. "But she also had faith. In the road. In the system. In you."
"I'm not sure faith is enough."
"It's a start."
Alex looked at the horizon. Empty. Same as always.
"Three days," he said. "No sign of Vera. No Road Knights. No nothing."
"Enjoy it while it lasts."
"I don't trust it."
Cole nodded. "Good. You shouldn't."
---
Sarah appeared at the bottom of the ladder. "We've got company."
Alex climbed down. "How many?"
"One. Walking. Eastbound, about a mile out."
"Hostile?"
"Hard to tell. She's alone. No weapon I could see."
Jade was already on the roof, broken rifle aimed at the horizon. "I see her. She's limping."
"Limping?"
"Left leg. Badly."
Alex grabbed his tire iron. "I'll check it out."
"Alone?" Sarah asked.
"You and Jade cover me. Cole, get the RV ready to move."
"And if she's a trap?"
"Then we leave."
---
The woman was young. Early twenties. Brown hair matted with dirt. Her clothes were torn—not from fighting, but from wear. Months of wear.
She saw Alex coming and stopped.
"I'm not here to hurt you," she called out. Her voice was hoarse. Thirsty.
"Then keep your hands where I can see them."
She raised her empty hands. "My name's Riley. I've been walking for two weeks."
"Two weeks?"
"My car ran out of fuel. I couldn't find more."
Alex studied her. The limp. The exhaustion. The desperation in her eyes.
Not a trap, he thought. Just another survivor.
"There's a town about ten miles east," he said. "Might have fuel."
"I can't make ten miles. I can barely make ten feet." She gestured to her leg. "Twisted it jumping out of my car. It's not broken, but it's not good."
"Then what do you want?"
Riley looked at the RV. At Sarah on the roof. At Jade's rifle.
"I want to not die," she said. "That's all. Just... not die."
---
Alex brought her to the RV.
Sarah wasn't happy. Jade was less happy. Danny just looked scared.
"This is a bad idea," Sarah said.
"She's alone. Injured. No weapon."
"Could be a plant. Vera's people use bait."
"She's not Vera's people." Maya stepped forward. The archer had been watching from the shadows. "Look at her hands. No calluses. No scars. She's never fired a gun."
"So she's what? A civilian?"
"In this world, everyone's a civilian. Some just learn faster."
Sarah crossed her arms. "What do you want to do, Alex?"
Alex looked at Riley. The woman was sitting on the ground, head down, breathing hard.
She's dying, he thought. Slowly. But dying.
"We give her food. Water. A day's rest."
"And then?"
"And then she goes her own way."
---
Riley ate like she hadn't seen food in weeks.
Maybe she hadn't.
Danny sat across from her, watching. The kid had been quiet since the overpass. Alex wondered what was going on in his head.
"You're from Ohio, right?" Riley asked.
Danny blinked. "How'd you know?"
"License plate on your backpack. Saw it when you moved."
"You're observant."
"I'm alive." Riley tore into another MRE. "You learn to notice things."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact that your leader is carrying a dead woman's journal."
Alex's head snapped up. "What did you say?"
Riley didn't flinch. "The journal. It's written by a woman. The handwriting is feminine. The way she crosses her T's. The loops on her Y's." She shrugged. "My mom was a writer. I recognize these things."
Alex pulled out the journal. "You can read this?"
"I can try."
He hesitated. The journal was private. Personal. The last connection to his mother.
But she might see something I missed.
He handed it over.
Riley opened it. Flipped through the pages. Her eyes moved fast—scanning, not reading.
"Day forty-seven," she said. "Chassis reinforcement. Day fifty-two. Second fuel tank. Day sixty. They're getting closer."
"You can read that fast?"
"I can skim." She stopped at the last entry. Frowned. "There's something here. In the binding."
"The binding?"
Riley held the journal up to the light. Squinted.
"There's a gap. Between the pages. Something thin."
Alex took the journal. Felt the binding. There—a seam he'd never noticed.
He pulled out his knife. Cut the thread.
A piece of paper fell out.
---
The paper was small. Folded twice. Yellowed at the edges.
Alex unfolded it.
Handwriting. His mother's.
But different. Shaky. Desperate.
If you're reading this, you're my son.
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in person.
The system is a cage. Zero Mile is the key. But the key is guarded.
Vera knows. Vera wants the key for herself.
Don't trust her. Don't trust anyone who wears a patch.
The third man in the photograph—his name is Marcus. He's dead. But his son is alive.
Find him. He'll help you.
I love you.
—Mom
Alex read it three times.
His hands were shaking.
"Marcus," he said. "The man in the photograph. Cole said he died on the road to Zero Mile."
"He did," Cole said. "I watched him fall."
"But his son is alive. Somewhere."
Cole's face went pale. "His son was a boy. Ten years old. He wouldn't have survived the Transfer."
"Maybe he did." Alex looked at Riley. "You've been walking for two weeks. Seen anyone? Heard any names?"
Riley thought about it. "There's a kid. Runs with a crew called the Free Wanderers. Calls himself Marcus Jr."
"Where?"
"Last I heard, they were heading to Zero Mile."
---
Alex stood up.
"We're changing course."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "To Zero Mile?"
"To find Marcus Jr."
"That's insane. We're not ready."
"Then we get ready on the way."
Sarah stared at him. So did Jade. So did Maya.
Cole sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"You knew?"
"I knew Marcus had a son. I didn't know he was alive." Cole put out his cigarette. "But if he is... yeah. We find him."
Sarah threw her hands up. "Fine. Zero Mile it is. But when we die, I'm blaming all of you."
Danny stood up. "I'm not dying."
Everyone looked at him.
"I'm not," he said. "I didn't survive this long to die on some stupid road. We're going to Zero Mile. We're finding this Marcus guy. And then we're going home."
Alex almost smiled.
"Alright," he said. "Let's move."