RADIO

chapter 8

The truck came to a slow stop.

"Alright everyone, let's bunk here for the night," Monty said, coming out of the truck. He stretched his legs and pulled the tarp off the back of the truck. Everyone got to their feet and looked around. He had pulled up into a large highway tunnel to shield them from the rain.

"Alright I'm gonna walk around," Rider said, walking away from the truck.

"I'll come with you!" Dibbs called. They took off as Jane, Duchess, and Tris came out of the truck. They put the seats down, creating a flat surface to lay on for the night.

"Hey, how are you two holding up?" Haze asked, coming up behind Duchess and Jane.

"I'm doing just fine, we got some snacks from the cabin," Duchess informed.

"We're gonna go ahead and get on our way to Oregon after tonight," Haze told Duchess.

She frowned and turned to him, "why Oregon? That's like 3 states away."

"Didn't you hear the broadcast?" He asked.

"No, I was on a different channel waiting for you to respond," she said in an agitated tone.

"Well the broadcast said that there was some sort of safe spot-"

"Sanctuary," Monty butted in.

"Yes, sanctuary, in Oregon," Haze corrected himself.

"There's a shelter here, why can't we stay here?" Duchess asked, crossing her arms and looking up at him. He was just a few inches taller than her. She was 5'6 and he was 5'9 and she felt as if he towered over her.

"Because, it would be better to go somewhere. It's bigger there. How long will it be before we run out of supplies? Or get attacked again?" he asked.

"And how long until Oregon has too many people? You don't know how it is over there," she said, talking with her hands.

"Just trust me, it will be for the better," he huffed.

She just hummed angrily in response and walked past him, sitting on the back of the truck.

Haze let out a soft sigh and leaned against the side of the car. "Did she tell you?" he whispered to Jane.

She nodded and Haze turned his head towards her. Duchess sat slouched forward with her elbows resting in between her knees.

Knowing what she'd done Haze knew that the others probably looked at her a lot differently now. He felt sorrow from Rome's death as well but he understood why she'd done it.

The group had begun with them so he believed that him and Duchess as the pair they were, needed to keep it together. Maybe like a family.

Haze got up and went to sit beside Duchess, noticing her vacant expression. "So..." he started.

"If this is about earlier I'd rather not talk about it," she answered without letting him ask or bring anything up. Haze snaked an arm around her back and pulled himself closer to her.

"It's alright, I won't talk about it if you don't want to," he comforted.

She leaned on him slightly and nodded. "We're back!" Rider announced in a sing-songy tone.

"The place is pretty far from the city so the wanderers haven't made it here yet," Dibbs added.

"That's good, we should be alright here for the night then," Monty said.

"Let's get to bed then," Jane said with a yawn. Everyone had gotten settled in the dark tunnel. The concrete walls towered above them and they finally relaxed a bit since everything started. Jane, Rider and Everett rested in the back of the truck.

Tris had laid out some blankets they took from the cabin and Rider and Jane were already asleep on either side of the truck's compartment, each one with a blanket of their own. Everett slept sitting up against the corner closest to the back window without a blanket.

Dibbs and Monty were asleep inside the truck, near the wheel. Dibbs cuddled close to Monty's chest while they slept, sharing a blanket.

"They're pathetic," Haze chuckled quietly. He lay on his side beside Duchess who rested on her back, looking up through the sunroof. She hummed in response. Haze failed at his attempt to make her laugh and leaned against the back of the truck.

"It's pretty cramped in here" Duchess squirmed slightly.

"Yeah well would you rather be outside?" Haze asked.

She shook her head with a soft smile. A moment passed and Duchess took a breath. "I'm sorry about Rome," she said. It caught Haze's attention and he rolled onto his chest.

"I know what I did was stupid, but..." her voice started to crack and tears arrived to her eyes. Haze was silent. "It was all that I could do to protect everyone, everyone says stuff like 'you've gotta be able to survive' or 'you're gonna have to make sacrifices to get forward in life,'" she covered her face to hide her upset expression.

"I didn't know it would be this hard," she sobbed quietly, "I didn't want to kill Rome, I swear."

"I didn't think you did," Haze agreed, "you were just defending everyone. You can't change how Everett feels though."

Duchess tried to stiffle a sob, fearing she would wake the others. Haze looked at her sympatheticly and grabbed her hand. Duchess tried to wipe her tears and Haze kissed the back of her hand.

She turned on her side and finished pulling her emotions back together. "What are you doing?" she asked gently.

"I hate to see you cry" he said, holding her hand close to his chest. She smiled softly and rolled onto her stomach, laying shoulder to shoulder with him. "I'm sorry, this whole apocalypse thing has been hard on all of us," she sighed.

"I get it, but let's get some rest for now okay?" He suggested, turning on his side once again. She nodded and let go of his hand, crossing her arms and resting her head on them. "Goodnight," she spoke.

"Goodnight" Haze kissed her cheek before getting comfortable on his back and falling asleep for the night.