No, just careful.

You decide to trust her, wanting to feel a little more like a human being, rather than a frightened animal. Releasing you from her warm embrace, she leans against the car beside you and exhales loudly her shoulders slumping slightly. “I’m so glad to see a friendly face. I’m glad you didn’t shoot me. You’re not, are you?” Caught off guard by her question you lean against the car close beside her, your bodies touching.

“No, I’m not. Its hard to stop being paranoid though you know?”

“Yes, I do. I’ve been attacked more times than I’d like to remember since everything turned to shit. You any good with the pistol?”

You feel yourself flush with embarrassment, caught in your deceit. “I’m sorry, it just that…”

“I know Alex, you don’t have to explain.” Isabel says as she lightly brushes the back of her hand gently over your cheek, and then brushes your long straight hair back away from your face.

“I don’t know how good I am. I’ve only shot it a few times. Mostly just to scare off somebody who was threatening me, or I thought was. I’m not sure if I could hit anything with it if I wanted to” you sniff and feel your eyes welling up with tears, the stress of all that has happened since the plague rushing in on you.

“Its ok, hun. We can change that if you want. I’m not too bad. I’ll show you how to shoot.” Isabel says, wiping the tears the suddenly flow from your eyes and trail down your cheeks. You collapse in her arms and bury your face against her neck and shoulder. She’s warm and soft, and as she holds you close to her as you sob her dark hair falls from her shoulders, and covers your face.

“Let it all out hun. You’ll feel a lot better. God knows I did.” she whispers, and your feel tears fall from her face and onto your forehead. The two of you stand there, holding each other and crying out all the fear, uncertainty, and sadness that you feel. You hate to be weak know that you have to be strong to survive, but you’re unable to stop the flow of emotion and tears. After what seems like an eternity you raise your head from Isabel’s body, and taking your head in her hands, she pulls you to her and her soft pliant lips crush against yours as the two of you kiss a long lingering kiss.

Finally she pulls away and the two of you smile and once more lean back against the car.

“Where you headed?” she asks as she pulls a breakfast bar out of a pocket, and breaking it in two offers you a half.

“Away from the city. It seems like a magnet for nothing but creeps and maniacs. Thought I’d go north, away from the more populated areas, or what used to be anyway” you reply and take the portion offered, biting off a healthy chunk. Strawberry.

“How about you? It looked like you were heading into it, were you?”

She nods. “Yes, I was” and then corrects herself, “Yes, I am. I have to”

“What? Why? Come with me, and we can try to get away from all this to somewhere safe. We can get to know each other, someone who doesn’t want to kill us, rape us or rob us.”

“I have to hun. But if your willing, after I’ll come with you.” she sighs, and swallows the last of the breakfast bar.

“Why do you have to? I don’t want to go back there, its dangerous” You say as you push off the side of the car, and then walk a few paces before turning to face her once more.