I drop the gun, and cry out when it hits the floor. Falk is at my side, gathering me up in his arms and holding me to his chest.
“You’re all right,” he says. “It’s just me. You’re fine.”
After a minute he pulls away, holding me at arm’s length and looking me over.
“You all right?”
I nod quickly.
“Are we leaving now?” I ask.
“Yes, we are.”
“Where are we going?”
“Away from here.”
“But where?” I can’t hide the panic in my voice.
“I don’t know yet. I’ll let you know when I find it.”
Falk hauls one of the two backpacks over his shoulders and shoves an additional box of ammunition into his pocket along with a spare clip. He grabs a long rifle from the closet and straps that over his shoulder as well.
“What else should I bring?”
“Nothing,” Falk says. “We’ll find what we need somewhere else.”
He reaches out and grips my hand.
“Trust me, Hannah,” he says softly.
“I do.”
As we exit the apartment, I look off to the right side to see a few people in the common area. They don’t look our way as we head down the steps and then to the left, away from the group. Falk keeps looking behind us as he urges me forward, across the parking lot and around a broken gate. Just beyond is the main road.
“Just keep moving,” he urges. “Don’t look back.”
The farther we get from the group, the more I relax. Falk, however, does not.
“There’s another group out here somewhere,” he says when I ask. “I don’t know where they are or how much contact Caesar has had with them. If you heard him right, then he’s been talking about trading with them. More specifically, he’s talked about trading you. I’m not about to let my guard down now.”
We keep walking, sticking close to the rubble of former houses, stores, and office buildings. Falk keeps a steady pace, and we don’t stop for breaks unless we have to. We see and hear no one.
We end up finding a convenience store still standing, and take a look inside. Though the building is still in good shape, it’s obvious someone has already gone through and taken most anything of value. The inside is a complete wreck.
“Someone’s been here,” I say.
“This place has been empty for a while,” Falk says. “See all the dust on top of the footprints? No one’s been here in some time.”
“But someone was.”
“Yeah.”
“Not us.”
“Definitely not us,” Falk confirms. “We didn’t come anywhere near this far away. All of our supply runs have been toward the university and the other nearby shopping areas.”
Falk goes over each of the shelves, looking for something to salvage, but comes up with nothing. At least the water is still running in the bathroom, and I can fill my bottle.