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Lyle was happy for her reply and he finished the fruit in just several big bites. He then helped her pick up rest of the fruit from the ground to put into the bag she had handed him. While at it, he took the fruit he had stolen in his own satchel and placed it in the burlap bag with the other fruit. What she didn’t know didn’t hurt her, right?

He didn't believe his mother would have a problem with Paxton traveling with them. She would probably end up treating her like her own. As far as getting a ride for all four them he didn't know how that would go down. If his mother had any luck with the man who owned the bus, it wouldn't be a problem. There was plenty of room on the bus for more than 4 from what he could tell, unless the bus was packed to the walls with supplies.

He noticed the soldier walk out of the bar with crates of alcohol and food. Lyle felt a flare of anger and vengeance in the pit of his stomach. Fuck his bastard of an uncle. Of course he gave food to anyone who could pay for it! But his only niece and nephew? He would let them starve and then have the gall to discourage them from leaving.

---

Summer also decided to help Lyle and their new friend Paxton with the pick-up of the cactus fruit. She squatted down and followed a trail of three fruit, picking them up one at a time in her tiny arms, until she bumped her bent head into something unknown. She looked up to see a sultry woman with long dark hair, tight jeans that accentuated her womanly curves, and a cigarette between her lips.

Summer stood upright with the fruit in her arms and looked directly at Rosie. Unlike some children, she had not an ounce of shyness.

“Smoking is bad for you. My brother smokes too, but he does it behind the trailer where no one can see him.” She told Rosie fearlessly, “it causes reh-speh-rah-tor –ree problems and makes you smell funny.”

Jillian gasped at her little girl, “Summer!”

She grabbed her by the arm and placed her behind herself as a protective measure.

“I’m sorry. She didn’t mean anything by it.. She’s just.. you know how kids are.”

Great. She hoped this didn’t cost her family a ride. Not everyone appreciated the truthfulness of a child and now her son seemed like a delinquent! Her face turned brighter than the sunburn on her pale cheeks. She hoped they did know how children were. Surely one of them had a child. Or at least a younger sibling.

"Do I look like a travel guide of this crap hole they call a town?" Rosie said bluntly to the big man that had stepped out of the big armored truck as she blew smoke into the direction of his face. "Go ask the dick inside the bar." She nodded in the direction of the building.

“Smoking is bad for you. My brother smokes too, but he does it behind the trailer where no one can see him.” Spoke a small voice from below fearlessly, “It causes reh-speh-rah-tor –ree problems and makes you smell funny.”

Rosie raised an amused brow at the small child at her feet looking up at her with wide eyes.

"Summer!" Exclaimed a pretty woman as she grabbed the child and forced the young girl behind her. "I'm sorry. She didn't mean anything by it . . . She's just . . . you know how kids are." The woman tried to explain seeming intimidated by Rosie.

Taking one last long drag on the cigarette, Rosie savored the relief and taste it gave her before she threw the unfinished stick down onto the dusty ground and squashed it out under her combat boot. A genuine smile etched it's way across Rosie's full lips as she looked down at the child who was peering out from behind the woman who must be her mother.

Surprisingly enough, Rosie liked children, as long as they weren't all hyperactive and pissing her off. And she liked this little girl from the get go, she couldn't be more then five or six and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. That had garnered Rosie's respect. Something even most adults couldn't do.

"What a clever girl you are." Rosie replied warmly with a smile. "You know, I'm trying to quit but my boyfriend here he drives me to my vices."

She grinned looking back at the mutinous face of the Biker who hadn't said a word since she had pilfered the lighter out of his trouser pocket.

"Oh, don't mind him." Rosie added seeing the child's mothers perplexed features as she peered at the Biker's brooding presence. "He's just mad because I made him leave his Dog for the biters. Poor thing was already turning, isn't that right baby?"

Rosie questioned the man playfully with a show of fictitious sorrow as she wrapped one arm around his lean waist under his leather jacket, pressing up against him while the fingers of her other hand played at his beard. Her lips lingering close to his cheek . . . and then she pushed away.

"So Summer? That's a pretty name." Rosie said to the young girl with a smile as she moved towards her and her mother and crouched down. "I'm Rosie." She stated offering her hand to the child to shake. "You like chocolate?"

Summer smiled revealing two missing teeth in the front of her mouth. She was just happy not to be yelled at. It seemed that was the only way people communicated with her. As if she were deaf or dumb.

Summer do this! Summer stop that! Summer, Summer, Summer! The girl was getting quite sick of it all. This lady on the other hand spoke to her like a functional human being and clearly spoke her language. Chocolate.

"Yes, chocolate is my favorite." Summer replied with a gleam in her eyes.

She held out one of the cactus fruit in her arms to Rosie, "I'll trade you if you have some."

It was playground logic that you give something in exchange for another thing of near equal value. Adults called it "compromise". If she wanted somebody's milk, she might give them a juice. If she wanted somebody's ball, she might give them a jump rope. It was the only means of material gain in the kid world. Mostly adults just compromised with money, but lately she saw them trading things too, so she thought maybe this is what Rosie had in mind. Rosie would be getting the short end of the deal though. Who would trade candy for fruit? This lady was clearly a novice in trade, but Summer had no qualms about taking advantage of that!

John could have been a little bit miffed of at the woman's comment, but as he always would he forgave and forgot. The apocalypse will do things to people the normal world never could, bring out the worst in the best, make even the calmest of people the most dangerous. Not John though, miraculously. There must have been reasons he was so kind at such a time, but nobody had ever stuck around long enough to hear them. Maybe that was about to change as Dean had moved into the picture.

Even though John had not got the answer he wanted he nodded and smiled, showing manners. "Sorry to be of disturbance mam." John turned and started walking back to the bus, he knew Dean was waiting to get going. As he turned he noticed the child and the two teenagers looking relatively happy, maybe hungry. The girl and boy were both sorting out the fruit that had been sprawled everywhere and the little girl was talking with the woman who had just blew him off. It was almost everything was normal for a second, seeing the girl and pair. Something about the way they were acting, their general attitude. It's things like that which keep the world spinning, there needs to be someone around to teach the next generation to rebuild.

As John neared the bus a woman stopped to talk, as John looked into her big green eyes he instantly saw a kind, caring woman whom was definitely no trouble. John smiled as she started to speak. "Hello sir, I'm Jillian. I'm looking for a ride for my children and I. Would you happen to have room on your bus for three more passengers?.. If you take us, I have containers of gas at my trailer not far from here." He could have jumped and whooped for joy but he didn't, John stood, taking little time to decide the answer. Quickly looking back to the bus he saw Dean watching him from a window, holding a thumb up to his friend. As John turned for a second anyone could have sworn he actually gave off a positive aura.

"Miss there is no question about it, you have a ride for your children and yourself. As soon as we fill my baby up we can get going, feel free to step on board and make yourself at home. I'll show you where the tins are, feel free to grab something for your children and of course yourself. You can point us in the direction of this trailer when you feel like leaving." As John felt there had been enough talking he stepped up and into the bus, the door already opened by Dean. He sat in the drivers seat and contemplated their next move, there had been rumors of a safe zone to the west but they were nothing to go by. John's thoughts shifted from the game plan to the new additions to the group, or temporary additions. The promise of fuel sounded good, maybe too good. No, there was no way a woman with children was out to deceive anyone, she had enough to worry about. Looking after her children in such a hostile environment.

Out of boredom and general nothing-to-do-ness Dean dragged a bag of weapons to his seat and started loading the unloaded weapons up, just in case of an emergency where you had to grab a gun and fast, the last thing you wanted to do was pick up an empty weapon. Quickly realizing he would look daunting, possibly menacing he dropped the bag on the floor and shifted it underneath his seat, out of the reach of children, the last thing anyone wanted was a young one picking up a loaded glock without thinking.

A strong hand reached out and wrapped around the wrist of the woman. The hold was tight enough to inflict pain but enough to hold her enthralled. The grip was that of iron, the gaze was that of ice. Hal stared into the eyes of the woman who'd thought it fun to pluck his lighter from his pocket as it was some piece of shit zippo. She had no idea what that thing was, how important it was to him. He turned her hand over, never taking his eyes off her and took the lighter from her hand before speaking.

"This stays with me..."

He growled before turning back to the jeep behind him. The two had gathered a small collection of other survivors now. A big man and a soldier in some heavily modified truck, a couple of kids, the works. Hal didn't like this, not one bit. Too many people, last time he was in a group it didn't go so well. It was better on his own, it had to be better. No loss, no pain, just the endless road and the promise of death. People brought attachments and attachments caused only suffering.

Winston tried to busy himself with work as the others all talked. Introductions, jokes, casual questions were tossed about as the biker worked under the hood. His hands were quickly becoming covered in black grime, not that they were all that clean to begin with. He began tinkering with a few odds and ends until he was what was out of place.

"Your oil pumps gone out on you. You might have noticed the check engine light on a few miles back. Your oil pump went and that stopped the circulation of oil to the cylinders in the engine. Engine started to heat up and a cylinder blew. You had to have heard the bang then you got a bunch of smoke and your jeep stopped dead."

Hal said as his eyes still critically scanned the engine while he took a step back and slid his thumbs into his belt buckle.

"I don't have the tools or parts to fix something like this. You're gunna need to find a new ride."

He said as he turned around to look at the woman, whose names he had still yet to learn.

Jillian felt happy at John's reply. Like him, she worried that she might be deceived. But when she looked into John's eyes she saw something genuinely kind and a kindred spirit. They both were people who reached out to others, even when their goodwill was not reciprocated.

She glanced around for her son.

"Lyle! C'mon, we're leaving on the bus!"

She picked up Summer, who struggled against her mother to no avail. Once again her plans to obtain food had been foiled by her superiors. Jillian was about to take off, but paused a second to overhear what Winston had to say to Rosie.

"I don't have the tools or parts to fix this. You're gunna need to find a new ride."

Jillian took a few steps back and faced Rosie. She behaved as if she had heard nothing of what Winston said.

"It was nice to meet you Rosie.. Unless you and your boyfriend are going on the bus too?"

She glanced between Rosie and the tough biker man. A hint of skepticism was in her green eyes as she scanned over Winston. She recognized the type of tattoos he had as gang affiliated but looked away not to appear too interested. Her husband was in a motorcycle gang and she had spent plenty of time around bikers. Not that it mattered much anymore what gang someone was apart of, most of them must have fallen apart during the plague. And she had never been that intertwined with her husband's gang, only through virtue of her marriage was she affiliated. She had no tattoos to proclaim loyalty.

----

"Lyle! C'mon, we're leaving on the bus!" Lyle heard his mother say and waved over to her.

"Okay!"

That was easier than he thought it was going to be. What were the chances they would get here the same time a jolly man with a huge bus pulled up? Or that a girl close to his age might stroll into town? It must have been destiny, if one believed in such things.

The hot cole of hate that simmered in his stomach cooled down as he put the thoughts of his arrogant uncle aside. Things were looking better for them already.

He put the full burlap bag of fruit on his shoulder and went over to Paxton. She was leaning down to pick up a fruit so he tapped her on the shoulder.

"We got a ride on the bus. Wanna get on?" Lyle asked once he got her attention,"don't worry, I won't let them kick you off."

He patted her reassuringly on the back.

Paxton picked up the last fruit which has burst from the impact. She saw a tiny dot of blood on her hoodie's sleeve and thought this was a perfect chance to try out the healing properties of the prickly pear.

"We got a ride on the bus. Wanna get on? Don't worry, I won't let them kick you off," Lyle smiled and patted her on the back and she smiled up. Although she was a bit confused why he thought she looked worried.

" I won't let them kick me off," she laughed mostly to herself and stood up.

She looked over to the bus- properly this time. It was heavily modified and reinforced. The perfect machine to keep the corpses out. She watched the soldier in the passenger seat load a gun before quickly stowing it away.

"You know what," Paxton turned to Lyle,"I should really ask them myself. I mean thanks, you did find the bus after all but I'd feel pretty bad just tagging along."

She rearranged her bags again. Gripped her shoulder strap. Readjusted her grip on the fruit bag again. It was sort of becoming her routine to psyche herself up. "Let's do this" she muttered to herself. A heavy puff out and she walked straight to the bus's door. She knocked on the side of the bus. Once she had their attention she smiled and began speaking,

"Hey, I know that Jillian - the women just out their -," Paxton looked round the front of the bus and pointed her out," Asked for a lift and I was wondering could you take one more?"

As she spoke she saw a bag at the soldier's foot; the whole bag seemed to be filled with guns and her tiny personal armory seemed pretty pathetic in comparison. She felt dizzy for a moment and tried to hide it by leaning on the bus to keep her balance.

"I have some fruit and I'm pretty good, " she took a deep breath as she felt a bit light headed,"at finding stuff to eat in the desert. I won't be useless."

She smiled at both the cheery man and the soldier.

"Oh sorry - I'm Paxton," she put her hand up but realised they may be a bit far for them to reach," And you guys are?"

Jo was quiet throughtout everybody's exchange. She hadn't been very talkative to anybody she had meet since the Plague had begun. She wanted to join these people, she really did, but she was unsure of how to approach them. The mother and her two children had already scored a ride with them and Jo needed to hurry if she hoped to ever join them.

She approached the heavyset man who was speaking with the biker guy and the woman from before. "Excuse me, my name is Josephine or Jo for short. I was interested in perhaps joining the group you are forming. I have traveled from the east because I heard that there was a safezone in Oregon. I was a veteranarian before and have a great deal of medical training that should be useful."

As she made her request, another girl,the one with the fruit, went to the bus and asked the soldier for permission to join. Maybe Jo was asking the wrong person, maybe the soldier was the leader? Jo was apprehensive now thinking all these thoughts.