<span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">It was almost noon when the pair had gathered their things for the journey to Haven. They were running late in fact because Lorenzo insisted to give the settlers some final pointers about which herbs to look for locally. He’d even given them a notebook with drawings of the plants and instructions on how to prep them for its various uses. It was the least he could do for leaving them without a medic.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">So while he finished up, Lucille was on the other end of the street by the van she had called home for the past year and a half. Traveling cross-state was something she’d done before, afterall she was a nomad for as long as she could remember.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">With her rucksack on the hood she double checked her inventory; 2 bottles of water, a change of clothes and her leather vest. She had shredded the other shirts she had into strips of cloth and rolled them up and stuffed them into her bag. She also had a small plastic baggie with steel scissors and a nail filer, some matches, needle and thread, and about a dozen of what looks like homemade cigarettes.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">She quickly hid the baggie into her sack and then turned her attention back inside the van. After looking around to make sure she didn’t leave anything useful behind she grabbed the two leg straps full of throwing knives and attaches them around her jean covered thighs. Now armed to the teeth with sharp objects she braided her long blonde hair as she turned to look in the distance for Lorenzo, wondering why he was taking so long.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo was shaking hands for the last time, receiving warm hugs from the people he had gotten close to. Then as he put on his black truckers cap he turned around and walked away to join Lucille. For his journey he wore a black t-shirt with some khaki pants and simple white sneakers. Not the best footwear but one can’t be too picky as decent footwear was hard to come by, let alone finding one in your size.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">He too had an extra change of clothes, several actually as he didn’t own much except his books about herbs and their home remedies, and a novel he picked up along the way. Oh, and his jars of medicine.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">He stopped by the van with a small smile but it faded quickly when he saw her dual-colored eyes on him...with judgement. “Che cosa? What?” he translated.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lucille licked her lips slowly as she put on her cracked sunglasses, “Ya don’t have any weapons or anythin’? Knives? Clubs?....A stick?”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">“Huh…” He knew he forgot something, “I used to have a rifle but I haven’t been able to find any ammo for it in a long while so I abandoned it…” He realized how stupid it must’ve sounded to someone like Lucille who practically went to bed armed, bathed armed, and heck he was pretty sure you couldn’t sneak up on her if she was pooping.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">He eyed her for a moment, noting the various blades she had on her. Throwing knives around her thighs, hunting knives around her belt, he was certain the bulge in her pocket was a pocket knife. And another knife was sticking out of her boot. <i>Was she preparing for someting else?</i> Sure, travel was never easy but <i>buon dio, ragazza!</i></span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">She blinked slowly, astonished, but nevertheless she unhooked her machete from her belt and handed it over to Lorenzo, “Don’t fuckin’ lose it.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">The tall Italian man took the blade with a nod and studied it, noting the various nicks and scratches it had. The machete had a brown handle with a black blade. “Dis ting has seen some action.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">That brought out a little chuckle from Lucille as she briefly looked down at the machete, watching Lorenzo slide the blade behind his belt. <i>Ya don’t know the half of it</i>...She turns to grab her rucksack, “Ya ready to go?”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">To be honest, Lucille was worried that the good doctor might hold her back on their journey. When scavenging or traveling in general she was used to be on her own or with her former crew. When they were together they worked like a well oiled machine. Everyone knew their place, their task. They never got in the way and nobody wasted time. Just in and out.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Those were the days...It was an odd thought but...she missed them sometimes.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">***</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">The Texan sun was beating down mercilessly as the pair made their way across the suburbs. Following the streams that flooded the streets and into the part of the city that formed a large lake. It appeared to be swampy looking; dark murky waters, decaying vehicles poking out of the water, tainted with algae, moss, and grasses. But the birds didn’t seem to mind as the tilted form of a bus held several occupied nests in the nooks and crannies.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo was excited. No longer was he cooped up tending to farming accidents or the scraped knees of children. No, now he was out and about on an adventure!</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lucille had been walking a few feet ahead, keeping her eyes on not only the water but also the dense bushes and tightly packed trees they were passing by. Making sure nothing would catch them by surprise.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">She glanced over her shoulder, noticing how Dr. Orfeo had an extra pep in his steps. Her brow arched and she smirked, “Sarah must’ve nagged and nagged for ya to enjoy the idea of dying out here.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo’s attention is drawn to Lucille when she spoke to him. He rolled his eyes, “She’s not dat bad...she just…”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">“Wanna have yer babies~~” the blonde teased as she kicked a rock aside with a smirk. She felt the gentle shove and made her chuckle even more.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo didn’t mind have a ‘female’ companion, especially one you could fool around with on occasion but...The family dream was not for him. Having that routine, day in and day out, just huddled in a village with kids till you die. His nose wrinkled at the thought of it.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">They continued to walk along the water in comfortable silence till Lucille warned him that he shouldn’t go too close to the edge.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo looks around, “It’s noon. Don’t dey sleep around dis time of day?”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">“Yea, in the shallows or shorelines. But they’re still quick to wake when easy prey walks by.”</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo stared at the water and then decided to create a greater distance between him and the water. His attention was drawn to Lucille again when she pointed at the highway in the distance. “Is dat de meeting point?” he asked, spotting 2 figures moving in the distance.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Elsewhere…</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">A starving coyote was snooping around some abandoned cars in search of prey. But its attention was drawn when it heard a young woman talking. Peeking from behind the cars the coyote stared at Sofia and Dex, growling a low growl with its teeth baring. But it was the call of its pack that forced the animal to stop.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">It reared its head around, ears pointing at the distant howls and growls and then it shot off following the ‘sound of the dinner bell’.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">It wasn’t long after Lucille confirmed that they were indeed getting close to their rendez-vous point that she spotted a few coyotes emerging from the toppled building nearby.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lucille had just a tiny ounce of hope in her to believe that maybe, just maybe these dog creatures had already eaten and were only passing by. The coyotes however began to surround them. She swallowed hard as she carefully dropped the cowboy hat onto the ground and out of the way.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">Lorenzo slid the machete from his belt, slowly and calmly. “I tink dey’re hungry.” he said quietly to her. Trying not to make any brusk movements.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua'">“No shit…” the blonde replied harshly. She instinctively went to grab her machete but at feeling its absence her breath hitched until she remembered she had borrowed it to Lorenzo. She quickly looked at the blade in his hand, hoping he knew how to handle those while she pulled out one of her hunting knives from its sheath.</span>