Finding Holly

The Road to Nowhere

Holly thought back to that night as she left the gas station. It had been restless-every little sound had grated across her nerves, keeping her on edge. Now, as the sun broke the horizon, she had no more excuses to sit still. She needed to move. With her car loaded with supplies-bottled water, canned food, and whatever medical supplies she could find. It wasn't much. She didn't want to be too greedy, but it would be enough to get her to the next stop of her journey; the motel in Ridley. Glancing one last time at the gas station, she pulled onto the road heading towards the highway, heading west in the direction of the hotel.

The road stretched ahead, lined with wrecked cars and abandoned belongings, trash blowing in the wind. Holly kept one hand on the center console, near the gun resting in the passenger seat, her eyes scanning the area for any movement. She had been driving for what felt like hours when she spotted something moving up ahead by an overturned truck. She tightened her grip on her steering wheel, knuckles going white as she pressed on the brake to slow her car.

That's when Holly saw her-a girl, no older than fifteen, crouched behind a wrecked sedan. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes darted around in panic like a wild animal who had been cornered. Holly was about to call out to her when she barely had time to process what was happening-an unmistakable rustling in the bushes, followed by choruses of moans that were getting louder. The girl wasn't alone.

A horde, one that would easily fill a small shopping center, was moving out of the woods, blocking the path to Ridley. They hadn't seen Holly yet, but it was only a matter of time. The girl's terrified eyes locked onto Holly's car, and she bolted towards it.

Making a split-second decision, Holly rolled down the passenger window as she threw her car into reverse and unlocked the car's doors. "Get in!" And she didn't hesitate, scrambling inside just as the first infected began to notice them.

"Go, go, go!" The girl screamed ou, her voice shaking with panic. She curled herself into the seat as Holly hit the gas. Looking over her shoulder, she swerved around the wreckage and debris as some infected let out blood-curdling shrieks behind them. After she got a good bit away from the horde, Holly swung the car around and, in her rearview mirror, she watched as they spilled onto the highway, blocking the way to Ridley as they now surrounded the traffic snarl.

The girl's frame shook with adrenaline as she tried to calm herself down, she offered Holly a hesitant smile, "Th-thank you. I would've been zombie chum for sure if you hadn't shown up when you did."

Holly glanced at her, noting her messy blonde hair and her dirt covered face, "Who are you?" Holly asked, "And you're welcome, it was the least I could do."

The girl nodded, "My name's Riley, I was with my family, but we got separated trying to get to a safe zone a couple of days ago." Her voice trailed off and she looked out at the tree line as they continued down the road.

Holly nodded, taking the hint not to push for more, "We can't get to Ridley from this way, that horde's going to reach the town before we do."

Riley swallowed hard, an almost lost look on her face, "What are we going to do then? How are we supposed to get there?" She placed her head in her hands, a sigh leaving her lips. Holly's mind raced with different possibilities, she could ttry an alternate route, but with the car running low on gas, and infected everywhere, it wasn't a good option.

"We find another way." Holly said firmly, "There's always another way." She took an off-ramp, steering away from the highway. These roads were more narrow and winding, leading through stretches of empty farmland, the ocassional horse or cow visible in the distance. For a while, it was quiet, the only sound being the engine and the occasional melody of a bird somewhere in the trees. But Holly knew better than to trust silence.

As the sun began to dip lower, they reached the outskirts of a small town-nothing more than a few blocks of new construction, some abandoned houses, a gas station, and a run-down looking grocery store. Holly slowed the car down, peering through the windshield. The town seemed dessertted, but dessertted didn't mean that it was safe.

"We need to find a place to stay for the night." She said aloud, partly to herself, and partly to break up the silence. "Somewhere high up. The infected aren't too good with stairs."

Riley nodded, gripping her backpack. They drove down main street, scanning for a safe spot. Then, Holly saw it-a small two-story auto repair shop. The windows were still intact, and the metal garage doors looked secure.

"This'll do." Holly said as she pulled up in front of the garage doors, "If there's space inside I'll even be able to hide the car." They grabbed the supplies and hurried inside, locking the doors behind them.

The shop smelled of motor oil and dust. Holly checked each room, making sure there were no surpises. Once she was certain that they were alone, she went into the mechanics area of the store and opened the garage doors, climbing inside her car she shifted into neutral and guided it quietly into the shop, closing the garage door behind her.

"We'll rest here for a few hours. Then once we have clearer heads, we'll figure out our next move." Riley gave a small nod, but her eyes were distant with fear and lack of sleep. Holly was scared too, the world had become a scary place.

Outside, the wind howled through the streets, carrying with it crumpled up papers and distant groans of the dead. They weren't safe. Not really, not yet at least. But for now, there was nowhere left to run.