They drove through the night and into the morning, the convoy winding through hills that slowly rose into mountains. The pavement cracked and buckled, weeds pushing through the asphalt, nature reclaiming what had been taken. Jimmy kept the Suburban at a steady fifty-five, the Duramax humming, the massive tires eating up the rough terrain.
Ashley slept beside him, her head against the window, her carbine across her lap. In the rearview, he could see the bus's lights, the Ford's headlights. His family.
The tablet with the Nexus's blueprints sat on the seat between them, the route highlighted in red. Dr. Chen's warning echoed in his head. Once you're inside, you'll have maybe ten minutes.
He drove.
They stopped at noon to refuel, pulling into an abandoned gas station at the edge of a town called granite falls. The sign was hanging crooked, the pumps dry, but there was a tanker truck behind the diner next door with diesel still in its tanks.
Jimmy siphoned fuel while Nick and Jenna cleared the building. Ashley kept watch. Caitlyn stayed in the Ford, her rifle across her lap. She'd been quiet all morning. Quieter than usual. She hadn't joined the others for breakfast, had barely spoken two words since they'd left the depot.
Jimmy finished with the tanker and walked over to the Ford. He leaned against the door, his voice soft. "Hey."
Caitlyn looked up. "Hey."
"You want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. Then she nodded. Then she shook her head again.
Jimmy waited. He didn't push.
After a long moment, she spoke. "I've been thinking about what comes after."
"After what?"
"After we stop Mercer. After the AI is gone. After all of this." She looked at him. "You and Ashley have each other. Nick has Jenna. Where does that leave me?"
Jimmy's expression softened. "You're part of the group."
"A group that's going to split up eventually. Everyone's going to go their own way."
"You don't know that."
"I've seen it happen. Before the outbreak. People promise to stay in touch, but they don't." Her voice cracked. "I don't want to be alone again."
Jimmy reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not going to be alone."
"You can't promise that."
"Watch me." He squeezed gently. "You're family, Caitlyn. That doesn't change because the world ended. It doesn't change because we stop Mercer. Family is family. We stick together."
She stared at him. "You really mean that?"
"I don't say things I don't mean." He gave her a small smile. "Now come on. Help me load the truck. We've got a long way to go."
She nodded, and for the first time all day, she smiled. "Okay."
They filled the tanks, topped off the Jerry cans, and stood in the sudden silence. The wind was the only sound, rustling the leaves of the pines that surrounded the town.
"How much further?" Jenna asked.
Jimmy checked the tablet. "Another hundred miles. The roads get worse from here. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon."
"That long?"
"The mountains slow everything down." He looked at Nick. "The bus doing okay?"
Nick shrugged. "She's old, but she's running."
"She'll make it."
Jimmy glanced at Caitlyn, who was staring at the mountains again. He walked over to her, stood beside her.
"You're doing it again," he said quietly.
"Doing what?"
"Zoning out. You've been quiet for two days. What's going on?"
Caitlyn was silent for a long moment. Then she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Do you remember what we talked about? In the warehouse. About adoption."
Jimmy's expression softened further. "I remember."
"I've been thinking about it." She looked at him, her eyes wet. "About what it would mean. About whether you really meant it."
"I meant it."
"But we've been so busy. Running, fighting, surviving. We haven't talked about it since. I didn't know if you'd changed your mind."
Jimmy put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't change my mind about things that matter."
She leaned into him, just for a moment. "I'm scared, Jimmy."
"Of what?"
"Of losing you. Of losing Ashley. Of losing all of this before we have a chance to make it official."
He pulled back and looked at her. "We're not going anywhere. And neither are you. When this is over, when we've stopped Mercer and shut down the AI, we're going to find a place. A real place. And we're going to make it official. You, me, Ashley. A family."
Caitlyn wiped her eyes. "Promise?"
"I promise."
Ashley walked up to them, sensing the emotion. "Everything okay?"
Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah. Better than okay."
Ashley looked at Jimmy, who gave a small nod. She put her arm around Caitlyn. "Good. Let's get back on the road."
The road climbed higher as the afternoon wore on. The pavement gave way to gravel, then to dirt, then to nothing but tire tracks through the forest. The Suburban handled it easily, its lifted suspension absorbing the ruts and rocks. The bus struggled, its frame groaning, its engine straining.
They encountered their first obstacle an hour later. A fallen tree, massive, blocking the road completely. Jimmy killed the engine and climbed out.
"Everyone out. We're moving this."
They worked together, dragging branches, rolling logs, clearing a path. Caitlyn threw herself into the work, her arms burning, her back screaming. Jimmy noticed and walked over to her.
"Take a break," he said gently.
"I'm fine."
"You're doing great. But you need to rest."
She stopped, breathing hard, and leaned against the Suburban. Jimmy stood beside her, not pushing, just present.
"I never thought I'd have this again," she said quietly.
"Have what?"
"A family. A dad." She looked at him. "You're going to be a good father, Jimmy."
He put an arm around her shoulders. "And you're going to be a good daughter. Now let's finish clearing this road."
The sun began to sink, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. Jimmy found a clearing off the road, tucked away behind a a stand of pines, and killed the engine.
"We stop here for the night."
They set up camp quickly. Jimmy and Nick gathered wood, Ashley and Jenna prepared food, Caitlyn kept watch. The fire crackled, pushing back the dark.
After dinner, Jimmy found Caitlyn sitting apart from the others, staring at the stars.
He sat down beside her, close enough to talk but not crowding. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Thinking too much."
She was quiet for a moment. "I keep thinking about my dad. Marcus. Wondering if he's okay."
"He's a survivor."
"I know. But still. She pulled her knees up to her chest. "He walked away. He chose to leave. What does that say about me?"
Jimmy was quiet for a long moment. "It doesn't say anything about you. It says something about him."
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be. It's just the truth." He looked at her. "You're not responsible for his choices. You're only responsible for your own. And you've made good ones. You're here. You're alive. You're fighting."
She looked at him. "Do you ever think about what comes after? For real?"
"Sometimes."
"What do you see?"
He was quiet for a moment. "I see a place where we don't have to fight. Where we can sit on a porch and watch the sunset without worrying about what's in the trees." He looked at her. "I see you there too."
"Really?"
"Really." He stood up. "Now get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."
The next morning, they broke camp at dawn. The road climbed higher, the air thinner, the trees sparser. They passed through a small town. Abandoned like all the others. Jimmy slowed, scanning for threats.
"Eyes open," he said over the radio. "We're getting close."
They crept through the town, past boarded-up windows and overturned cars. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound.
By late afternoon, they had reached the foothills of the mountains. The road was barely a road now. Just a dirt path, overgrown with weeds, winding between boulders. Jimmy slowed to a crawl.
"We're close," he said, checking the tablet. "Another twenty miles. The entrance is in a valley between two peaks. We'll be there by morning."
Ashley reached over and took his hand. "We're almost there.
He squeezed her fingers. "Almost."
They camped that night at the base of the mountain, in a narrow valley surrounded by pines. The stars were bright, the air cold. Nick and Jenna huddled together by the fire. Ashley sat with Jimmy, her head on his shoulder. Caitlyn sat across from them, her rifle across her lap.
"Hey, Caitlyn," Ashley said. "Come here."
Caitlyn looked up, surprised. Then she stood up and walked over. Ashley pulled her down beside her, so that the three of them were sitting together.
"I've been thinking," Ashley said. "About what you said. In the warehouse. About wanting us to be your family."
Caitlyn's cheeks flushed. "I didn't mean to make it weird."
"It's not weird." Ashley put an arm around her. "We want that too."
"Really?"
"Really." Jimmy nodded. "When this is over, when Mercer is dead and the AI is shut down, we're going to find a home. A real home, and we can be a family. You, me and Ashley."
Caitlyn's eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to say."
"Say you'll be there." Ashley said.
"I'll be there." Caitlyn leaned into her, resting her head on Ashley's shoulder. "I'll always be there."
Jimmy put his arm around both of them. They sat like that for a long time, watching the fire, watching the stars. The road ahead was dark and uncertain. But for this moment, they had each other.
The next morning, they woke at dawn. The air was cold, the ground had frost. Jimmy checked the tablet one last time.
"We're close," he said. "The entrance is just over that ridge."
They packed the camp, loaded the vehicles, and drove the final stretch. The road ended at a wall of rock, overgrown with vines. Behind it, hidden from view was the entrance to the Nexus.
Jimmy killed the engine. They sat in silence, looking at the wall.
"This is it," Ashley said.
"This is the place." Jimmy grabbed his rifle. "Everyone ready?"
Nick racked his shotgun. "Ready."
Jenna checked her carbine. "Ready."
Caitlyn held her rifle. "Ready."
Ashley took Jimmy's hand. "Let's go."
They climbed out of the vehicles and walked toward the wall. Behind them, the road stretched back, empty and long. Ahead of them, the unknown.
The Nexus was waiting.