The ride to the farm was full of dread, anguish, and silence. Everyone's nerves were on edge, and nobody had a clue on how long Jack had before he turned. His parents could only hope that Jake wouldn't turn but that wasn't the case as he was already exhibiting symptoms of the virus, neither Jeremiah nor Penelope knew exactly how to tell Jack what was wrong with him. Scarlett and Liam made small talk in the backseat, while Blake kept her eyes peeled out of the window looking at the scenery they passed. There were cars scattered across the highway, but not so many that they couldn't get past. It seemed that this highway was much less backed up than the ones they had already been on, Logan kept to himself though Blake knew he was worried for Jeremiah and Penelope. They all were, after all, the couple's youngest was going to turn into an 'Infected' and none of them knew exactly how to handle this situation. Scarlett looked at Blake, her eyes softening as she saw the worried expression written all over her best friend's face. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Liam call her name, she gave him a soft smile to not worry the young man. Blake couldn't stop thinking about how this death was going to affect their group, they may not have known them for so long but everyone was feeling the strain of Jack being infected. She looked out of the window, wondering if they were going to deal with another problem before they got to the farm. They had another twenty minutes or so to go but they would arrive soon, which only made her more anxious about the whole situation.
"Do you think we'll be able to get through this?" Liam asked, "Get through what?" Logan asked, looking at his brother. "The deaths that we're gonna have to experience throughout this whole situation. I realized that we're not going to be able to get around the death part... It's now apart of the new norm since everything has gone to absolute shit." Liam expressed.
"Liam, language." Scarlett scolded but the young man just shrugged it off.
"I'm being serious, guys. Logan and I have already lost our family to the 'Infected'. Now, we're going to be losing the youngest member of our small group."
Tears welled up in Scarlett's eyes as she thought about Penelope and Jeremiah and how brave they both had been throughout this whole ordeal. Scarlett couldn't imagine what it would be like for her to turn into one of those creatures, let alone her youngest child. Liam's question hung heavy in the air, a reminder of the harsh reality they were facing. Logan couldn't even bear to consider the answer. Death was now a constant companion, lurking around every corner and threatening to take away those they loved. They had already lost so much to this pandemic, and now they were facing another loss within their own group. It was a cruel fate, one that left Logan feeling helpless and conflicted about what the future held.
"We'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe," Blake spoke up from the passenger's seat, her voice determined.
In Clarke's car, Jamie had the perfect way of keeping Piper's mind off of what was currently going on. She didn't want her to worry about what she didn't fully understand, but the problem was finding a way to gently break the news that Jack was going to die. "I spy with my little eye.." Jamie looked out of the window, a smile forming on her lips as she spotted something. "An eagle." Both girls looked out of the window, staring up at the sky in complete awe of the majestic bird flying high over the highway. Piper couldn't believe her eyes as she watched the eagle fly high above the car, she wished that things could be back to normal. The new normal was now having to be on the constant move, hoping to survive this new world everyone found themselves living in. They continued to play 'I Spy', Piper and Iris having a great time in the backseat until the two of them had grown tired, it didn't take long before they fell asleep.
"Thanks for suggesting the game," Jamie smiled softly at Clarke.
"No problem, I have a younger sister other than Scarlett and she had a hard time when we went on road trips. So my older brother's and I often came up with games for us to play instead of us tearing each other apart in the back seat of the minivan." He smiled, the memory from back then coming to the forefront of his mind. His smile faded as he thought about how his family were doing, he hadn't known the status of his family or Blake's back in Colorado.
"Have you heard from any of your family since this all started?" Jamie asked, watching the smile fade.
"No... I haven't heard from Blake's family either. I tried reaching out when this first started but I couldn't get a hold of my folks at home nor were there any answers from Blake's family home." Clarke sighed.
"You know Blake's family?"
"Yeah, we grew up next door to Blake's family. Those two have been best friends since grade school. They're pretty much an extended family of ours." Clarke explained, smiling at the fond memories that came up. His smile faded again when he saw Jeremiah signal him with his brake lights, this meant trouble for the group as Jack's fever had taken a turn for the worse. Jamie looked at their car and then looked at Clarke, "He's getting worse, isn't he?" Jamie spoke softly, "Yeah," Clarke nodded, he then picked up the walkie and turned it on.
"Blake," Clarke's voice rang out, Blake picked up the walkie as the conversation in the back seat died down. "What's wrong?" She talked into the mic, "Jeremiah just signaled that Jack has taken a turn for the worse. We're only a few minutes out from the farm and we're gonna have to be very vigilant when we arrive." Clarke explained, "Shit..." Blake grabbed the map, looking at their path to see that Clarke was right. The group finally reached the farmhouse, and everyone was amazed by what the farm looked like. On the road leading towards the house, they pass a white mailbox with the last name Clayton written on it. The letters slightly faded and it looked slightly rusted, but it remained untouched from the 'Infected'. Beyond the mailbox, a lush green landscape spread out, a stark contrast to the destruction and decay that had become the norm in this new world. The farmhouse stood tall and proud, its white paint shining in the sun and windows intact, which was a shock since everything else had looked like it had been through hell.
"This place... It looks untouched.." Liam muttered.
"It must have been kept in good shape by the people who lived here," Scarlett stated.
"Let's just hope that if there are people still here, they won't try to kill us upon arrival." Logan said.