The smell of eggs and bacon filled the kitchen, mingling with the warmth of the gas stove as Daisy served up breakfast. The sound of sizzling food was comforting, almost making it feel like the world outside hadn't fallen apart. After days of surviving on scraps, this was easily the best breakfast we'd had since the apocalypse started. Plates full of fried eggs, bacon, and canned beans were spread out on the table, and for a brief moment, it felt like we were normal people again.
I sat across from Ethan, who was already halfway through his plate. Yabe was next to me, eating quietly but with a soft smile on her face. Daisy leaned against the counter, sipping her coffee, her sharp eyes watching all of us with that same practical, no-nonsense look.
"This is amazing," Ethan mumbled between mouthfuls. "I almost forgot what real food tasted like."
"Don't get used to it," Daisy replied, her voice dry. "It ain't gonna be this good every day."
"Still, best damn breakfast we've had in days," I said, nodding my thanks to her. "Appreciate it, Daisy."
She shrugged, but I caught the faint smirk tugging at her lips. "You boys needed a decent meal. Can't fight the apocalypse on an empty stomach."
As we finished eating, the conversation shifted, the lingering question we'd been avoiding finally coming up: what's next?
"So, what's the plan now?" Ethan asked, leaning back in his chair and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "We can't stay here forever."
I nodded, feeling the weight of the decision pressing down on me. "Yeah, we need to figure out our next move. We've been lucky so far, but this can't last."
Yabe set her fork down, her soft voice breaking the quiet. "Where do we go? There's danger everywhere... but we can't stay here."
Daisy crossed her arms, leaning against the counter. "She's right. This farm's safe for now, but it won't be forever. Supplies run out, and sooner or later, those bastards like the ones I took out are gonna find us. Or worse."
I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to piece together the options in my head. "We need somewhere that's defensible... but also where we can get more supplies. The cities are overrun, and staying rural only works until we run out of food or water."
"North," Ethan said, leaning forward. "I say we head north. Maybe into Canada. Less people, colder climate... hell, maybe the zombies don't like the cold."
Daisy raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching into a half-smile. "You seriously think zombies are scared of snow?"
Ethan shrugged, unbothered. "I mean, it's worth a shot, right? Fewer people, fewer problems. Plus, colder weather might slow them down."
I considered it, rolling the idea over in my mind. "North could work. Canada's got wide open spaces, fewer major cities. But we don't know how far the outbreak has spread. It could be just as bad up there."
"We don't know anything at this point," Ethan muttered, frowning. "It's all a fking gamble."
Yabe spoke up, her voice soft but steady. "What about west? If we can get to the coast, maybe we could find a boat... sail to Hawaii. It's isolated, and the outbreak might not have reached there."
The idea hung in the air for a moment. Hawaii—an island paradise in the middle of the Pacific, far away from the chaos of the mainland. It sounded like a dream, but I knew better than to chase dreams in a world like this.
"Hawaii's great in theory," I said, glancing at Yabe. "But getting there is the problem. First, we'd have to find a boat. And even if we did, who the hell knows how to sail? It's not like we can just hop on and hit autopilot."
Ethan snorted. "Yeah, I'm not exactly Captain fking Jack Sparrow."
Yabe looked down, her hands resting in her lap. "I know... it's just a thought. I just want to find somewhere safe."
"We all do, Kohai," I said gently, giving her a reassuring look. "But we've gotta be smart about this."
Daisy chimed in, her tone pragmatic. "West could work... but it's risky as hell. The coastlines are probably just as overrun as the cities, and getting across the ocean isn't exactly a cakewalk. You'd be better off swimming."
"East, then?" Ethan suggested. "What about heading inland? Maybe to Iowa or somewhere more remote. Fewer people, more farmland, and if we find a small enough town, we might be able to settle down there."
I considered that, too. Moving east meant heading into more rural areas, where we might find some isolated towns that hadn't been hit as hard. But it also meant moving deeper into the mainland, where supplies could be even harder to find.
"Iowa's... a possibility," I admitted, though my mind was already ticking through the downsides. "But we'd be running into the same issues. Low population density is good, but if the zombies have spread that far, it could be hard to find resources. And we'd still be stuck on the mainland."
Ethan groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck, man. Every option sounds like a death trap."
"No shit," Daisy muttered, sipping her coffee. "It's the apocalypse. There ain't no safe options, only less bad ones."
I sighed, feeling the pressure build. We had to make a decision, and soon. Sitting around debating wasn't going to get us anywhere. "Alright," I said, leaning forward. "Let's break it down."
I pointed north. "Canada's got the benefit of fewer people and colder weather. If we can make it far enough north, we might find somewhere more isolated, less populated."
"But the problem is, we don't know how widespread the outbreak is up there," Ethan interjected. "Could be just as bad, and the cold might not do shit."
"True," I nodded. "But we also have more space. Less crowding means less risk of running into infected. It could give us a fighting chance."
I shifted my focus west. "Hawaii's a long shot. Even if it's not infected, the logistics of getting there are a nightmare. We'd need a boat, supplies, and someone who knows how to sail. Not to mention the fact that if Hawaii is infected, we're screwed."
"And east?" Yabe asked quietly, her eyes watching me carefully.
"Inland, to Iowa or somewhere similar, gives us the benefit of isolation and farmland," I said, running through the pros in my mind. "We might be able to find a small town, set up there, and live off the land. But we're still on the mainland, still within reach of the infected. And if the zombie outbreak's spread that far, we could end up stranded with no supplies."
The room fell silent as everyone considered the options. None of them were perfect. Hell, none of them were even good. But we had to choose something.
"I think heading north makes the most sense," I said finally, my voice steady. "We need space. Canada's got that. And the colder climate might give us an edge. Even if it doesn't slow the zombies, it might slow other survivors who are a threat."
Ethan leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm with you. It's the least shitty option."
Yabe nodded, her expression thoughtful but determined. "If you think it's best, Senpai... I trust you."
Daisy raised an eyebrow, her sharp eyes meeting mine. "You sure about this, Jake? Once we go north, there ain't no turning back."
I took a deep breath, the weight of the decision settling in my gut. "Yeah. I'm sure. We go north."
Daisy nodded, a slow smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Alright then. North it is."
With that, the decision was made. We were heading to Canada. It wasn't going to be easy—nothing about this new world was—but we had a direction now, a plan. And that was better than nothing.
***
The sun was barely above the horizon as we loaded the last of the supplies onto the back of the truck. Daisy had been smart about packing; everything was secured tightly, food, water, and some basic medical supplies. It wasn't much, but it would last us about a week if we rationed carefully.
Ethan grunted as he hoisted a crate of canned goods into the truck bed. "This is all we've got? A week's worth of food? We better hope we don't run into trouble."
I leaned against the side of the truck, wiping the sweat from my brow. "It's better than nothing. We'll make it last."
Yabe handed me a water bottle, her soft voice barely above a whisper. "Senpai… do you think we'll find more supplies up north?"
I took the bottle and gave her a small smile. "We'll figure it out, Kohai. One step at a time."
Daisy slammed the tailgate shut, dusting off her hands as she walked around to the driver's side. "If we're lucky, we'll hit some small towns along the way. Might be able to scavenge something there. But don't count on it."
Ethan let out a long sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "Great. A week's worth of food and a country full of zombies. What could go wrong?"
I chuckled, patting him on the shoulder as I climbed into the passenger seat. "Don't jinx it, man. We've had enough bad luck already."
Yabe slid into the backseat, clutching her backpack tightly as she settled in. Daisy fired up the engine, and the truck rumbled to life, the familiar hum somehow comforting after all the chaos we'd been through. The old radio crackled to life, static filling the cabin before the opening notes of a song cut through the noise.
"Almost heaven… West Virginia…"
Ethan's eyes widened as he looked at the radio, then back at me. "No fucking way. Is that…?"
I grinned as John Denver's Country Roads started playing over the radio. It felt so out of place, yet somehow perfect for the moment. The soft twang of the guitar, the nostalgic lyrics—it was like a small piece of the old world had found its way into this new, broken one.
"Country roads… take me home…"
Daisy glanced at me, smirking. "Not exactly apocalypse music, but hey, could be worse."
Ethan leaned back in his seat, shaking his head with a chuckle. "You've gotta be kidding me. I feel like we're in some fucked-up movie."
I turned to Yabe, who was smiling softly, her eyes closed as she listened to the song. It was a rare moment of peace in the middle of all this madness.
"To the place… I belong…"
We pulled out onto the dirt road, the truck bouncing slightly as we left Daisy's farm behind. The plan was simple—head north, keep our heads down, and hope we could make it out of this mess in one piece. But for now, with Country Roads playing in the background and the open road ahead of us, it almost felt like we had a chance.
"Let's go find that heaven," I muttered under my breath, the words barely audible over the music.
And with that, we hit the road.
Q: Have you heard "Country roads" before?