The road stretched out ahead of us, the sun beginning to rise higher in the sky as the truck hummed along. The comforting rhythm of the engine, combined with the distant echo of Country Roads still playing in my head, had lulled us into a rare moment of calm. But that was short-lived.
"Alright, I need to stop," Ethan said suddenly from the backseat, breaking the silence. "Like, now. I've been holding it for hours."
Daisy glanced at him in the rearview mirror, her lips twitching into a smirk. "You really can't hold it, city boy?"
Ethan grumbled. "No, I can't. We've been driving forever, and if you don't stop, I'm pissing out the window."
Daisy rolled her eyes but obliged, pulling the truck off the road into a small clearing surrounded by trees. "Fine. Everybody out. Stretch your legs, take a piss, whatever. But make it quick."
The truck came to a stop, and we all climbed out. The moment my feet hit the ground, I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my muscles from sitting for so long. The fresh air was a relief, even though there was still a faint smell of smoke on the breeze from whatever fires were burning in the distance.
Ethan darted off into the trees, muttering under his breath about the lack of bathrooms in the apocalypse. Yabe stayed close to me, glancing around nervously.
"Senpai… do you think it's safe here?" she asked, her soft voice barely above a whisper.
I looked around, scanning the area for any signs of danger. "For now, it seems quiet. We'll keep an eye out."
Daisy leaned against the truck, arms crossed, watching as Ethan disappeared into the woods. "He's like a goddamn child," she muttered with a smirk. "Can't even hold it."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "He's just being cautious. You know, better safe than sorry."
Daisy nodded, her expression turning a bit more serious. "Speaking of being safe, we need to talk about where the hell we're headed in Canada. We can't just keep driving blind."
I leaned against the truck next to her, crossing my arms as I thought about it. "Good point. We don't know what's waiting for us up there."
Yabe spoke up, her voice quiet but thoughtful. "Senpai, do you know anyone in Canada? Maybe a place we could go?"
I shook my head. "No, not really. I've been up there a few times, but mostly for vacations. I wouldn't know where to go in a situation like this."
Daisy tapped her fingers against the side of the truck, thinking. "I've been up there a couple of times. My family used to go camping in the Rockies when I was a kid. Beautiful place. Banff, specifically."
"Banff?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Daisy nodded. "Yeah, it's in Alberta. It's part of the national park. Remote, lots of natural resources, and not too many people. If we're looking for somewhere to lay low, that could be a good option."
Ethan, now returning from the trees, overheard the last part of the conversation and piped up. "Banff, huh? Sounds fancy. What's it like?"
"Think mountains, lakes, and a whole lot of wilderness," Daisy explained. "If the outbreak hasn't spread too far north, it might be the safest place we can go. Hard for the infected to reach us there, and we can live off the land."
I considered it. "Banff sounds like a solid plan, but getting there is another story. We're still a long way from Canada, and we have to figure out the best route to avoid the major cities."
"We need to go through Oregon, then Washington," Ethan suggested, leaning against the truck. "Avoid the shitshow in California. The further north we get, the better."
Daisy nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If we stick to the back roads, we can avoid most of the urban areas. We don't want to get caught in the middle of some city with zombies on all sides."
"And what about when we get to the border?" Yabe asked, her voice laced with concern. "Do you think it'll be safe to cross?"
Daisy shrugged. "Hard to say. If things are as bad up north as they are down here, the border might be a mess. But there's a crossing at Eastport, between Idaho and British Columbia. It's small, remote. Less chance of running into trouble."
I nodded. "So, we go through Oregon, then Washington, cross into Idaho, and hit the Eastport border into Canada."
"Sounds like a plan," Ethan said, nodding. "As long as we avoid Seattle. That place is probably crawling with infected."
Daisy laughed softly. "Seattle was a nightmare before the apocalypse. I can't even imagine it now."
Yabe smiled slightly at the joke, but her eyes still held that same worried look. "Do you think we'll make it to Banff?"
I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We've made it this far, Kohai. We'll make it. One step at a time."
Daisy glanced around at all of us, her expression serious but determined. "We'll make it. We've got the supplies, we've got the truck, and we've got each other. Just gotta stay smart and keep moving."
Ethan grinned. "And not get eaten. That's key."
I chuckled, though the gravity of the situation wasn't lost on me. We had a plan now—a real plan. But we also knew that plans didn't always go the way you wanted them to. The road ahead was long, and we'd be facing dangers at every turn. But at least we weren't going into it blind.
"Alright," I said, pushing myself off the truck and stretching. "Let's hit the road. Banff it is."
With the route planned, we piled back into the truck, ready to head north. As we pulled away from the clearing, the tension in the air was still there, but at least we had some direction. For now, that was enough.
Q: What will your destination location be in a zombie apocalypse?