The foggy afternoon didn't help much to cool Nancy down, despite the cold air and cloudy sky chilling the world Nancy would swear she was feverish, her face was flushed a bright red and she kept wiping the running sweat off her brow.

  Nancy was dumbstruck, to the point when Cooper stormed past her and into Dixie's van she hardly noticed him outside of a hollow greeting.She and Dominick hadn't been in the same room in two years, hearing his voice, seeing his face, it was too much all at once. She didn't have time to prepare herself.

  Then like a fsh she could suddenly hear again. Reality snapped back as she felt a gentle poke on her shoulder. She spun around and saw Wyatt's confused pout. Then he waved a hand in front of her face pyfully "Nance? Ya in there?" He said with the startings of a smile.

  She returned the expression. Smiling softly but her face was strained, lips twitching when she looked up and saw Dominic approaching, starting to walk up behind Wyatt who didn’t seem to acknowledge him.

  "Took this," Wyatt said as he casually reached behind him and pulled the gun from his jeans, he moved it, tilting the revolver and showing off the side of the sleek, short barreled gun, the main point Wyatt was trying to show was that the hammer was tied, rendering the weapon less likely to hurt her, though Nancy didn't notice it, she hardly gave it a once over before she looked back to his face "From Decker, he okay gettin' it back?" he asked, trying to get her fleeting attention.

  "Huh?” she huffed looking past Wyatt to focus on Dominic, she stared at him, flicking her gaze back to Wyatt briefly but that didn't st long, Dominic was nearly up to them now, probably in earshot "What?" then she looked down again, finally processing the weapon in his calloused hands. "Where did you get that?" she asked, looking back up at his perplexed expression.

  Wyatt chuckled, cracking a smirk.

  "What's so funny?" Dominic's gravely voice called from behind them. Somehow going unnoticed.

  "Nance, you hear anythin' I just said?" Wyatt asked, shifting his stance to try and zily force himself into her eye line.

  "Um." she blubbered. Her mind went bnk, like all her thoughts turned into static. She was warm. Looking between them fpping her mouth with no proper words coming out.

  "Nance?" Wyatt called softly.

  "Just give me the fucking gun." Dominic snapped. Wyatt jumped, spinning around as he finally noticed Dominic there

  He took a deep breath, hand on his chest "Damn it!" Wyatt excimed, looking back at Dominic before shaking his head in disapproval. Clearly not too keen on being snuck up on.

  "What?" Nancy blurted out with wide doe eyes. Before she could find her verbal footing Arlene stepped in front of her

  "Back off." Arlene demanded, not keen on letting Dominic near Nancy or her brother. "Maybe you should wait in the car, where no one can see or hear you, okay?" She added with a sarcastic sing-song sort of tone, her angry eyes not matching the wide smile on her face.

  "Not while he has my gun." Dominic said with a stern and strong tone. He didn't even look at Arlene, knowing that wouldn't amount to anything. He looked at Nancy, acting as if Wyatt was nothing but a prop piece blocking view of her, Dominic simply stepped to the side.

  "Yeah, we're not trusting you with a gun." Arlene scoffed.

  "Give it back." Nancy sighed out her words. Just wanting the argument to end.

  "What! No!" Arlene protested, causing Wyatt to pause, looking between the two women not knowing what to do or who to listen to.

  Nancy shook her head "Just give it to'em Wy..." her exasperated voice grumbled out as she dropped her hand from her forehead, letting it hit against her thigh with a loud sp.

  "Wy?" Dominic scoffed in disgust.

  Seeing Arlene rolling her eyes, relenting to Nancy's request, Wyatt mumbled " 'Kay." as he held out his arm and pushed the gun, grip facing out towards him, to Dominic.

  Dominic snatched the weapon from Wyatt's hand and dragged it down back to his holster. The entire time gring at him.

  Wyatt was a bit confused by the hostility but chalked it up to stress, he gave Dominic a warning look, between a smirk and a risen brow, he'd let it go this time and gave a nod of goodbye to Nancy and Arlene before he turned to leave, quickly avoiding the tense the air he went towards his truck. He saw smoke leaving from the driver's side window and grumbled a curse of annoyance, patting his pockets in search of his cigarettes.

  Arlene was seething. Gring at Dominic with the closest thing to hatred she's ever had in her eyes, a thousand different insults swirling on her tongue. Each one beating out the st, fighting to find the best thing to call the son of a- "You're driving Ford still?" Before Arlene could voice any of it Nancy spoke. Cutting off her angry train of thought.

  Arlene stared at her in disbelief. Stunned silent but the resentment left her gaze, now just baffled, and a little offended.

  Dominic chuckled at the look on her face, opening his mouth to say something but the second Nancy noticed she spoke up, cutting him off before he got out his first sylble. "Get in the car Dominic." she snapped. Looking over his shoulder to seek out Iona "I'll go see if we can move." she said before pushing past him. Dominic stumbled. Blinking excessively, unable to come up with anything to say.

  Dominic and Arlene locked eyes. Both suddenly gained looks of disgust and parted ways almost as quickly as they tore their eyes away from each other. Dominic moved to the passenger side door of Nancy's SUV while Arlene turned back to the rge vehicle the twins were in.

  Iona was pacing, a hand running through her tied back hair tousling a few strands. Falling loose to sh in the wind. She suddenly stopped mid step when she noticed someone approaching, looking up to see Nancy with a twisting expression. Fingers twitching, bunching her blouse at her stomach.

  "Nancy?" She called. Sternly.

  Nancy nodded at her, sighing lightly she brought her hand to her arm, trying to make herself feel secure, she took a deep breath mostly as an excuse to procrastinate the conversation a bit longer. Then when Iona shifted she knew she had to speak up "I'm sorry," she said unable to meet Iona's eye "Dominic, he," she forced herself to chuckle trying and failing to lighten the mood "He's a smooth talker." she finished as if that was a perfect expnation but Iona just stared at her. Unspeaking.

  Iona rose a brow, tilting her head slightly forward trying to signal for Nancy to keep talking.

  Nancy smiled awkwardly, she opened her mouth, then closed it. Lips fpping lightly, flustered, she looked around as she stammered.

  "I don't like his idea. I don't like this new pn. I think it's dangerous and stupid and frankly I'm a little insulted that the route we've been driving on for weeks now suddenly isn't a good idea anymore." Iona spoke frankly. Calmly. Like she wasn't even upset.

  Nancy blubbered out a "N-No." sounding more uncertain than she should have "We, we're not turning on you Iona." Nancy assured, trying to. She wasn't convincing, or she didn't feel like she was as Iona's neutral gre never changed.

  "I'm not taking any responsibility for what happens." Iona asserted. Never once losing eye contact with her "The bme will fall on his shoulders. Not mine." she wasn't speaking to be mean, her voice wasn't overly harsh either, just, tense. Then she sighed. The smallest amount of guilt took over Iona at how distressed Nancy looked but she had one final thing to say "I'm only going because my parents are safer with bigger numbers." she said, then shifted, looking away at st "I'm not mad at you." Iona added, slightly forced, a bit awkward, but she meant in.

  Sucking in a deep breath of air as Nancy looked up hopefully Iona added "Fronie is still sleeping, we should be okay to move." hoping to end the conversation.

  Nancy nodded. She was still too dumbstruck to speak. Her arms crossed tighter around her torso, she couldn't tell if that made her feel better or worse. "Does your vehicle have a radio?" asked Iona suddenly startling Nancy again.

  She locked eyes with her again. Nodding "Yes, Cooper has Wyatt's radio." she gave a robotic reply, answering without thinking. She looked over towards her car, where Cooper and Dominic were. They were safe inside, she was going to say something else but as she turned back to face her she watched as Iona gave a nod of goodbye and turned to leave, approaching her car's driver's door.

  Nancy was left feeling. Well. Not good.

  She stood alone for a few moments. Staring off. Then she sighed, looking down as she dug the toe of her shoe into the dirt.

  "Nance!" A voice called. Nancy jumped and snapped her head towards the sudden shout, she saw Wyatt, hanging out of his car window "You alright?" he shouted, then swatted his hands at Ralph behind him briefly, after a back and forth of curses he looked back at her.

  She nodded, moving her arm to stay close to her torso but still able to wave his way "Yeah!" she shouted back "Thanks Wy, ready to get moving?" she asked, still yelling across the short field.

  "Yep" he nodded and gave her a high thumbs up to which she replied with another wave. She turned and departed, making her way back towards her car.

  In just a few moments everyone, with a quick announcement on the radio from Iona, prepared to depart. Divvying up the group amongst avaible seats they fell into a long line once again, this time though Nancy led the pack. With Dominic barking directions.

  They all came together and fell into a familiar quiet, the humming of engines and swaying trees being the only sound for most of them, others bickering, plotting, or deep in thought.Going back down the winding road towards Mallten, the pce they just hardly escaped from. Still driving the same path they just retreaded down. It gave the group pause. Forced a mix of jumbled feelings into all of them.

  Iona, her wagon took up the rear, her father was sat beside her while Ruth huffed in the back. Iona's hands grabbed the steering wheel tighter than she did when they fled the town, she was in her own head, thinking, questioning everything the group ever agreed on. Did they ever think her pn was a good idea? Did they ever think her routes were well thought out or did they just say yes because they had nothing better? Have they all been lying to her this whole time?

  Iona hadn't felt this uneasy in a while. She was steeled, confident, now she's second guessing everything she's said. She felt unsure. It's been a while since that feeling showed its ugly head. Her face was hard. A stern look that she tried to keep neutral and it seemed noticable enough that her father couldn't help but speak up "Lil Acorn?" he called softly.

  "Yeah dad?" She replied in a huff.

  "Where are we going again?" he said with a smile Iona could tell was forced, he was just talking for no reason, she knew well she had just expined it, he must be trying to make conversation, like it would cheer her up.

  She hid the light grumble she let out and spoke "Nancy's ex has a house we're stopping at." she said, not once taking her eyes off the vehicle in front of her she added "For a night or two, only because they have beds." she fought most of the sarcasm out of her words but she couldn't get rid of it all.

  "Oooooo. Doesn't a bed sound so nice?" Ruth said with a light giggle that trailed into a minor coughing fit. Irvin quickly handed her his bottle of water.

  "Yeah, it's gonna be great." Iona remarked, then she looked up in the rearview mirror to see Ruth's hand over her mouth as she calmed her coughing, fanning herself with the other "Take your meds mom." she added almost robotically.

  "Maybe the radio will work down that way." Irvin said, trying to find any positive he could.

  "Maybe." she replied pinly before refocusing on the line of drivers in front of her.

  Renáta's car was the next one, the sleek silver sedan was smooth and rounded at the edges and seemingly quite well kept, except for the uncharacteristic cloak of mud caking the front bumper and the four droopy looking tires.She was driving. Looking up at the mirrors to see El-Mae in the back.

  She was staring down at her p, hands bunching over the other as she dug sharp nails into her porcein skin. Renáta tried to make eye contact but those normally bright amber eyes were downcast and teary.

  Looking back at the road Renáta spoke up "Sorry you got stuck riding with me." she joked, trying to ease the tension in El-Mae's strained posture.

  El-Mae jumped like Renáta's voice came out of concert speakers. She frantically wiped her face but couldn't get the red out of her eyes or cheeks. "No ma'am." she shook her head so quickly she disturbed her wavy sun kissed hair, snagging loose strands on her stubby cream colors horns, tangling her locks messily. "I'm thankful for the ride." she said forcing herself to smile but her rge bleary eyes didn't match the expression "Thank you ma'am." she repeated.

  Renáta chuckled but it was mostly to fill the silence "You don't have to call me ma'am. Renáta is fine." she added, flicking up to the mirror to look at her for a brief second, not wanting to take her eyes off the road for too long.

  "Yes Renáta." she said with a polite bow of her head.

  Renáta saw the look on her face. Her forced expression, the rigidness of her shoulders and the strain in her smile, even with a brief gnce Renáta managed to read her like a book. El-Mae was somewhere between shock and grief. Worry pstered her very being, the tremble in her plump bowed lips and the nervous fidgeting of her small hands made it overtly apparent.

  "You don't have to be so nervous, I don't bite, I promise." Renáta added, smiling at the mirror despite the fact El-Mae was staring at her own p.

  El-Mae nodded but her sharp fangs dug into her lip.

  "I'm sure Fronie will be fine, she just needs rest, are you two good friends?" asked Renáta "I realize I haven't gotten to know you very well, I'm sorry." she was keeping her voice neutral but she had a slight bit of a 'teacher' tone, she wasn't talking down to her but she most certainly had on kid gloves.

  El-Mae squeezed her hands together. Swallowing the lump in her throat she forced out a strained voice "We're friends from school." she replied, voice breaking as she added "She's... my only friend at school." so softly Renáta almost didn't hear her.

  Renáta lowered her gaze back to the road. Blinking. "I'm sorry El-Mae." she said, feeling a rush of guilt, a dreadful feeling of defeat deep in her gut "I'll let you be." she ended. Holding the wheel tighter. Keeping her focus back on the road she watched the high pile of supplies in the back of the McKinley brothers' truck away, tied down by chains and thick lines of home made leather straps.

  In the cab were the two of them, a tense silence occasionally broken up by Ralph's spitting or Wyatt drumming his fingers. Ralph gnced to the side, to the old wooden stocked hunting rifle hung above the cabin, Wyatt took notice, raising a brow briefly "When's the st time you cleaned that thing?" he asked.

  Ralph scoffed "That's yer job, runt." with a wide grin on his face. As if he said pet name but Wyatt rolled his eyes at the insult.

  "Fuck are we doing anyway? That Stokes woman said something about a house? Weren't we going north?" he asked, rolling down the window to spit out of it.

  Wyatt grumbled "Ain't you ever listen." in frustration as he leaned back into his chair, getting more comfortable, or trying to. "Decker has some base we're goin' to. They'll be able to help fix up Fronie there." he replied with a huff.

  "Don't get bitchy with me." Ralph snapped.

  "I ain't." Wyatt replied with a short sigh.

  "Who's Decker? He looked familiar." but before Wyatt had a chance to reply he shouted "Wait, fuck ain't he Nancy's ex?" he asked. His voice was almost excitedly, like he had the correct answer on a game show.

  "Did everyone forget about the damn wedding?" Wyatt chuckled, shaking his head "Arlene and Nancy pnned that thing religiously." he said in amusement, rolling his head and gncing over to Ralph "You probably don't remember 'cus you 'n T-Deer spent the next two days in the drunk tank sleepin' off what you drank at the reception." Wyatt said, he was amused at least, a small smile on his thin lips.

  "Remind me how you didn't end up in there with us? You were the one drivin'." Ralph asked with a smirk of his own, resting his elbow against the door frame letting part of his arm poke out of the open window to feel the breeze.

  "I was fourteen!" Wyatt excimed, scoffing a ugh but he didn't seem annoyed, for once he seemed content chatting along with his brother "While you two were dreamin' I was gettin' lectured by officer friendly. I was in that office for three fuckin' hours Ralph. He called the pastor." Wyatt added, while at the time Wyatt was furious he got in trouble and read the riot act by practically half the town now he could look back on it with some humor.

  Ralph just ughed. A harsh strain in his hollowed voice but the ugh was genuine, before he started coughing anyway. Once he calmed down enough he tilted his head to briefly look at Wyatt, who had returned to watching Dixie's car wobble along in front of them "So what 'd you think 'a all this?" he asked casually.

  Wyatt shrugged. "Don't know. I ain't smart enough for all that." he said pinly, looking listlessly out of the window.

  Ralph scoffed "What? Ain't smart enough to give an opinion?" he mocked as he shot him a raised brow.

  "What? N-No!" Wyatt excimed. He quickly shifted in his seat, squirming, he grew a pout and looked away out of the passengers side window and out into the foggy woods.

  Ralph burst out ughing again, spping at Wyatt's stomach unable to contain himself but he still managed to drive just fine.Easily following behind Dixie.

  She was staring at the vehicle in front of her with such intensity, as if the car would disappear if she looked away. Hands shaking as she held the wheel her mind and heart were racing. "Pen Pen?" She called unable to look away but desperate to know her daughter was safe. Still there.

  "Yes mother?" her quiet voice replied.

  Dixie sighed in relief. Defting as she let go of a small amount of the tension she carried in the strained muscles of her small frame."Nothing honey, nothing." Dixie replied. "Anything on your mind?" she asked, giggling nervously as she tried and failed to seem casual.

  "Is Fronie going to be okay?" she asked. Looking up from the silent radio in her hands.

  "You don't have to worry about all that sweetie." Dixie replied, her voice shaking like her shoulders, she was watching the tree line and the road, expecting infected daemons to dive from the foliage and attack her car, she tested the lock, clicking the button again until she got a dull beep signaling it secured.

  "Is she going to turn into a monster?" Penelope asked. Voice uneasy, low and nervous. Like she thought she would get in trouble for asking.

  "No! No, no Gods no, honey. No. She's going to be fine. Every thing is going to fine. Don't worry." Dixie assured, she shook her head and let her voice out.

  "How do you know?" Penelope asked, briefly poking her head up to look at her mom in the mirror, she saw her face contort in worry and Penelope regreted asked, dropping her gaze back to the radio on her p.

  "I just do, okay? Listen to Mommy. Everything is going to be okay." Dixie spoke with a strain in her voice that she couldn't let go of. She tried. But still the waver of worry over took her voice. "Do you have one of your books? How about you read some, get your mind off things " Dixie instructed, her voice was kind but a bit forced, patronizing and even though Penelope was young she could tell.

  Penelope didn't like it. She also didn't want to make things worse, so she looked down. Dug in the bag of entertainment items she had at the foot of her seat and took out a book. She didn't care which one it was, she didn't even bother the read the titles on the spine instead she just took the closest one and opened it to page one. Doing as she was told.

  Dixie had a deep pit in her gut. Watching the van Arlene drove shake.

  In the middle seat Fronie was on her back, Ford was on the floor pressed behind the passengers side chair and the thick middle cushion. He was holding his sister's hand, staring dully at her. The thick, blood soaked, gauze around her neck was something he couldn't take his eyes off of.

  His mind was bnk but he felt every emotion rush through him all at once, it paralyzed him. The overwhelming pressure in his head and the mix of nausea and dull aching that filled his gut made him want to puke. His bleary vision made him all the more dazed.

  Arlene let her anger for Decker fade. Repced with guilt and worry for the twins. She didn't have anything to say. She wanted to comfort the two, but then again she hardly knew them. She was just the driver, she didn't feel like it was her pce, hells, she felt like she would just end up making it worse. She bit her tongue.

  Arlene didn't know if that was the right decision but she let them be. Left Ford to his thoughts.

  She watched Bonnie's wagon, old and obviously worked on, the chassis wobbled but her engine sounded like new.Bonnie had her own mess of feelings filling her.

  She gnced down at the radio before quickly looking back at the road, she wanted to chat with Wyatt to calm down or check in on Cooper. She was worried about the boy. More so now than ever, she couldn't imagine the uncertainty.A tremble over took her shoulders but she didn't let herself fall into despair.

  Bonnie was taking deep breaths in and trying to let them out evenly. She didn't like this Decker. Her first impressions of him wasn't a very good one, watching the car in front of her knowing he was in it just made her more nervous, like he could somehow know her displeasure. She decided to think of something else. Try to. Loose herself in the memories of the world just a month ago, before all this happened.

  The SUV in front of her caused her the most worry. Driving was Nancy, she was looking focused on the road, trying to ignore everything that wasn't the winding semi paved street. She was leading the pack this time, something she never really did, never wanted to anyways, she liked having other people come up with the hard pns and she'd just help in all the little ways she normally does.

  Dominic was in the passenger's side seat. His foot was tapping in agitation but his face held no emotion, that was until he looked up at the rear mirror and saw Cooper in the back, Dominic couldn't help but smile. Not that he tried to stop himself, even if his boy was just sitting there running his finger across the pages of a book like he was now it was the best sight Dominic could hope for. The grin on Cooper's face as he read was the cherry on top.

  Then Dominic's smile dropped as Nancy's exasperated tone snapped at him "Left or right?" her voice was much harsher than it needed to be.

  "I already told you, right." Dominic scoffed, shaking his head as he leaned against the doorframe "And you said I was the one who didn't listen." he mumbled in frustration.

  Nancy let out a small growl but tried to ignore him. She flipped her turn signal on and the group followed her, thankfully branching off away from Mallten. As they kept on down the roads she tried to stay quiet, she didn't feel ready for a conversation and every thing Dominic said made her want to scream at him, she looked back up into the mirror to see her son, keeping the image of him in her mind she kept on. Driving down a seemingly endless wall of dense tree trunks and unruly natural foliage was unsettling normally but now, with the extra worry of undead leaping out of the fog made the natural wonders all the more foreboding.

  She steeled herself to keep driving. She'd follow Dominic's directions and find the truck in no time.