Nigel ended up falling asleep beside me. When he woke, his head had been resting on mine. I didn't notice when he left. When I finally came to, I was laying fully on the couch, curled up under the warm blanket we'd shared for the majority of the night. I sat up with a groan, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I looked around.

"Nigel?" I called as I walked into the kitchen for a much needed glass of water. I received no answer, but noted that his duffle was still on the table where he'd left it the night before. "Probably down at the shop." I muttered to myself as I yawned. "Might as well take my turn with the warm water." I told myself before grabbing a towel and making my way  into the restroom.

By the time Nigel returned, I was already clean and nearly done packing. Though the task was a lot faster now that I was broke. Food around this area was very hard to come by so we'd have to head back south in order to get lucky and find some water.

"Morning." I called when he walked in. "Morning." He greeted before making his way to his duffel to pack as well. The small paper bag he carried reaffirmed he'd just traded something for another. I didn't ask what it was, though curiosity was swirling through me like a whirpool.

"So I went downstairs to browse and I ended up chatting with the shop owner for a bit. He told me about another trader who might have a way for me to get back to Texas." My eyes widened. "Oh shit nice! Did he tell you where he was located?" I asked as I zipped up my pack.

"Yeah he drew me a map." I grinned when he held out the sheet of paper. "Even better, let me see so I can pick out a route for us." I blinked twice, trying to clear my vision in case I was seeing things. "This is..."

"Absolutely terrible I know." Nigel burst out laughing when he saw my expression. The so called map was nothing but a a squiggly line heading from a start point with the words "you here," to another that read, "hollywood." Eventually I joined in and laughed too. I knew just how much of a troll Nakamura could be.

"So it's safe to say we're back to square one." He chuckled as he zipped up his bag. "Oh and I got you something." I arched a brow? "You got me something?" I asked as if to confirm I'd heard right. "Yeah, give it a look." He urged, gesturing to the paper bag on the counter. Cautiously I peeked in the bag.

"No way!" I enthused as I pulled it out. "That's the one you wanted right?" He asked as I examined the little radio along with the cassette tapes I'd picked out. "But...but how?" I asked, incredulously. "Ah, well it turns out I did have something to trade." Unable to contain my excitement, I jumped up and hugged him, hooking my arms around his neck. I caught him by surprise, the sudden extra weight causing him to stagger forward a bit.

As soon as my feet touched the floor again I turned to face him, not anticipating just how close our faces would be. For a brief second our eyes locked. Cerulean like the ocean I adored so much, yet muddled.

I cleared my throat and ran my fingers through my fringe as I pulled away. "Heh sorry. Um, seriously though, thank you." I told him before looking down with a grin at my new toy. "I also managed get myself something. " He informed before pulling out a pair of daggers from the newspaper Nakamura had wrapped them in.

"Aw sick!" I cheered as he studied the intricate wood-work on the handle. "Well, whenever you're ready we can head out. Though I need to ask Nakamura what kinda garbage scribble this is!" I huffed, dramatically slapping the paper on the table top. Nigel laughed at my over-acting. "So scary." He teased.

After arguing with Nakamura for a bit, I was finally able to extract the location from him. "Well, it looks like we'll be travel buddies for a bit longer." I muttered as I fiddled with my Walkman. "Sorry for the trouble." Nigel apologized as he watched me pop the batteries in. "Oh shut up. It's been sort of cool having some company." I admitted. "When you're not trying to get me killed that is." I teased with a grin. "What can I say? It's a gift." He chuckled.

"So how are we gonna get to Hollywood?" Nigel asked, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "We'll take the subway. It's a straight shot to Hollywood from there and since the trains are no longer in service we can use the tunnels." Nigel nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

It took us a few hours to reach the subway station. "Keep your eyes peeled and stay alert." I warned as I reloaded my bow. Once I felt prepared, I gestured for him to follow as we began our descent down the stairs. "Stay close."

Each step I took was calculated and cautious. "Here I can hold the flashlight." Nigel offered. I handed it to him, grateful for the extra hand. The subway holding area was...overrun. "What the..." I pressed my finger against my lips to signal silence as we carefully weaved through the dormant horde of zombos. Without light or external stimulation they'd gone into a sort of hibernative state. I'd never seen anything like it.

I didn't breathe the entire time out of fear that it would cause them to stir. It wasn't until we got to the subway doors, that I realized the predicament we were in. The doors were shut, though with a bit of leverage I was certain they would open. Only problem was the horde sleeping mere inches away.

"What do we do now?" Nigel whispered as he saw me take my pack  off. I pulled out my crowbar before turning back to him. "I'm gonna need you to cover me." Nigel's brows furrowed with determination, a singular nod giving me the green-light I needed to slip the curved edge between the doors. "Ready?" I warned, knowing the noise would rouse the horde. "I'm ready." Nigel assured as he unsheated his sword and took a defensive stance.

The hiss was, deafening. The moment I started prying the doors open the zombos began to mobilize, staggering blindly towards the sound with their teeth bared and their rotted limbs outstretched. Nigel swiped his sword, slicing through the first batch of heads. I groaned. The doors were heavy and a tad bit rusted from the water that dripped from the pipes above.

"Any progress?" He asked, slicing through another batch of decomposed bodies as I leaned all my weight onto the bar. "Fuck off!" Nigel screamed, his sword only able to do so much in the face of such devastating numbers. "Almost there!" I growled using both hands and feet to push them open. I just needed them to part enough for us to fit.

With my foot I pushed my bag inside. "Fuck!" Nigel screamed as one of the zombos managed to grip onto the hilt, preventing him from swinging as he dove in for a bite. "Nathan!" He screamed. I managed to grip him by his shirt and yank him into the train before they could hurt him. Nigel landed hard on his ass, his back colliding against one of the worn out seats. His sword clattered and slid beneath the adjacent seats.

I sat with my back against the door, panting and wheezing. I reached for my inhaler and delivered two doses to aid me with my breathing. "Shit. You okay?" He asked, noting how pale I'd gotten. "I should be asking you that. You look like an extra from Carrie." I remarked, focusing on all the blood that now stained his pale long-sleeve.

"I definitely need another shower." He sighed, using the pole beside him to pull himself to his feet. After wiping down and sheathing his sword, he walked over and held a hand out to help me stand. I accepted his help, swaying a bit once I was up. "You good?" He double checked. "Yeah, let's get a move on." I urged as I grabbed my stuff and led the way through the train cars, the sound of hissing and growling fading as we ventured further in.