You wake with the dawn and find two of the others already up. "We couldn't sleep so great being exposed out here." One of them says to you.


As the last two get up, you realize just how hungry you are and remember that you didn't eat anything last night. You dig in your bag for your meat strips but find nothing there, remembering that you finished them off on the third day in the stadium. You accept some rations from the other guys but it seems to do little to your hunger.  You think back to when you used to feel this hunger practically all the time, seems your days of living happily in the stadium and not feeling hungry are over for the time being.


You all check your surroundings but it's all clear and you head off again about an hour after dawn.


"Won't the others catchup to us at this rate?" one of the others asks out loud. It's your friend that answers. "Nah, we are a few roads North of them and will be heading up to the highway by lunchtime, so even if they do move faster than us, they will pass right by us to the South and never see us. Hey if all goes well we will meet up with them in a few weeks at the colony and have a great laugh about this all!"


The mood seems to lighten a little after that and you all keep moving with some quiet chatter going on. You even join in some of the joking and in the light atmosphere begin to forget about feeling hungry again.


It's a few hours later and you are getting close to the on ramps for the highway when you begin hearing the noises.


Its very faint but you call it out anyway. "Low rumbling to the South." The others pause and listen for a time before one turns and says. "I hear it now, sounds like the Jeep, they will be passing us soon. Those are some ears you have mate!"


"Seems they are making great time if they are passing us already, they might actually do it at this rate!" one of the men jokes as you all start walking again, listening to the low rumble get louder, then start to get quieter as they pass you a few roads to the South.


Its only a few minutes later that you hear a crashing noise and the rumbling stop.


"Gorram Harbinger! They are being ambushed aren't they, we should go help them!"

You can't sacrifice yourself by running into an ambush for them. Head North!

You all chose to leave for exactly this reason didn't you?


"Guys, we knew this might happen, it's why we left. If we run after them now we will just be dying with them at best and if they aren't really in trouble they will probably shoot us on the spot for deserting!" You tell them, trying to get them to leave the others for dead.


"I can't!" is all one of them says before starting to run after the noises, clearly set on helping at all costs. The two others shrug and run after him, leaving you standing alone. You watch them disappear then shrug and begin heading North slowly, you'll keep to the plan even if you are the only one.


You keep moving slowly and finally start up the on-ramp to the highway when you hear a shout behind you. turning you see one of the survivors running your way, chased by a fast type.


Swearing you run back down and signal for the man to run past you, as he does you pause just for a second then swing. Your bat connects cleanly with the fast types head as it tries to pass you at full speed, intent on its prey. You watch it back flip and land with a thud, clearly not going to move again, before running after the man.


You catch up quickly and call after him "Where are the others what happened?" he slows to a stop and nearly collapses "They are all dead, everyone dead. It was a trap, as we arrived to help they came after us too, I only got away because they stopped to eat the others before chasing me!" You realize that he is just a kid, probably still in his teens. You take his arm to help him walk and head up onto the highway.


After a time you Find a secure looking van and you both get inside, securing the door behind you. You divide out the rations for a meal but your old hunger is back and even a full meal doesn't help. watching the depressed kid sink into the corner of the van and stare at nothing until he sleeps makes it worse too.


"Every one of them dead." You think as you watch the kid sleeping.