“Remember this map is about a hundred years old,” Zeke reminds me. “Whether that wood is still there or not, there’s no guarantee.”

I nod, understanding that it would be a risk to head somewhere we can’t be certain exists, especially when it’s so close to a major city.

“Molly and Ryan are right,” I say finally. “We need to head the most direct route. We can stop off here in the forest, pick up some provisions, have a rest. Then we’ll detour a little south so that we miss Chicago entirely.”

I look up at my friends, hoping for confirmation. Ben’s the only one who doesn’t look impressed. He must think I’m siding with Ryan when I’m really just trying to do what’s best for everyone.

Zeke folds up the map and puts it away safely in his pocket. “That’s settled then. Let’s go.”

We mount our bikes and head out of the garage and onto the main road, leaving Toledo and the destroyed rail yard behind us, venturing out on a new path, with a new plan, into the unknown.

*

Since there’s no one else on the freeway, we can use as much of the road as we want. It feels freeing, like we’re breaking all the rules of our old civilization.

It’s a cool spring morning. By the color of the sky and the position of the sun, I would guess it’s only slightly after 6 a.m. We all managed to get a decent night’s sleep last night and, along with filling our stomachs with Stephan’s canned food, we’ve all woken up feeling rejuvenated.

It takes four hours of solid driving to reach our stop-off point in the woods south of Chicago. To my great relief, the drive is uneventful. After about two hours of cruising, the engines whining in my ears, my friends at my sides, I finally stopped bracing myself for catastrophe.

I slow my bike to a stop beneath a patch of trees. The others draw up beside me and kill their engines. Silence descends. By the time we turn off the main road, fatigue and hunger have set in.

After a moment, birds start singing in the trees.

“Dinner,” I say, dismounting my bike.

I look over at Ryan. The two of us spent months hunting in the forests of Fort Noix, and I’ve been missing those quiet, peaceful moments. I’m expecting him to jump at the opportunity to come hunting with me, but he doesn’t look like he wants to go anywhere at all.

“I’ll come with you,” Ben says quickly.