Even though Torsten claimed not to be good with modern weaponry, Allison suspected that it would come naturally to him. He had been so sure with the rifle before, not flinching as those men had run toward them, and his skill with that alone made her feel even more safe. She wasn't sure of what was going on in the world, but she knew that Torsten would protect her the same as he had done the night before. When this was all over, [i]if[/i] Allison made it to her apartment in Portland, she would have to think of some way to thank him for going above and beyond the normal level of hospitality for a complete stranger. The doctor wasn't sure how she would actually do that, but she had the rest of the day to think about it—after all, the next part of the hike was going to take longer than the beginning.

A comfortable silence fell between she and Torsten, but Allison didn't mind. She was still attempting to calm herself, to beat back her emotions in order to continue on with the rest of the day. It seemed unfair that she wasn't even considered a real doctor yet, and had already lost her first patient. Allison supposed that was just the way things went sometimes and she would have to brace herself for more deaths if she was going to continue on this path in life. For now, she could focus on getting herself to Portland in piece. 

When Samuel returned, Allison was surprised to see two horses in tow. They were big, much bigger than any other horses she had seen in her life. Their size was slightly intimidating, but they seemed gentle with Torsten. “Thank you,” she said to Samuel, unable to hold onto her anger when this gesture had been so grand. Although she doubted that she had misjudged this man, he clearly wasn't all bad. As Samuel and Torsten talked, Allison leaned against the barn after toeing off her running shoes. The leather hiking boots fit nicely, and were sure to keep her feet warm as she and the Finn made their way down the mountain.

As Samuel left them, Allison turned back to Torsten and let her hand smooth over the strong neck of the horse. “I'll get the gun,” she said, giving the horse a few more sweet pets before turning to leave. Allison didn't actually know how to ride a horse, but she assumed it couldn't be [i]that[/i] difficult. Besides, it was something that needed to be done, and she was ready to get going.

Jogging across the field toward Samuel's barn, Allison pushed open the heavy, weathered doors. They were well-maintained and opened without so much as a creak to reveal the deputy's cruiser and the body of the man, who was now covered with a cloth. The dark-haired woman made a quick sign of the cross. Although she wasn't religious, she was from Boston, and had spent a great deal of time in church. Upon seeing the dead, that was the respectful thing to do. Averting her eyes, Allison moved over to the car and opened the driver side door, looking around for anything that could be of use. She found a few snacks, a protein bar, and some extra ammunition in the glove box, but no gun. She didn't want to, but Allison was going to have to lift the cloth on the body.

Setting the gathered supplies on the hood, Allison approached the lifeless deputy and crouched down at his side, lifting the sheet just enough to expose his hip where the gun was still holstered. She removed it carefully and then thought to look for his wallet. Samuel had mentioned finding his people and if they were on the way, they could have some closure. She recovered the man gently and then carried the supplies back to Torsten. 

“I found some things,” she called over to him, but handed off the gun as soon as she was close enough. “His wallet was there, I think we should tell his family.” She looked through it, seeing the man's ID card, and then flipped it over for Torsten to read. “Is that far?”