Tamashii trod carefully through the trees, Mercy close behind her. They had been skirting around the city for the last few days, scavenging what they could before they were pushed into the trees. Too many infected back there now, they had to keep pushing forward and by now their supplies were running dangerously low. 

Fallen leaves crunched under the weight of Ash’s walking boots as she moved forward, her eyes studying the uneven terrain around them. Her chest rose and fell in quick succession as she moved forward trying to catch her breath, beads of sweat covered her forehead; and caused her t-shirt stick to her skin. She had her knife in her hand at the ready. It was the only weapon she was willing to use to protect them for now, she would use her gun as a last resort, she had it safely tucked into a hip holster on her right hand side. She could hear Mercy’s laboured breathing behind her, as she picked her way around the trees eyes roaming the underbrush suspiciously. “Is it much further?” Mercy murmured her voice barely audible over her ragged breathing. 

Ash didn't answer straight away, she glanced around once more before she ground to a halt turning on the spot and rested back against a thick tree, the rough bark scraped noisily against her beaten up backpack as she did, she leant forward on her knees trying to even out her breathing with a few deep breaths. “It can’t be far now, it was on that billboard map” She answered, keeping her voice low she lifted her eyes to look at Mercy. The other woman looked worse than she did, mud and gore clung to her light blonde hair and her clothes were pretty badly torn, she had a dirty bandage wrapped around her left bicep. Mercy shifted from one foot to the other repeatedly her hands were still shaking, she was practically buzzing with adrenaline. Her luminous blue eyes nervously searched the area around them and her fingers tensed around the unstrung Mongolian bow that she held in her right hand. “Thanks for...you know, back there” Ash murmured looking at the bloody arrow clasped within the blonde woman's left hand before she wiped the sweat from her forehead, smudging the dried blood and dirt that accumulated on her skin in the process.
 
Mercy looked down at the arrow clasped between her blood spattered fingers; she dipped her head and allowed her lips to curve into a small smile. The blissful silence that fell between them was soon interrupted by the sudden sound of distant gun shots, Ash looked in the direction they had come as she hastilly stood up right. "That sounded close, we should keep moving” Mercy stated, slinging her bow over her shoulder careful not to catch the string on the buttons of her shirt. Without another word she pushed forward into a run despite her legs protests, taking the lead as she picked her way across the dirt trail and weaved between the trees. Ash looked once more in the direction of the gunshots before she turned and broke into a run, keeping Mercy within her sights as she did. [i]Please let this town be close[/i] she thought as she hopped over a raised tree root, her feet pounding the ground as she followed her friend.