It didn't take Takiko long to reach the small forest she had made out on the map in the morning. One of the few good things about the whole situation, was that, as long as you stayed away from the bigger cities, the streets were absolutely deserted and you didn't have to care about any speed limits. Some days, maybe weeks ago, she had lost track of time since it didn't really matter anyway, she had collected a few cds in some houses and cars. It wasn't something she would keep around once she had to go on by foot, but the radio obviously wasn't working anymore, and the silence was sometimes unbearable. She had no idea when she had last spoken with anyone. She kept singing along to the songs, to make sure she still had a voice at all, which was stupid, of course, she knew that. But when you're on your own for so long, you develop certain habits that don't make much sense, not like there was anyone who'd care about it.

She slowed down once the asphalt street ended and turned into a dirt road. It was strange to see how peaceful and untouched the woods looked. The sun was shining through the leaves, lighting them up and sending webs of shadows dancing over the floor as a bit of wind rustled through them. It always seemed all natural at first, as if nothing had ever changed, but after a while, especially once you get out of the car. Because the silence is overwhelming. No birds are singing anymore, no animals creeping through the bushes. And when you do hear some rustling, or twigs breaking, you'd better run or get a weapon. So when Takiko arrived at her destination, she checked her boots for the knifes she had secured in there, and grabbed the gun she kept on the passenger seat as well as the map, which she stuck in the back of her jeans. Turning off the engine, she looked around, at least as far as she could see from her position in the drivers seat. She hadn't put on the safety belt to begin with, she had decided early on, that she would much rather die if she happened to have an accident, than be injured, unable to move and ending up eaten or turned into one of those creatures. Up until now though, she hadn't been in any situation like it, obviously.

Takiko opened the door with one hand, holding the gun with the other. She kept the safety off, she had never used a gun before all of this had started, and she was still a horrible shot, even more so at a distance. There was no sign of any movement, but she kept on listening a little longer, before she stepped out onto the dirt road and away from the van. With her gun raised, she swung around once, then went to the back of the car and opened one of the two doors, to grab her backpack from where she kept it easily reachable by the backdoors. She didn't dare leave it behind, never did. Putting it on, she carefully closed the door again, making sure not to make too much noise. It seemed safe at the moment, but that didn't mean there were none of the creatures lurking around close enough to hear the noise and come to get a meal.

Gun in hand, she pulled out the map and took a look at where she had to head, before putting it in a pocket at the side of her backpack, where she could easily reach it, should she need to take another look. Her eyes trained on her surroundings, she slowly crept off the road and into the underbush, while carefully trying not to make too much noise as she headed for the lake.