[b]Farren - Road - Buck[/b]

Farren wretched the hammer out of the walker’s head, breath heavy from using most of her energy in the blow. She stood back while Buck rose. “Thank you,” she repeated back to him, a small, grateful smile on her lips. She began to look confused when he started calling himself stupid, raising a brow. The wheels in her mind turned a few times until she thought must have seen them before. Well, one couldn’t change the past, and they were okay now. That was all that mattered to Farren. The present. 

“Here,” Farren said, starting to breathe normally again while handing Buck the hammer. “It’s not a 2x4, but, well, it’s something,” she said, knowing she still had a nice knife in her duffel bag should she need to defend herself. 

When the man asked about her son, Farren moved swiftly to the toddler and picked him up. The boy calmed instantly and rested his head on her shoulder. He looked up at Buck as she moved back to him, but his eyes kept trying to shut no matter how much he fought it. Once Farren stood clos to Buck again, the boy tried to reach up and grab Buck’s beard halfheartedly in his sleepy state before letting his hand fall. 

“We’re both fine, I promise,” she said with a reassuring smile. “And he might let you carry him, but he’d never go back to sleep. Might as well keep walking like we are,” she said with a heavy sigh, but lips still in her weary smile. Her feet began moving back along the road again, looking up and seeing the light having been extinguished. She frowned slightly but didn’t slow her steps.