Miles of death-4

I look at the map and try not to notice that Raya is currently puking out the side of the car. We had arrived in Dallas and were broaching the entrance but it was too congested with cars, so we would have to go in on foot and see what we see that way. I didn't want to leave the car with all these supplies for anyone to take but, we were doing it despite my better judgment. I have started over so many times at this point, I knew that we would be alright either way, I just hoped no one reaped my hard work. Raya has been struggling with the stench for the last hour as we got closer. As I suspected it was thick with rotten nastiness, and it was much worse than when I had left LA.  I prepared with my usual Vicks and bandana and helped Raya apply hers. It was something to help, but it was not going to be easy in there. I made sure we had enough water and food with us for a few days, just in case.  When Raya gets out of the car, I do the same and lock it up. I watch her carefully, it was easy to get dehydrated in the heat let alone when you keep throwing up.
"You sure you want to go in there Raya?"
She takes a deep breath "Not exactly but were here, might as well see it though. Maybe we can at least find out what happened?"
I sigh a little hesitant to stick it out. "Maybe, alright, lets get moving. We should be back to the car in like six hours just to be safe. There is a town we can stay in a few miles to the north."
Raya smiles. "Sounds like a plan, so where should we start?"
I look around taking my map out. "We should avoid the bridge, I think its longer to walk it.  Lets see if that boat down there has fuel in it, maybe we can just go across in that?"
Raya nods. "Good thinking."
We make our way down from the road to the docks, walking around any dead or debris. We walk in silence, each of us looking around watching for any sign of anyone else. I get to the boat and am happy to see its a basic boat, one I know how to use and steer. I get in and see that there is fuel and start up the engine. It purrs and I smile at Raya.
"Were in business."
Raya cheers and whistles."Awesome! This will save us a lot of walking, can we get around the city by water?"
I look at the map. "Only the coast line on this side of us and around to the other, you'd have to walk in to get to city center."
Raya looks over the map. "Where do you think people would be hiding out?"
I sigh looking over the map. "I don't see any fires, I wonder if the power station is still in tact, or the water station, those would be places to look first. Maybe someone would know how to turn it on and settle where they can manage it. We could check out the grocery stores and see if there is a lot taken, if there is someone is probably around."
Raya nods. "Lets start at the power station, I think that's the smartest place. We can at least see if it has been tended for power to go to a certain area."
I tuck the map in my pocket and untie the boat from the dock.
"Alright, I will get us as close as we can by water."
I head out looking around the water for markers and once I get my bearings I head down the coast where the map shows the station is. After a ten minute boat drive I pull over to a dock and tie off. We get off the boat and walk up the pier.
"We don't have far to walk, its three blocks up. Look out for any food stores, we can check that on the way."
Raya nods and we start walking. The bodies are literally everywhere, like people literally dropped and died where they were walking. The heat was getting to the highest point of the day and I was already sweating. It made the stench feel like it clung to you. My eyes were watering a bit but I pushed forward. Raya also showed signs that the smell was getting to be too much but like me she kept on.

A block up we see some shopping areas and go to look inside. The shelves looked pretty much untouched other than where people had fallen or taken a few things. There didn't seem to be anyone around collecting any of the water which was a big give a way to me that there was no one alive here. They wouldn't be able to live in this stench. But I kept my opinions to myself and took a few things along the way that I could carry. You could never have too much water or food in this world. Raya decided to get a cart and fill it, which we would pick up on our way back to the boat. Since it was good thinking I filled a cart to. We didn't dawdle and made fast work of looking around. Then we continued towards the power station. As we passed buildings we peaked in the windows, no movement anywhere other then an ungodly amount of rats and birds. I was getting a bit light headed from the heat and smell and my legs were heavy but I ignored it. Only a little further to the power station and I was pretty sure I could talk Raya into going back to the car and calling it. We tried, but to be honest we have not been here long and we can barely stand it, who would live here? I was beginning to think that Raya was making choices based on her hopes and not the reality of what is. I would have to keep that in mind in the future. I couldn't waste too much more time on my way to Virginia. I didn't mind stopping for a few minutes here and there but I wasn't going to go hiking through city's of dead to make her feel better. Not that I begrudged her for her hope, but I'm a realist. As much as I can be anyway.

At the power station, just as I predicted it is not running and no one has been around at least not that I could tell. Raya walks around trying to think of where else they could look, while she does that I sit down and drink some water trying to get some shade for a few minutes. After a few minutes Raya comes over and sits down. I hand her a bottle of water and she chugs it.
"There is no one alive in this whole damn city is there?"
I lay back in the grass, it was nice to not be in the beating sun. It was still hot but, at least I didn't feel my skin burning under the noon sun.
"I don't know about the whole city but I think it would be too much to try and stay in any city. If there were survivors I'm sure they took what they could and got out. I mean look around, its holy hell between the stench and the heat. Would you stay here?"
Raya sighs and also lays back in the grass.
"Your right, no one would stay here. Maybe there were people and they got out like you said. We should probably stop looking in citys huh?"
I nod. "I think its best to avoid them when you can but maybe there are city's that aren't hit like this. Maybe the East Coast is okay? Don't give up hope just because this was not successful, its Texas, its too damn hot here."
Raya laughs. "True, where would you go from here if you lived in the city?"
I knew where this was going and I didn't want to stick around any longer. I sit up slowly.
"I think I would load up a car and just pick a direction and go. I don't think they left with a certain area in mind. That's what I did at least. I knew to head towards Virginia and that's all I knew. If they had family somewhere they probably headed in that direction or maybe they think like us and hope the East Coast is okay and headed there. Its hard to say. I think that if we are going to find people, it will happen like how you found me, at the right place at the right time."
Raya dumps some water on her head. "I think we should head back now and get the hell out of here."
I stand and pick up my book bag. "Alright, lets go get those carts, at least we found some stuff. We can check some fuel stations to on our way, I saw two."
I was trying to cheer her up and give her something to keep her mind on but she just walked on with her shoulders hunched. I never seen her down in any kind of way. I wasn't sure what to say or what to do. Maybe she knew someone in the city and wasn't telling me. She was from Texas after all. As much as I had learned about her, I still didn't know her well. I let her walk on in silence. I didn't have any more answers to the questions either. And I didn't know how to make it better for her, I was just trying to survive myself. We walked in silence all the way to the carts, we found a few gas cans and filled them out of the cars on the street. At the boat we load it up ditching the carts. I let her collect her thoughts as we head back towards the car. I pull back into the same dock where we found the boat and shut the boat off. I tie it up and begin to gather the stuff to start carry it up to the car. Raya sits and continues to look out at the water.
"Would we get further by Boat?"
I stop and look at her. Thinking it over for a minute as I work.
"We would have to go out to sea and this boat wouldn't make the trip, its made for lakes and rivers and that kind of stuff. We can drive along the coast and try to find a different boat if you want? We would probably get a lot further a lot faster by sea. Less distractions, but there is not a lot of places to find fuel in the middle of the ocean. We would have to fill a boat to the max to make it. Then you have the weather issues that come up and neither of us are captains or know how to navigate the maps on sea, it would be a risk."
Raya picks up a bag and tosses it on the dock.
"Never mind, seems like too much against us. How do you know stuff like this, like what to do?"
I just shrug. "I don't, I just am trying to figure it out as I go. You know how to fish and hunt and change a tire, I don't know how to do any of that."
Raya smiles. "So your saying im useful to have around?"
I look at her curiously. I see the questioning look in her eyes. "Of course you are, you pull your own weight. Is that what all this was about? You think we need more people because your a burden?"
She shrugs and looks away. I laugh lightly. "Raya, it was hell on my own, its twenty times better when your around, not just for your help but because I consider you a friend now. Were in this together alright, we will figure out what we need to as we go. What I don't know you probably will and vice versa. Maybe we were meant to find each other, maybe some where up there someone is trying to help us out."
She sighs. "I'm glad I found you to Aria, and I consider you my family at this point. Were the only two here. I could have ended up with some nut job or something but instead I found you and you have been my sanity these last few weeks. I know im a mess and im a little out there with thinking we will find people but I feel it, there's others out there alone Aria. We were alone, you remember what its like."
I nod. "I do, and we will find them somehow, im not giving up either. We just need to be a little smarter about where we look."
Raya climbs out the boat and I hand her a bag. She smiles at me. "Lets blow this popsicle stand."
I laugh. "Id kill for a popsicle right about now."
Raya grunts. "I'd kill for an ice cold pop right now."
We spent the rest of the time naming off all the cold things we could think of to take our minds off the blistering heat.
Once the car is loaded and aired out a bit, we get in and start driving away from the city. Raya watches in her rear view mirror as it fades in the distance. Aria looks ahead, without any reason to look back. The two of them both lost in their own thoughts about what the road ahead would bring.