"You can come out now," I whisper, pulling the closet back open. The man steps out, crossing his arms. I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around this. How was he able to get out of the picture?
"Who was that?"
"My mother," I reply, wandering over to my dresser. Ugh, how can I possibly go to school now? What am I supposed to do? Leave him in here until I get home? This is so weird.
"I'm sorry, this must be very strange for you," he says to me, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Not at all..." I mutter sarcastically. "This sort of thing happens every day."
"I'm Neil," he introduces himself.
"Carol. Face the wall. I need to get dressed."
Wordlessly, Neil turns around. I keep a close eye on him as I put some clothes on, making sure he doesn't decide to sneak a peek. "Okay, you can look."
He turns back around, face like stone. It's no wonder he was in that poster. He looks so stoic, maybe he spent too much time there.
"Look...Neil. I hate to leave, but I have to go to school," I tell him.
Neil squints at me. "You're a teenager?"
"Um...yeah. What's it look like?" I scoff.
He frowns. "You look...older than that."
I cock my hip to the side. "I'm eighteen, dork."
"Really?" Neil cocks his head to the side.
"Yeah. How old did you think I was?"
He shrugs. "I don't know. Older."
"Okay. I really have to go. And I don't want you staying here all day. Could you get back to your poster just until I get back?" I ask.
"I'd rather not. See, it's not just a poster. You don't know what it's like in there," says Neil.
"What is it like?"
"It's a long story. I can't explain it right now, but I'm not going back in there at the moment," he tells me.
"Carol!" mom yells from downstairs. "Janette is here! Hurry up!"
"Tell me later, okay? Just...stay in here and don't come out. I'm gonna lock you in. If mom tries to come in here...hide in the closet or something." Neil nods, but doesn't say anything. I put on my denim jacket, slinging my backpack over my shoulder. As I leave, I lock the door behind me and put the key in my pocket. It still feels strange to be leaving him in my room, but I don't have another choice.
Bidding my mom goodbye, I leave the house and meet my friend Janette, who's waiting outside for me in her big red truck. On the ride to school, I debate telling her about Neil. She's my best friend, but I don't really know if she'll believe me. I still don't believe it myself. And how would I even bring that up? Hey, a guy came out of my poster?
"You're awfully quiet this morning," Janette remarks to me. "Everything okay?"
"Hm? Oh. Oh yeah. I'm okay." I stare out of the windshield.
"You do know that I can tell when something's bothering you, right?" She smiles at me.
I shake my head. "I'm fine Janette, really. Don't worry about it."
"Honey, just spill the beans already. Trust me, you'll feel better." Janette pats my shoulder. "You always do."
"Yeah but...it's really hard to explain." I bite my lip.
"Try your best. You know I'll always have your back, right?"
"Right..."
"Is it about your dad again?"
Oh good. This is a good cover to use so I don't have to tell her what's really going on. I mean, it is partially about my dad. "Yeah. I found something else. I asked my mom about it, but she won't tell me..."
"I still don't get why she won't tell you anything about your dad," Janette grumbles. "I mean, you have a right to know."
"Exactly!" I go on to tell her about the piece of paper with the name Jacobs on it. This steers her away from the other thing, and I'm really glad I didn't have to resort to telling her about Neil.
Neil is still in my room when I get back home. He doesn't say anything, he just stares at me, watching. I drop my bag to the floor and flop onto my bed. There's an awkward silence for several minutes until a long, grumbling growl of a hungry stomach breaks it. I look down at myself. I know that wasn't my stomach. Neil clears his throat awkwardly.
"Are you hungry?" I raise my eyebrows at him.
He smiles sheepishly. "Kinda...I mean, I've been stuck in here all day. Your mom...does she ever leave the house?"
I slap my forehead. "I'm sorry. I'll get you something, I'll be right back."
"Thanks..." he mumbles awkwardly as I lumber out of my room.
"How was school?" mom asks me from the living room as I rummage through the refrigerator.
"Fine." I slap together a ham and cheese sandwich with tomato, put it on a plate and rush back upstairs before my mom can ask me anything else.
"Here." Back in my room, I hand Neil the sandwich.
He takes it gratefully, chomping into it with extreme vigor. In about three bites, he's already eaten half of it. I sit on the edge of my bed, watching him eat. Once he finally takes a breath, I decide it's time to find out what he was trying to tell me this morning.
"So...what's really inside the poster?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me. I mean, a person came out of a picture, so...I think I'll believe just about anything at this point."
Neil sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. "It's not really a picture. It's a portal."
"What kind of portal?" Why do I feel like this is only going to get more complicated?
"It's a portal to another world. To the future. A future that's crumbled and very much unlike the world you currently know," he tells me.
"The...future? Is that what you just said?" My voice is incredulous.
"Yes."
"What's...it like?"
"To put it simply...it's the zombie apocalypse. My world is full of flesh-eating monsters. It's a virus. I'm here because history is about to repeat itself. I came to warn you," he explains. "Your world...is about to fall into ruin."
"Zombies? This is a joke, right?" I laugh hysterically.
"I'm not joking. I've been stuck over there, waiting for the portal to open so I can cross over. When it did, it took the form of the poster you see now. Don't you understand? The portal led me to you. I need your help, Carol," he says to me, voice desperate.
I don't understand. I don't understand any of it. "But why do you need my help? What can I possibly do?"
Neil stands up, taking me by the shoulders. "Please. Both of our worlds are at stake. And you said your name is Carol? Would you be, by any chance, Carol Tyson?"
I purse my lips, narrowing my eyes. "Yeah, why?"
His eyes widen. "There was a scientist in my world, his name was also Tyson. He invented time travel. And he's been in my world trying to fix it ever since. This can't be a coincidence!"
I grab him, eyes widening. "Is he my dad? Have you seen him? Do you know him?"
Neil shakes his head. "I don't know. No one's heard from him in a long time. But this must be why the portal chose you!"
"What about Jacobs? Is there anyone there in your time called Jacobs?" Maybe I can get some answers about my dad. Maybe this is it. Is this why I never knew him? Because he went missing, disappeared into the future?
"I don't know. But you have to come with me now, don't you see? You might be what we need to stop this once and for all," Neil says, eyes hopeful.
"But how far in the future are we talking?" I need more information before I can dedicate myself.
Neil stops to think for a moment. "What year is it right now?"
"2023," I tell him.
He mumbles to himself for several minutes, counting. "I think it's about seven years in the future."
"So 2030."
"Precisely."
"Wait...don't I exist in the future already?"
His lips thin. "I don't know. You might, you might not. You might have died in my time."
I think really hard about all of this. It's so confusing, my mind is going around and around in circles. It's the whole paradox thing that's getting me right now. But if I can get answers about my dad...I'll do it. If he's there, in Neil's world, I'm willing to take the risk.
"Okay. I'll go," I say, determined. "When do we leave?"
"Right now," he says.
I blink at him, startled. "Right now? But what about my mom?"
"You can't tell her any of this. She won't understand."
"No, that's not what I mean. If the zombie apocalypse is starting here in my world, she'll be in danger! I can't just leave her here!"
"You can, and you must. She's better off here for the time being. My world is a lot worse than this one. And if we're able to reverse everything, it'll be okay. But I really think that you're the key to solving all of this," Neil tells me.
"But why are we going into the future to reverse it? Shouldn't we be trying to stop it from happening here?" This is a good point.
"Because we think there might be a cure in my time!" Neil says with a heavy breath. "It's not doing us any good there. We need to find it and bring it here."
"Still doesn't explain why I have to be the one to go..." I grumble.
"Does it really matter? You've been chosen," he insists.
"Okay...I'm coming, just...let me get ready."
"Time is of the essence. Every minute we waste, another person dies." His voice sounds desperate.
I dump all my school stuff out of my backpack and fill it with miscellaneous clothing and various toiletries I may need. I can't believe I'm doing this. I must be crazy or something. I'm just going to go with this random guy who tells me this crazy story about time travel and the zombie apocalypse? And I actually believe him? I would ask for proof, but he literally came out of a picture. I think that might be proof enough.
"Can I at least say goodbye to my mom first?" I ask him, feeling slightly sad about leaving her here.
"Yeah. But make it quick."
Trying not to cry, I rush downstairs to see my mom. She's in the living room, reading a magazine.
"Hey, uh..." A throb forms in my throat. My mom looks up expectantly.
"Yes, Carol?"
I swallow the lump out of my throat, blinking tears away. "Uh...I'm gonna take a nap, alright? Don't wake me until it's...time for dinner. Okay?"
"Rough day, huh?"
I nod. "Yeah, I don't feel that great."
"Alright. Go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you when dinner is ready," she says.
Without thinking, I run over to her and hug her tightly.
"Oh," she says in surprise. Mom hugs me back, rubbing my shoulders. I hug her like I'm five again, and get the feeling that I never want to let go. Maybe I should just tell Neil that I'm not going and stay here with mom. I know we argue, but...she's still my mom.
"I love you," I whisper to her as I lay my head on her shoulder.
"I love you too honey," she says back. Then she pulls away, placing a hand on my forehead. "Do you have a fever?"
I chuckle a bit, shaking my head. "No, I'm fine. I think I just need to sleep it off."
"Okay, baby doll. Go get some sleep and I'll wake you up later." She kisses my forehead and then smiles at me. Before I really start bawling, I dart back upstairs and into my room, where Neil is waiting for me. I turn the light off, seeing Neil's dark shape standing by the opposite wall.
"How am I supposed to get up there? It's high up on the wall," I say, once again feeling disbelief.
"I'll give you a boost." Neil hunches over so I can climb on his back. This is going to be awkward considering I've never stood on someone's back. The closest I've gotten is a piggyback ride on my mom's shoulders when I was like..five.
"Um, alright." I carefully climb onto his back, my arms and legs shaky. He grunts under my weight as I hold tightly to his shoulders. I stand up slowly, hands reaching for the poster on the wall. Neil holds my ankles so I don't fall, and his hands are surprisingly warm.
"Okay." Neil lets go of my ankles. Taking a deep breath, I jump head first into the picture. I wait for the impact of my head smacking into the hard wall, but it never comes. Instead, I feel the impact of hard, cool ground below me. Dead leaves crunch under my arms. Cold, brisk air whisks by my head and I gaze around. It's a bit dark and very, very cold. I stand up, just now noticing the snow on the ground, and more snow falling from the sky. There are trees closing in all around me.
"Are you messing with me?" I holler, completely and utterly stunned. This crap is real? I was only going along with it for fun, but now? Oh man, I didn't expect this to be real. Did I actually just travel seven years into the future? I spin around to take a look at what I came through. To my amazement, I see my own room. It's like I'm looking in through a window. I see Neil inside still. Then he jumps up and pulls himself through, slinging in my backpack and denim jacket.
"You forgot this stuff," he says with a grunt, brushing the snow off his jeans. I snatch my jacket and put it on, shivering. Christ it's cold out here. I put my backpack on too, shoving my hands into my pocket.
"Thanks." I stare at the portal again, gazing into my dark, empty room. A sinking feeling fills my gut. When mom comes to wake me for dinner...I won't be there. I want to cry, but I know that it wouldn't help anything. Maybe I shouldn't do this. Maybe it's not such a good idea anyway.
"I changed my mind," I tell Neil, my shoulders sagging. I approach the portal to jump back through and go home.
"What?"
"I...I don't wanna do this," I say, sniffling from the cold air that's making my nose run. I wipe it with my sleeve.
"You can't go back. You're already here."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to leave my mom there alone." I reach out for the portal, but as soon as I touch it, the window to my room shimmers and ripples. Then, in a flash, it disappears.
I gasp in shock. "What just happened? Where did it go?"
"It closed. The portal closed again." Neil sighs. "Looks like you're stuck here."
"But mom!" I lunge at the spot the portal was just at, but nothing happens. All I see in front of me is more dark, snowy woods. I hear the crunch of snow nearby. Something is shuffling, moving towards me in the dark. There's a low moan, a growl from a raspy throat. My stomach clenches, heart pounding.
"Ohhh my God," I whisper, backing away from where the portal used to be. "I think...I think I just heard a zombie."
Neil grabs my arm. "Carol, we need to leave this place. It's not safe here."
"Sounds like a good idea." I turn around and go with him. His crossbow is out, and he's holding a flashlight in his other hand.
"Stay close. These things like to jump out at you," he whispers.
I shiver, rubbing my hands together. "I made a mistake, I have made a terrible mistake."
"Quiet. Do you want to attract their attention?" Neil hisses at me.
"N-no."
"Just keep moving. We need to get back to my camp."
"Camp? Are there people?"
"A few. Now be quiet." I clamp my mouth shut as we continue our trek through the woods. An owl hoots nearby, startling me and I flinch. When I shiver this time, it's because I'm afraid.
"How much further?" I breathe out.
Neil doesn't answer me, just keeps walking.
Minutes later, Neil is opening up a gate to a ten feet high chain link fence. Inside I see a bright, burning fire and multiple tents. There's someone sitting in a chair by the fire, a man. The fire makes strange shadows on his face, making it hard for me to discern his features. He raises a bottle to his lips, takes a swig. Then, upon seeing us, he puts the bottle down and stands up. He approaches us on two long, tall legs.
"Neil," he says, nodding his head in greeting. "It's about time you got back. I see you brought a girl."
"Yeah," Neil replies.
The other man wears a brown coat, lined with fur on the inside. It looks rather warm compared to my thin denim jacket, which honestly doesn't do much in the way of warmth. It's really only made just for style.
"Neil, who's this?" I ask, sort of hiding behind him.
"I'm Fabian," the man introduces himself, holding out a gloved hand. "Neil's older brother."
Gulping, I shrink away from him, not taking his hand. "Carol. I'm Carol."
He lowers his hand when he realizes I'm not going to shake it. "Pleasure."
I shudder violently and then sneeze, feeling very cold. I hug myself, sniffling.
"That jacket's not going to do you any good out here," Fabian says to me. He removes his jacket, offering it to me. "Here. Wear this. Should do the trick."
I stare at it, my face numb. "Um...but you-"
"Don't worry, I've got another jacket. You need this more than I do." I hesitate for a moment, wondering if I should take it or not. I mean, I just refused to shake his hand. Why would I wear his jacket?
"Do you wanna die from hypothermia? Take the coat," Fabian says sharply, throwing it at me. I catch it, glaring at him. Who does he think he is? What makes him think he can tell me what to do? My pride almost causes me to reject it and let myself freeze to death, but I get over it. Grudgingly, I put the coat on over top of my other jacket.
Neil places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Ignore him. He's just trying to help. Why don't you go sit by the fire for a bit and get warm?"
Nodding, I trudge over to the fire and sit in the chair Fabian previously occupied. Whenever he comes back over to sit down again, I'm not going to get up. He can sit on the ground. The warmth of the fire is certainly welcoming. It feels great, and I'm very thankful for it. Meanwhile, I watch as Fabian and Neil talk over by the gate where I just came in at. They're brothers, huh? They don't really look alike. It's a bit dark, but I can see his features better than before, now that I've seen him close up. His hair is dirty blonde and short, sort of wavy and I think I saw peach fuzz on his cheeks. He's quite tall, taller than Neil, and stands probably more than a foot taller than me.
A few other people mill around the camp. There are women and children, a few men. I recognize none of them. But why would I? It's not like I know anyone here. I'm in the future seven years. Wherever this is...I have no idea. This feels so surreal. Maybe I'm just having a super realistic dream, and when I finally go to sleep, I'll wake up the next morning back in my own bed and everything will be normal. No one will come out of a poster to warn me about a zombie apocalypse.
"You alright?" Fabian's voice interrupts my thoughts. I glance up to see him sitting in another chair nearby. He's got on another jacket, this time a brown leather one.
"Hm? Oh, fine," I mumble in response. I sweep a strand of my blonde hair out of my face, looking around again. I don't see Neil anywhere.
"Where's Neil?"
"Little brother's resting. Been a long day. You should probably join him. You look like you could use the rest," says the older brother.
Long day...yeah, I can't believe I was at school today. Something so normal...and now look at me. Technically, that was seven years ago. "Is there another tent?"
"An empty one? None, besides mine. Unless you'd like to join Neil?" Fabian raises an eyebrow.
My stomach lurches uncomfortably. I'd rather not spend the night in a tent with a random guy I just met. But Neil is pretty cute...I haven't really had time to think about it, but yeah, he's not bad looking. "I uh...don't know about that."
"My tent is empty. You can take mine for tonight, if you want," he offers.
I frown at him, narrowing my eyes. "No way."
"Tch, don't flatter yourself sweetheart. I'm keeping watch tonight so it'd be all yours," Fabian says curtly.
"Thanks, but I'll pass." Creep. Was that some weird way of trying to make a pass at me? "You can take my tent." What's that supposed to mean? Is he just trying to be nice or is he after something else? He doesn't really look the type, but I'm not going to trust anyone I meet here. Except for Neil.
"Which tent is Neil's?" I stand up.
Fabian points to a nearby tent where a motorcycle sits. "That one."
Silently, I walk over to it and peer inside before going in. Neil's asleep on a pile of pillows. Crouching, I crawl inside. Fabian was right. There is plenty of space. As long as I stick to my side, Neil and I shouldn't come into contact with one another. I drop my pack down on the blanket covered tent floor. I slide underneath a heap of them, lying down. I stare up at the tent ceiling, thinking to myself. Why did I do this? I shouldn't have come here. I should have just stayed home with mom to be with her when this all starts in my time. But now she's going to be all alone. If she dies, it'll be my fault. I fall asleep with a mind full of regretful thoughts.
Hours later, I wake up with a startled gasp. Cold sweat and moisture hangs in the air inside the stuffy tent. It's so hard to breathe in here. Where exactly is here? Oh. Yeah, that's right. I'm in the future. So it is real after all. It wasn't a dream. Bummer. I just want to go home. For now, I'll just settle for getting out of this stuffy tent. I need some fresh air. Crawling over to the opening, I peek out the crack. The fire is still going from earlier. Neil's brother Fabian isn't there. Both chairs are empty. Behind me, Neil is still sleeping. I scoot quietly out of the tent so I don't wake him.
It's really dark now. It must be the middle of the night. But I don't know for sure what time it is. I sit in one of the chairs by the fire and gaze up at the bright, twinkling stars. The clouds have cleared up and it's stopped snowing. I can't be sure, but I think I was having a nightmare. All I remember are faceless, shambling silhouettes surrounding me and mom. That's it. Speaking of mom...has she discovered that I'm not there? Has she called the police yet? I hope she's okay.
"What are you doing?" a low voice asks me. It's Fabian, who appears to have just come out of the brushes and brambles. He takes a seat in the other chair, and I just now notice the gun strapped to his hip.
"I-I couldn't sleep," I stammer, scuffing my feet on the ground.
"Mm." Fabian nods. "Yeah, I can never sleep either."
"Why can't you sleep?" I stare at him watching as the flames cast funny, flickering shapes on his face.
"Nightmares," he answers. "I have a lot of bad dreams."
"You...have bad dreams?" It seems strange that a guy like him would have bad dreams.
"Why is that so hard to believe?" He laughs. "Nightmares can happen to anyone, regardless of age."
"That's true..." My eyes are fixed on the ground. "So...are there really zombies here?"
"Yeah. Haven't you ever seen one?"
"Only in movies."
Fabian scoffs. "Movies..."
"What do you dream about?" I try to imagine what a guy like him would dream about. But I don't really know because I only just met him. I don't know him well enough to determine that. If I had to guess, just by looking at him...I'm still not able to give an answer. Fabian gazes up at the stars, his eyes glazed over with a certain, strange emotion I don't know, one I know nothing about. It's like he's remembering something from a long time ago.
"Rather not talk about it," he says finally, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to pry or anything..."
"It's okay. You didn't. Don't worry about it."
We sit in silence for several minutes, and I listen to the sounds around me. I hear owls hooting, and the occasional chirp of a cricket. I don't hear any zombie sounds. The only thing I heard relating to a zombie was that strange moan in the woods earlier when I first arrived.
"You should really get some rest," Fabian says. "You're gonna need it."
"Goodnight." With a sigh, I get up and go back to the tent. This time when I sleep, I don't dream about anything.
The next morning I wake up to many voices shouting. They're too jumbled up for me to pick one out and try to recognize it. Sitting up, I tie my blonde hair into a messy ponytail. I leave the tent to see what all the commotion is about. The morning air hits me like a jolt, and I shiver. I'm still wearing Fabian's coat from last night. It is rather warm, but it smells odd. It smells like pine trees and rain.
Where the fire was last night, now only smolders and ashes, is a small crowd of people. Neil is among them. Everyone else I don't recognize. Fabian isn't here either. There's a younger man with dark hair, an older gentleman, and a petite woman with long, wavy brown hair. A small child is standing next to the woman, clinging to her leg. The argument is between Neil and the other guy, who are basically shouting at each other.
"Great, just what we need! Another mouth to feed!" shouts the dark haired man.
"Shut it, Clark! I don't see you doing anything about the food situation!" Neil shouts in response.
"Oh you shut it! It was Fabian's turn to do a run anyway! We all do our part here, and this new girl you brought better start doing hers!" Clark glares at Neil.
"When was the last time you did your part, Clark? Huh?" Neil gets all up in Clark's face.
"I do my part!" He looks affronted.
"Yeah, and that's why Fabian's always picking up your slack!" Neil shoves Clark. Clark shoves him back, and then they both get into a petty shoving contest. This is when the older gentleman finally steps in, getting in between the two shoving men, separating them.
"Alright, calm down. That's enough. Why don't you both just go take a walk and cool off?" he suggested calmly.
"Yes." The woman pipes in. "We have enough food for right now. And Fabian will be back any minute from the morning run."
"Juliet's right," says the old man. "Fabian always brings back good supplies."
"Sure, but every time he leaves, he comes back later than last time," says the woman, Juliet.
"Um..." I take a step forward. Everyone's head spins to look at me. "Sorry to interrupt."
The old man smiles at me, his kind eyes gleaming. "You're not interrupting, honey. Don't you worry bout a thing. You're part of the family now. We'll take good care of you."
"Oh...thanks."
"I'm Larry." He holds his hand out to me. I take it this time, figuring that I shouldn't be rude. My mom did raise me with manners.
"I'm Carol. It's nice to meet you."
Just then, the gate screeches open and Fabian jogs over. He looks rather cozy in his brown leather jacket and red scarf. His gloved hands pull off a rather large sack he carries on his back.
"What's going on?" he pants, staring at all of us in the crowd.
"Ah, nothing. Just some normal jibber jabber, that's all," Larry answers, waving a nonchalant hand.
"Clark's talking crap again," Neil grumbles to his brother.
"I was only stating the obvious," spits Clark. "Things are already hard as it is. Now we have added baggage."
Clark shoots a glare at me. Glaring back, I open my mouth to say something, but Fabian interrupts before I get the chance.
"Hey, no one here is baggage," Fabian says sternly. "If we have the ability to help someone, we should."
"Tch, what a load of crap." Clark huffs off, stomping away. Juliet and the little girl follow shortly after him.
"Piss ant." Glaring after him, Neil spits on the ground.
Fabian pats him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry about him. If Clark wants to talk crap, let him. That's just classic Clark. He doesn't mean any harm."
"Whatever. Anyway, did you get anything?" Neil stares at the bag.
Fabian holds the bag out to him, grinning. "See for yourself."
Neil takes the bag. "I'll go put it in the inventory."
Much to my dismay, Neil walks off, leaving me alone with Fabian. I'd much rather not be alone with him. He seems like an alright guy, but he makes me nervous and squeamish. Honestly, I find him a bit daunting and intimidating.
"Morning sunshine," he greets me with a smile, a strand of his hair falling into his eyes. "About time you woke up."
"It's still early, isn't it?" Confusion runs a-muck in my brain.
"Not really. It's about noon." He stares up into the sky.
"How do you know what time it is?"
"By looking at the position of the sun, sweetheart. It's not rocket science," Fabian remarks a bit smartly.
Irritation rises inside of me. What is it about him that makes me so...aggravated? I barely know the man and he already irritates me. It just seems like he's trying to goad me or something. What bothers me the most is that he's actually not bad looking. It'd be easier to dislike him if he were ugly. Maybe that's a bad thing to say, but it's true. In daylight, he looks rather...fetching? Ugh, what a stupid term. But for some reason, that's the only word I can come up with to describe him. That's another thing! Whenever I talk to him, I seem to lose all knowledge of the human vocabulary.
"Yeah well...don't call me sweetheart!" I snap, resisting the urge to stomp my foot.
Fabian breathes in slowly, then lets it out in a rush, making a puff cloud of air in the icy chill. "You're pretty uptight. Anyone ever told you that?"
Before I can say anything else, he walks away, disappearing behind an R.V. that sits at the back of the campsite.