These past three months had been hell on Earth. Emotionally, literally; whatever. It's made her into a cold sort of cocoon of the girl she used to be, and molded her into a woman that she wouldn't be able to recognize if she allowed herself to think about it. She doesn't. Thinking about anything other than survival is what's going to get her killed. It's what got everybody else killed. It's what's left her alone as she trekked quietly at the edge of the woods to follow the road to hopefully somewhere that hasn't been looted too badly.
Wishful thinking, perhaps. But, luck's been on her side before. Writing something off before looking would've been something that caused her to starve to death in the past.
Sucking vaguely on one of the few leaves that she had left that normally helped take her mind off of her aching stomach, Kate pressed on with her eyes on eye alert on anything that could look suspicious. It didn't matter what she was tired, or sore, or starving, or thirsty-- being attentive was just as important for survival as anything else. And, it was all about survival at this point.
Being attentive is also what caused her to notice something she probably would have missed if she kept her head down. A girl-- or, a woman, more specifically-- on the road it seemed. Alone. In a tired notion, she raised her crossbow and left the leaf between her teeth as her other hand helped hold it. Kate would keep walking and avoid the confrontation completely, but, she didn't exactly trust turning her back on someone at this point. Not out of compassion, at all; out of fear of them coming up behind her entirely.
"Hands up. I swear to god, if I see you going for a weapon, I'll shoot you in the fucking eye."
