Chapter 9

We decided to 'sleep under the stars' that night. We built a small shelter from some of the debris, just in case the rain started up again. For the sleeping arrangement, I ended up laying beside Mona, with Petra on her other side. For endless minutes, I just lay there and listened to the steady rhythm of my companions' breathing, unable to fall asleep. Finally I sat up, looking over at Petra's still form illuminated in the moonlight a few feet away.

I wouldn't have minded sleeping beside her, said a sly little voice in my head. Right beside her…I shook my head rapidly. Robbie! Get your head out of the gutter! I lay back down quickly and chewed my bottom lip, willing my devilish side to leave me alone. Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced myself to think of Rachael and how ecstatic she would be when I returned. With that thought on my mind, I finally drifted off into the calm depths of comforting slumber.

XXXX

I was the first to awaken the next morning. I wandered aimlessly around the rubble until I saw Mona start to stir. When she had woken, she impatiently roused Petra, who opened her eyes and glanced around confusedly for a minute, before recognizing the dilapidated restaurant around her.

"Oh," she said, the image of her surroundings finally clicking in her mind.

"Lets go!" Mona said, tugging on her granddaughter's arm.

"What? Where?" Petra asked confusedly.

"…Yeah. Where are we going?" I asked. We hadn't discussed a thing.

"To Dunville," Mona said.

"Don't Aunt Rose and Uncle Peter live there?" Petra asked.

"Yes," Mona said. "We could go and live with them until this whole mess boils over. And it's only a few hours from here."

"A few hours' drive," corrected Petra. "It'll take us at least a day to walk there, if not more."

At that moment, my thoughts were elsewhere. If I went with them to Dunville, and they decided to stay there, where would that leave me? I would be on my own again. A feeling of unease settled in the pit of my stomach. That wasn't something I had counted on happening anytime soon. Where would I go from there? I would go on to Boston, that was for certain. But I didn't like the idea of being alone. This did not bode well.

When I tuned back in to the conversation, Mona was saying, "Well, we'll find someone to drive us."

"In what? A shopping cart? There are no working vehicles!" Petra insisted.

"Then we walk."

"That will take forever!"

"So what?"

"So I don't want to be walking nonstop for an entire day!"

"Uh, guys?" I intervened. "What about those?"

XXXX

An hour later, we were cycling single file down the highway. I had spotted a bike rack while Mona and Petra had been arguing about the trip to Dunville. Upon assuming that the owners of the bicycles would not be returning to claim their possessions, we each found a bike that was not chained to the rack, and hopped on. And now here we were, huffing and panting and perspiring, and I, for one, was starting to think that perhaps we should have walked.

"Can – we – have a – rest – now?" Petra gasped, slowing to a halt at the side of the road. I followed suit without objection. Mona grumbled but did not openly disagree. It amazed me that out of us three, she was the one with the most physical endurance and strength.

"Okay, you've rested. Can we go now?" Mona complained after a few minutes.

"What?!" Petra yelped. "Not yet! I haven't even caught my breath!"

"I hate to say it, but me too," I added. "I don't think either of us are in any kind of shape to keep up with you at this pace."

"You can't keep up with me? I'm an old lady for Christ's sake!" Mona exclaimed. "I should be the one trying to keep up with you!"

"Well, unfortunately it's the other way around," I said.

"So you either have to let us go slower or let us have breaks," Petra said.

"Young people these days," Mona grumbled, sliding the kickstand of her bike onto the ground as she waited.

Presently, my ears caught a faint humming sound on the wind. I frowned. Looking at my companions, I saw that they too were straining to hear the sound. Yes, it was definitely there. And it was becoming louder by the second. A few moments later, I realized what it was. The distinct sound of an automobile.

Only minutes later, a truck came into my line of vision. As I watched it approach, I realized that it was slowly coming to a halt.

A/N – Argh! So, so, so sorry this was so short! I don't think this even qualifies as a chapter……more like drabble…... Anyways, Dunville is a fictional town (at least, I hope it is. I think I made it up). I was too lazy to actually look at a bunch of maps and try to find a real town that would fit this story. Sorry if that upsets anybody.