Frostpunk: The Last City On Earth
Chapter 6: The Found Expedition
The captain didn't expect Jack and Walter to return so soon. He had expected them to take at least three days to complete their mission.
Not a whole day. He did not expect that at all.
And it only took two young boys to get it done. It sounds crazy.
But here they are, back home safe and sound with the rest of the expedition.
He did a head count.
That adds up to at least over a hundred people now. It's scary to remember that there used to be more of us.
He brushes that thought aside.
He watched from afar.
"Papa!" A little girl shouted. She rushed into her father's arms, crying as she hugged him.
The father cried as he held his daughter tight. The mother joins soon after.
"I thought I lost you two forever." He said.
"We didn't, papa. It's because of them. They found us." Said the little girl, pointing toward the two scouts.
Jack smiled as he shook hands with everyone. He was tired from the mission, but he felt it would be impolite if he didn't smile back.
"You two did a great thing today!" Someone said.
"It's nothing. We're glad to help. We are all together in this, after all." Jack said.
"You saved them in the nick of time, kid. You and your partner."
"You're right about that. I wouldn't have done it without Walter."
Walter sat down on a nearby crate to rest. He looked worse for wear.
He noticed a family walking up to him.
"There he is, papa. He's the one with the rifle. He guided us with his map." Said the little girl.
The father gets down on his knees and takes Walter's hands.
"Thank you, young man. Thank you so much." The father said as he shook his hand profusely.
Walter was tired, but he managed to crack a smile for them and returned the gesture.
"You're welcome. It's no big deal. We're glad to have found the others sooner." Walter said.
"What you two have done would not be forgotten. I hope you two continue to do great things." Said the father.
"Thank you. Thank you two so much. We owe you." The lady from before said to the duo.
"You don't owe us anything. And think nothing of it. We're just glad that you're back with your family again." Jack said.
She suddenly hugs Jack.
Jack was surprised, but he returned the hug. And then, she proceeds to hug Walter as well. Much to his dismay.
Walter gave her a quick hug and let her go.
"Thank you two again. Your help means a lot to us."
"I'll say, you two make a great team."
"Yeah, we do make a great team, don't we, Walter?" Jack said.
"We do, Jack."
"Thank you, misters." Said the little girl.
"The heroes of New London!" Someone cheered.
Everyone else cheered along.
They did well. And yet, people doubt that they wouldn't find them.
But today, Jack and Walter had proved them wrong. They deserve the credit tonight.
The crowd slowly dispersed, thanks to the guards. Jack and Walter are left alone. They looked at each other and laughed at their success.
"We did it, I didn't think we would, honestly. I was worried that we couldn't find them." Walter said.
"But we did," Jack said.
Walter smirks, "Yeah, we did."
Well, now that's the captain's turn to meet them.
He walks forward, "Well, I see that my first scout team is back safe and sound. I didn't expect you two to return so soon." Said the captain.
"Oh, captain. It's good to see you again. Well, even if it's been a whole day. But we did it. Just as you asked." Jack said.
"You can sit down now, Jack. You two must be tired."
"We're doing just fine, captain. Just the walking is tiring, is all." Walter said.
"Hm, maybe the engineers could build a steam sled for you. Would that help?" Said the captain.
Jack beams at the thought of it, "That sounds great!"
"A steam sled, that would be nice. It would make our job much easier to travel on the snow." Walter said and nodded.
"However, it might take a while to make one. So you two will still have to be on foot for the time being."
"We understand. By the way, the others told us of the other sites they discovered. We want to check it out tomorrow." Jack said.
"You want to go back out so soon?" Said the captain
"It's not that far away from here. We'll be back before sundown at best."
"Oh yeah, and there's also a bridge we stumble on the way back," Jack added.
"Wait, bridge? What bridge?"
"There's another settlement around here. Winterhome was the name. They were the ones that built that bridge. We wouldn't be back here by now if it weren't for them."
"Oh, okay. Well, that's great news then." Said the captain. "I was told there would be another city to help us get our footing."
"Well, it looks like we found them. Won't be long until we make contact with Winterhome soon. I think the others will talk about it too, and they've all seen the bridge now." Jack said.
"By morning, Winterhome will be the talk of the town. You might want to tell everyone else."
"Yes, I'll do that first thing in the morning, Walter. The people need to hear the good news." Said the captain.
Jack yawns as he gathers his gear, "You do that, captain. Right now, I'm going back to my tent. I need to sleep, and it's been a long day for us."
Walter follows behind.
"Goodnight, captain."
He's right. It's still midnight.
"Oh, right, rest well, you two. You've earned it."
"Thanks, captain."
He watches them leave the site. He felt that those two would continue to be scouts for a while. Maybe form another team, and besides, the captain can't push all the work on them.
The captain takes one last look at the beacon and leaves.
There's still work tomorrow.
A/N: Late update, I know. I'm very sorry.
Thank you for reading.