Day 242
I looked at my watch to see it was midnight. We have only stopped to take a break and I'm lookin at all the kids. They look like they can barely make it further. Jess was holding my arm as we walked, she's almost fell asleep on my shoulder as we walked a few minutes ago. "JEN." I called out but she didn't turn around. She just kept hacking at the tree branches and bushes in front of her. "Jen, we need to stop. Besides we can't see shit out here, it's dark as hell." I complained as she stopped. I left Jess for a moment, shifted Newton on my hip and walked up to her. Jen hacked at the tree behind her an looked on but didn't move. "Will camp here…but were moving first light. I'll take watch first." Jen ordered as she looked over all of us. Hannah, Lock, and Nathan sat down on a log. Jess went to join em.
"I'm going to find some wood." I told everyone setting Newton down. He ambled over to Nathan an Mathew. I pushed aside some branches and moved away from the group. "Wait up." Jen called out to me and caught up to me quickly. "You shouldn't be out here alone." Jen told me. "I come out here alone all the time. It's them I'm worried about. We gotta take it easy tomorrow an stop at sunset." I told her as we walked. "Were almost there. Let me worry about everyone. You worry about jess and that baby. All this stress ain't good for them but yea we'll take it easy." She told me and I nodded. "You don't think…with all this I…" "Don't say another word…you'll jinx it, whatever it is." She continued interrupting me. "Look you're gonna make a great mom. Don't sweat it, till the time comes. "She told me and I took a deep breathe.
"How far have we gotten away from the settlement?" I asked her. "I was actually trying to get us to this settlement at the bottom of the mountain. We've been trading with them. We should get there by lunchtime tomorrow. I just wanted to get to cliff side to make sure they are still there. You can see the lantern lights and the lights of fires from there." Jen explained as we continued. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" I asked her, "I didn't want to get your hopes up just in case and you wanted to stop so we stopped." Jen said an continued on. I jogged to catch up with her. "The cliff is this way." Jen said, I shrugged an followed her. Why not check it out.
When we made it to the cliff we both looked over. I could make out houses in the trees. Thought it would be lit up with lanterns like ours normally is at night but there wasn't. "There a way down over there." Jen pointed out. I kept looking for more fires or lanterns. There was only a few lit fires on the ground and still it was only like three or four. "Think it's just late?" I asked, Jen starred then pointed at something. I sat down and got closer to the edge of the cliff. I looked down an too the left. It was about fifty or so yards away from the camp. When I realized what it was I sat up. "Is that a body pit?" I asked Jen. "Yup." She said walking away. We started collecting wood on the way back to the group.
"What does that mean?" I asked her. "The same thing might have happened to them earlier this week." She said. "Well we can't go there." I told her an she just looked up at me. I knew that look, its one of those determined leader type looks. The alpha stare. "Jen, no you can't go there…you won't, I won't let you." I told her. "You and what army. They might know what's this thing is?" she told me. "I' going first light. If you're up you should come with me." Jen added, I shook my head. That place looked deserted. "The same thing that happened to us happened to them." she added. "Right so we shouldn't go." I argued. "I'll go now, if don't come with e first light." She warned me. Anything can happen to her out here. I can't let her go alone. Just like she wouldn't let me "Fine…fine…First light I'll go with you." I told her as we moved.
I picked up a last few sticks that I could an walked back to the rest of the group.
When we got back everyone was still up an talking. Sitting in a small group. Lock and Hannah an jess were up on the log. The kids we sitting at their feet. I dropped the pile of sticks an Jen made a fire.
I sat down next to Jess. "You guys were gone for a long time." She said. "I know." I told her. I heard a lighter click a few times then a fire went up in a blaze in front of us. "We saw another settlement." I told her. "Why aren't going there." She asked "it was all dark. There wasn't any lights in it at all." I told her. She looked down at the ground. "Jen and I are going to go take a look first light." I reassured her. "You should get some sleep." I said, jess smiled an laid her head down on my lap. Moments later she was asleep.
The next morning I woke up with my back against the log. I didn't even realize we moved down to the ground. The fire was out, there was smoke coming from the few smoldering bits of branch left. I pulled Jess's jacket a tighter. She was laying more on the log so I was able to roll her off me slowly without waking her. Sam sat up, "I heard you move." She said. I held up a finger to my mouth am motioned for her to come with me. Jen was sitting away from the group a little bit carving something.
I moved closer an glanced over Jens shoulder, she was sharpening a stick. "Jen" I said, "here" she said an handed it to me. "We're going to down to the settlement. Should take us an hour total to get there an back." She explained "Wait I want to go." Sam asked. "No you should stay here." I told her, tell lock where we went when he wakes up." I told her. She put her head down. "Look we can't all go. Someone has to stay with you bothers an sisters anyways." Jen told her as she turned an walked off. I hugged Sam. Then followed Jen we went right to the settlement.
Jen was right something did happen. It only took us thirty minutes to get here an about halfway down we could smell the place. The woods was filled with a smoke, it smelled like cooking meat but I'm sure it wasn't actual food. Then there was smell. This awful stench that made us immediately tie something around both of our faces. I wished I had body spray, but I'm sure nothing would have helped. I guess they started burning some of the bodies.
As we approached you couldn't help but notice the eerie quite. There were bodies piled up along the path. We got closer, the paths between the huts were somewhat cleared. Just a few bodies still left inside the place. You can smell the rot from them. I didn't want to get close. Jen walked slowly, then I saw a cutain move in one of the huts close to the outside. I got lucky. "There." I pointed out. Jen turned to me for a second and smiled because she saw what I saw. "C'mon." she said. We walked around the hut till we found a door. The person inside dropped something. I guess they saw us.
"Hello!" Jen called out. "Are you stupid? Why are you here?" a voice called back. It was crackly an horse but it was a woman. "Come out." Jen said tying to be friendly. "No, you could be sick." She said, she sounded old or hurt maybe. "We're not sick. Our settlement…" "Were you attacked?" She interrupted us. I looked at Jen. "What happened here?" I asked her. "The berg, it shot up our settlement with these darts. Everyone they hit died. Soon after a few people got sick and died quickly. Everyone who helped them got sick too, it took longer but they all died. I've heard people screaming, some people told me other had killed themselves from the sickness. A lot of others fled. We tried to burn the bodies but anyone who touched them they got sick also so we've all been in out huts since then." She explained. They were going to the settlement and killing us.
"If it's a sickness….it was bio terror. Who would do such a thing?" I asked. "PFC… post flares coalition." Jen muttered. "Yes… it was the letter on the berg." The woman said. "Why don't you leave?" I asked her. "I can't, I can't walk. But I'm not infected, I'm fine I don't need your help, you should go away." She babbled and I took steps backward. Wanting to leave before we caught whatever sickness it was she was talking about. Jen held her han out for me to wait. "Wait…Please help us, where is the nearest settlement. We got kids. We can't be out here in the woods." Jen explained. There was a long moment before she answered. "There's Ashville, but you'll never make it. It's too far." She said. Jen turned back to me. "Thanks, we have to try." Jen said. She walked up to me an took my arm an we both started running. We ran right out of the settlement into the woods.
"How are we going to get to Ashville… we don't even know where it is." I told her, breathing heavily as we ran back up the mountain. "I have a map in my pack. It's on there, I've seen it. We can make it." Jen said between breaths. She said done something like this before. We made it to the mountains She was kind of right then. Jess an I would have never made it to the mountains without her.
We made it back to the group in less than an hour. When we walked up Jess sat right up. They had a small fire going an smelled like someone cooked. "You missed food babe. Did you find anything?" she asked me. Jen sat on the log, "We found something." I told her. "It was viral… you were right Lock. These woods aren't going to be safe anymore because of those bergs." Jen told us. Everyone kind of looked to her and sat around to listen in. "They all got sick in that settlement. I'm guessing there wasn't many left. So were going around this and to a town. It's got walls I've seen them, I've got a map so we won't get lost. It's going to take us a few days but we'll make it." Jen speeches, we all looked up at her.
"Just to make sure. No one touches each other except for the babes. But whoever hold them keeps holding them so not to pass whatever on to the next person." Jen demanded, I kind of shook my head. "There's no way we can all…Jess need help walking something." I mention an Jess hit me. "I'll be fine babe." She spat. I know she was trying to look tuff but she does get tired. I'm normally the first on she leans on but she an Jen was staring at each other.
"Well we should get a move on then." I stood an stood right in the path of their gaze. It hormones an I'm not making excuses. Ugh but I don't want to think about it. She's been talking about her a lot more lately and what they used to do. Then when we were in the tunnels she gets… she get attacked. Damn I can't even say it. If I was there I would have killed the guy. That's why I don't like leaving her anymore. Jess stood, "we'll be fine." She reassured me.
Lock kicked dirt onto the fire and Jen waved us all on. We were walking in the different direction then we came. Jen isn't taking us past the settlement and that might be a good thing. So we started walking.
Hi to all that's made it thus far...is it to your liking. I'm sticking with the story line as close as possible while giving a different experience. That's my goal. There will be No more Past chapters after this i wanted to make Sean's (sams Dad) Death the last one. I might go back in a sequel to this story but for now in this one i will continue to progress forward. As always Thanks for reading and Leave a Review, Review, Review. I like to know what you think. It helps. I'm still ahead in writing this story so I will update soon.
One Love-Ray