Chapter 3 – Phil

I wake to the sun glaring at me, and I need to squint to see. Even with my leg like it is, I could wriggle a bit to the right, and I'd be shaded. But that would wake Dan, who is right next to me. He spent most of the night having nightmares, but after what he's seen, who could blame him? I'm sure I had nightmares too.

The wind is much calmer than it was last night, but it is still freezing. If it wasn't so cold I'd just go back to sleep. I don't know how I even got to sleep last night at all.

Amy is gone. She must have left in the night, or earlier this morning. I'm kind of sad that I never got to thank her properly, but I was just too weak, and too tired. I wonder where she went. She could be anywhere.

I snuggle next to Dan, trying not to freeze to death, and I hear a slight cough. I turn to it, and see Amy coming back with two bottles of water. I didn't realise how thirsty I was, but I really am. She explains she woke up early and thought she may as well do something useful. There were two little bottles she'd put in her first aid kit, and she followed a stream back to clean water.

We wake Dan, and he helps me sit up. Then we take the water. It's the nicest water I've ever tasted, because I was so thirsty.

"Where are you going to go?" Amy asks, "You can't stay here."

There is silence. I have no idea. Nor, by the look on his face, does Dan.

"I don't know," Dan replies finally, "what about you?"

She smiles. "When I was little, I spent a lot of time camping, a lot of time out in the woods. I think I was more often outside than in the house, and I learnt a lot. I can hunt and forage, and my aim with a bow is impeccable. But I can't stay here. I'll leave, go back to the woodlands, find somewhere safer. It's hardly ideal, but there's nowhere else I can go."

It's a crazy idea. Even here is safer than in the middle of nowhere, with no food, no shelter. She must be mental.

But I really can't say we have plans that are any better.

Dan is deep in thought. I wanna ask him what he's thinking about, but at the same time I reckon I should just leave him to it.

Now that I feel more awake, I am aware of how much my leg hurts. I try to shift it a bit to see if it helps, but the pain makes me stop. I wince. Dan notices, and turns to me to check if I'm okay. Amy curses, and we turn to her.

"I know so many natural medicines that can help things like this, and the one time it might be useful, I'm in a city. Really?"

Her frustration is almost funny. It would be if I wasn't so distracted by my leg.

"Anything that would make it hurt less?" I ask.

She shakes her head, saying she should change the bandages, because the blood has soaked through. Dan helps, and it doesn't take long.

I'm already thirsty again. Amy agrees to get more water, but tells Dan and I to stay here. Well, it's warmer now. I'll probably sleep. But before I do, I need to ask Dan something.

"Where are we going to go?" I say.

"Where can we go?" he replies, "We have no idea where our friends or our families are, or if they're…"

He looks down. I know what he's trying to say, but if he said it out loud it would be worse. No one wants to say fact that their family might be dead.

I don't want to think about it.