Alice

I felt bad about leaving the Desert Zone and not continuing our search for the rest of the people we brought with us. But the longer we stayed there, the more likely we were to suffer a terrible fate. And if we died before reaching our goal, then what was the point in leaving the City if we were going to die anyway? I decided not to dwell on those thoughts too much.

Just as Murucho said, we followed the rising and setting sun in order to keep our direction South. The only bad thing about following the sun; we couldn't travel at night. If we did, we ran the risk of losing our course of travel and getting lost till morning. Then, we would have to recover all the ground we lost, and Murucho didn't want that. But at the moment, we had plenty of sunlight to depend on, so there wasn't much reason to stop just yet.

The sand covered ground was starting to give way to gray ash. I smiled, happy that we were getting out of that agonizing desert. But we still had a ways to go before we were fully out of the sand-filled area. The only good thing to come from this transition in landscape, was the transition in temperature as well.

It had to be a good ten to twenty degrees cooler than back in the middle of the desert, and I knew it wasn't just because the sun was setting. Not even when night fell did the Earth cool down this quickly. Murucho made the point that we probably wouldn't go through the Snow Zone again due to where we were located.

In my opinion, that was a good thing. We didn't have to go through another unforgiving area, and Feliciana wouldn't have to deal with the experience of going back through her old homeland. The sun, finally gone from the sky, signaled our need to stop for the night.

None of us were worried about the Officials finding us. Maybe it was because of all the distance we traveled in one day. They should know better than to think that we out-walked the Officials. As most of us found out, they could pop up anywhere. Anytime.

But even I was feeling a sense of safety and security. Our expanded group huddled together in order to stay warm; although it wasn't as cold as it got back in the desert, it was still chilly. Too tired to find any materials, we went through the night without a fire, which was probably smart in case the Officials were near us.

It would mean one last thing to signal them with. I was leaning against Shun, who was already asleep. My arm brushed against his, and I felt a stinging sensation. When I looked down, I was able to see my red skin that had been burned by the sun.

I bit my lower lip, fretting the pain that would come when I started to recover from the sunburn. I wasn't the only one that was bright red. Almost everyone was, but I might have been burned worse due to my fair complexion. I ignored my burns, and looked up at the sky.

The moon was starting to reappear, and was at its halfway-full point once more. In another week or so, it would be completely full and filling the sky with its silvery light. Hopefully by then, we would be on the other side of the mountains and safe from all things that meant us harm.

I shut my eyes and let out a relaxed sigh. A place that was safe. It sounded so intoxicating when you thought about all that we had gone through. My mind still focusing on the unknown paradise that awaited us, I slipped into a dream that centered itself around it.

There was so much grass everywhere. And trees and bright flowers. Clouds floated by in the perfectly blue sky. Maybe this place wouldn't be exactly like this, but it was a dream, and I was going to enjoy it. I inhaled a big breath of the clean air; for once I didn't breathe in nothing but ash.

Birdsongs filled every inch of the place, adding more and more of a Eden-like feeling. I walked through the tall, unkempt grass, and ran my hand along the tops of the blades. "Alice." I looked forward to see who said my name, and my hand dropped by to my side. Standing in the sea of grass with me, was my grandfather.

Joy overcame me, but I didn't move. I only let my eyes fill with tears as memories of what happened to him returned to my mind. Memories that I had hoped to keep buried away in my mind. No longer did I allow this dream to be a reality. I forced myself to remember that it wasn't real.

That my grandfather was no longer with us. I shut my eyes tightly, shaking my head until I felt myself return to consciousness. I woke up, found myself leaning against Shun, and didn't want to go back to sleep from fear of having that dream again. But I did, and thankfully dreamt of something else.

Shun

Alice looked shaken up that morning, but whenever somebody asked if anything was wrong, she said she was fine. I didn't push any questions on her; thinking that she hadn't slept well like she had the other night. It was early dawn when we started moving again; Murucho didn't want to lose any daylight.

Before it was even noon, we were officially out of the desert, and one step closer to the our goal. It was a strange feeling, being near the end of this long and treacherous journey. How would things be when it was all over? Surely it would feel different than how things used to be.

People would have to adjust to a new place and change their old habits to become accustomed to the new surroundings we could encounter. As the sun passed its high noon mark, we were closing in the Lake Zone. I could help but let my mind wander about what it would look like now.

None of us saw what became of it after the Officials attacked. Even from afar, I could see that buildings and houses were gone, and swarms of buzzards flew overhead. I felt sick as I remembered all the people that stayed behind and were slain by the Officials' armies.

And thinking about scavenger birds eating them, didn't help my knotted up stomach either. Marquis and Val wanted to see their old home. None of us protested their choice. Alice, her friends, and I followed behind him. We were curious ourselves. This was our first stop.

This was where we first learned about our mission. This was our first paradise. It didn't look like anything that we remembered. Craters lined the ground, skeletal remains of charred buildings laid on the ground, and the lake was dried up; leaving dead fish, plants, and grounded boats behind.

This once thriving place, was now consumed by the Wastelands and had become a place of death and bad memories. I couldn't help but think that this was what the world looked like when the nuclear war ended; a dead and lifeless place.

Marquis sighed and said, "There's nothing else to see here. Let's keep on-" He stopped mid-sentence and stared out across the dried up lake. Val tilted his head to the sided and asked, "What are you looking at, Marquis?" Val blinked a couple of times as his eyes fell on whatever it was Marquis saw.

We were still looking for it, when I finally saw somebody sitting on the remains of the boat dock across the lake. Marquis took a step forward and shouted, "Brunswick!" The sitting person looked up at us, and Val and Marquis took off. For people that hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in days, they had found a sudden burst of energy that took them across the lake, and to their old friend.

We eventually caught up with the two of them. Sure enough, the man that was sitting on the boat dock was Brunswick. He looked the same other than being a little sunburned and dirty; that was how most of us looked at the moment. Val couldn't help by smile when he said, "What? How?"

Brunswick patted his friend's shoulder and said, "I wandered through the desert after we were all separated, and after a while, I came upon this old place again. I've been here ever since." Marquis smiled and said, "All we have left to do is get to those mountains, then we're home free. Now you can come with us."

Brunswick sat back down on the boat dock and stared out at the empty lake. "Maybe I'll catch up with you guys later. I'm going to stay here and remember what this place used to be." Marquis and Val began to protest their friend's choice. Brunswick only stared blankly in front of him.

"Let the man remember what his home used to be." We all turned to see Feliciana standing behind us. She didn't say anything else, and returned to the group of people that we left standing at the top of a hill. None of us added to Feliciana's comment, or tried to pull Brunswick along with us.

Instead, we walked up the hill and continued on our way. I was sure Brunswick would join us in the end, but spending some time reminiscing might do him some good for his soul. It would do him a lot better than seeing my old home would do for me.

The sun vanished from the sky, but not by it setting. Instead, it was blocked out by gray storm clouds. A light wind picked up as well. The City was now within our sights, and so was the finish line to our journey. Although, it would probably be another day's walk if the ran arrived today or tonight.

As the group started to walk towards the mountains, I stayed glued in my place and said, "Can we wait for a moment. I want to check something." Alice immediately knew what I was up to. She asked, "Shun, are you sure you want to?" I sighed, knowing that it wouldn't be easy for me to face my old demons, but I wanted to.

I nodded, letting her know I was sure about going through my old home. I took a deep breath and cautiously approached the location of where I grew up, being careful that nobody in the City saw me walking out there. There wasn't much to see.

The weak and poorly built houses were apparently no match for the wrath of the Officials because there was nothing left but a little bit of rubble. I couldn't even tell that people had once lived there. I had the bite back the threatening sob in the back of my throat.

I started to hear the sounds of the Outcasts as they were attacked by the Officials, and I wanted nothing more than to cover my ears. But Alice and the others were watching me from behind, I didn't want them thinking that I was going crazy. Unable to stand there any longer, I turned around and walked back towards the others.

Alice walked up to me and asked softly, "You okay?" I nodded, not really to let her know I was alright, but more for my own need. She didn't seem to believe me cause she asked, "You sure?"

I told her, "Yes, I'm sure. Now let's get out of here before the Officials spot us." She still didn't believe me; I didn't even believe myself. But she didn't press the subject any further, and we kept on our path just as the rain started to fall.

sorry for not uploading yesterday. i took the english state test and was so tired of english and words and stories, that i didnt want to have anything to do with them. but i'm over my shellshock now. so, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~