Love Among The Ruins-Chapter 87

CAINE’S P.O.V

I’d expected it to feel different.

It wasn’t the same train tracks that we’d been on with Jennifer and Dan. We weren’t doing the same thing or going to the same place but it didn’t make much of a difference. There were four of us now and there were four of us then.

Three of us got out live then and we’d ended up as two. I hoped that it wasn’t the same case here. I didn’t have particular attachments to either of them, I’d learned my lessons after Dan died, but it still wouldn’t be easy to lose someone.

We made sure we were stocked up on supplies before heading down the tracks and we took another map for good measure.

"I really wish we could just take a car," Amy mumbled after we headed for the tracks. "It’ll be so much easier."

"Where do you suggest we find one?" Nadine asked and Amy shrugged in response.

"The General had cars on standby at the bunker. How do you think they got everyone out before? They piled us into cars."

"Didn’t the monsters attack?"

Amy nodded. "A few people were lost but most of us managed to get away. I know a car will be impractical, it was just wishful thinking."

She didn’t speak much after that, we just continued on our journey in silence.

We walked for most of the day, stopping only to drink water and have some snacks before continuing all over again. We made sure to watch in pairs: Nadine and I then Amy and Joshua. I didn’t trust Joshua as far as I could throw him, but I trusted Amy. I’d patrolled with her, and I knew there was no chance in hell that she’d fall asleep on the job.

The first few nights were relatively easy. We all knew what we had to do and we did it. The real issue came after the first week. We’d been walking with no sign of land. I’d seen a few signboards on our way but all they did was let us know that we still had a lot of journey to cover.

Days had started to bleed into one and our supplies were half gone. We’d only packed enough for two weeks because that’s what I estimated that the journey would take. I was starting to wonder if maybe I’d been too generous with that number.

Joshua hadn’t said anything out rightly, but I’d heard him mumbling a few times. Nadine had voiced her own concerns at night while we kept watch. She wouldn’t say it out loud in front of everyone, but she was also worried of dying out here because at the moment, it seemed more likely that we’d die from lack than from the monsters.

"I see something!" someone yelled out.

I followed the sound and found Joshua running forward. I was about to ask a question when Amy cursed.

"Fuck." She stopped in her tracks, turning her back on whatever Joshua had seen. "You don’t want to see that."

I brushed past her, pulling Nadine behind me as I finally took in the scene. There were two people lying in the open dirt, their torsos ripped clean open. Flies gathered around their bodies and the smell of rotting flesh filled the air. I tried to avoid looking at their faces but it was impossible.

There was a blood trail leading over to a bush. If I had to guess, I’d say they were hiding behind the bushes when the monsters attacked.

They were young, probably around mine and Nadine’s ages. They weren’t soldiers. They were in ill-fitting clothes and their faces were frozen in fear.

"Oh no," Nadine mumbled as she managed to peer over my shoulder. "How long do you think they’ve been out here?"

"It’s hard to determine. I’d say a few days at most. The monsters might still be nearby. We have to keep moving." I turned to Joshua who was hunched the bushes. "Come on, we have to go."

"They had supplies."

He pulled out two large bags and began rummaging through them. "They had water and food. We can use them."

Amy frowned. "It doesn’t seem right."

"They’re dead," he deadpanned. "They aren’t going to use it. We may as well keep it and get moving or we’ll end up like them."

Amy turned to me, almost as if she was hoping that I’d back her up, but unfortunately, I had to agree with Joshua. The dead had no use for food. If we didn’t take it now, chances were that someone else would or a wild animal would get to it.

"Just take what you need and leave the rest," I said finally. "And be quick about it. We need to keep moving."

Amy mumbled a small curse, deliberately refusing to take anything from the bag as she kept moving. Joshua slung one over his shoulder and I grabbed the other before heading forward, trying to keep the image of the dead people out of my mind.

I saw Nadine trying to turn back and tugged on her arm. "Don’t."

"We just leave them alone like that?" she asked. "Amy is right, it doesn’t seem fair."

"it isn’t, but life isn’t fair right now, Nadine. We have to work on getting out of here. We don’t want to be stuck on the tracks for longer than we need to be. Unlike the last time, it’s not raining. We have to worry about dehydration and-"

"I know," she cut me off with a sigh. "I just thought it would be easier seeing as we’ve done this before. It isn’t. What if we’ve wasted our time? What if going all this way yields nothing? What do we do then?"

"We do what we’ve always done, we survive."

"The monsters will always be there."

I shrugged. "We could always do what Jennifer said and try to kill them."

The corner of her lips tugged up into a smile. "I wish I knew where she was. I never thought I’d say this, but I miss her."

I knew what she meant. Moving with new people wasn’t easy, we had to learn to co-exist, learn each other’s behaviors and patterns. We had to be watchful around them, and it was difficult to put your guard down.

"We’ll get out of here soon," I said finally, "We’ll take things one at a time."

She nodded, her hands crossed over her chest before dropping her voice. "Do you think Joshua resents us?"

"Why would you ask that?"

She shrugged. "It’s just the way he’s been very dismissive and cold. He wasn’t always like this."

"Being stuck out here can bring out the worst in people."

She shook her head. "It’s more than that. Sometimes I wonder if he blames us for him being out here. If he didn’t try to help you find me then he’d be safe in the bunker."

I’d never actually thought about it that way, but now, staring at the back of his head, I could see it. It would explain why he’d been against me so much.

"I don’t know, princess," I said after a moment of silence. "The only thing you can do is ask him."

"Now?"

"Not now, give him time. If he is resentful, it’s not a conversation you want to have out here where there’s nowhere to run if it gets heated. When we get out, you can ask."