Thirty-Nine
The Cat Came BackWelcome to Kearney - Population 953 1. The blue and white sign greeted us in the late afternoon after nearly an eight-hour walk. A bold, black mark crossed out the population number and someone used the same coloured ink to write the single digit. The sign was an eerie reminder of the ghost town it announced.
“Did you do that?” I said to Noah. Kearney was his hometown. When our parents and others fled the compound the night of the fire, they came to the small community and found him. He was the only survivor.
Noah stepped toward the sign, reached up, and traced his finger across the number one. He shook his head. “No, that's new.”
“What is?” Marcus said, towing Beth alongside him and joining us. A few seconds later, the rest of our group came to a halt.
“
