Eve of Tomorrow

Chapter 9

Dawn

The outer parts of the forested Wastelands don"t look as if they"d been destroyed by the storms or natural causes as I was led to believe. They"re scorched and twisted, but there are still spots where the greenery is trying to push through. I hadn"t expected that. It"s supposed to be a wasteland.

Everything is silent, save the sound of our footsteps moving forward. We"ve seen very few animals. We shot a couple birds a few days ago, but that"s it. I"ve lost track of the days. I don"t know when we last ate or when we last had more than a couple hours" rest. Our bodies and minds are weary. I worry that any attack would be the end of us because we"re in no fighting state. My feet drag rather than step along the ground and my arms hang at my sides as if they are dead weight that I"m carrying.

We don"t know how much longer we have to wander before we find where Emily is being kept. By the time we reach her, we may not be any good to her.

Corey and Ryan have spent their entire lives in the colonies and don"t know any more about this place than I do. They say people just don"t talk about it. They"ve both known people that have left their homes to explore the area. None of them ever returned. I"m not surprised. It"s easy to get lost.

As we get deeper into the woods, we find that the trees are no longer burned, but stand tall and healthy around us. The ground is soft underneath our feet, probably because of the rains we"ve heard about.

I spot a group of deer up ahead and a thrill of excitement rushes through me. They"re the first large animals we"ve seen in a while. More birds start to appear in the tree canopy overhead and we"re running low on supplies so Corey decides it"s a good time to hunt. He seems to have more energy and strength than Ryan and I at the moment, so we keep moving, knowing he"ll catch up eventually.

“None of this is supposed to be possible,” Ryan mutters.

“So much for a wasteland,” I respond. Some of the birds move lower for cover and squawk as if warning us that the rain is coming. It comes out of nowhere and I"m soaked within seconds. I stop and strain to lift my eyes to look at the sky. The sun is still out and the blue is as brilliant as ever. How can it rain when the sky looks like that?

Ryan turns back towards me with a grin plastered across his face. It"s good to see him smile.

“Let"s keep moving,” I say. The rain doesn"t let up and the ground beneath our feet turns to mud. I"m trying to pull my foot free when I"m grabbed from behind. I yell for Ryan, but my voice lacks the strength to reach him through the pounding rain. I struggle against my captor, but it"s no use. He pulls me behind a tree and waits as Ryan gets farther and farther away. I scream, but my voice is lost in the howling wind. There"s a sharp pain on the back of my head and then nothing, nothing at all.