Too much carnage, way too much destruction. I shook my head, taking it all in and yet not quite comprehending what I saw. Was it really only three days ago that my world was perfect? It felt like a lifetime ago. Absently, I rubbed the deep purple bruise on my cheek; just one of many blemishes I had acquired on my pale freckled skin.
“You okay?” Sarah asked, gently rubbing my shoulder.
With a humorless laugh I replied, “I’m better than you sunshine.” Even with her arm in a sling and a wrap around her twisted ankle she was concerned about my well-being. Sarah, the only bright spot in this dismal desert. “How are you?” I asked leaning down to place a tender kiss on her scratched brow.
“I’ll live.” She said, a tear sneaking down her cheek. Angrily, she wiped at it, as if it were a pesky fly.
We both stared over the horizon at the mounds of twisted metal and fire pits. A week ago life was normal. We were blissfully happy. In three short days we had been forced to become warriors. A band of rag tag fighters. News reports spoke of even worse devastation in Israel, Egypt, Africa. I had a hard time picturing anything worse than what I’d seen here in the States.
Voices of our fellow ‘soldiers’ refocused our attention. “We better head out, it’s getting late.” Sarah took my hand with her good one and gently pulled me back down the hill.
For some reason, I had been elected as the troop leader. Maybe it was just dumb luck or my loud booming voice that demanded people listen when I spoke. It sure as hell wasn’t because of any military background. I hadn’t even made it to Eagle Scout as a kid. Whatever the reason, I looked down at the caravan of beat up, hastily modified rigs, about a hundred broken souls hovering around the last embers of the campfires, and knew I couldn’t let them down.
Throughout the world, citizens were thrown into positions they hadn’t asked for- without question every Country’s armed forces had been obliterated. Sure, there were a handful of trained personnel, but mostly, our ‘units’ consisted of people like myself, like Sarah.
Expectant eyes turned towards us as we made our way to the camp. A hush fell over the crowd.
I cleared my throat and did my best to hide the fear I felt inside.
“I wish I had better news.” I surveyed those in front of me, weighing my words before I continued. “Everything beyond these hills, as far as the eye can see is gone. There is no life that I could tell. Any vehicles we might have used has been decimated.” I hesitated, digging deep for some type of encouraging word. Sarah squeezed my hand. “The upside is they’re likely done here. Moved on. We’ll keep on course, there will be another small town in about twenty miles. We can pray that the Others have bypassed it.” I force optimism in my voice. We had come across as many destroyed towns as not. There was maybe a fifty-fifty chance.
“You okay?” Sarah asked, gently rubbing my shoulder.
With a humorless laugh I replied, “I’m better than you sunshine.” Even with her arm in a sling and a wrap around her twisted ankle she was concerned about my well-being. Sarah, the only bright spot in this dismal desert. “How are you?” I asked leaning down to place a tender kiss on her scratched brow.
“I’ll live.” She said, a tear sneaking down her cheek. Angrily, she wiped at it, as if it were a pesky fly.
We both stared over the horizon at the mounds of twisted metal and fire pits. A week ago life was normal. We were blissfully happy. In three short days we had been forced to become warriors. A band of rag tag fighters. News reports spoke of even worse devastation in Israel, Egypt, Africa. I had a hard time picturing anything worse than what I’d seen here in the States.
Voices of our fellow ‘soldiers’ refocused our attention. “We better head out, it’s getting late.” Sarah took my hand with her good one and gently pulled me back down the hill.
For some reason, I had been elected as the troop leader. Maybe it was just dumb luck or my loud booming voice that demanded people listen when I spoke. It sure as hell wasn’t because of any military background. I hadn’t even made it to Eagle Scout as a kid. Whatever the reason, I looked down at the caravan of beat up, hastily modified rigs, about a hundred broken souls hovering around the last embers of the campfires, and knew I couldn’t let them down.
Throughout the world, citizens were thrown into positions they hadn’t asked for- without question every Country’s armed forces had been obliterated. Sure, there were a handful of trained personnel, but mostly, our ‘units’ consisted of people like myself, like Sarah.
Expectant eyes turned towards us as we made our way to the camp. A hush fell over the crowd.
I cleared my throat and did my best to hide the fear I felt inside.
“I wish I had better news.” I surveyed those in front of me, weighing my words before I continued. “Everything beyond these hills, as far as the eye can see is gone. There is no life that I could tell. Any vehicles we might have used has been decimated.” I hesitated, digging deep for some type of encouraging word. Sarah squeezed my hand. “The upside is they’re likely done here. Moved on. We’ll keep on course, there will be another small town in about twenty miles. We can pray that the Others have bypassed it.” I force optimism in my voice. We had come across as many destroyed towns as not. There was maybe a fifty-fifty chance.
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