Salvation 2035

Chapter 51- Gone

『Abel』

     We just finished dropping off the car at the location Elpis specified. It's close to noontime now, so it's getting a little warm outside. At least it will be somewhat pleasant for our long walk. We're in a small town, but it's mostly deserted. Are they all staying inside because they were frightened by the broadcast? I guess that could be an explanation, but it also just could be because this place really doesn't have anything going for it. There's only a gas station, a small strip mall with a few offices attached to it, and a few restaurants. I can't imagine anyone jumping at the opportunity to live here.

     Strangely, neither Tsuki nor Keisha have asked me how I know we're going the right way. Tsuki blindly follows me on most things, but I expected Keisha to be a bit more skeptical. I guess they just trust me that much... I sure hope Elpis is right about this. Somedays I wonder if she's a government plant whose job is to lure eager traitors, but I can never think of enough evidence to support that claim. I'll just keep hoping for the best.

     Before us is a forest filled with scraggly trees and bushes. Even though it isn't anytime near winter, they already look dead. The sun shoots itself through the mess of branches and sparse leaves, which barely shields us from its rays. The forest floor is firm and dry, indicating that it hasn't rained in quite a while. I guess that would explain how dead this place looks. There are no sounds of birds, squirrels, or any other creatures that would normally live in a place like this. There are a few bugs here and there, but it's nothing too extreme. As we move further in, the silence seems to absorb us more. None of us have tried to strike up a conversation, given that we don't want to possibly alert anyone of our presence.

     After what seems like hours, we reach the edge of the forest. Before us is an open plain with a few raggedy bushes and trees here and there. At this point, we're all getting quite tired, and take a quick break to drink some water. I desperately want to sit down, but I know that once I do, I won't want to get up again. We can't afford to slack off now. I take a moment to survey our surroundings. Looking to my left, there seems to be a building of some sort about half a mile away. An American flag waves in the wind from it, indicating that it must be some sort of border patrol facility.

     "Let's get moving," I instruct, "there might be cameras on that building over there."

     We resume trudging forward across the dry landscape. In the distance is another wall of trees, but they at least look like they have some life in them. Unfortunately, Elpis didn't mention how long it would take for us to cross the border, so I have no reference as to how close we are to being safe.

     The sun is perched high, beaming down from the cloudless sky. It's not often we get cloudless days, but given how summer's on its way, it's a little uncomfortable. My only thought is to go forward. Nothing else matters but going forward. A little bit of shade would be nice.

     "They've seen us," Tsuki points to the building.

     Keisha and I stop to look around. A group of people seem to be boarding a truck. They begin to drive in our general direction.

     "What do we do?" I question, desperately looking around for a hiding place, but there's hardly anything suitable.

     "Run!" Keisha grabs us both by the wrists and drags us in the direction of the forest. I'm almost certain that we won't be able to outrun a truck, but at least we have a head start.

     The sound of the motor draws closer and closer, as my legs grow weaker. I swing my head back to see it getting closer and closer. It took us what felt like an hour to walk to where we were, and it made the same distance in a matter of minutes. We all continue to run at full speed, despite knowing that it's all futile.