Exploration: The search

Chapter 2 - Mina

The silence surrounded her as she followed the Ancient trail. The air was thick and oppressive. The humidity rose from the ditches on either side of her, followed by midges and buzzing mosquitoes. The breeze that accompanied the setting sun pushed the buzzing insects away and shifted the remaining leaves on the trees.

As the light faded, she headed away from the trail, and deeper into the trees. With the leaves blocking out the remaining light, it was difficult to see where she was going. Thankfully, she knew the hidden trail by heart.

The trees started spreading apart, and in the middle of the space left was an Ancient's building. A tree was growing from inside the structure, the long branches covering the spots where the roofing material had disappeared with time. The front of the domicile was faced with brick, the glass in the windows mostly intact. The metal shutters were hanging by one or two nails, scraping against the brick every time the wind blew. The door was closed against the elements, but she never used the door overlooking the meadow. As she crept along the edge of the forest, she watched for any signs of light or occupancy.

After watching for her usual twenty minutes, she could tell her retreat was still undiscovered. Letting herself into the side door, she paused, slowly letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, and surveyed the premises.

There was a depression in the floor, surrounded by smooth river rocks, emitting a soft red glow. She hurried to the fireplace and stirred the embers to flame. As the fire grew in heat and light, she was able to see more of her surroundings. There were metal cans glinting in the reflected fire light, some with remnants of faded paper labels still glued on, stacked along one wall. Pipes and tubes jutted out of most of the walls. Along another wall was a rack with legs which held pots and pans. The sole window in the room was covered with a thick cloth held in place with wooden boards, so no light could escape. On the wall across from the window was a dark archway leading to the rest of the building.

As she prepared her meal, she thought about how she ended up in this lonely, deserted place. She grew up in a loving home, safe and high in the trees, part of a village where her family was able to trade for necessities, and she went to school, where she learned about the Ancients, and their buildings. At least until the day her life changed.

Her mother had sent her up the tree, as high as she could go, to harvest tree nuts for dinner. She had harvested what they needed and was heading back home when she noticed a disturbance below her. Leaves were rustling, branches breaking, and belongings were being flung through the air. Immediately she knew this was a raid. She backed up slightly into the tree and held a branch between herself and the Raiders. She wasn't exactly sure what they were after, but at the age of 15 summers, she knew she didn't want to get caught. So, she held still, watching as the Raiders threw things out of the houses. She almost gasped as she saw her mother and father covered in blood, backed against the railing around their house. Two Raiders working together rushed at her parents and tossed them over the side. At this point she closed her eyes as tears overcame her, but she would never forget the sound of their bodies hitting the forest floor.

Time was suspended with her eyes closed. It felt the raid went on for days, but in all actuality, it lasted only a few hours. By the time the Raiders left, her body was so cramped from not moving, that she fell, and slipped from the branch she had hidden on, landing hard on the roof of her house. Her breath left her body in a rush from the impact, and she needed a few minutes to make her body move and function normally again. As she regained her feet, she stared open mouthed at the destruction surrounding her. She couldn't imagine where all the damage came from until she entered her house. It was empty, devoid of belongings, food, furniture, clothes. Everything was gone, like no one had ever lived there. Going back out to the railing, she looked over the edge, terrified that she would see her mother and father staring up at her with dead eyes. She had to close her eyes for a moment before she could bring herself to see what lay on the forest floor. Even then she had to blink a few times before she could see clearly. There was food and belongings scattered everywhere below her, but no people. She let out a breath she couldn't remember holding and looked closer. The Raiders must have only been out for people.