The Ruins Of Us

The Beginning Of The End

I often wondered how different my life would've been if we ignored that solitary poster.

But as Jake always said: "it's better to be safe than sorry".

Looking back, I chuckle at the irony.

I noticed Dad looking at Mum blankly. He wore a conflicted expression, twisting his features before his eyes dropped to Tilly strapped on Mum's back. She was but three years old and couldn't handle the amount of walking or the distance we were aiming to cover. Dad thought if we made it to Uncle Arnie's we would be safer in numbers, he knew he and his brother had a plan for something like this- as ludicrous as it seemed in the past.

"Look, we don't even know who posted these fliers, we would be making a total detour" He argued, pointing more aggressively to the ominous yellow and red poster stapled to the wooden pole.

"Who in their right mind would do this just to have maybe hundreds of people show up desperate for help?" Mum argued.

"Maybe some psychos, we don't know Kate! That's the point, we have a plan, you know we always have"

"And what if that plan backfires, huh? What if they've moved on or gone there themselves? If he's desperate he won't be waiting for us on the other side, you protect your own"

"And what do you think I'm doing? It's my job to protect us!-"

"Well this is my family as well and I have a say!-

"Can you please just stop!" Jake interrupted, his body coming between both of our parents as Tilly began to whimper. "We're in more danger if we sit here screaming at each other, we need to be quick and make up our minds, this isn't helping anybody"

We all stood in deafening silence for a moment before the echoes of nature amplified around us.

"Jake has a point" Dad finally exasperated "I just... I just don't think we should be so trusting, we can work from Arnie's house, he would've left a note at least"

"But if he has, we can't risk putting our lives on the line back-peddling. If he has, he's doing what we should be now... putting family first" Mum stepped closer and rested a comforting hand against Dad's shoulder, her face pulled into a look of anxiety and fearful anticipation for what he has to say. I was looking between them both, my eyes flicking from one parent to the other as my hands became more clammy and the heftiness of my backpack grew.

"He is my family Kate" he murmured almost too low for me to hear. Then finally, after sighing deeply and nodding with a hesitant movement (as if his thoughts were still computing the decision) his head motioned in agreement. And it was with the tearing of the poster from the telephone poll, Dad signalled our redirection North.

To our destination we rotated Tilly between us, our backs aching all the more as we continued onwards into the unknown. Anxiety and fear were constant companions of mine. In moments like that, I would find myself listening to my Walkman or telling a story to Tilly to take the edge off, killing the time and terror-orientated rumination.

"Are you good taking her for a little while?" Jake asked, tapping me on the shoulder to pull me out of the clouds. Sometimes I forgot where we were but he was always quick to remind me, much like Dad.

"You haven't even finished your time" I pointed out with a raised eyebrow, typical of him to pass off his duties to me.

"I know, but if you do I'll give you my square of chocolate after dinner" Jake then negotiated, his brown eyes wide and hopeful as they looked down on me.

"Anything else?" I tried to pull from his desperation but with a deadpanned face meeting my reply, I simply gestured for him to stop. "How nice of you to torture your younger sister in such a way, during the apocalypse no less"