Chapter 6
Another day passed, and we had run out of food and were nearly out of water since we hadn't brought much with us.
The sound of a car engine filled us with hope. As we looked back, we saw a very long van. I was puzzled, trying to recall the name, remembering that we had learned about old cars before the war.
"Hey!" I yelled, hoping they would take us in; they stopped, and I smiled, relieved that I didn't have to walk any further.
"Where are you headed?" I asked as he rolled down his window.
"The refugee camp, the one mentioned on the radio," the man replied with a thick accent. He didn't sound like he was from the city.
"Radio?" I asked, puzzled, and he gave me a look before Tommy spoke up.
"Is that where mommy is?" Tommy inquired, prompting me to nod. I hoped she was there.
"Where are y'all headed?" he asked.
"The same place," I responded, stretching the truth a bit, but if my mother and Rachel had made it out of the city, they must have gone there.
"Great, I'm heading there hoping to find some medical supplies, but I've got a farm not too far from here," he said. A farm? I had never seen one in real life, only in history books before the war.
"Will you be able to take us?" I asked, and he sized us up before replying, "For the camp, I mean."
"Haven't you ever heard of 'don't talk to strangers', missy?" he said, prompting me to swallow hard, my mouth dry and speech difficult.
"I'm just messing with y'all, get in... damn, the more the merrier," he laughed, puffing on his cigar.
We climbed in and settled onto the comfortable couch seat.
"Could you please not smoke? My brother has asthma," I requested politely, hastily adding "please," realizing I had forgotten my manners.
"What the hell is that?" he asked, giving me a puzzled look.
"Asthma... it's a lung condition," I attempted to explain, but his expression showed he didn't understand.
"Never mind," I said, resigning.
"Hm," he hummed, tossing his cigarette out the window.
"So, do y'all know what's happening?" he inquired.
"No, not really, this is all so overwhelming... I can't believe all this has happened in just a few days," I said, still in shock as I recounted it.
"People have been saying that other cities were hit first by some outbreak they tried to keep us away from, but clearly, it didn't work... the first city was affected a few weeks ago," the old man said, causing me to look at him in shock. "All the other cities can't be gone too. They've told us our whole lives that the wall kept us safe, yet here we are."
"You all are welcome to stay with my wife and me on our farm," he offered, making me smile.
"Thank you," I replied.
"The name's Toby, by the way," he said with a soft smile.
"I'm Ellie," I responded. "This is my little brother, Tommy.. and my dad..." I looked up at my dad.
"Jason," my dad interjected.
A long silence filled the air before I spoke softly.
"What kind of car is this?" I asked, prompting a laugh from him.
YOU ARE READING
Hope wasn't made for us
Kinh dịA war took place 100 years before, making the population limited, people in charge chose to make cities with walls enclosing then from the outside world. To keep them safe. This story follows a young girl named Eveyln, she is becoming a nurse and fi...
