WayFinder (The Fool's Journey)

Chapter 5: New Arrivals

"Hello! Hello!! Please help, we need help!" a woman's voice yelled from outside. 

Everyone in the shed sat up, but Daniel put a staying hand on Taylor’s shoulder. Silently letting her know that he would go see what was happening while she stayed with the now worried girls. She nodded in agreement and pulled them further into the depths of the warehouse.

I was closer to the entrance, and was able to quickly slide back the door to find a young woman with pink hair completely drenched and shivering a few feet from the shed. Her arms were tightly wrapped around her middle to hold in what little warmth remained inside her skin. Behind her, four others were emerging from a black camry. Two of them were carrying what looked to be a teenage boy. I glanced behind me to see Daniel watching from just inside the entrance. Torn between helping and staying close to his family.

"Please, help! He went to the water trying to save his brother..we..we can't-I," the young woman looked as if she truly had nothing left to offer on the boy's condition.

I stepped forward in an effort to placate her, "It's okay. Head inside, there's a fire and Daniel's family is already there,” I gestured behind me, “I'll take a look at him."

My words had the desired effect as her whole aura calmed.

Thank goodness.

The pink-haired woman shot a glance at the others in her group and seemed to decide within herself. 

“Thank you,” she muttered, before practically running inside the warehouse. 

Daniel followed close behind her. I audibly sighed in relief at her hasty exit. It had been a long time since I had spoken to this many people using so many words, and all in one day no less. I had already begun to feel my energy levels diminishing after the emotional moment with Daniel’s family, but now whatever was taking place was making it harder for me to stay upright. But I also couldn’t ignore the fact that I felt a burning desire to continue helping. So I waited by the entrance and assessed the rest of the situation. On the gravel path that the car still sat parked on, were two men and another young woman. The men looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties. 

I watched as the men gently moved the teenager towards the crumbling warehouse together. Each of them was holding an arm and a leg as the boy seemed unconscious. The young woman with green streaks in her platinum hair and brown eyes, possibly mid-twenties, quickly grabbed two dripping wet bags from the trunk and closed the remaining doors.

The car had definitely seen better days. The windshield was smashed near the passenger side and the paint had been scraped away on both side doors. It looked as if it had collided with something. But seeing as how the way that I came from town was now submerged, they must have come from one of the other two roads. I would ask about that later since the green-haired young woman was now approaching me in much the same manner as the first. Wearing what looked to be a running outfit; she was also soaking wet and shivering. 

"Hi, I'm Rachel. That's Jace and DeAndre," the young woman pointed to the two men carrying the teenage boy. They were just a few steps behind her.

Jace appeared to be the youngest of the two adult men and stood to the left. He had messy blonde hair pulled into a bun, bright blue eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard. He nodded in response to Rachel’s introduction. DeAndre, on the right, was dark skinned with shoulder length brown locs and sad dark brown eyes. He kept his head down and said nothing in response. Both men looked to be about six feet tall, if not more, making it an easy job to carry the teenage boy. Who from this point looked similar to DeAndre, but younger, and with blonde tips to his ear length locs. 

I thought back to what the pink haired woman said earlier. Something about the young boy attempting to save his brother. Was DeAndre the one he was trying to save? How did he end up unconscious? My mind worked its way through scenarios, but for now the questions would have to wait. The boy obviously needed some sort of medical attention.