The Ascent

Chapter 32

As Jasmine followed Isaac, she did her best to ignore the aching pain burning through her muscles. It felt like she had grown new muscles just so that they could cause her pain. Yet, Jasmine knew enduring was necessary, that finishing their mission would buy them more days to rest. However, she also knew there was a chance that they were not coming back.

Interestingly, even though Isaac had walked as much as she did and was facing the same danger, in contrast to Jasmine, he seemed more upbeat and energetic. It was hard to tell if that was because children generally had more energy or because it was about Isaac, who often seemed more adult than the adults around him. He didn't appear to worry about anything, and Jasmine wasn't sure if she should envy that.

Worrying about herself was slowly taking second place as she tried to think of the best way to protect Isaac. After all, she had lived for quite a few years, and Isaac deserved the same chance even if the world wasn't what it used to be.

"What are you thinking about so hard that you don't even see the stones that are trying to trip you up," Isaac suddenly asked after she had stumbled for the third time in the mere twenty minutes they were traveling.

"I am just impressed that you don't seem to be tired in the least," Jasmine said, saying the first lie that came to mind, which wasn't a complete lie at that. "I can barely keep myself going, and every step I take is more painful than the previous one. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope that we will find some weapons, so we can rest properly for about a month or so."

Isaac barely laughed at her lame joke as he continued to tread the forest floor, careful of all the little branches and rocks that could trip him up. He was a little boy on a mission, and his determination impressed Jasmine.

"I guess I was just always very active, so this isn't too much for me," Isaac said without slowing down. "My parents used to say I couldn't sit still even for a second. They were wrong about that. I spent hours unmoving, hiding in my closet after I realized they mysteriously disappeared."

His voice barely shook, but Jasmine could see that no matter how strong he seemed to be on the outside, on the inside, he was still a little boy who had just lost his parents, whose life had been uprooted, and who was struggling to adjust.

"I am sorry," Jasmine said, speeding up to put her hand on his shoulder. "I am sure..."

"No, please don't say that you're sure they are okay," Isaac said, cutting her off immediately. "You are the only adult who has never lied to me. Don't start lying to me now."

Jasmine just nodded quickly, unsure of what to say.

Isaac continued walking much faster than before, making it almost impossible for her to catch up to his pace. Her muscles were screaming at her to stop and rest. Still, she continued following the little boy to the one place that might help them be slightly better prepared for whatever was going on.

The rest of the trip was silent as both wrestled with dark feelings. Jasmine knew that the negative thoughts shouldn't be allowed to roam freely for too long, so she soon put up a mental wall in her head, a useful skill she had developed over the years, blocking out all of her thoughts.

"Isaac, when we are close to the base, please let me know because we'll have to use stealth and the binoculars," Jasmine said conspiratorially, like a secret agent ready to embark on a mission.

"Roger that," Isaac said, quickly snapping into his secret agent mode with a big smile.

Although he wasn't like the other children, Jasmine was glad that turning things into a game still worked for him. If he could, even for a moment, forget the harsh reality of life, that was good enough for her. And the fact that her words helped him smile after the dark cloud had rolled over his head made Jasmine feel great, like she had accomplished some amazing achievement.

Maybe it had something to do with her wanting to make people happy but never being able to do so in the world before the apocalypse. It always filled her heart with joy to do so, but having been surrounded by mostly negative people, it was a rare feeling. She only felt it when she worked with children. When she helped them see the joy in the world.

"We are almost there," Isaac said a while later, pulling Jasmine back to the here and now, her mental block no longer working as well as in the past. "Just around that bend, we'll come across a clearing. It's what they call the back hills of the base. So, from that hill, we should have a clear view, but if we want to avoid being seen, we'll have to take a look from the nearest tree and not even reach the clearing."

"Alright, then, let's climb that tree and use the binoculars to check out the situation," Jasmine asked, pointing at the sturdiest-looking tree and the one closest to what Isaac described as a clearing.

It was odd to her that Isaac was more or less the expedition leader. However, she also considered it an advantage as children had a greater imagination. Besides, Isaac was able to think on his feet. Whether that was the trait all children shared, Jasmine wasn't sure. Probably because she had never faced any extreme situations with the other children.

"That should be fine," Isaac said eagerly.

Moments later, he was halfway up the tree while Jasmine still shuffled slowly to even reach it. Her still-sensitive ankle was painful, and her muscles were beyond sore; she lacked a word to describe how they felt. Still, she slowly followed Isaac up the tree, ready for their mission to bear fruit.

"It's over there," Isaac said, pointing to the south where Jasmine could see a small clearing underneath which lay the base.

She remembered hearing they dug up the earth to make it more underground and better protected. Too bad they didn't consider it would mean nothing if advanced aliens attacked. Then again, not many people did consider that scenario.

Jasmine raised the binoculars to her eyes and took a look. Then she lowered them, wiped the lenses with her shirt, and tried again. The result was the same to her utter shock.

"Isaac, tell me if you see what I see," Jasmine said, offering him the binoculars.

"Yep, a lot of soldiers running around like crazy, no organization whatsoever," Isaac said after carefully monitoring the situation for a few minutes. "I mean, they have all the right uniforms but they don't act like soldiers. Do you think they might be imposters? Alien spies?"

The excitement with which he suggested those theories made it clear that no matter how mature Isaac could be, there was no denying he was still a kid. He still couldn't process that they were not in a fun game that would end with a happily ever after but in a real-life danger that rarely had happy endings.

"I don't think so. They look too scared to be anything but human," Jasmine said, taking back the binoculars. "Maybe they are new?"

"Why would they need newbies helping them in such a big crisis?" Isaac asked doubtfully.

Jasmine wasn't sure what to think of the situation either, as different scenarios ran through her head, each one feeling quite impossible.

"I got it!" Isaac suddenly said, in a quiet shout of joy. "The A team must be unavailable, kicking some alien butt, and they had to call in the B team to deal with the things at the base, secure the weapons or whatnot."

As Jasmine watched them clumsily run around in what seemed to be a preparation to leave the base behind, she was inclined to agree with Isaac's assessment, only she thought the 'A team' was probably dead and that this was all that remained of any organized military defense system. Either way, they could have some vital information to share with them, maybe even some weaponry.

"Isaac, stay here and look out for me. If you notice anything strange, run, you hear me?" Jasmine said as she started scrambling down the tree, forgetting all about the plan they made as worry for Isaac overran all her logical thinking. "I'll go check what those soldiers know about what's happening."

"You know that's not what a lookout does..." Jasmine heard Isaac's words trail behind her failing to catch all he said.

Still, she trusted him to do as he was told while she went to face a bunch of scared men and hope not to get shot.

Maybe it was her lucky day.