Broken World

39. A New Hope

"I killed that guy; are you mad at me?" Ivan asked in a low voice.

"Mason? He had that coming. You had no choice, someone had to die there. You did what you have to," I replied.

He gave a smile. "If I'm not wrong, this is the first time we are out at night."

"This place looks so scary. Be attentive of the ghouls around."

"Ah, Erik, I guess you know the way back," he let out, looking confused.

"To be honest... I don't."

We walked around aimlessly, trying to figure out where the hell we were, but everything looked the same. We kept on walking, walking and walking.

"I can't walk anymore, let's sit under that tree," he suggested, pointing at a huge tree which was fallen.

As we comfortably sat under it, I saw someone at a distance walking up to us.

"Ghost?" Ivan guessed.

"More like a ghoul."

"Ghouls don't walk like that."

"And you can't see ghosts."

"Which means it's a human." It was Jane.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I figured out you guys would be lost, so I came to get you," she replied. "Let's stay here for the night. The way back is filled with ghouls, by morning the road should be clear."

I and Ivan sat side by side while Jane sat on the other side facing us.

"How's everyone back at the hostel?" Ivan asked.

"Fortunately, everyone made it. The thugs are no more, we are safe... at least for now."

"This is so depressing," Ivan let out in a low voice.

"What is depressing?" I asked.

"How did the world end up like this? We had strong military forces, warplanes, ships, and all that stuff, but still, everyone turned into monsters... leaving the few to witness the disaster."

"The past can't be changed. It is something we have to live with for the rest of our lives," Jane said in a low voice. "Who thought we would have to kill fellow humans or monsters? I mean, what are monsters in the first place? We don't know anything about them... apart from the fact that they feed on humans."

"Thinking about all that stuff is gonna mess your mind, why don't you both get some sleep? I will keep watch," I suggested.

***

Early the next morning, we made our way back. Kevin and Amy were sitting on the walls anxiously waiting for us. Both of them came running the moment they saw us.

"You guys made it!" Kevin said with excitement.

"Huh? Is that something to doubt about?" Ivan replied.

We entered inside; Finn was busy cooking while Ty helped him. After lunch, we gathered in the office, and we just sat around silently, without any clue about what to do next.

"What's wrong with this serious atmosphere? We made it back alive, isn't it something to be happy about?" Ty said, breaking the silence.

"It's only a brief amount of time before we face our next obstacle," Jane replied.

"Since, when you started being so pessimistic, huh?" he said, looking at her.

"We will get back to our jobs till we find a way to get out of here," Jane ordered.

"And, let's make sure to make it our priority."

***

FEW DAYS LATER

"What are we doing here?" Ivan asked.

"I heard Mason talking about an RV behind the station. If we are lucky we can finally leave this place," Finn replied.

We walked around looking at the mess which we created a few days ago.

"We nearly died here," Kevin said in a low voice.

"Yeah," I replied.

We reached the parking spot; it was mostly filled with ghouls, but Finn managed to find the RV.

"It's here," he said with excitement.

The RV was on its last breath, the paint was off, the tires weren't in any good condition, one of the windows was broken and the windshield was a bit cracked. Nobody in their right mind would believe that the RV was still working.

"Bit rundown, isn't it? Do you think it will work?" Ivan asked, a little sceptical.

"Better than staying here and dying," he replied.

"What about the keys?" I asked.

"Here," he said and tossed it to me. "After Ivan killed him, I took it from his pocket, we are lucky, don't you think?"

"Hope there's gas," I said, getting inside. The RV gave a violent jerk and fortunately, it started after a few tries. "It's not full but we can leave Sroford, if lucky we might find some gas on the way."

The RV had two bunk beds, a washroom, a small kitchen and a dining table.

"Damn, lucks on our side," Kevin let out, walking up to me.

We drove back to the hostel, and the three of them were amazed to see a fully working vehicle.

"Damn, where did you find this?" Ty asked, getting inside and was a little excited.

There's someone I have to talk to before leaving.

***

"Golden Woods? I might have to pass the offer," Alex said.

"And why?" I asked.

"This is the place I have grown up all my life. Sroford is my home, I can't leave it." "As you wish. We will be leaving tomorrow morning, if you change your mind before that, then you know what to do. And, thanks... thanks for everything."

"Sure buddy. We have to help each other, that's what makes us humans. You guys are leaving, can we occupy your hostel?"

"Why not, it's all yours. The thugs have gone too."

***

Since everyone was so excited that we were finally leaving this place, I took the duty of lookout, after all, it was going to be the last and final one here.

This is our last night here, huh?" Finn said in a low voice while walking up to me. "So many memories will be left behind."

"A bittersweet moment for you guys," I replied.

"The way I acted in that station... that was very naïve of me. I was so frustrated, so mad... that I forgot about you guys and your opinions. When I think about it... it was so stupid of me"

"I get it. No one blames you for that. But before making a decision, think about its consequences. We don't have any adults to take care or lead us, one wrong move... it could cost us our lives."

"It's over, but not our problems, we will be challenged by many bastards ahead... and I want you to be there," he replied, getting up. "I have forgiven Kevin too, but we don't share the same relationship anymore... it's like we have fallen apart from each other."

"He might be feeling the same. Kevin isn't the type of guy to hold grudges. It's only a matter of time before you guys will get back to normal."