Back at our settlement patrolled by the Canadian forces, I have no family. My father was a leader of a small group of rebels that was obliterated. My mother was distraught afterwards, taking her life and leaving me behind. Cordell came from a happier background. His relatives were Canadian born but moved to the United States as children. They got special treatment.
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I felt so free in the woods. I could actually move without being bumped into. But poor Cordell; every time one of us would step on a stick or a Libellia bird would flutter away, he would duck and squeal. I had to tell him to be quiet much more than I needed.
"I shouldn't have come. I had a nice family. I could have stayed. It would have been nicer. 'C'mon!' she said. 'It'll be worth it!' she said."
"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP? We haven't even been walking for an hour and you are complaining! You had the choice to come or not! You told me that you were tired of your normal life! If you had- "
"Shhhh!"
"What did you just say? I won't be quiet if I don't want to! Cordell, if you-"
"SHHHH! Can't you hear that?" I stopped yelling and listened. There was the sound of chains clanking against each other. I immediately recognized it for the sound of a Charged Release Tank. The Canadians developed a mobile gun that sent 5 amperes of electricity of whatever it was shot at. This meant instant death.
"Cordell. Run. Now."
And we ran.
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Cordell and I ran until we could no longer hear the CRT. We found ourselves in what seemed to be an old town. It was still cold and gray, just like the home we've left. We continued walking. There were many overturned vehicles with weird combinations of letters and numbers on them. We walked by a chipped green sign that spelled "Welcome to Gladstone, Pop. 11,724" There was a distant caw of a Libella.
"Necole, how far do you think we've ran?" Cordell asked. I looked around. I saw a long building with a large cross-shape on it's roof. There was also a larger box with rows and rows of windows.
"I can't tell," I respond. "But it's starting to get late. Let's find somewhere to sleep." We continue walking down the road and finally find a house with a window open, through which we climb.
The house was messy. The floor was covered with toys for what would've been a small child. There was a frozen over pool in the back. As Cordell looked around the kitchen area for any possible food sources, I went down the hallway. I found 2 bedrooms, plus one for a little girl. I picked up a broken wall hanging. It read: "Baby Ellis"
I froze. "C-Cordell? Come here." As he entered the room, his eyes widened.
