The flames beneath us

Chapter one

Evelyn, Ivy, and Noah were scavenging the woods, hoping to find some signs of life to give them a glimmer of hope. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side, and they were feeling discouraged. Noah kicked a rock in frustration, exclaiming, "We're gonna die out here!"

Evelyn shot him a sharp look, trying to keep her voice low so as not to wake Ivy, who was sleeping nearby. "Noah, you're going to scare her. She's only 7 years old. Come on, grow up."

Ever since their divorce, Noah had been on edge, finding something to complain about every day. That's why Evelyn had filed for divorce in the first place. She thought it would be best for her and Ivy to have some distance from him. But now, here they were, stuck together in the woods, with no idea where they were.

Evelyn decided to take Ivy to the nearby river to wash up and try to catch some fish for dinner. "Come on, Ivy, let's go get some fish," she said, taking her daughter's hand. When she noticed Noah walking towards them, she quickly interjected, "Not you. You need to cool off." With that, she and Ivy walked away.

After successfully catching some fish, they headed back to their camp. That's when they saw another figure sitting near Noah. Evelyn tightened her grip on Ivy's hand, feeling cautious about who this person might be. "Uh, Noah?" she called out, getting their attention.

She laid eyes on the stranger, who was holding a crossbow and sitting on a log facing them. "Who are you?" she asked him. Noah replied, "Name's Daryl," earning a glare from both Evelyn and the stranger. "Could've told her myself, man," he said, getting up and slowly walking towards Evelyn and Ivy, who were both intrigued by the crossbow.

Daryl slowly approached Evelyn and her daughter, who were both still looking at the crossbow in his hand. He realised they were scared, so he put the crossbow down to show them he wasn't there to hurt them. Daryl explained that he was hunting a deer when Noah screamed and scared it away. He thought something bad was happening to him but it turned out he just stubbed his toe. Evelyn rolled her eyes at Noah for causing the scare.'really Noah'

Daryl chuckled a bit, but tried to hide it with a cough. He knelt down to the little girl, who was partially hiding behind her mom. He asked her name and she whispered, "My name's Ivy." Daryl smiled and complimented her on her pretty name. Then he looked up at Evelyn and asked for her name. She chuckled and said, "Oh, sorry, my name's Evelyn." She blushed a realising she hadn't even introduced herself.

Daryl stood up and suggested that they join him at his camp with about 15 people or more. Ivy's face lit up and she eagerly nodded. Her mom agreed and started packing their things. Daryl felt a strange feeling in his stomach, maybe a flu coming on. Lost in his thoughts, he heard someone "were not going" Noah spoke

"Come on, Noah, give the guy a chance," Evelyn said, trying to reason with her son. "Daryl seems genuine, and he even put his weapon down. Plus, he's offering us a place with other people. It could be safer for us."

Noah crossed his arms and scowled at Daryl, clearly still skeptical. "I don't trust him," he muttered under his breath.

Daryl sighed and looked at Ivy, who was watching the exchange with wide eyes. "What do you think, Ivy? Do you want to go with this man and his group?" he asked gently.

Ivy hesitated for a moment before nodding eagerly. "I want to go, Mommy! It could be an adventure!"

Evelyn smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm and turned to Noah. "Please, Noah, for Ivy's sake. Let's give it a try. We can always leave if we don't feel safe."

Noah sighed and reluctantly nodded. "Fine, but if anything goes wrong, we're out of there."

Daryl grinned and extended his hand towards Evelyn. "Deal. We'll take care of you and Ivy, I promise."

Damn soft spot for kids
Daryl thought to himself as he led the way