Project Holiday

Chapter Six

The rocky hills gave way to a desolate plain, dotted with the occasional scrubby bush. The air seemed to grow even more toxic as we continued our journey. I could feel my lungs burning with every breath I took. Leo checked his disk constantly, warning us whenever the air became dangerously toxic. We had to dismount and cover our horses' noses with cloths to protect them from the polluted air.We stopped for lunch in the shadow of a crumbling overpass. The horses grazed on the sparse vegetation while we ate our dried rations. Lara pulled out her map and studied it intently. "We're heading in the right direction, but we might want to pick up the pace, were running out of water."I nodded in agreement. "Leo, how much longer do you think we can keep going like this?"Leo glanced up from his work. "I think that we are looking at three days. We might find some water in the abandoned village if we hurry. We can't afford to take too many breaks. The air is too toxic for the horses." He looked at me with a serious expression. "We need to keep them healthy if we want to make it through this."Jack nodded, "If the horses die then all we have is Lara hovercar which only has room for two."Lara gave Jack a sharp look, clearly unhappy with his words. She knew as well as anyone how precious their remaining water supplies were. "We'll find a way to make it work," she said determinedly. "Let's get back on the road."They mounted their horses and continued across the barren landscape. The air grew more and Toxic, as we urged the horses into a gallop. The animals struggled to breathe, but their instinct for survival kept them moving. We passed through an abandoned village, its buildings little more than crumbling ruins. The only sign of life was a lone bird that circled overhead.As we left the village, we came upon a small stream. It was brackish and thick with debris, but it was water nonetheless. The horses drank greedily, and we refilled our canteens. Leo checked his disk and told us that the stream was safe for us to drink, as long as we didn't consume too much. We rested by the stream for a few hours, allowing the horses to graze and ourselves to catch our breath.Lara studied the map again and pointed to a spot on the horizon. "According to this, there's a larger village about two days from here. It might have a working water purifier." She looked around at our weary faces. "We can't afford to stop moving now. We need to reach that village and find some clean water."Together, we got back on our horses and continued on our journey. The air grew even more toxic as we rode, but we pushed through it, knowing that every mile brought us closer to our goal. The horses labored beneath us, their breath ragged and their sides heaving. We made good time and were looking at only two days, but it was two days that were going to be hard on the horses.We rode for hours, the desolate landscape unchanging, and the toxic air slowly seeping into our lungs. The horses began to stumble, their legs growing weak from the effort of carrying us. I looked over at Lara, riding beside me, her face etched with concern. She knew as well as I did that if the horses couldn't keep going, we'd be stranded in this hellish wasteland. Finialy at nightfall we stopped, and set up camp. It wasnt a apanded villiage but we need to rest.I rubbed down my horse and gave her a sack of grain I had salvaged from the abandoned village. She nickered gratefully and began to eat. We didn't have much in the way of shelter, just a few scraps of cloth to block the worst of the wind. Leo set up his disk and began to monitor the air quality, while Jack tended the fire.I crawled into my makeshift bed, already exhausted from the day's journey. I knew that I needed to sleep, but my mind kept racing. I thought about the journey ahead. I was about to close my eyes when Leo called us out. "So as we know, tomorrow we should get to Darkthorn, and after that it will be two weeks at least till Rose.""Yes?""Well, there is the Scorpion den not far off our path that we can stop by. It shouldn't take us more than a day out of our way-""No, the Scorpion Den is bad news and you know it." Lara said to Leo.Leo hesitated, "I know but-""No."I looked at the both of them confusied, "What is the Scorpion den?""Its a sivilsation near a prison. Its full of criminals, scum bags, outlaws, people who were tiered of laws, but most importantly Scorpion mutants. Thats were the name came from. Scorpion mutants, have the same anaomy as humans, but have the tail and face as a scorpion. They're deadly. The place is a hell hole. It would be a death wish to go there." Lara sighed.I looked at Jack, who was brushing one of the horses. "So, what do you think?" I asked him. "Should we risk it, or try to avoid the Scorpion Den?"Jack considered my question for a moment before answering. " I'm not in any hurry to go to a place full of people who've been locked up for a reason. But two weeks is a long time to go without food and water. If it's just a day out of our way, maybe we should take the risk."Leo smiled, "See, we have to go."I looked back and forth between them, torn. On the one hand, the thought of spending even a day in the company of criminals and Scorpion mutants was terrifying. But if we were struggling with one week, then two was out of the question. "I say we go.""Alright, then it's settled, after Darkthorn, we go to the Scorpion den."We all took a deep breath, steeling ourselves for what lay ahead. In the morning, we would set out for Darkthorn, if all when to according to plan, we should reach Darkthorn by nightfall.