Remainers

A Fractured Mind, Part 6

In the morning, Caleb asked Eric an important question. "Do you still want to find your hometown?"

It was a good question. Eric had never said it, but Caleb must have realized that Eric only wanted to see his hometown because he didn't really believe he was in the future. That had changed, however; it had become all too apparent that he was telling the truth, and if that was the case, this journey was pointless.

In the first place, he still could not remember the name of his hometown, nor its exact location. Normally, as long as he was in the surrounding area, he'd be able to find his way back using landmarks, but who knew if those landmarks still existed centuries later? Furthermore, even if he did make his way back, what was waiting for him there? Nothing.

Even so, he still wanted to go back. Maybe it was just for sentimental reasons, or maybe it was just for his own closure, but he wanted to see his home one more time. If he did, then maybe he could finally put the past behind him.

Caleb sensed he was having trouble answering. "If it bothers you, we can always just go. We're close enough as it is, after all."

"I don't see the point in doing that," Hope argued. "No offense, but we've already wasted enough time on this venture. The sooner we get back to regular work, the better."

"If that's what Eric wants, then sure. But let's let him decide for himself."

The two of them turned to Eric, waiting for him to give them an answer. He tried to think about it once again, but no matter how he ran over the facts, he couldn't come up for a logical explanation for what he wanted to do. In the end, he could go with his heart.

"Let's go," he finally answered. "We've already come pretty far as it is. It'd feel pretty bad to turn around when we're so close."

Hope sighed, but she didn't say anything further. With their destination decided, the three picked up their things and began hiking through the forest again. It was a straight shot to the Seattle region from here on, with no more mountains to make things difficult. There were still some marshes and forests to trudge through, but at the very least there would be no more treacherous terrain to worry about.

Things weren't going to be that easy, though. The area was still full of dangerous wildlife, as well as poisonous plants. Eric needed to keep clear of any hazards, which he was thankfully able to do with Caleb guiding him along the way. With his help, the next few days passed by relatively quickly, and before long they were standing in the middle of what was once Washington state. The landscape had changed much over the centuries, which didn't bode well for Eric. He was counting on his memories of local landmarks to guide him to where his hometown used to be, but it looked like that wasn't going to be much help.

For the time being, they set up camp in the middle of the flatlands. Eric scanned the area as he helped start the fire. Now that he was looking a little closer, he could see small hints of his former world: lakes that dried up and became shallow basins, mountains that were worn down by winds and rain, and roads that still cut across the wilderness despite nearly crumbling to bits. The more he recognized parts of his past, the more his reality set in.

He shook himself out of his sullen mood. He knew that coming in. This was not a surprise. Even so, it affected him much more than he ever believed it would. What reason did he travel all this way for? He still couldn't figure it out, even after several days of traveling. It was to answer that question that he made the decision to continue this journey, but at the same time, he was scared of learning the answer.

By the time morning rose, Eric was no closer to finding that answer. Furthermore, he was still completely lost, and had no clue how to get to his hometown. Even so, he knew one thing: that his hometown was definitely somewhere here, and as long as he could recognize the terrain around him, he could eventually make his way back.