𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐇 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿

40.. the lights ahead

The morning sun slowly crept over the horizon, casting a golden hue over the barren wasteland.

The group gradually stirred from their restless slumber. Faces were weary, and bodies were stiff from sleeping on the hard ground.

Groggy and disoriented, the group stretched and yawned, nursing sore muscles from their eventful night.

The fire had burned low overnight, leaving only a smoldering pile of ashes.

"I feel like I've been trampled by a herd of bulls," Brenda groaned, rubbing her aching back.

"Tell me about it," Nancy agreed, her voice raspy from sleep. "I think I spent more time waking up than actually sleeping."

The group slowly started to gather their belongings, packing up their sleeping bags and eating a quick breakfast of energy bars and dehydrated fruit.

Thèrèse noticed Bea's head leaning against her shoulder, and she wrapped an arm around her friend to keep her close. She continued the conversation with Aris, completely unfazed by Bea's proximity.

Luke and Hugo were going over the supplies they had leftover the night before.

"Looks like we're running low on water," Hugo pointed out, scanning their limited supplies.

"Yeah," Luke agreed, his eyes narrowing in thought. "We'll need to find a water source soon or we'll be in trouble."

Meanwhile, Harriet and Sonya were examining the tracker device they had discovered the night before.

"Any luck with that tracker?" Teresa asked, her eyes locked onto the device in Harriet and Sonya's hands.

Harriet shook her head with a frustrated sigh. "No, we haven't been able to get it working yet. Some of the buttons are rusted, and it's a bit damaged from the crash."

"That's frustrating," Brenda chimed in, looking over Harriet's shoulder. "Without that, we're just wandering blind out here."

Harriet fiddled with the tracker a bit more before shaking her head in defeat. "It's no use. It's busted."

"Damn," Matt said, running a hand through his messy hair. "Well, what now? Keep pushing forward, hoping we find something?"

Nancy was silent at that, her eyes downcast. She couldn't help but feel responsible. It was her idea to shoot down the helicopter. If they were stranded here, it was her fault.

She pushed down the feeling of guilt, refusing to let it show on her face. The group needed a strong leader, and she wasn't going to let her own doubts and fears cloud her judgment.

Aris noticed the change in Nancy's mood and knew what she was thinking. He sidled up beside her, keeping his voice hushed.

"Hey, stop that," he scolded softly. "This isn't your fault. You acted on instinct and did what you thought was right."

Nancy let out a low sigh and glanced over at Aris.

"Yeah, but look where it's gotten us," she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration. "Lost in the middle of nowhere, no supplies, and no idea where to go."

Aris placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We're survivors, Nance. We've been through worse than this."

He paused, his gaze flickering over to the others. "We'll figure it out, okay? We always do."

The group had just been about to continue their march through the wasteland when suddenly, the sound of an aircraft filled the air.

Their hearts sank as they looked up to see a massive, black berg hovering above them, casting a dark shadow on the ground.