Through The Ashes

24

The morning air was crisp and cool, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and the faint smoke of campfires. Inside her tent, Jorn was silently going through the motions—buckling her holsters, securing her knives to her belt and slipping one in her boot, checking over her pistol and assault rifle.

"You ready?" Mara asked, her voice steady, though there was an undercurrent of something unspoken—worry, maybe.

Jorn nodded, her fingers adjusting the strap of Spencer's katana. "Yeah. Almost."

Mara took a slow breath and stepped closer. Without saying a word, she reached down to the hem of her blue shirt and carefully tore a strip of cloth. Jorn watched her, confused at first, until Mara stepped in front of her and held it out.

"Here," Mara said quietly, her hazel eyes soft but serious. "I want you to wear this. So you remember..." She hesitated, her fingers brushing over the blue cloth. "So you remember to come back."

Jorn swallowed hard, another relic from someone she had an attachment to. She stood still as Mara gently tied the strip of fabric around her upper arm, the blue standing out starkly against the greying bandages. Mara's hands lingered for a moment, the knot secure but her fingers trembling slightly.

Their eyes met and for a second, she thought about telling Del she couldn't do it. That she could care less about Windridge.

Mara tiptoed, reaching for Jorn's lips. Jorn saved her the struggle, leaning down to capture Mara in a firm kiss. When Mara pulled away, she whispered. "I'll be waiting."

Jorn nodded. "I know."

※※※

The morning fog still hung in the air as Jorn, Yosef, Brady, Harrem, and Gareth gathered at the edge of camp, ready to begin their trek to Windridge.

Yosef was the first to break the silence, smirking as he adjusted his rifle on his shoulder. "You know, Harrem, if you didn't bring every tool in the camp with you, we might actually make good time."

Harrem snorted, tightening a strap on his bag. "You'll be thanking me when you need one of these to save your ass." He patted the oversized wrench hanging from his backpack.

"I'm more worried about the wrench breaking your back before we even get halfway there," Brady chimed in, rolling his eyes. His rifle was already slung across his chest, and he looked more alert than usual.

"Yeah, I can hear it now," Gareth added, a grin spreading across his face. "Harrem goes down, and we have to lug him and all his tools back to camp. Del's gonna love that."

Harrem grumbled under his breath but couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Better that than running out of ammo and throwing rocks at the next freak we run into."

Jorn walked slightly ahead of them, her eyes focused on the gates. The others fell into step beside her, the crunch of their boots on the ground a clamor of rhythm. She glanced down at her arm where the blue cloth from Mara was tied, a constant reminder of what she had promised.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get there this time?" Brady asked, breaking the quiet again.

Yosef shrugged. "Depends. Last time we had to take a few detours thanks to that horde we faced. If the route's clear, we should be there no later than the afternoon. If not..." He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

"Let's hope it's clear, then," Gareth muttered. "I'd rather not spend a night hunkered down in some half-collapsed building with Harrem snoring like a damn bear."

Harrem raised an eyebrow. "You snore louder than I do, and you know it."

Gareth shot him a playful glare. "That's not what I hear walking past your tent."