The Survivors

Chapter 7

The girl was accepted without a word, as was the blonde man. Ashton kept glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. His brother’s betrayal had changed him. He didn’t laugh or smile as often, and I began to miss his loud laugh. Cara and TJ clung to Ashton and I, and the girl, Ronnie, hardly talked. Our savior, Ryder, told endless stories to TJ, and Cara, although trying to appear grown up in front of Ronnie, couldn’t help but listen to his tall tales. I even saw stony faced Ronnie crack a smile. Somewhere between an abandoned semi truck and a ragged suitcase, Ashton had slipped his hand into mine and had yet to let go. I wasn’t really sure what to do. I hadn’t had much experience with boys in middle school, preferring to stay single. So while other girls complained about boyfriends and broke hearts left and right, I read a book and pretended to listen. Nod, gasp, smile, frown. And endless act. Obviously I had dated before, and been through that whole first kiss fiasco, but dating then and dating now was completely different. My dates in middle school didn’t carry a gun that’s for sure. Besides, maybe he was just holding my hand for comfort after having to leave his only family left. Or was it something more?

I flinched at every rustle of leaves and every snap of a twig thinking the Snatchers had found us again. But after about two hours without a sound of pursuit, I calmed down and began to talk to the others more. We’d made good, time, I’d retraced our steps to the place we’d been caught with the help of Ryder. We took a detour that avoided the Snatchers’ routes, which I guessed might add a couple hours to our journey. As I inspected the sky trying to estimate how long until we’d reach my hut, I felt someone’s eyes on me. I bent down to ‘tie my shoe’ and glanced around us through my hair. Seeing a skinny old man hiding behind a large tree about a yard from us, I slid my gun from my pocket and cocked it. I aimed and pulled the trigger, making sure to hit the tree next to the man’s hiding place. “Come out with your hands in the air or I’ll make sure the next bullet I shoot goes straight through your head.” He inched out slowly, his pale hands reaching slowly into the sky. “Therry sent me,” he said, reaching into his pocket carefully and tugging out a small folded up piece of paper. “She said this would be of great importance to you.” I snatched it out of his aged hands and unfolded it quickly, nearly ripping it. Examining it, my breath caught. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Therry did it. She really did it.