The Oblivion

the outcast

WE SET OFF from our former home, the cave, and stepped into the snowy landscape. My nose immediately felt numb with cold, and the air I breathed was sharp as I inhaled. We trekked forward with Brian's GPS's guidance, as we kept his eyes onto the device, looking so concentrated. I admired him for his smartness. Without him, how would we ever reach to Cliffton?

After only an hour of walking the bag on my back lugged me backwards. The bow felt heavy on my hand. The belt seemed to bring me down. I didn't dare ask for a break, because everyone seemed so determined and fresh and a break might destroy their determination. I was the youngest — I should have felt strong and lively. Instead, the weight of everything I was hauling with me slowed me down. Lucky Arch was padding beside me, free of any weapons or luggage. His weapons were his teeth, and his teeth brought prey and safety. I felt my throat ache for water and my belly grumble loudly for food as I ignored them, feeling sweat trickle down my body under the mass of clothes.

Another hour passed, and I felt like a walking dead body. The sun was still high in the sky, and a break would waste sunlight. But what use was it? The whole place would be dimmed down by the thick layers of snow.

"So, how was life before the tornado for you?" I asked Brook was walked, trying to distract myself from the exhaustion.

"Hard," Brook admitted, "but it was bearable. Nothing major. Pretty boring, if I have to say."
"Me too. But I felt all the responsibilities leaning on my side. My parents just laid back while I did the work," I responded.

I stopped abruptly. The words came spilling out of my mouth and I instantly felt regret clawing my belly. I was so horrid, appalling, saying such things when I lost my mother and father. Brook sensed my sudden stiffness but didn't question it, and I knew that she knew how I felt.

We moved onwards, and time passed ever so slowly. The sun began to crawl back into the earth, its purple colors casting over the horizon like paint splattered onto the sky despite the snow. The tree's icy claws rattled amongst the wind, while snowflakes danced in the air. The darkness promised that the real cold was about to begin.

I felt more safe when the sun provided more soft colors than its usual harsh orange-yellow.

At night time we were all worn out, but they're confidence didn't ebb away. Glad that I wasn't the one who suggested we have a lay down and stop there for the night, we found a good spot that was surrounded with bushes, just visible in the moonlight. One of us had to watch, and we weren't surprised when Brian was the first to volunteer.

"But you need to get rest. Halfway through wake one of us up to take the next watch. Who wants to?" Brook pressed.

"I will," the words came out of my mouth before I could think, but I found myself nodding emphatically.

We dumped down all our bags besides us, and I especially flexed my shoulders, my wound feeling awfully sore since it was compressed by one of the bag straps. I wondered how I could wake up for the next watch, but that thought was pushed to the back of my head. Ariana, Brook and I curled up next to each other, but the snow certainly wasn't the best place to lay down. We gathered the blankets from the bottom of our bags and set them out on the ground. Once we were ready to sleep, Brook insisted on hunting dinner. Just as she said it my stomach rumbled loudly, and I felt the animal inside me clawing its way out. We all agreed easily, and Ariana decided to join Brook on the hunt since it wasn't safe to go alone. That left me and Brian along with half snoozing Arch sitting in awkward silence, me picking drifts of snow and rubbing them in between my thumb and forefinger to get rid of time.

"Why do you always want to take watch, Brian?" I asked him, blurting out my curiosity. I hoped I hadn't sounded rude, because Brian peered at me as if he were trying to make out if I was harassing him. When he saw my ashamed face, he spoke. "It's a man's duty to take care of everyone. I'd rip anyone to shreds if they touched my sister." He hesitated, then added, "Or even you and your sister."