Rachael Entry 4: Apart

Epilogue

I'd been following the same tracks for hours and started to give up hope as they seemed to be leading me nowhere and were starting to fade; until I noticed a smoke up in the sky. I placed my bets it was them settling down for the night and picked up the pace before it got too dark. I seemed to be getting somewhere until the smoke mysteriously went out and I had no more leads. It was too dark and too dangerous to aimlessly walk through the night with nothing backing it up so I decided to climb a tree a set up for the night.

Climbing the tree was hard as my leg was cooperating with me even less than it was when I initially hurt it, but I willed myself up. I set Roberts' backpack up in the branch next to me. I decided to clear out all the things I wouldn't need and take it with me, for storage purposes. Whoever finds the flammable chemicals I left beside his rotting body can knock themselves out.

I shimmy into a remotely comfortable position and try to fall asleep.

When I wake up in the morning I quickly notice another stream of smoke floating up in the sky from a fire. I assume it's from the same camp and area and start my morning walk. It doesn't take me too long to reach the camp area where I find a group of familiar faces perched on logs around a fire. Before I can let my presence be known Ms. Halle sees me and jumps up in surprise. Curious eyes shoot around to find me a bloody mess with a wide smile on my face.

"Rachael!" Ms. Halle finally cries out. I awkwardly give her a salute before I notice nurse Jackie running up to me for a hug.

"How are you even alive?" She babbles through tears of joy. I smile back at her, glad to see she missed the sarcastic asshole who gave her mouth 24/7.

"Through a lot of people's sacrifices." I sigh. Suddenly her face changes to worried.

"Where's professor Roberts? And Will?" she asks. My head feels like a bowling ball on my shoulders carrying the weight of endless bad news. I shake my head to indicate they are no longer here. Out of nowhere Eden runs up and hugs me. Her warm embrace is the only thing keeping me from collapsing on the spot.

"They're in a better place." She whispers probably assuming Harry has suffered the same fate.

"Yeah..." I let out softly. I try to just take in the moment, this moment. All I want to do if focus on the sweetness of being alive here and now.