The Land After Tomorrow (Completed)

Chapter 3: Savages

The sun is at its highest point and Ian started waking up the kids. As usual, as any kid would be, they moan and groan asking for a few more minutes of sleep. Their stomachs growled in pain from hunger leaving a hollowed sense of emptiness within them. They helped one another up in yelps and pains from the previous night. They packed their bags and slung the rifle over their shoulders. The water was cold at touch as they submerged their bodies in the water. It glided upon their skin sending a pinch of pain from its unpleasant chill. They traveled past a small bank searching for a place to climb ashore back onto the mainland. They pushed through piles of debris and fought through pain of exhaustion after an hour of swimming. Ian held onto his daughter teaching her desperately to learn to stay afloat. Ryder held onto Drew as Drew yelped and cringed in pain from the water touching his burns that flared with pain.

The land was a straight drop to the water with no signs of entry. Walls of land and soil blocked them from getting out of the water from which they swam. They swam for a good hour before finding a shore that they could climb up onto the mainland.

They touched the soft but oozing- pale sand crawling up onto it with exhaustion and fatigue. The sand clung onto them making their skin itch with irritation. The sand glided between Drew's fingers while he held it in his hand. Drew closed his eyes glorifying the land which he collapsed upon from exhaustion. Their clothes dripped water upon the dry-bitter sand above the water line. The water weighed them down from the dampness of their clothes. They tried wringing out some of the water that had been captured by their clothing to loosen the extensive weight. They rested for a few minutes to gain some strength back before crawling up the steep land mass above them that had fallen in landslide. They grabbed into the sand trying to get up the steep hill while the particles disintegrated from their grasp. They dug their nails for support feeling the particles ride up into their nails. Sand went into the eyes of Drew and Ryder as the others pulled the sand behind them. They squinted their eyes trying to limit the particles from entering. Drew wiped his eyes into his shoulder trying to get out the sand particles watering his eyes with irritation. They got to the top of the hill and breathed with heavy breaths of exhaustion. Ian checked the map and looked ahead and then turning back to the group, "Let's go."

They walked down the interstate looking at the cars piled or hitting barriers on the side of the road. Cars were flipped, some look like they burned, and some contained skeleton remains of the once living. Drew felt his feet scratch underneath the loose rocks and the sole of his feet turned black from the asphalt. Ryder held Jasmine on his back as she fell asleep with exhaustion. Blair was helping Drew with his ankle and burns while telling jokes and laughing shortly but smiling, something they don't have time to enjoy anymore. Caleb walked silently staring at the road in front of them in a daze. Ian walked ahead scanning the area. He stopped and began looking cautiously into the trees. The others noticed and stopped.

Ryder scanned the area and saw nothing, "What's the matter?"

Ian walked over to the tree line and considered the trees, "Thought I heard something."

"What did you hear?" Blair asked.

"Footsteps. Was probably nothing, let's go."

They continued walking but Ian was on full alert in the trees. They heard the cock of the gun and a gang of people at least ten to fifteen surrounded them with guns pointed at them. Ian drew his rifle and pointed it at the one holding a gun to his son and Blair.

"Please, let us go," Ian pleaded.

"Viqua!" a tall, ragged man shouted behind him. He was covered in blood from his mouth to the rest of the body just like the others. The man holding a gun to his son's head smirked and blood poured out between his teeth. His blond hair was now mixed with blood and dirt turning it a dark brown. Blood dropped off his mouth and onto the ground. The tall man cocked his gun at Ian's head, "put your guns on the ground."