[18+ COMPLETED] BOOK 2
A war that destroyed the world. It came and it went, leaving death and chaos in its wake.
In the resulting turmoil England has split into four regions, a safety measure that was 'essential' to ensure that violence would not r...
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We walk silently. I think every damn one of us is too scared to speak, worried of any lurkers that hide in the darkness, just gagging to slit someone's throat. Fucking animals.
The pace we are moving at is slow though, my legs unable to force themselves to go faster. Heidi is still fussing around Anna, the brunette snapping back at her every time.
No-one seems to mind our speed, both Jen and Kieran stopping every now and again to study the map, making sure that we aren't heading in the wrong direction. After all, none of us have used a fucking map in years.
Even when I made deliveries for the State they only repaired five roads after the war, the ones connecting each of the cities. It was easy to see which route to take, not a chance of getting lost once you chose left for Manchester, or right for York and Newcastle. I'm so fucking glad to be done with that life.
Yet I'm not sure this new Hell is worth the hassle. At least in the North you wouldn't get fucking killed unless you broke a rule. Here, everyone is fair game.
I never would have brought Emilia South if I knew. I should have left her with Kayla, safe in the farmhouse. I'd be feeling so much fucking better to know she was tucked up in bed there instead of clinging onto my hand for dear life as we walk through these dark, ominous woods.
"Alright," Kieran says suddenly, looking back at all of us. "We've done around five miles. Thrapston is just over there." He points behind us at the dark shadows on the horizon. "We should be able to find somewhere to light a fire with some sort of roof over our heads."
Emilia squeezes my hand and I pull her forward, the entire group descending into a silent walk once more. I don't think I even have the effort to speak, feeling fucking dirty, sweat-ridden, and exhausted all in one.
Grabbing onto an old, rotting farm gate, Jordan wrenches it open and we all walk through, ending up on a small, country lane. The tarmac has been ripped apart by weeds, the surface almost unrecognisable as a road anymore.
We continue, our feet clapping against the surface, far louder now than when we were walking through the trees.
After what feels like hours, but has probably only been minutes, Jen stops, pointing up at a row of what used to be dark terraced houses. Only remnants remain, jagged shapes of walls stretching up high, illuminated in the night sky.
"One of these should work," she says. "We shouldn't stay here for long though."
*~*~*
Anna is cursing at Heidi for the thousandth fucking time as she attempts to bandage her neck with a shred of fabric she found from one of the bedroom sheets. She washed it with some water they found in the stream just behind the back garden, boiling it above the fire they lit in the middle of the old kitchen, a roof only covering half the room. Jordan and Myles have searched for a small amount of broken tree branches and sticks to keep us warm for the few hours we're here.
