Divided

Chapter 3.

I felt refreshed. All of the pain within my body had disappeared overnight, along with any exhaustion. I walked without falter. I had nothing left for me here. I must live on now for both me and Ashley. I could at least do that for her. The infuser on my arm was a bit bulkier than the later versions like the one I used to have but it would have to do for now. Mrs. Patterson was kind enough to give me some F and W packs. It wasn't a lot but it should at least keep me healthy for a week or so.

I walked past my home, only to find it caved in completely. According to Vini, another quake struck on the second day I was asleep, forcing the house to give way. Nothing was salvageable. Even if it was, Josh had probably already traded it for some A-packs or the Pattersons had it.

I chuckled at the thought, while slightly getting pissed. Vini also mentioned that Josh wasn't dead, but I pushed the thought aside. I had to keep moving. I had to get out of these slums. I looked around to see collapsed buildings and ruined streets. Most buildings that were reconstructed were merely shacks that made living a somewhat hard life possible. How anyone could be content with living like this was beyond me. I had promised Ashley I would get us out of here one day, and today I was leaving.

The sun hung high in the sky but that did little to illuminate the area. The clouds in the sky were no cleaner than the water that collected in the crevices along the roads. I walked and each step began to feel heavier. I walked past the cannon once again. The scrap heap still stood proud in the muddled sun. Its base had slipped, causing a crack to run underneath it, yet it did not falter. I continued, away from the place I called home. As I walked, many of the newly reconstructed homes were now matching the fallen homes beside them. After about an hour of walking I reached it. A fearsome flat plain.

What lay on the other side was still a mystery to almost everyone in town. Anyone brave enough to go out there rarely came back to tell what lay beyond, and those who did make it back died with their lips sealed as they crawled in their skin. Their deaths were long but silent because they'd return with the stone plague. At one time, I would have thought it foolish to leave town and try surviving on my own, but now I was out of options.

I reached the point in the field where the valley that shielded the town flowed into flat plains. I looked ahead only to be distracted by a puddle of murky water. The reflection showed my face but didn't reflect how I truly felt inside. I saw a tall young man with a stern face, sharp chin, and darkened eyebrows. My hair was dirty brown, the "dirty" part mostly from the dust that floated about and managed to get caught in my hair's embrace.

A ripple disrupted my mirror. Another quake. I braced for action as I felt the earth's crust tremble beneath me. The rocks and dust around me vibrated with life. They crushed any sparse plant life that surrounded them. Then the trembling stopped. Ever since the incident, shocks had happened continuously without warning and disappeared as quickly as they appeared. They became second nature to us.

I regained my balance and continued my travels. Where exactly am I going? The thought lingered that I was aimlessly walking off into oblivion. I had no true objective except for the urge to survive, no matter what, for Ashley's sake.

As the day was coming to an end I took shelter next to dead tree. Its dried branches did little to shade me from the tainted sunlight. All too quickly was I consumed by my subconscious and whisked off to my dreamscape.

Morning arrived with a noticeable burn. I was awoken by a numb feeling in my right leg. I could only describe the pain as being like resting my leg on a dozen hell stones. I reached down, only to find a series of holes in my pant leg. I shook it and four pebbles fell out and sizzled in the dust beneath me.