The Horde

Chapter 7

The sound of birds chirping outside woke Hannah up from another restless sleep. The majority of the snow had finally melted outside and Hannah was able to walk down the street comfortably in a sweatshirt and jeans. After their first week at the camp, the teens had requested to be put on the waiting list for specific supplies. They were automatically given the basics, but if they had any abnormal requests, they would be put on a very long waiting list. Hannah had slept on the floor of their house for over a month until the gatherers had finally found a pull out couch that was then put into the living room for her to sleep on.

Everyone residing in the small town was sorted and given jobs based on their strengths and weaknesses. To no one's surprise, Hannah and Thomas were guards. Alex requested to work with the younger children as a teachers assistant. Her request was approved and she had been working in one of the small elementary school classrooms ever since.

"I never thought of you as the caregiver type," Hannah stated, laying on her stomach.

She couldn't wait until the day when the gatherers were able to find a pull out couch in one of the nearby towns. The floor had been getting more uncomfortable as the days went on.

"I don't know, I would just feel closer to Emily somehow," Alex laughed without humor and shook her head as if to rid the thoughts of her first companion from her mind. "I know it's stupid-"

"No, I think that this is exactly what you need," Hannah smiled and used the corner of her blanket to wipe a stray tear that was running down her friends cheek.

Alex smirked and then grabbed the corner of the blanket, "Thanks, mom."

Hannah rolled her eyes and then jumped onto the bed to sit with Alex. She laughed and pulled her into an aggresive hug.

.

With their regular jobs and schooling during the day, the only time they could train in combat and first aid was during the night courses with all of the newer fighters. Before they could even consider talking to Henry about going on missions, they had to be properly trained. The training was intense, but it was nothing compared to what Alex and Thomas had endured at camp. Whenever an authoritive figure approached them, they would cringe. Thankfully, the townspeople were patient and kind providing consistent reminders that no one was going to hurt them there. It had been two months and although the daily routine and walls helped them feel slightly safer, every day that passed was another day that Matt could be at risk of dying. Henry ensured them that sources inside of the enemy's camp reported that Matt was still alive. They maintained their concerned thoughts and hesitated to place their complete, unwavering trust in the guy. Matt was their friend and they would need to see him alive and well to believe it.

Thomas had the worst experiences in the town of them all. His sleeping patterns were drastically irregular and he never slept for more than three hours each night. The days were long and tedious, with schooling and working until dinner. This was followed by harsh training until the stars had been sprinkled across the sky.

At first, Alex was easily woken from her restless sleep by the sound of his sleep talking and jerky movements. Over time, she learned to ignore them. Hannah hadn't been blessed with the ability to ignore things. Every night, she would wake him up through the night to calm him down and settle him back into some semblance of rest. Thomas always apologized and she always felt a sharp stabbing in her gut in response. Apologies weren't necessary. Thoughts can't be controlled, only contained and unsaid. But if he is asleep, there is no way to hide them. She assumed that Alex struggled with a similar internal battle, but after Emily's death, she became more reserved and closed off.

.

On one average and boring day, their training had been interrupted by Gloria. She quickly cleared the distance on the football field that they used for drills, despite the thin platforms of her high heeled shoes that kept tripping her over the unkept grass. Their group had just started tackling the climbing wall and Alex was sitting on top of it, looking down at them and quietly listening to the conversation.