The Ruins Part 2 (Sequel to The Ruins)

Chapter 46

Benny Chong ran as fast as he could over the rocks. His heart pounded, but it also ached. Sam would hate him for this. So would Vix, Lugh, and the kids. Lalon would be definitely pissed off, especially how he once tried to help him when the herd attacked their hometown, but he wasn't much help, and animals are way different than zoms. Mal, however... well, Benny figured that Mal would despise his weaknesses, and Benny felt that "weak" had quickly

He felt stupid and ashamed. He should never have agreed to come, and though he briefly thought that Sam and Lalon was just as much to blame for even suggesting himself to a war; Benny believed the stuff that had gone wrong was all his fault. He was fairly certain that Lalon was on the verge of turning back, which meant Benny would be responsible for screwing up the battle against these KillGames.

That was the process of logic that had spurred him to run, though now, deep in the woods, he could see that the logic was as thin as tissue paper and filled with holes. He remembered one of his father's countless lessons about logical thinking: "When you add emotion to any equation, you can't trust the results." Shame and guilt were emotions, and the sum at the end of his logical calculations was an untrustworthy as his actions back on the road when the rhino first appeared.

"I'm not cut out for the Ruins," he told himself as he ran. "I'm nobody's idea of Mr. Adventure. No hero." His words see pitched to sound funny, but his heart was breaking.

As he ran he made himself remember everything that Mr. Freeney had taught them in the Scouts and what he had read in books about the forests of Wyoming. All the tricks about tracking and stalking. And about how to foil pursuit. There was a lot of that in books. The Leatherstocking Tales and old Louis L'Amour novels from long before the Black Night.

Benny knew about doubling back and leaving false trails. He knew how to circle around and cut his own trail. He knew how to keep from scuffing the rocks. Several times he jumped down from the rocks and ran into the tall grass, then carefully walked backward in his own footprints so that anyone following would think he ran into the field. When he reached the forest; he found a broken branch that still had some leaves on it, and as he ran he whisked the ground behind him to wipe out his trail.

Maybe Lalon could find him. He's an excellent tracker. But it makes him clever, especially if they are people from the KillGames or White Bear after him. It would be better to go northwest to avoid the manic of the fight.

As it grew darker he slowed to a walk. The canopy if leaves was so dense he could catch only glimpses of the sky. Sunset couldn't be more than an hour and a half away. It was time to find shelter.

He saw an upslope and took that, reasoning that high ground would give him a better view to help him pick a likely tree for the night, and allow him to see if he was indeed alone in this section of the forest. Benny was sure he could outrun a zom, but if one came after him, the creature would simply allow him to whatever tree he chose and stand there until the world ended. It could out wait him.

"No thanks," he told himself, and almost jumped at the sound of his own voice. He drew his bokken. He was not as strong a swordsman as Sam, or as fast, but Benny knew that he was far helpless, and holding the weapon recharged his confidence.

At the top of the hill he turned in a full circle. Shadows clustered around the base of each tree, and every time the wind blew Benny imagined he could see a ghastly shape lumbering his way. But he saw no zoms.

He spotted a stately cottonwood tree with a couple of branches low enough to grab and many more high up among the leaves. He ran down the hill and began climbing the slope atop if which was the cottonwood. He looked left and right, checking his surroundings, filling his kinds with data, being smart and careful.

But he walked right past the two figures standing in the sense shadows beneath a massive old spruce. They, however, saw him.

The RK's and Sam were miles away. Much too far away to hear Benny Chong's screams.