"The sound of the impact echoed through the air. I stand frozen in place, staring at the boy's broken body lying just feet from me. Others in the square rush to his side, but I could tell from the amount of blood pooling around him and the way his b...
"According to this list, it looks like the closest person to us is a man named Fletcher Harrison in Connecticut," Micah said, towering over the map from my backpack.
"That list isn't the most reliable. It also told me to trust Jerry and Kate, but we see how that turned out," I said irritably.
"I know it's hard to believe, Alexis, but there actually are some good people left out there. There has to be," Micah mumbled. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me.
I eyes him skeptically, still unsure if I trusted the map. I'd known Jerry and Kate my entire life, and they still turned me over to the Malin in a matter of hours. Who was to say that a total stranger wouldn't do the same?
But what other choice did we have? Our resources were dwindling with each passing day, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could continue this journey on foot. If there was a chance this Fletcher person could help expedite the process, wasn't it worth a shot?
"Let's just get this over with," I muttered, putting my bag on my shoulders.
I hadn't slept well the last several nights. My dreams were full of terrifying images, usually ending with death and despair. I woke up in the early morning hours, panting and terrified.
Micah never asked questions, but I could see the worry on his face when I woke up in a panic. It only added to my guilt that I was keeping him from sleeping too. Between my exhaustion and my sensitive emotions, I was barely holding it together.
With a sigh, I followed Micah further into the forests that were starting to become my home.
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I put full trust in Micah, who was using a compass to guide us. He had a muddled look on his face as he turned the map from side to side. It wasn't helping my confidence in his navigation skills, but I wasn't going to question him. The truth was that I didn't care where we ended up, as long as there was home cooked food. I was already getting tired of cold soup and crackers.
"How much further do we have to go?" I asked irritably.
"Well, I would say we have probably walked around twenty miles. Which means we have around another 300 or so to go," Micah said.
300 more miles!? I gaped at him.
I wasn't sure I'd ever make it to Connecticut at this rate. There had to be an easier way to get there.
As if answering my silent prayer, we stumbled upon a set of railroad tracks. That's when I m realized that there is a better way.
"Micah, if I suggest something will you at least consider it?" I asked.
"It depends," he said skeptically.
Without another word, I took a sharp right, and began walking along the tracks, Micah scurrying to catch up.
