Kids Never Die

Chapter 10: "I don't Like This"

When the sun arose the sky still wore an orange veil. A heavy cloud blanked the sky. I was the first one to wake. I stood up, stretching my arms and legs out far, as if I were reaching for something on a high shelf. The fire from the night before had been snuffed but still trailed a blackness emiating. I walked to the edge of the road and scanned across the horizon. It was early, probably five or six in the morning. I still had no cell signal or internet and my phones battery was low.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. The mucsles of my mouth pulled and my eyes drooped. I looked back to the group. Nate was now lying awake, his head buried in his hands. The sun was slowly climbing but the sky remained dark. One by one each person awoke from a well deserved sleep. Sam walked up behind me and placed her hand on my shoulder, caressing it gently.

"What's the plan?" She asked.

I continued staring off into the horizon. I stayed quiet a moment, taking in the scene. Then I drew in a deep breath and panned my head. Beside the wheat field across the street was a large forest. I pointed.

"I don't trust this road. I say we head into that forest there. It will give us more materials and lead us into town, about a mile down the road." I stood up.

"Sounds good. I'll tell the others." She smiled a bright grin and turned back to the group.

"Excellent," I exclaimed. "Tell everyone to get hydrated before we leave. Get Morgan a book bag. We can stock it with water, his gun and lighter and maybe grab some sticks just in case."

"Gotcha." She pretended to salute in a military fashion, then got the group ready.

Everyone passed around a few water bottles and made themselves more comfortable to hike. Kyra approached me with a quizzical look on her face. "I found a sketch book earlier this morning. Any way we could put it to use?" She asked with a smile.

I snatched it from her, "Perfect." I smiled. "I want you to make a map of the areas we pass. Write down any foot notes we may need, just in case we come back."

She nodded and headed to the pack. Nick was going through the tool kit we had taken from the overturned car, counting all of the materials and their uses. He seemed satisfied. Miranda and Emily were scouting the wheat field for any still edible materials. We all worked together and we worked fast. Gavin, Morgan and Nate all packed the bag with necessities and anything Angela and Emilee found necessary. Kyra was sketching out the surrounding landscapes. Katie used her flexibility to scavenge damaged or tight spaces. Sam seemed to be almost leading the group with a checklist of things we would need.

After almost ten minutes, we were ready to go. The girls were complaining about their hair and clothing. The guys were complaining about waking up so early. It seemed we all had something to say. We made our way through the maze of wheat and to the dense, towering forest.

The area smelled deeply of sap and the browns of the trees blended with the soil. The forest floor was covered with a thick, fuzzy, green moss. Sun beams cut through the tree line and caused stammered light through a heavy cloud of icy fog. The trees soared high over head and made us feel quite open in the area, like a grand ballroom. The bark of the trees was rough and coarse and still dripped with condensate and morning dew.

We took our first steps in, wondering how high the trees climbed. Kyra straggled behind, sketching as she saw. about twenty feet into the forest, there was a thick white fuzz across the ground, and soon it began to climb trees. Nick ran quickly to it. He grabbed hold of it and examined it thoroughly.

"There are traces of silk." He took a deep breath through his nose. "And... And polyester."

"So what?" Emily asked.