The second birth of Humanity

Chapter 3

All the siblings and friends were now in what used to be a market. A giant sign with the name 'Walmart' was on the roof of the place. Cole, Nikky and Cole, all together, forced the door. They were now walking in the alleys, searching for anything that could be useful. They had already food some food in cans and now, they were looking for things that could be useful for sleeping. The twilight was there, and the other members must have noticed their absence by now.

Or at least, that's what they were hoping for.

There was a nauseating smell everywhere in the market, whatever where they were. Milo had come back, running, because he had found what was producing that smell. There was fresh fruit in there. Not exactly fresh, because it was there for more than ten years. They were disgusted, but finally don't really take care of that.

The moon was now shining in the sky. They were all in their sleeping bags (found in the market), around a fire they had succeeded to do and staring at the moon and the stars through the window. They were all sleeping, except Milo. He had volunteered to do the first watching tour. There was probably nobody expects them it that old city and, in these ruins, but it was safer it someone was watching. The heat of the desert and California were gone. The night was freezing.

The thing they didn't know, it's what was happening in the underground shelter. There was a crowd around the men who just came back. They were already in shocked, but all these people were not helping it. Their chief came and asked them to explain what happened and where were the children and the other car. Mike was going to speak when he saw the look that Milo's father was giving him. His words were stuck in his throat. He was already devastated, and it was everything except helping him. He took a deep breath and started to speak.

"Alright, hum... I don't really know where I should start." Mike hesitated.

"By the beginning, maybe." He heard his wife's voice.

He looked up and found her. She knew that her children were not back, and they could be dead, but she didn't look angry at all. She looked sorry for her husband.

"When we ... got outside, we stopped the two cars to discuss all the adults together. My ... children and their friend were all sleeping in their car. We..."

"You had an argument with them, hadn't you? I heard you this morning speaking to them." Declared a man that Mike knew only by sight.

"Yes, that's true. I had an argument with my children. That's why they were all in the same car. Whatever... Jordy, Benjamin and these," he said by pointing his colleagues." Wanted to split use in two different sections of the city. To cover more space. I didn't want to, but they voted, and they were all for it. Jordy and Benjamin woke the kids up so they could contemplate the landscape. They left for the south and we left for the north of the city. We were supposed to meet each other at 7 p.m. in the middle of the way that leads to the tunnel. They never showed up. We tried to see if we could see anything on the road, but no. No clues. They're lost in the city and they could be..." He stopped there, incapable to finish his sentence and his eyes full of tears and his throat completely dry.

The crowd around them was yelling. All the men on the stage were uncomfortable, they didn't know how to react in front of so much anger.

"ENOUGH!" cried the chief.

The silence was back in half a second. Nobody would risk to do something again his will. He was the chief and it wasn't for nothing.

"I want all of you to go back to your houses. I don't want to hear a single disagreement. I want everyone gone in five. I'll deal myself with these men. So now, LEAVE!"

Everyone jump of surprise and in less than five minutes, the central place was totally empty.

The chief spoke with him for two hours straight. The plan was simple: they would go, them and other people, outside every day until they find Cole, Nikky, Elessy and Milo. Cole and Nikky were young adults, but they didn't know enough about the outside world. They could protect the two youngest, but for how long?