Follow the Light

Chapter 11

"Grug!"

"Dad!"

As the Croods arrive, they see a peculiar sight awaiting them. Grug was patting Guy's and then lifted his hand that was stuck to his back to wave at them.

"Hey, we're okay!"

The family stops to take this in. After realizing that Grug no longer held any animosity towards Guy, Luna lets out a deep breath of relief. She staggers over to Guy, tired from all the running and worrying. He opens his arms to catch her as she collapses against him, her arms around his neck.

"I was so scared," she mumbled into his ear.

Hearing this, he tightened his arms around her. "We're gonna be alright. We're almost there."

"Mmm." She nods before releasing herself, although Guy still grabbed her hand, reluctant to actually let go.

The ground beneath their feet started shaking violently and the Croods had to jump to the side as the ground crumbled and cracked. Across the sky, meteors were streaming, signaling the coming disaster.

The Croods all turn towards their direction.

"Grug. Your call." Hoping that his change of heart would allow them to go on and live.

Grug already knows his answer. Nodding his head, he turns toward Guy and Luna.

"Take us to Tomorrow."

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Now, they are all rushing up the gun-sight and into the bright rays of the sun.

"Hurry! Come on! We're gonna make it!"

When the Croods rush toward Tomorrow, it is a golden, ethereal image created by the perfect alignment of the sun, the clouds, and the mountain. From their point of view, it looks as if they can cross a solid bridge of clouds and climb onto a waiting sun.

"You were right." Luna tightens her grip on his hand, taken away by the sight.

"There it is. The sun. We can do it! We can make it to Tomorrow!"

Even Grug is taken aback - it's there after all.

The Croods stare across the plain before feeling tremors that violently shake the ground. Huge, dark explosions disrupted the scene, coming from their right and left.

"Run!"

It seemed that the farther they ran, the distance between them and the sun remained the same. Were they really going to make it before the explosions cut them off?

Suddenly, the rift opens before them, forcing them to halt in their path. Hot gasses and blasts of hot ash bursts from the clouds from below. A shock wave knocks a large chunk of rock off of the edge the Croods were standing on, blowing them away.

Guy tucks Luna against him, shielding her from any rubble flying at them.

They get up to see that the debris had shaded the sun, revealing a very earthly landscape beyond.

Tomorrow had just vanished right in front of their eyes.

"I-I don't understand. The sun was right here. It was right here." He sounded so devastated and in disbelief.

Seeing Guy like this, makes tears fall from Luna's eyes. She grabs onto his hand, making him turn towards her. He sees that in her eyes, she was empathizing in the same emotions as him. But she was also showing him that he was not alone, not this time.