The Rabbit's Den

A Broken Heart

Kaleb didn't know how long he had been running, he ran past the point where his chest and legs ached; past the point where the adrenaline took over; past the point where the air stung his dry throat, he had ran until he collapsed. His heart raced, and the dizziness took hold as he lay on the damp ground. The world above him was spinning as the sun pulled past the afternoon sky, but every time he closed his eyes all he could see was Lenora's lifeless body. If he could have at that moment, he would have screamed, but a dry whistling sound is all that came. He couldn't bring himself to stand up, to go any further. So, he laid there on the damp forest floor and cried until even that was too much, and finally gave in to sleep.

Had they had any ill intent, Kaleb would probably already had been killed. There were three people that stood above the bare footed, bloody and broken boy. They had seen him as they drew close on their own excursion, thinking some poor soul had been killed and robbed by a group of Ferals. Only when they were right up on him, could they see the shallow breaths in the movement of his belly. Someone had battered the boy, that was for sure, but he was alive.

Dove slowly lowered herself down to him, not wanting to spook the boy she gently touched the arm that was laid outstretched on the ground, "Hey are you in there?" She asked softly. Kaleb's reaction was explosive; throwing is body up and shuffling away from the trio. He had let out a scream, but it was only incoherent noise. "It's okay boy, we aren't here to hurt you." The man was big and burly, somewhat reminding Kaleb of Jacque. His dark beard covered his face all the way up to the tattered baseball cap on top of his head. He stood out from this group much like Trixie had stood out in hers.

The middle-aged woman who had woke him was tall, with her short red hair sticking out in all directions. The other man looked much like the woman in his appearance but somehow was even more washed out than she was. "My name's Dove, this here is my brother Sky and our friend Walter." She said as she pointed at the men with her. She was still on the ground where she had touched him. "Why are you out here, and like this?", Pointing at his bloody feet she had the look of a concerned mother. Kaleb's heart was going a mile a minute, "Ferals." He managed to get out; his mouth and throat were so dry the word rattled.

"Here give him some water." Walter said as he handed Dove the old jug. She set the jug on the ground and pushed it towards him. Slowly he shifted himself to it and drank, it hurt but his body was screaming for it. As he looked at the small group of people and the weapons, they clearly carried he thought to himself that they didn't look like Ferals. In fact, if they were just looking to kill him they could have done it already. "We don't have any shoes with us, but we know where to get some. Do you want to come with us?" Walter asked him, he too had a concerned look on his face. Kaleb didn't say anything he just nodded.

Limping along with this group of strangers for a couple miles they came to what looked like a truck stop at one point. The paved road that led up to it was long since crumbling and the vegetation outside had begun to swallow up the building. They led him inside, where they had been clearly living for a while comfortably. Dove sat down in front of him and tended to the wounds on his feet with clean water. She picked rock and pieces of wood out of the cuts. "Sky would you bring me those tennis shoes we found that were too big for you?" Dove's voice was soft, and familiar. Sky stared at Kaleb for a moment the disappeared into the back, he could tell that Sky didn't trust him.

"Why do you live so close to a Feral camp?" Kaleb asked as Sky handed him the shoes and a pair of tube socks. "We don't the closest camp is over ten miles away." Walter said. Had he really run that far? Even ten miles was too close. He looked at them curiously, "That's still too close, and there is a WOLF city this way. That's just as dangerous." Dove nodded, "We stopped here when winter set in. We're headed to the city." Kaleb winced as he pulled the socks over the cuts, "Why would you willingly be headed to the city?"