☢︎︎---☢︎︎
"Today, the elect will be chosen.
Today, for five of you, everything will change. You will be honored no matter the outcome but I believe the outcome will be life. For you, your families, the children, the entire civilization we've...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
They'd made a group decision to pack for two days in case they got too far to travel back. They decided it was better to stay out than to try and navigate the brush at night. They knew where they'd be going was past where their maps had taken them.
Besides leaves suddenly moving at the tops of trees like an animal had leaped from one branch to another, none of them had ever thought that there would be more people. People here long before them.
The Ark always taught that nothing survived the bombs and all that radiation. Everything had to start over and that's what they came in. Now that there might be something else out there, that theory proved to be just that. A theory.
Armada was the first to notice something off as they reached the eight mile point. For the past three miles, the trees and leaves weren't just moving, they were moving with them. Either there was a curious animal or someone was following them.
She shared her concerns with the group but it seemed only Reese headed her warning. Shiloh was the quiet type so he didn't have much to say anyway but Auden, loud obnoxious Auden, attracted the whole forest with his breathing.
"What if the mist comes back?" Auden asked aloud. "Then we run." Reese said simply. "Come on, Reese!" Auden shouted. "There's got to be caves if you guys would listen to me-"
Armada cut him off. "If you don't turn down your voice, the only thing you'll be listening to is the sound of my fist breaking your nose."
"There's nothing in the damn trees." Auden raised his arm and patted a tree beside him. "Whose to say it's not a curious little monkey? They love trees."
Armada rolled her eyes. "You're right they do. Is that why you're so good a climbing?" "How'd you know?" He gave her a smirk as they kept going. "What the hell do we even look for?"
Reese sighed. "While you've been yammering, Armada and I have been looking for tracks. Footprints, animal bones-" "I've spotted six different types of medicinal herbs." Shiloh stated as he opened his hands to reveal the various flowers and leaves he's plucked straight from the ground. "The roots are healthy. We can replant them at the pod."
"Perfect." Armada wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "A few more and we could have a full blown garden. Just like your parents." She smiled at Shiloh and his smart brain. "What was it that you do again, Auden? I can't seem to remember.." her voice trailed off dripping with sarcasm as she placed a finger on her lip in fake thought.
"Ha ha." Auden said dryly. "Walk into my blade and find out, Army." He winked at her. "No fighting in the woods." Reese spoke sternly but wore a small smile.
"Yeah no fighting in the woods!" Auden shouts and shoved Armada's arm, resulting in her falling over the thick roots of a tall tree. The three of them stopped and exchanged looks as Armada stood and brushed herself off, giving Auden a death glare.
