Memories of You

Chapter Twenty-Eight - Bread Crumbs

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Tris' POV

           

Christina, Marlene, Shauna, and I sit on a fallen log, drinking from our canteens, laughing at a story Shauna just recounted about Zeke losing all his clothes during one of the Dauntless card game nights. I can barely breathe listening to how Zeke had to walk back to his barracks, trying not to be seen, with just Shauna's scarf tied around his middle.  It's nice to forget that the outside world is much darker than it is right here, surrounded by these women having a good laugh — even if it is at the expense of Zeke. 

For the past three months, Sunday afternoons have continued to be our day to explore the surrounding woods off base.  It helps relieve everyone's stress from the week and has brought us closer, knowing everyone shares the same fears and anxieties.  We all know we won't judge one another for saying something off color, or even for damning the government's involvement in this war.   

We haven't received word from Tobias, Will, Uriah, or Zeke, but we keep telling one another that it's better than getting that ill-fated telegram.  It still doesn't help ease the pain of not hearing from them, but hopefully we will get something soon when the fighting calms down. 

The lists of the deceased have been coming en masse every morning as more and more bodies are identified.  The one small comfort I've gotten came last week, while checking the list of deceased.  Eric and Peter's names came up and I nearly fell to my knees in relief.  While I know I shouldn't think this way, I can't help but feel gratified, knowing that I never have to worry about them ever again, nor does any other woman for that matter. 

There hasn't been much development in the investigation of Myra's death.  When the police were finally able to search the room that Jeanine Matthews rented to Eric and Peter, they didn't find any evidence linking them to the crime, thus sealing their alibi.  I wasn't terribly surprised when I heard the news that the police didn't find anything.  Part of me feels like the police are missing something crucial to the case, but I don't know what that might be. 

"So where to now, fearless leader?" Christina asks, waving her hand toward the forest around us, interrupting my thoughts. 

I pull the worn map out of my pocket, unfolding it carefully across my lap.  I look over all the small lines crisscrossing the paper that I've marked in red ink, indicating where we've been these past few months.  It amazes me just how much terrain we've covered off base, and how we've had to go further and further away from civilization to find new trails. 

Sometimes our treks into the woods are fruitless, and we eventually just turn around to head back to take a shower.  Other times we come across small freshwater ponds that are big enough to swim in, and which provide relief from the heat of the afternoon.  In the beginning, we did consider going to the beach to escape the June heat, but we'd grown accustomed to the serenity of the woods, even before the invasion of Normandy, and would rather feel like explorers in an uncharted land.  It also served to keep us away from the prying eyes of young soldiers whose attentions we do not seek.