Survival Of The Fittest/By Taran

Chapter 5

We are all ready to get going. Isaac helps his grandmother get up. He still has someone he cares about. Someone, he's really close to. She pats his back and he laughs at something she has said. He doesn't want anyone seeing him laugh. I find it really strange. How scared he is of others seeing that side of him. Showing love. Laughing. Smiling. All of the things that make people happy. Yet he hides it.

I look to the ground the minute he turns around to me, not wanting him to see that I had seen how sweet he was being with his grandmother. How different he was.

"Uh, Millie," He scratches the back of his head. "The tent?" He points at the tent that's still up.

I take a deep breath, "Someone else will come along and use it. We can keep it here for them. I just can't."

He wanted to take it with him. He fidgets with the string on his backpack before giving me a nod, "That's ok. We don't take it." He gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

I take one last look at the tent. The tent Noah and I shared. The last thing that was his.
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Isaac gathers everyone around. "Okay. It's going to be a very long walk today. We must travel at least out from Fitzgerald to Fort Smith located in the North West Territories. It's going to take about 5 hours. If we don't quite make it to Fort Smith, that's ok. But we need to be close." Isaac puts the map back into his pocket.

"It's another city," I say, restless.

"That why we need to be extra careful" Isaac looks at everyone. "Stay close. Weapons by your sides at all times."

I flinch when he hands me a Tec 9. A different gun than I had used earlier.

"This is probably better to give you." I nod in agreement. I didn't want the gun I shot Noah with.

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It's probably been 2 hours now. I think. No one knows. Our phones have been useless, to begin with, but we have them with us in case we come across a town or city still running with electricity.

I hold Carter's hand, happy to see him in such a good mood again

"Mom always used to make the best pie. Name any pie and momma is the best at it," he swings our arms back and forth. "Maybe there will be an oven or a bakery we could get pies." I giggle.

"Yes. Sure, honey." Julie kisses her son on the cheek, fixing his hair.

"I need to sit, Isaac darling." His grandmother says. "My ankles seem to be swelling up quite a bit, you see."

She slowly makes herself comfortable on the dead grass peeking through a bunch of leaves.

Isaac stops. "Nana. We can't." I give Isaac a nudge on the arm.

"That's ok Claire. We can sit here for 20 minutes. Is that ok?" I ask making myself comfortable next to her.

"See. It's ok" Claire says to Isaac. He lets out a sigh and directs everyone to rest their things and sit.

The breeze is warm and the colourful leaves lay still on the grass. But out of the quiet woods, a whistle sounds. A human.

Isaac puts his finger to his lips telling everyone to keep quiet. He gets up slowly, pointing his finger to get us all behind a bush. "Move." He whispers.

He takes his gun out in front of him and we all just watch. Hiding.

I take out the tec 9 pointing it where Isaac heads.

The whistling closer and louder. "Who's there?" As Isaac asks, the whistler stops.

"No guns, I hope. I ain't got any." The man yells back.