Page 3 of Shattered Home

However, I knew I couldn’t sit around camp any longer. I had been sitting on my ass for three months, fiddling my thumbs while everyone worked hard to take care of us. With a quick goodbye over my shoulder, I headed off into the woods, trying to think of the path I had seen the others take before.

Phone reception had gone quickly, apparently only a few days after the first attack, not that many of us even had our phones on us. However, apparently the radios were still transmitting messages. Every few days, Murphy would take off to the nearest tower, trying to get a signal and some information on what was happening.

Heading toward the right of the clearing, remembering Mina saying that they took a trail along the creek, I jogged slightly, hoping to catch up. I didn’t want to be caught alone in the woods; I had spent enough time those first five days after I ran from home.

After what felt like a few miles, my legs were aching, not used to the exercise, but I heard quiet voices ahead of me. Picking up my pace once again, I finally spotted Mina’s vibrant red hair. Sasha stood at her right side, her dark skin contrasting Mina’s pale freckles. Murphy stood to Mina’s left, his height towering over both of them.

A breath of relief left me when I didn’t spot Rainer, realizing he was probably fishing with Emmanuel. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with his biting words, not that I ever was.

Twigs snapped under my feet as I approached them, drawing their attention. Murphy spun toward me, reaching for the gun at his hip instinctually. He and Rainer never left camp without them. I was always curious how they happened to have guns on them when everything happened, but I never asked.

When Murphy realized it was me, his shoulders relaxed and he sent a brilliant smile my way. Mina and Sasha also smiled, although I could see the confusion in all their eyes. This was the first time I had ever gone out of my way to leave the camp. It was shocking that they didn’t all resent my presence.

“Is something wrong with Elizabeth and the kids?” Murphy asked when I reached them and my shoulders slumped.

Some days I could convince myself I was berating myself too much, that we were all in a rough spot and I was allowed to fall apart. But this was a stark reminder that I wasn’t being hard enough.

“I thought I could tag along.”

I held my breath as I waited for a response, wondering if they were going to tell me to turn around, but thankfully, they all agreed.

Sasha and Murphy walked ahead, Mina falling back by my side. Giving me a shy smile, she didn’t say anything, but I wasn’t surprised. She was quieter than the others, allowing the strong personalities to lead.

We walked for a few more hours; the sun rising above the tree line before we finally reached the radio tower. Murphy slung his bag off his shoulders, grabbing the radio out of the bag that they had stolen during one of their runs into town.

Walking toward the tower, he opened a box filled with buttons and wires that I would never be smart enough to understand. Connecting a few of the wires to the radio, he fiddled with the knob.

We all waited with bated breath, hoping to hear something, but only hazy frequencies bounced back at us. We stood there for close to another hour, Murphy messing with the radio, but no voices ever came.

Disappointment traveled through me, but the others didn’t seem bothered, as if this was what they expected. I guess it was, if they had heard anything by now, I was sure we wouldn’t still be living in the middle of the woods.

“Let’s head back to camp. We don’t want to have to find our way in the dark.” Murphy stuffed the radio back into his bag and took the lead once again, the rest of us following.

“Has he ever heard anything?” I whispered to Mina about an hour into the hike back, trying to keep my voice low so the others wouldn’t hear.

“Once. The first time he came here after we got the radio. But it was just a bunch of coordinates. And that was two months ago.”

Frowning, I considered her words. And I wondered if anyone else had come to the conclusion that we weren’t going to hear anything else. That maybe we truly would be stuck out here until the food ran out and winter arrived. Once that happened, we couldn’t survive here much longer. And if I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t sure how much longer I even wanted to.

Chapter Three

Afew days passed since the visit to the radio tower. And with those days came a sense of need to do something. I couldn’t keep skating by, allowing the others to keep us alive while I stewed in my sadness. Although, that was easier said than done.

“Try casting your line again.” Emmanuel tilted his head at the makeshift rod in my hands, one of the two he had crafted.

Struggling, I tried once more to cast the line that was made of green vines but to no avail. Embarrassment traveled through me, reddening my skin, but I didn’t mention anything to Emmanuel.

The gruff older man had been welcoming when I asked to join him early this morning for fishing. And as the sun started making its way higher into the sky, I commended his patience, something I figured came from raising two children.

Trying once again, I flung the pole forward, hoping to feel any sort of tug, but none came. Frustrated, I wished I had taken my dad up on the opportunity to go fishing as a child. I had gone with him and my brothers once, but quickly decided it wasn’t for me. In fact, I decided that most outdoors things weren’t for me. Which was a shame, considering how beautiful Montana was. But I enjoyed looking at the views, not being amongst them.

Another hour passed and finally Emmanuel called it a day. “Let’s get back to the others. Elizabeth can cook up some of these fish for lunch.”

He held up a row of six fish, all caught by him. Trudging back to camp, I tried to brush off the failure, reminding myself that I wouldn’t become an expert fisher in one morning. And it didn’t mean I couldn’t help out around camp in other ways.

Stepping into the clearing, everyone looked up at the sound of twigs snapping under my feet. Murphy and Rainer were closest to us and I braced myself for whatever was about to come out of Rainer’s mouth.

He waited for Emmanuel to walk past before stepping in my path. Looking around obnoxiously, he quirked a brow. “No fish for you? What a surprise.”

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