Page 12 of Shattered Home

“A small group of us will head out at sunrise tomorrow morning for the camp in town. We’ll check out the safety before we make the decision for everyone to go.”

His words were final, leaving no room for conversation. Everyone seemed to be happy to listen and I wondered when we had voted Rainer to be the leader of our little ragtag group or if the crown simply fell to his head because he knew best how to survive.

I ate my food in silence, the hope still sitting firmly against my chest. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but it was a start. And I didn’t care what anyone said, I would be leaving for that camp at sunrise tomorrow morning. If I was going to find my brothers and mom, I needed to go.

Chapter Eight

My eyes were wide as I stared up at the dusty pink sky, waiting for the first sound of movement from the others. I hadn’t fallen asleep last night, my body too jittery for the day ahead. And I’d be damned if I slept through the first flicker of the sunrise, missing my chance to scope out the camp.

Finally, I heard the shuffle of bags being gathered, and I stretched my arms over my head as I stood up. Nearly everyone was awake, toiling away in their area of the clearing, besides Elizabeth and the twins, who were still sound asleep.

Slipping on my shoes, I strolled toward Mina and Sasha, hoping to avoid detection from Rainer. He was the one who could easily spoil my plans and I figured the later he realized what was happening, the better.

“Are you both going into town?” I asked as I crouched near them, pitching my voice low.

Sasha was the one to respond, barely glancing at me as she continued to pack a bag with food and water. “I’m going with Rainer. Emmanuel doesn’t want to leave his family and Murphy’s going to stay back.”

“I’m going with you.”

Sasha’s gaze landed on me then, her hands pausing in their movements. Her furrowed brows were answer enough that she was surprised by my declaration, but her silence gave me hope that she wasn’t going to say anything to stop me. Most likely, she didn’t care enough who came and who didn’t.

The three of us sat in silence as we waited for Rainer and Murphy to finish their conversation. Whatever they were discussing had Murphy’s usual smile flattened into a frown and nerves skated up my arms. Although I could talk a big game in my head, I had no idea what lay before us. And though I hated these woods, I had grown accustomed to the safety within them. But I wasn’t going to back down, not when I was finally given the chance to find my family.

Finally, the two of them finished talking and Rainer sauntered toward us, his eyes on Sasha. Murphy followed him and when he spotted me, a slight smile graced his lips.

“Are you sure you want to go?” Mina whispered before they reached us and I could hear the concern in her voice.

Nodding, I squeezed her hand gently before standing to my full height. Sasha followed suit and it didn’t take long for Rainer to piece the puzzle together.

“Absolutely not,” he scoffed as he folded his arms over his chest, his chin held high with a haughty air of authority.

The urge to bite back was strong, but I didn’t have the same confidence as I did yesterday and so I simply stood silently, refusing to back down under Rainer’s intense stare. We stared at each other in silence for minutes, the tension building until he finally gave in.

“Fine. But if you slow us down, we’re leaving you behind.”

With those lovely words of encouragement, Rainer stomped toward the tree line, Sasha whispering a goodbye to Mina and Murphy before following. I turned to do the same, but a warm palm on my elbow stopped me.

Turning, Murphy’s eyes met mine, a frown marring his lips. “Be careful. I won’t try to tell you to stay, but listen to Rainer. He knows what he’s doing.”

Nodding, I assured him I would, and even though I loathed Rainer, I wasn’t an idiot. I didn’t think that knowing how to build a fire suddenly made me a survival expert. I’d listen to Rainer for the entirety of our trek through the woods, but once we were out? I wouldn’t be making any promises.

My feet were aching as I bit back the frustrated groan that threatened past my lips. I knew if I so much as made a sound of grievance, Rainer would be in my face, reminding me why I shouldn’t have come. So I kept my lips sealed, even as blisters split open near my heels.

I thought the past week of hiking to the radio tower had improved my endurance, but those few hour hikes were nothing compared to this. Apparently, we were much further away from civilization than I originally thought. Which made Matthew and Brett’s abysmal appearance more understandable.

We had been walking for at least seven hours already; the sun beginning to peak overhead, the blistering rays piercing my skin through the gaps in the trees. I wanted to ask how much longer the hike was because it couldn’t be that much further. The others used to run into town for supplies and make it back before night.

Sasha and Rainer walked ahead of me, several feet of space between us, and I realized Rainer hadn’t been entirely joking about leaving me behind. Obviously, he didn’t care that I was already lagging. Sighing, I pushed my legs to move further, expending as much energy as I could.

Eventually, I made it so I was only steps behind the two. They were whispering quietly every once in a while, but neither seemed keen on inviting me into their private conversation. I told myself that it didn’t bother me, why would I want to talk to them anyway? But my mind wished it were Mina and Murphy on this trip with me.

Several more hours passed and woods still surrounded us. It seemed we weren’t any closer to our destination and I couldn’t hold back my question any longer.

“How far is this town? You all used to make supply runs within a day.”

Neither of them immediately responded, and I wondered if they were going to completely ignore me. Maybe pretend like they hadn’t heard me? I knew Rainer was an asshole and Sasha was usually quiet, but I had figured she’d at least respond.

“It’s a different town. The coordinates you and Murphy heard clearly stated that,” Rainer eventually said with an eye roll.

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