Page 3 of Shattered World

“Second, we find an abandoned place for shelter. There are too many people and too many unknowns to stay on the street.”

They all waited for more, but that was the best I had. We were in a new city, surrounded by new people, but the threat was still the same. And until we could figure out where these bunkers were, my priority was keeping us all safe.

Chapter Two

Our departure from the train station was easier than anticipated. Due to the unexpected influx of people, it was easy to slip through the crowd with a few shoves.

Once we exited the initial chaos, our bodies flowed with the wave of others, traipsing through the streets littered with homes and businesses. The sight of so many people shocked me. I was so used to desolate streets, my senses were in overdrive.

The buildings around us weren’t large, but a distance away, the skyline was littered with tall buildings and I knew that was Chicago. I had no clue where the bunkers were located, where information would be held, but my gut told me we needed to get to the city.

Peeling off of the crowd, footsteps followed behind me as I stepped over broken glass and into an abandoned pizzeria. We had always wondered if the destruction of our towns washappening around the world and months later, I finally had the answer. It seemed no part of the country had been spared.

“What are you thinking, Lessy?” Aiden asked, his gaze scanning the inside of the restaurant.

Murphy stood at my side, gripping my hand tightly in his, giving me encouragement. “We need to get to the city. Everyone in this area is either working with the government or has no clue what’s going on. I think if we get to the city, we’ll be able to find some answers about the bunkers.”

“Any idea on how to get there?” Mina asked.

Sasha laughed at her side, her eyes wide. “Or how long that’s going to take? I thought we were finally past the endless walking.”

“I have no idea.” I glanced between the two. “On either account. But the buildings are hard to miss, so we at least have a reference point.”

All heads nodded in agreement, no one else having a better idea.

“What about food? We haven’t eaten in almost a day.”

My eyes widened at the sound of Elizabeth’s voice. Neither she nor the twins had spoken since the train left Montana. I knew the silence had been due to grief. But as our eyes met, her face set in a stern expression; I realized the grief had taken a backseat to the determination of a mother desperate to save her kids.

“We’ll have to stop tonight for a place to stay. We’ll find food then,” Murphy said, and Elizabeth gave a single curt nod.

“What are we waiting for, then? I haven’t walked in two days, feels unnatural.”

My lips quirked up at Sasha’s dry humor, the closest to a smile I would get for a long time to come. Not waiting for any more conversation, I headed out of the restaurant, Murphy at my side, my eyes set forward to the skyline.

The walk was easier than any we had done in Montana. There were no woods to traipse through, no long highways to wear you out. There had to be hundreds of suburbs in the area, all leading to the city.

However, even the easy steps didn’t help with the exhaustion, especially as all our stomachs started to twist with hunger.

Lucas was the first to start complaining, his soft whispers to his mom about being hungry too loud in the quiet streets. The crowds we had left behind had either stayed in the area or were already holed up in a safe space for the night. But not us.

Unfortunately, Lucas’ words had a domino effect, and soon, none of us could ignore the pangs of hunger.

“If we don’t stop soon, I’m going to eat a leaf off of one of these trees,” Aiden groaned, flicking a branch from a large tree in a yard we passed.

“You should. You missed out on months of eating nothing but leaves in the woods.”

Aiden smirked, nudging his shoulder against mine. “She jokes.”

“She’s trying,” I admitted, and he slung his arm over my shoulders.

“There were two dates the trains were leaving. They still have a chance,” Aiden whispered, quiet enough that no one could hear, specifically Murphy, who walked behind us with Sasha and Mina.

At some point on the train, after the tears faded, I had the same thought. Our train had been one of the first, but that didn’t mean it was the last. Rainer and Warner were two of the most resourceful people I knew.

But hope was a fragile thing. I knew that better than most people. How long had I held onto hope in those woods, only for it to be shattered by reality?

“I can’t think about that,” I told Aiden.

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