Chapter 20: On the Road to East Ridge
1107 Words
Constance smiled, happy that her brother could get a weapon to his liking. Behind her, a shadow cast over Evelyn's eyes.
Although firearms were common during doomsday, because of the growing rate of people with powers, some weapons were made to be much more powerful. Therefore, cold weapons were favorited by many.
Luther was skilled at sword fighting. Of course, he had only trained with the lowest quality of steel.
Luther waved the sword, then sliced in the direction of Evelyn's shoulder.
The air had quickly become cool, and everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath.
Two halves of a leaf drifted down to the floor, and Evelyn felt so afraid that she dropped to her knees.
Luther gave her a stern look, sheathed his sword, and slipped the scabbard around his waist. He said to David, "Thanks for your sword. Do you mind if I leave you with some advice?"
"You saved us, and you earned it. I don’t mind at all."
Luther continued, "Thank you. Now I would suggest you build a fence around the village. It would only be temporary, but it can keep you safe for a little while. You'd better search for other survivors before another horde of infected people come around. Better yet, find an army to protect you on your way to a better sanctuary. "
"You mean... you're leaving?" He knew that Luther would leave but he still wanted him to stay and at least to protect them for a while.
Sadly, he realized it was not possible to get Luther to stay. Before David tried to persuade him, Luther said, "Sorry, David, I have other matters to attend to. I cannot stay here."
Luther waved to Constance after he said this. They left the house and took some food and medicine with them.
Luther had given good advice for the sake of the people in the village. Whatever happens to them now is their problem.
On the way, Constance asked, "Why did you scare Evelyn like that?"
Luther spoke with an even voice, "It was her eyes…those greedy eyes. If I hadn’t warned her as I did, she wouldn’t have hesitated to try and betray us. She could have killed us if we let her."
"Really? She didn’t look very threatening to me."
Luther touched the sword, "You’ve known me for so long, I’m surprised you didn’t see it as clearly as I did.”
"If you want to know a person, you need to understand their behavior. No one gives help for nothing in return. We all grew up in a selfish and greedy society. And don't forget, Doomsday is upon us now.”
Constance fell silent. Luther knew that she disagreed with his ideas. Even though he had lived in a hell like this for ten years, his beliefs were, admittedly, radical. Only time would tell if he was right.
The next stop was East Ridge, just a few dozen miles away.
This town had a county-level scope at first glance. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, so it wasn’t a very developed area. Due to its lack of resources, the appeal to make it a county was denied.
For the next few days, the road to East Ridge had become muddy. Constance's feet were blistered. But she didn't want to slow them down, so she just followed Luther in silence.
Luther noticed that Constance was walking with a very subtle limp, so he purposely slowed down. Eventually, he stopped at a tree stump, put down his backpack, and handed a bottle of water to Constance. He took out a few different tubes and pills for pain relief and said, "Rest up and take care of yourself for a bit. I'll go get us some food."
Constance took the medicine, then had a thought and said, "Luther... I’ll go with you."
Luther knew what Constance was thinking, and smiled, "Relax. I go find some wild vegetables nearby. I won't go too far."
Constance felt afraid but nodded in agreement. Luther wouldn’t leave her behind, right?
They had experienced so many dangers along the way. He always kept them safe in even the most dangerous of situations. If he wanted to ditch her, he would have by now.
Constance scolded herself for thinking such a thing and watched her brother as he went out to search for food in the forest nearby.
Luther was not always as trustworthy as he seemed. Despite their close bond as siblings, Constance did not care so much for Luther. However, as she watched him walking now, she realized that Luther was a man she could rely on. He was a good man.
Constance knew that she depended almost entirely on Luther. He could handle many things, and she didn't help him much. In fact, she had now started to feel like nothing more than a burden on his shoulders.
She began to feel an internal struggle inside her. She didn't want to trouble Luther anymore, yet at the same time, she feared he would leave her behind. If Luther was gone, what would she do?
She wanted to help him, but with the exception of her underdeveloped powers, she did not have the skill or strength to assist him. How could she help someone so much stronger and smarter than herself?
I’m just being emotional. Breathe.
As she sat on the tree stump, she thought back on their past experiences ever since the beginning of Doomsday.
Luther picked some mountain vegetables nearby and returned, dropping them on the ground in front of her.
Constance was startled. Luther was perplexed by this, "Now’s not the time to get caught daydreaming. You should be getting accustomed to your power.”
“I’m sorry, I know,” Constance mumbled.
Luther took out the small pots and bowls and some seasonings that they found in Cedar Creek and built a fire to cook the vegetables on. As time passed, the food had grilled nicely.
As Constance looked at the food being cooked over the fire, her stomach started to growl. She hadn’t realized how hungry she had become. She eagerly took a bite of the food for herself, but quickly forgot her manners and shoveled the food into her mouth. She was a little surprised by this. "I've eaten mountain vegetables before. they’ve always tasted bitter, no matter where I’d order them. But these taste sweet. How do you do it?"
Luther chewed slowly and explained, "I froze them first, then had the bitter element of the vegetables drawn out of them. I added some seasoning and voil. It makes it less healthy than it would be…but I figured you’d like it better this way. "
His sister had often chosen the healthier of two options, but today she needed a treat. "You rock." She praised him
"Ooh, ow!
As they were eating, a voice in pain was heard nearby.
- Writer
