The 25th day of their travel arrived, finally. Their arrival at the northern pier was scheduled to happen on that day.
Owen had dark circles around his eyes. The group had been driving nonstop for several hours all day with pauses just to refuel the tank. They drove for almost twenty-two hours a day for three days. They switched the drivers in order to maintain their sleep, but even so, they wouldn't have too many hours of sleep once they got to settle down while their partners drove.
The only one that could get enough sleep and rest was Will. However, that was just because he had a lot of students who knew how to drive a bus properly, so he could get some hours more than Scott, Lisa, Sarah, and Owen.
'Because of all the stops and detours we need to make throughout the travel, we delayed a trip that would last for a week or so in nearly one month. The Dreads are growing stronger each day, their senses are sharpening, and it makes the encounters more frequent. Last day was the fifth day in a row in which we needed to run away from them...' Thought Owen.
He looked to his wife. Owen was letting her take some more hours of sleep without her noticing. Also, when she was awake, she gave more attention to Alysson than him, so he found it better to maintain her rest. Those tiny actions were helping him to feel like becoming a better human so he kept doing it.
'I am glad that we took these when we went to a drugstore in one of the stops...' He secretly took some pills from the glove compartment and gulped them without water. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to stay awake when driving seventeen hours a day while sleeping just four or three when I get time.'
He looked at his clock, then to the road. He didn't know for how long they would need to keep driving to arrive at the city where the northern pier was. However, he guessed that he had yet to drive for five hours straight.
While Owen was fighting with his sleepiness, Scott and Sarah were doing their turns fairly and squarely. They divided into 16/8 their schedule and it seemed to be a good thing for their bodies. They couldn't get the eight hours of sleep in their free time since they had other things to do, and there was always a stop to go and stock more food or do their necessities, but at least six was a sure thing.
They were expecting to arrive at their final stop soon, and according to the map they could get, it would be the town they would need to go across to reach the pier.
It was a touristic coastal town with the name of Atlantis. They both had visited the place before, and never a trip to Atlantis was so long as that one was. They expected to see that beautiful and busy place devasted and deserted thoroughly, but they couldn't assume anything until they arrived there.
The couple had their bad times throughout the travel, but they were the most easy-going in their intimacy than the others. Owen and Lisa were always arguing, and more rebels and hardheaded people appeared among the students led by Will. The professor was growing stronger each day, but those youths showed to be harder to deal with than expected.
After the 18th day, stress was constant among the group. They could feel that they were getting distant slowly. If the end of that trip didn't arrive soon, something bad could happen, and they would start to go each one in their ways.
'It is undeniable that we stay together till the end helped a lot on how we dealt with the problems, though. We wouldn't be able to survive if we didn't find each other on that gas station and decided to go on this travel together.' Sarah thought, looking at the street and feeling sleepy. It was her time to rest, so Scott was driving the firetruck.
The ex-lawyer was holding the baby in her arms. That little cutie was being very obedient throughout that traveling. He got sick one time, but they could solve the problem quickly.
Of course, it was hard to take care of a child, particularly in the conditions and situation they were in. They always needed to struggle to find basic things like diapers, pacifiers, toys, and the right milk and vitamins to give to him. Fortunately, when they founded, they could get plenty of it for him.
Anyway, Sarah was feeling fulfilled, despite all the troubles. She finally felt a weight falling from their shoulders. Now she had a real family, even if the circumstances weren't the best. Sarah had a family she loved, and that loved her as well.
Between the couple was a rifle positioned. They found that thing on a small and rustic store located in a random and desert part of the road, behind the balcony. Whoever was the person running that business, the guy seemed to act in an old-fashioned way. It was a Winchester 30, according to Scott.
'I hope we can get safe to that town. Our goal is so near! I am excited about it.'
She glanced at Scott and saw that he was still trying to synchronize the radio.
"You know that they are probably dead by now, right? They were talking too much... Probably the government cut them." She spoke with her eyes closed and a tired voice.
"I know. But I still have hope. If we could survive for so long, it was because those scientists were telling the most dangerous assentments in Saphyr, explaining about the Dreads and the Apocalypse in general... and giving us the certainty that a brighter future awaits once we get to the pier."
"Yes. I know how grateful you are for those two strangers. I know they helped a lot, but we can't spend our energies or overthink it by now. We need to save our fuel to most important things."
After she said it, Scott slowly, but with a bitter expression, let go of the radio and just focused on the street.
"You are right... You are right." He repeated as if convincing himself that it was the best thing to do.
Now, in the bus, Will was the one taking the turn to drive. The students were quiet after a whole week arguing and making his life seem like hell.
The man was doing a nice job as a leader. However, the most annoying thing was the lack of cooperation that those youths had. They were getting stressed each day more, and it was making their relationship harder.
Will was glad that they were getting into a better time since everyone was so excited about their arrival, but he wondered what would happen if something went wrong.
Nonetheless, the professor was sure about something:
'If we get to that town and things don't go well, I will break tides with them. I will do it with my mind soothed and cleared because until now I did my best for these youths. If the time comes when I need to leave them behind and stick to Owen, Sarah, Scott, and Lisa, I will do it for sure.'
The beard of the professor was growing up, and he didn't bother to cut it. His hair was not too well-cared, but it was far from ugly. He had lost a lot of weight and muscles appeared here and there, substituting all the fat he had.
Those days, he felt like a real man. He was finally feeling that his path was making sense. He felt useful.
In the middle of his rambling, the professor looked to the left rearview mirror of the bus. By chance, he noticed that something was off in the distance on the road.
The man leaned his body to the side, getting near it and analyzing what he was seeing. His glasses broke long ago, so his vision wasn't the best. He decided to call a student to help him with that.
"Hey, Michael. Come here. Can you see what is going on behind us, far away in the road?" He asked while pointing behind.
The student poked his head out of the window and stayed silent for a whole minute. Then, after his body shivered, he fell silent for another minute.
"Hey. Hey, Michael, what's happening!?" The professor pulled him inside the bus again.
The student looked at him with panic in his eyes. He was trembling all over, sweat running down his forehead as he started to stutter when explaining to the professor what he saw.
"T-there is a h-huge horde of Dreads coming this way. They seem to be an entire army marching toward us!" He cried, alarming all of the other students there.
Will looked at him perplexed, his jaw dropping slowly.
"Oh, shit..."