As the car took a left turn we went up a dirt road and I wondered how far their camp was.
The trees on the side made the ride to be a fun one but there wasn't anything fun about the situation though.
It looked serene compared to the town where we had left and as we took a turn I could see a van packed and could see clothes outside as we moved closer there were tents and people outside and children playing.
They looked so happy you would think they were in their world where everything else was perfectly fine.
The car stopped and some people started walking toward it. There were smiles on their faces as the girl and guy opened the doors, they had yet to tell me their names.
I opened the back seat door and everyone else turned to look and see who it was. I didn't know how things were going to end up but most of the time in situations like this they would probably tell you to go back to where you came from.
"And who might this be ?", asked a tall girl who was dressed in combat my best guess was that she was in the army.
"We found her on our way back ", the girl said as she looked at me probably urging me to introduce myself.
"I am Riley ", I said as I adjusted my backpack and my shotgun.
"And might I ask you how old are Riley ?", the girl asked.
From the way she was standing and questioning me, it seemed like she was the person in charge.
"Sixteen ", I said.
"Ooohh and do you know how to use that shotgun or is it just for show ?", she asked me as she walked to where I was standing.
"I know how to use it ", I said holding back and finishing the rest of the sentence.
"How amazing who taught you ?", she asked me and at this point, the other people had dispersed and we were taking the things that had. even brought back out of the booth.
"My sister taught me ", I said as I smiled at the memory.
"Then she must be one hell of a sister ", she said.
" Yeah she is ", I said.
" Come on you can stay with me in my trailer ", she said as she started walking and I followed her to her trailer.
It wasn't anything much but given the times that we were in I was grateful to have a place to sleep and a community that was with me.
" Aren't the woods dangerous ? ", I asked her as I placed down my backpack
" Yeah they are but not on this side, we haven't had any incidents since we came here two weeks ago ", she said.
" You guys look like a community do you always move like a pack like this ? ", I asked her and hoped that I hadn't asked the wrong question.
" Yeah it is safer like this because when there are more of you it is easy to protect each other than when you're two people ", she said as she handed me a slice of bread and a cup of coffee.
"I've always been alone I don't know how to be with lots of people but I think I'll manage just fine ", I said as I took off my shirt and took another from my backpack,k and changed into it.
"What about your sister ?", she asked me.
"We got separated ", I said as I sat down and started drinking my coffee and was glad that she took that as a sign that I didn't want to talk about it and left it alone.
"We are going hunting later so if you wanna join us then come after you're done with your coffee, and am Glen ", she said as she stood up and left the trailer.
As she walked away I peeked through the window as I watched them. They loomed so happy you couldn't tell that they were going through a catastrophic event.
The cold air hit my skin and blew my hair away and I could finally feel at ease. Maybe I just had to stop worrying and live in the moment.
For now, I was safe and that was all that mattered. Maybe things weren't as complicated as I made them sound but how could they not be?
I wanted things to go back to normal if there was normal that is. With the way things had escalated maybe we would never go back to normal again.
I took the locket I had been carrying all along from my pocket and opened it. She was smiling at me and I smiled back.
I could feel a tear streak down my face and wipe it away. I didn't want to look weak I was stronger than this and I was going to find her.
It was the only thing of hers that I had left and I would protect it till my last breath. For some reason, her face had started becoming blurry in my head so the picture in the locket reminded me of how she looked.
I smiled as I remembered my sixteenth birthday. I had been so happy at home with her and my parents right before the world went to shit.
I knew if she had another choice she would have chose not to go but the assignment looked like it mattered a lot to her so she left with the promise of being the next morning.
I had cried but then remembered how important her work was to her. She protected the world from evil creatures or so I thought.
I was still waiting for her to come back. There was no way she would make a promise and not live up to it right?
I am waiting for you Ophelia wherever you are, I will find you.
I took the locket and put it in my backpack and left the trailer with my gun hung on my shoulder ready for the day.