One of the newcomers said while crying,
"We… we lost… we lost Mary, the animals killed her. We… we were too scared and ran away… we betrayed her…"
The girl sat there crying. One of the others came near her to comfort her. The news of Mary's death hit them hard. They started to think going back is safer.
Zoey, staying beside Emma, wiped her face and added,
"We need to cover more ground. Splitting up might be our best option. We cannot let Mary's death happen for nothing."
EmmA nodded in agreement, her gaze scanning the group.
" She's right. We need to succeed in our search for Sasha no matter what. Alright, let's regroup and divide into smaller teams. We'll cover more areas that way."
Everyone wiped their faces and stood determined. Still they had their fears Inside. The combined group gathered briefly to strategize. Some members shared provisions while others tended to minor injuries sustained during their encounters in the forest.
