Day 44: Anger Uncontrolled
The heat of the red sky bore down on them as the group moved through the broken streets. The ruins stretched endlessly before them, jagged edges of what had once been a world people could recognize. But now, there was nothing recognizable, nothing but death and decay—and, as of today, the image of Ben, huddled beneath the lifeless bodies of his parents.
Eli's mind burned with the memory. He couldn't get the image out of his head: Ben's wide, tear-filled eyes, staring up at them from beneath the corpses. The boy's parents had hidden him, sacrificed themselves so he could live, and the looters—those heartless scavengers—had taken everything from them. It churned in Eli's gut like poison.
They had barely been walking an hour since finding Ben, but it felt like the weight of the world had doubled. Cass carried the boy in her arms, his small hands clutching her tightly, his face buried in her shoulder. He wasn't making a sound now—just the occasional quiet sniffle—but Eli could see the exhaustion in his eyes, the shock still gripping him.
Eli's fists were clenched, the anger bubbling up inside him like a volcano about to erupt. The looters had done this. They had stripped this boy's family of everything, left them for dead, and the kid had survived only because his parents had hidden him. What kind of people could do that?
"They did this," Eli muttered under his breath, his voice shaking with rage. "The looters. They killed his parents. Left him with nothing."
Luke, walking beside him, kept his eyes forward, though Eli could see the tension in his face. "We've seen it before," Luke said quietly, though there was no comfort in his words. "It's just… what the world is now."
Eli snapped his head toward Luke, unable to hold it in anymore. "What, that makes it okay?" His voice was louder than he intended, and the others glanced back, but Eli didn't care. "They killed his parents, Luke. Looted them like they were nothing."
Cass said nothing, keeping her focus on Ben. Her face was unreadable, but Eli knew she was feeling it too. The boy had lost everything in an instant, and now they were responsible for him.
Raya's gaze was fixed ahead, but she spoke softly, her voice carrying the same edge Eli felt. "It's not okay. But it's how it is."
Eli's blood boiled. He knew what they were saying was true. This world had taken everything from everyone—families, friends, futures. But seeing it firsthand, seeing how it had destroyed this boy's life… It was too much.
"It shouldn't be this way," Eli muttered, his voice tight. "He's just a kid."
Ahead of them, Cass stopped by a crumbled wall, her eyes never leaving Ben. She crouched down, gently pulling the boy into her lap as she knelt. "I know," she said softly, stroking his hair as he clung to her. "But all we can do is keep him safe now."
Ben trembled in her arms, his small body shaking, though he made no sound. Cass's hand moved slowly through his hair, her voice soothing, almost like a lullaby. The softness in her voice, the care in her touch—it was so unlike the Cass Eli knew, but it was exactly what the boy needed.
Eli's anger flared again, the injustice of it all burning inside him. "And what happens when the looters catch up with us? They'll do it again—take everything, kill whoever they have to. And we just—what? Let it happen?"
"We don't let it happen," Cass said quietly, but there was steel in her voice. She looked up at Eli, her expression hard but calm. "We protect him. And we protect ourselves. That's all we can do."
Eli took a deep breath, trying to rein in the fury bubbling inside him. He knew Cass was right. They couldn't change what had already happened, couldn't undo the horrors that had taken Ben's family. But that didn't make it any easier to accept.
Cass stood again, cradling Ben in her arms like a mother would, her movements slow and deliberate. "Come on," she said softly. "We need to keep moving."
As they walked, Eli couldn't stop glancing at Ben, his heart heavy with the weight of it all. The boy had lost everything, and now it was on them to keep him safe. Cass was carrying him with the kind of care Eli hadn't seen from her before. She had always been the one to lead them, the one to keep them moving forward, but now, with Ben, she was something more—something like a mother, tender and protective.
Ben clung to her as if she were the only thing keeping him tethered to the world. His face was still buried in her shoulder, his small body shaking every so often with silent sobs. Cass whispered to him softly, telling him things would be okay, that they wouldn't let anything happen to him. It was strange, seeing her this way—so gentle, so maternal—but it was exactly what the boy needed.
Eli's hands clenched into fists again as he thought about the looters. They were out there, still searching for them. And if they found them, Ben would be in danger again. They'd take whatever they wanted, destroy whatever stood in their way. Eli couldn't stand the thought of it happening again—not to Ben, not to any of them.
"They'll pay for this," Eli muttered under his breath, his voice low and full of fury.
Luke glanced at him, his expression somber. "I know. But we have to be smart about it."
Raya said nothing, but her eyes flicked toward Eli briefly, a quiet understanding passing between them. She had seen this kind of destruction before too—everyone had. But Eli wasn't sure if he could ever get used to it.
As they continued walking, Cass kept Ben close, her hand never leaving his hair. Every so often, she'd whisper something to him—soft, comforting words Eli couldn't quite hear. It was as if she was trying to shield him from the world, even if only for a little while.
Eli couldn't shake the anger boiling inside him, the helplessness of it all. But seeing Cass care for Ben like that, seeing how she was protecting him, gave him a flicker of hope. They couldn't change what had happened, but they could keep him safe. They could fight for that.
And when the looters came, Eli would make sure they never hurt Ben—or anyone—again.