Day 45: Lessons in Survival
The morning after Eli's dream was unusually quiet, the oppressive red sky casting its familiar, dim light over the crumbling ruins around them. The group was already awake, gathering their supplies and readying themselves to move. Cass had been up since before dawn, her eyes sharp as she looked over the horizon, keeping watch while the others slept.
Ben clung to her side, his small hand wrapped tightly around her shirt as if he were afraid she might disappear if he let go. His eyes were puffy, his face still streaked with the remnants of tears from the night before, but there was something different about him now. He wasn't crying—he was watching. His wide, innocent eyes darted around the ruins, taking everything in. It was the look of a child who had seen too much but hadn't fully processed it yet.
Eli noticed the way Cass stayed close to Ben, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder, guiding him without saying much. There was a tenderness in the way she looked after him, a quiet protectiveness that Eli hadn't expected from her. Cass had always been tough, hardened by the world, but with Ben, there was a softer side. She had become something like a mother to him in the short time they had found him.
As they began to walk, Cass spoke, her voice calm but firm. "We need to start training."
Eli, still groggy from the night and the weight of his dream, blinked in confusion. "Training? What do you mean?"
Cass glanced down at Ben, then looked back at the rest of the group. "We can't protect him forever. He needs to learn how to protect himself. We all do."
Luke, who had been checking his bow, raised an eyebrow. "He's just a kid, Cass."
Cass didn't flinch. "I know that. But this world isn't going to care that he's a kid. He's got to learn how to survive, and that means learning how to defend himself. We'll start small, but he needs to be ready for what's out there."
Ben looked up at her, his eyes wide and uncertain. He didn't say anything, but Eli could see the fear in his expression. He was just a boy—too young to understand the full extent of the danger they faced. But Cass was right. The world didn't care about his age. It didn't care about anything but survival.
Raya nodded in agreement, her voice quiet but sure. "It's not just about Ben. We all need to be stronger. We've been lucky so far, but luck won't last forever."
Eli felt a knot form in his stomach as he glanced at the others. They had been surviving—barely. Every day was a struggle, every encounter with the looters or the creatures that roamed the ruins brought them closer to the edge. They had escaped by the skin of their teeth more times than he could count. Cass was right—they needed to be better prepared. Stronger.
"How do we start?" Eli asked, his voice steady but uncertain.
Cass looked at him, her eyes sharp and determined. "We'll take it slow. First, Ben needs to learn how to stay calm in dangerous situations. We'll teach him how to hide, how to move quietly. Later, we'll work on defense."
Ben's small hands tightened on Cass's shirt, his gaze fixed on the ground. He was scared—terrified, really—but Eli could see something else in his eyes too. Determination. He didn't want to be a burden. He didn't want to be the one who needed saving all the time.
"Ben," Cass said softly, kneeling down to his level. "I'm going to teach you how to stay safe, okay? You don't have to be scared. We're going to do this together."
The boy looked up at her, his lip trembling, but he nodded. He didn't say anything, but the way he clung to Cass told Eli all he needed to know. He trusted her. He trusted all of them.
Cass smiled, a rare softness in her expression. "Good. We'll start with something easy."
The training began slowly. Cass led them to a more open area within the ruins, a section where the broken walls and debris provided plenty of cover but also enough space to move. It was quiet here—no signs of looters, no creatures. It was as safe as they could hope for in this world.
Cass started with the basics—teaching Ben how to hide properly, how to move silently across broken ground without making too much noise. She showed him how to use his small size to his advantage, slipping into cracks and spaces where the rest of them couldn't follow. Ben was hesitant at first, but Cass's calm, patient instruction slowly brought him out of his shell.
"Watch where you step," she said gently, guiding him through the rubble. "Keep your movements slow, careful. If you can stay quiet, you can stay safe."
Ben followed her lead, his movements clumsy at first but improving with each step. Eli watched, impressed by how quickly the boy was learning. He was scared, yes, but he was also determined. And Cass was teaching him not just how to survive but how to trust himself.
As Ben practiced hiding, Cass turned to the rest of the group. "We all need to improve," she said, her voice taking on its usual edge. "The looters… they won't stop. They'll come for us again. We need to be ready."
Luke nodded, already standing with his bow at the ready. "I've been practicing with the bow, but it wouldn't hurt to go over some defensive moves."
Raya stepped forward, her face set in determination. "I can help with that. I'm quick, and I know how to get out of tight spots."
Cass gave a curt nod. "Good. We'll start with hand-to-hand combat. Learning how to defend ourselves if we're unarmed is just as important as being able to use a weapon."
Eli felt a flicker of nervousness at the thought of hand-to-hand training. He had never been much of a fighter—he'd always relied more on quick thinking and running away when things got too dangerous. But Cass's words had a weight to them. They couldn't rely on luck anymore.
Cass worked with them one by one, starting with basic moves—how to block, how to disarm an attacker, how to use their opponent's strength against them. Eli struggled at first, his movements clumsy and unsure, but Cass was patient, guiding him through each move with a firm hand. Slowly, he began to get the hang of it, feeling the weight of his own body in a new way.
Luke was surprisingly good at it, his movements quick and precise, though he still favored his bow. Raya, as expected, was fast—her agility making up for her smaller size. She darted in and out of the practice moves with ease, her eyes always focused, always calculating.
Ben watched them closely, his wide eyes following every movement. He wasn't ready for this yet—Cass knew that—but Eli could see that he was learning just by watching.
The hours passed, and by the time the red sky began to dim again, Eli felt the exhaustion settling into his bones. His muscles ached from the training, but there was something else there too. A sense of accomplishment. They were getting stronger. Little by little, they were learning how to survive.
Cass sat with Ben as the others gathered around, her hand resting on his small shoulder. "You did well today," she said softly, her voice full of that rare warmth again. "We'll keep practicing. You're going to get stronger, I promise."
Ben nodded, his face still serious, but there was a small glimmer of pride in his eyes. He was scared—Eli could see that—but he was also starting to believe that he could do it. He could survive. He could protect himself.
Eli glanced at Cass, the way she was with Ben, and felt a small pang of admiration. She had taken on so much—more than any of them knew. She wasn't just leading them; she was making sure they all stayed strong, stayed alive.
As they settled in for the night, Eli couldn't help but feel a small flicker of hope. They had a long way to go, and the world was still dangerous, still broken. But now, they were preparing for it. They weren't just surviving anymore—they were learning how to fight back. And with Ben at their side, Eli knew they had even more reason to keep going.
Tomorrow would bring more dangers, more threats. But tonight, they had something more. Something stronger.
They had each other.