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“Phew, I am glad that’s over. I wasn’t sure we would get out of there with all his guys coming at us. Thanks for the rescue,” Thomas said.
“You’re welcome. Yeah, if I hadn’t been able to take Bo out, it may have been a different story,” Sky said.
Troy looked around at the group of haggard and fatigued people and grinned. He was overjoyed he had been able to rescue them from Bo and his men. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the group and said, “I know it’s almost daylight, but I think we need to keep moving for a while. We can take shelter in a few hours.”
Troy strode forward to lead the group. Sky stepped next to him and scowled.
“What?” Troy said.
“After all I did to help with the rescue and you’re taking the lead?”
“Oh, well, not really. I was just moving to the front and assumed you would lead with me.” Troy groaned inwardly at the prospect of having to work side by side with the individual who caused him to fall into a raging river but didn’t have much choice if he aimed to keep the peace.
“I see. You want to work together, is that it?”
“Yes, that’s it exactly. I figure with both of us on the lookout we have a better chance of not running into any more trouble.”
“Okay, sounds all right to me.”
Troy walked back to Thomas. He rolled his eyes as he spoke with Thomas. “I expect we can make the edge of the city within a few hours. It will be slow going in the dim light, but once the sun rises, we can move along at a faster pace. I don’t want anybody getting hurt.”
“What’s with the eye roll?”
“Sky wants to help with the scouting. And...”
“Well, after what she did, let her help.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Understand what.”
“She’s the person who attacked me and caused me to fall into the river, almost killing me. In fact, she would have succeeded had it not been for this peculiar man who found me.”
“So that’s what happened. When we couldn’t find you anywhere, we thought you had died. Imagine my shock when you showed up in the tent to rescue us.”
“Yeah, I saw your face. To keep the peace, I’ll work with her, but I’m not happy about it.”
“Understood. Let’s get going. I don’t need those guys finding us if they change their minds.”
Troy traipsed back to Sky, and they both waved the group forward.
As Paulette walked along, her foot snagged on a section of rubble, causing her to stumble forward. Thomas reached out and grabbed her and kept her from slamming into the ground. “Sweetheart, you need to be a little more careful. We can’t afford any more injuries.”
“I know. It’s just this light makes it difficult to see where I’m going.”
“I agree, so let’s slow down a little.”
“Okay, darling.”
Lisa still had her splint, so Doug walked alongside her, helping her get through the rubble without falling. Lisa grinned at Doug and threw him a silly wink.
“What’s with the wink?” Doug asked.
“Oh, you know. You being all chivalrous, helping little old injured me,” Lisa laughed.
“Good grief, girl, if I didn’t help you, then you’d be flat on your face.”
“Silly you, just accept the compliment and drop it at that.” Lisa smiled as she delivered a punch at Doug’s arm.
“Ouch, that hurt.” Doug smiled as he once again grabbed Lisa and prevented her from falling.
“Thanks, I owe you one.”
“Yes, you do.”
Kaden squinted his eyes and wrinkled his forehead as he struggled to make out the shadows of debris and maneuver around and through the mess so as not to trip and fall. He concentrated so hard that when Thomas and Paulette came to a halt, he ran right into them.
“Sorry, was paying too much attention to my feet and not what was in front of me,” Kaden said.
“No problem,” Thomas replied.
Troy and Sky came back to where Thomas had stopped. “We both agree it’s time to find shelter. We're all drained and could handle some rest before we carry on,” Troy said.
“Yes, I spotted an old shattered building that seems to have some of its roof still intact, so we can hole up there for a while and get some rest,” Sky said.
“Sounds wonderful. We’re all stumbling around from being tired and not enough light. Lead us to the shelter then,” Thomas said.
Troy and Sky started walking southeast toward a more built-up area of the ruins. It took about thirty minutes for the group to traverse the ruins and make it to the shelter. Troy put his hand in the air, ordering everybody to halt for a minute while he dipped his head and went in through the opening to investigate. Troy could scarcely make out a small room that appeared to be largely unscathed. He waved his arm outside the doorway, signaling that it was safe to come in.
Thomas and Paulette dipped their heads as they walked past Troy. Locating a spot in a corner, they slumped to the floor in exhaustion. Kaden entered through the old entrance and chose a corner of the room. He too slumped to the floor. Doug and Lisa came through the door, making their way to yet another corner of the room. Doug helped Lisa get situated before joining her.
Troy found a spot in the room as far away from Sky as possible. Sky volunteered to guard the group while they slept awhile. Troy would have guard duty a few hours later. The plan was to get some much-needed rest and then begin their journey again in the afternoon.
