Evolution

Chapter Fourteen: Splint

"How did you sleep?" Keira asked me

"Not too bad" I lied. I'd woken up on a number of different occasions.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I stood out the front of the police station, Keira beside me.

"I slept amazingly" She yawned as she stretched her arms out wide

I breathed in the fresh warm air. The rain had passed, not a single cloud in the sky. Birds had returned, singing and soaring through the empty blue sea above.

"It's such a beautiful day"

I nodded

The others remained inside, collecting the rest of their belongings.

Silence was bliss, until the door behind us burst open and out strode Arden and his men.

I gave a sigh and stood aside, watching with my arms folded over my chest. I flinched, one, because my clothes hadn't entirely dried, the dampness irritating my skin with my movements and two, because my hand was hurting like a bitch.

"Sleep well?" Arden directed towards Keira and I

"Very well thank you" Keira answered as I simply nodded

"Good, because beyond this point, I have no idea what to expect" He told us, the sentence daunting. He was the 'leader', and he didn't know what the next appropriate moves were? Maybe I should have taken my own road.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I thought the better of it.

Slowly, the rest of the clan snuck out of the station, some groaning, some stretching wide with approving eyes towards the sky and sun.

We listened to Arden explain the rules, repeating what he had the first morning I'd travelled with them. Then, we began forward, another day, another trek.

The weather, cheered me up. It gave me hope that the chances of any kind of attack from Creatures, was extremely low. Like always, I walked at the back of the pack, dragging my feet along. I looked forward, watching the others talking, enjoying the weather. Most of them were laughing, making jokes, I even saw Keira skipping at one point. It seemed that a combination of the weather and a good night's sleep, served the atmosphere well. Every time I caught myself smiling, I forced it back, pushing to swallow it into my stomach.

Walking was now as easy as breathing. It was now essential for my survival, the more I walked, the more I felt alive.
Like we had before, the next few hours spent walking were accompanied by endless roads and endless fields. It was almost as though we weren't moving at all, and if we were, it were simply in circles. It felt pointless.

Then, I felt company.

"What are you thinking about?"

I hesitated "Nothing really"

Mason cocked an eyebrow "Nothing at all?"

I shrugged "What's Austin and Tricia's deal?" My mouth escaped

"Their deal?" He repeated "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"I mean, they're all over each other, there's hot tension there" I told him as I looked ahead and saw Austin and Tricia walking together, side-by-side, their hands brushing against each other's.

Mason seemed to take careful notice of it, his head tilting side-ways

"I've never really noticed it before" He mumbled

"Are you serious?" I quirked an eyebrow

"I don't pay attention to detail like that; it seems ... I don't know, pointless?" He answered