The Thirteenth Colony (State Humans/Country Humans)

Chapter 17: Why Keep Struggling

"Are we there yet?" Jersey whined as snow crunched beneath his boots. Through clenched teeth, Vermont replied, "If you ask that one more time, I'm gonna make sure you never get there."

Jersey held his hands up defensively, "Hey, at least I'm keeping pace, unlike someone I know who has to be dragged everywhere." Further back in the group, Rhode sat up from her position laying down on the back of a sled pulled by Pennsylvania. "You know dam well I'm too short to keep up on foot. Remember that snowstorm Hampshire had to drag us out of? I'd be dead if it wasn't for Penn here. If you wanna point figures though, I can think of a certain someone who stopped us to shoot every single deer she saw."

CT scoffed and blew a strand of loose hair out of her face. Just as she was about to respond though, she raised her musket towards the nearby shrubbery. As the colonies turned towards the bushes, most began to to raise muskets and flintlocks. Then everyone in the group went wide eyed as a figure fell through some foliage face first into the ground. And not just any figure, "Mass!?" CT yelled in a mix a surprise and alarm.

Breaking her usual silent demeanor. Maryland began issuing short commands. "Connecticut and Vermont, go check the woods and see if he was followed. York, Rhode, and Hampshire, check Massachusetts condition and treat him for what you can. Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, secure a perimeter around us. I'm goi'"

CT didn't hear the last words before she had disappeared into the woods.

One Hour Later

All the colonies had regrouped into a loose circle around the road, "We stabilized him for now, but I'm not sure how long it'll last." York said gloomily. "If we can get him to south she could probably patch him up. She's the only one really skilled in medicine." Rhode added hopefully.

"We can't just bring Mass up to a battlefield, aside from him probably dying, we'd have to waste men and resources looking after him." CT spoke with the coolness of someone who was simply stating a fact, not putting in their opinion. "I doubt he'd live long enough to be a problem. Those are some serious stab wounds."

No one said the obvious possibility that Mass may be beyond saving. No one felt the need to. And no one was going to allow the possibility come true.

"Delawre, Penn, give me a hand getting him in a wagon." CT said, moving grab Masses legs. Soon they propped him up in the back of a supply wagon. "We'll continue North, just get him to South Carolina." CT nodded as she hopped into shotgun.

"CT, here." York held up his Wheelock pistol to throw up to CT. "Your going into pirate and bandit territory with three people. You'll probably need it more than me."

CT looked at the pistol. It was truly a beautiful piece, with an eagle engraved on the barrel and a beever on it's grip. He had always treasured the weapon, boasting of having the only Wheelock of the colonies. "I'll make sure to bring it back to you."

"Dam straight you'll bring it back, along with everyone else." Rhode yelled after them as she the carriage began to roll out. "CT, you never actually told us where we're going." Delaware sat his musket over his lap. "The only person on this dam continent that could stitch him up, South."

"Gotta say, I never thought you would be the one to jump into action to save him." Penn chimed in with his gravely voice from the coach.

"Makes me think you two didn't hate each other so much after all." Delaware trailed off. CT scoffed, "I've always hated him always will hate him. Still, A person's life is more valuable than anything, and should always be protected, and never threatened or taken with a dam good reason." The carriage fell silent after that. Neither of the brothers had expected their sister to say something quite so serious.

As the wagon went on its way, CT saw a deer in the corner of her eye. She had killed it a day before, shooting it in the side, and stabbing it in the neck to finish it. The animal still had its fur and meet it had when she killed it, aside from the little that had decomposed. After all, she hadn't killed it for resources.

Two Days Ago/ CT'S Journal

It's getting tougher and tougher, 88 animals in the past two days.

So, yeah, it's been a while. I had a shit ton of stuff going on and never really was able to write, and also a chunk of this chapter got deleted because of a glitch.

Sorry that its a bit shorter than usual, the problem with this chapter is that I needed to talk about the northern states I planned on covering more in second book. So I had to advance the story and elaborate on the characters a bit more.

For anybody wondering about why CT has her current character ark that's sort of showing up in this chapter, there is pretty much no reason. I have a personality for each of the thirteen based off their history and stuff, but I couldn't figure out how to do Connecticut. The only real thing I could find is that it has the best passing rate for public schools of any state, and I couldn't really make character out of that.

Also for anyone wondering what a wheelock pistol is, it's basically a pistol that can be constantly ready to fire a bullet, something most guns of the time, couldn't. They where very expensive though, only being carried by high ranking officers, and profesions where it was essential like assassins or calvarymen.

I'm running out of pun ideas

Last weeks joke: There is no/ pun, get in the van

This weeks joke: What did one ocean say to the other ocean?