The Last of Arrows

Think. Plan. Run.

I collapsed on my knees, my vision blurring. Sweat poured down my forehead from exhaustion. My hands trembled from the lack of food. The afternoon sun shone brightly down at us, making the day hotter. For three days we had been walking. Three days since Mom's death.

We would only sleep for a couple of hours before waking up and start walking. The cycle would go on and on. Hussain wrapped an arm around my shoulders and helped me back to my feet. My eyes burned from the lack of sleep. I looked into Hussain's bloodshot eyes. "Only a couple of more minutes." He whispered in encouragement.

It took all my willpower to give him a slight nod. Odin and Jax stayed quiet beside us, not running off like any other dogs would do. Aspen was slowly walking in front of us, carrying the two sleeping kids.

Eli was behind us and Dad was leading the way. I hadn't talked to Eli much. Only a few words of exchange since we had left our home.

Dad was devastated about Mom's death, staying quiet most of the time. He barely ate or slept, less than we already did. Hussain was the most talkative out of all of us. He would sometimes talk to the little kids or to me. He was awkward and giddy most of the time, not sure what to make of himself. None of us knew how to act about Mom's death.

We continued to walk through the endless forest. Sometimes we would even spot some Plebs walking around. The rebellion attacks from neighboring cities and towns we passed were getting worse. The Plebs were running away from the danger they encountered, or the incoming danger. Some would tell us what would happen to the Elites when the Rebels killed them.

There were rebellions breaking out all over the Great Plains, according to some Plebs. We heard a few stories of the Rebels and how they were destroying everything in their wake to defy the government. Some Plebs were joining the cause, others weren't. Some of the Pleb who chose not to, were considered traitors and their fates were ended badly. 

Even though most of the rebels were Plebs, most of them would rather stay out of trouble. Cities were being burned to the ground or massacred. It was truly mortifying to think about. But being a Nomad meant not caring for them. We didn't care for destruction, we just wanted our lands back.

My eyes slowly wandered around. It felt like we were just walking around in circles. The forest was alive and full all around us. Streams trickled by, birds were singing, bugs flew around. Once in a while we would spot a deer but it bounded away before we could get our weapons out. The only prey we could catch for the past days was squirrels and rabbits.

Sometimes we were lucky enough to catch fish. I provided a lot of edible plants. Mom use to teach me which plants were edible. There wasn't any fruit, which was expected given that we were in a forest. I was dreading every moment of the walking. A woman holding hands with a man passed us. We paid no attention, we had grown use to seeing refugees walking in the woods.

They both gave us a slight nod before walking away. Dad didn't say a word. Other than stay silent, I would hear him cry and murmur things I couldn't catch. It scared me that Dad had begun to talk to himself but what else can you do when you have lost your wife?

"We'll stop here for the night." Dad quietly said. Everyone didn't hesitate to stop in their tracks and flop on the ground. I settled myself on a cool rock. I pressed the side of my face against it, absorbing the coolness. I sighed in content. Hussain slumped his back against a tree and began to doze off.

The kids were suddenly awake and got off of Aspen. My horse somehow seemed relieved. Eli was out of sight and Dad didn't look fazed at all. Eli appeared behind me and walked over to Dad. He whispered something in his ear and my father nodded.

Dad motioned us to come to him. It took me a moment to stand up from my rock. I trudged over to my dad. "Yeah?" Dad jerked his chin back to my older brother. "We need to come up with a plan." He said.