The Future Project

9: Path

Getting to City Hall was not an easy path to walk. The landscape was laden with Ridhel soldiers and to make matters worse, it started to rain. It started suddenly, without warning, and they were not close to any standing shelters. They managed to find a large outcropping on a heap of scrap metal from a school, and they huddled under it for nearly an hour. They weren't going to fulfil their mission that day.

Once the rain stopped it was an hour and a half into the afternoon. They were still a ways away from city hall, on the far side of town. There were no vehicles to take them there, no shortcuts, just their feet trotting down the long way ahead. After the rain, soldiers of the alien army were particularily drawn to the demolished school. Making it easier for the humans to bolt across the clearing nearby and get to relative safety.

"Did they see us by the school?" Kayla wondered.

"Yes," was Dylan's simple answer.

Their little dare devil, Dylan, snuck up behind the huge pack of creatures by the school and swiped three of the curved knives the aliens carried in special pockets of skin in their backs that dissapeared once the blade was removed. She handed one to Kayla then one to Emma, then Eric. She was impressed with his skill at throwing knives. He thanked her. 

The group of five continued carefully weaving through the remains of the city. Dylan suddenly paused. She quickly shot a look behind her then steered the group left, behind more metal scraps, then got them to crouch low. She then crept around the other side of the pile, took out her knife and stabbed the alien that was following them. Once she returned to her friends she collapsed into Jenna's arms. 

"It was following us, so I killed it."

They could tell she was distressed, they comforted her, but they would have to kill many more to win this war. They continued down the path, about half of the way through town. They turned the corner around an old fallen grocery store, to find a sidewalk completely cleared of all debris and scraps from around. Jenna had walked this sidewalk before.

"It leads to city hall. Why would they clear it off?" Jenna pondered possibilities.

"They want us to figure it out, they're leading us to city hall. They want to test us, see how intelligent we humans are so they know how to fight us. I believe they are waiting to see if someone would follow the path they left, but they're not expecting us to succeed, so they won't guard it. I say we try it,"  Emma determined. "I mean it's just a theory, I don't actually know anything for sure."

"We walk it then," Dylan advised. "What's the worst that can happen?"

There were many bad things that could happen, but the group continued down the sidewalk. It was their best path.