After Earth's Fall | ✔ UNDERGOING CONSTRUCTION

Chapter 10

The group bolt through the thick vegetation and tropical trees, Eden's luxurious buildings and it's billions of twinkling lights had disappeared long ago. The change in scenery is odd, they must be on Australian soil now..or what used to be Australian soil. It's definitely past midnight now as Nila can see the dark, night sky get lighter and lighter every passing hour. The group must've been running for miles on end, Nila's constant, heavy panting seems evident of that. She never once felt tired, until now, her fear must've kept pushing her forward.

They all start to slow down, exhausted and sweaty. There's a sudden, pleasant breeze and Nila's pretty sure everyone sighs as the wind cools their overheated bodies down.

"There's a...there's a beach up ahead.." Riley manages to get out through ragged breaths, his hands resting on his knees.

Riley leads the way through a clearing in the bush, to be greeted by a sandy, white shore and beautiful, turquoise ocean and the words: "Down Under- Can't get any better than this!" painted in bright yellow cursive. Then they looked behind the billboard directly in front of them and saw what the beach really looks like. The ocean is no longer turquoise but a dirty, mud brown with who knows what floating on it's surface. The sand isn't white, but a miserable grey. Probably the leftovers of volcanic ash from the multiple Volcanoes that formed from the nuke messing up the Earth's geography.

It isn't exactly homey but it will do. As long as they're as far away from Earleen and her minions as possible, anything will do.

Nila's heavy breathing start to slow down once she steps onto the sand. The soft, little grains welcome her sore feet. Compared to the rugged terrain of the bush, the sand is heaven.

The thought of Earleen and that hellish hospital only serves to bring more bad memories forth and Nila drops to her knees, clutching the little grains of sand in her fingers. Kaitlyn jogs to Nila's side and kneels down, thinking Nila had fallen from exhaustion.

"Why did they have to do this?!" Nila asks, her voice just above a whisper.

Her loud wails send birds to fly out of trees nearby. Nila's question is what finally brings tears to Kaitlyn's eyes and her face scrunches up as she tries to stop herself from bawling her eyes out. One of the birds out of the frightened flock from before, a small and oddly ginger coloured Kookaburra perches itself on the ruins of an old wooden shack. Riley slowly makes his way over to his friends as Kaitlyn stares up at the little bird, it's feathers reminding her of her deceased friend. She once read that Kookaburras are supposed to be known for their laugh, though this one bows it's head in silence, it's laugh nowhere to be heard.

It's as if God himself never anticipated Anna and Brice's death.

"I don't know..." she eventually replies back.

Anna and Brice's death finally sinks in for Kaitlyn and she can't hold it in anymore. She throws her arms around her distressed friend's shoulders and cries her heart out. No one other than each other, around to hear them. Riley joins the group and bends down, throwing his arms around the two like a mother bird would for her children.

"I'm sorry, I should've protected you all more, I-" Riley starts to blame himself but gets shushed by Kaitlyn and Riley finally decides to let his own tears fall. After all, he has also lost two friends. Even if he didn't talk to Anna much at all.

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Nila yawns deeply and stretches out her arms after her long nap. It's got to be about past midway by now considering they only got to sleep after today's sunset. The group is settled in a cave, a few miles away from the opening that they walked onto the beach through. The ground is hard and cold and the cave's ceilings are wet and dripping constantly. Especially at night, the cave seems to get blizzard like winds passing through it. A dying fire made of salvaged rocks and sticks is set up in the middle of the cave and Kaitlyn and Riley are huddled up together like penguins seeking body warmth.