Natural Disaster

Chapter 46

The first day out of Thermal had them clambering over piles of debris, Esther in the lead with Launa close behind, Mitch slipping and swearing just after her and leaving Avi and Scott in the rear, trying desperately to balance properly on the wreckage to avoid falling one way or the other. Their travel didn't even out and become steady until they found solid road, their boots thudding over the asphalt.

They slipped through the edge of the Salton area, moving easily just at the fringes of the cities. Launa glanced down alleys, peering through the shade and the spaces between buildings that were still standing, checking for any other survivors. We should be finding more as we get closer to the coast, she thought, chewing her lip and hoisting her bags higher up on her shoulders and praying that the broken strap would hold. Please don't be mean.

The group was relatively silent, mainly focusing on the journey, the only sounds coming from the back of the group whenever Avi lost control of his balance due to Scott shifting on his back. "Will you stop squirming?" The older man grumbled, heaving the other further up.

Scott cried out petulantly. "Hey, you try doing this," he argued, "This is not comfortable on the Hoying jewels."

Avi screwed up his face and rolled his eyes as the other three paused briefly to turn and look over their shoulders at the pair. "Deal with it, America," he sighed, "You can't walk, so it's either this or still be stuck back at the house."

The blonde finally hushed, sighing heavily and squirmly uncomfortably.

Most of the day's entertainment came from the two men. Launa commented that Scott sounded remarkably like a girl when he shrieked in response to Avi overbalancing backwards, nearly tipping him off his back. They paused at midday to sit and rest their feet. Mitch collapsed onto a little pile of debris, letting his bags fall from his shoulders, letting out a sigh of relief that ended up as a sung, lilting note. Launa grinned wide at the high note he ended on, noise and grumbling from behind her catching her attention as she set her bags down.

"Alright, careful," Avi warned, kneeling and leaning backwards toward the unsturdy wall of a little house alongside the road.

"Yeah, I got it." Through some careful coordination, Scott managed to free himself of his friend's back and leaned against the wall, sliding down to sit on the ground. "Ta da!" He waved jazz hands at Mitch and the girls, smiling wide and coughing a laugh when Avi groaned and laid flat on his back on the asphalt.

Launa wandered over, crouching beside him. " 'It won't be too difficult', he said," she teased him, earning a scowl, " 'Scott isn't heavier than the bags', he said. 'I'll be fine', he said."

"Oh, shush," he sighed, stretching his back up in an arch off the ground, cringing as a series of pops sounded from his spine, "Eeyugh. I sound like popcorn." A disgusted sound came from his sister. Launa couldn't help but grin.

"Want me to rub your back?' she offered, smiling, but genuinely concerned for him.

Avi offered her a small smile. "Nah, I'll be fine," he assured her, clambering to his feet and stretching hard, his arms shaking as he stretched them over his head. Wincing, he rolled his shoulders as he dropped his arms. "You know, I might take you up on that offer, tonight," he said, stepping in close to her and speaking in a hushed tone, quiet enough for only her to hear.

She smiled up at him, sweeping her gaze over him, briefly and narrowing down where all he ached. "I can do that," she agreed quietly.

A chorus of childish 'oohs' and wolf-whistles sounded from the crumbling house where Mitch had joined Scott in sitting against it. Launa and Avi whipped their heads around to glare at the pair of giggling boys, their laughter only intensifying as Launa flung her scarf at them.