ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Thirteen

The group made some progress throughout the day, although they hadn't covered a lot of ground. They were able to find food and water, which wasn't much, but it was enough to keep them going for a few more days. They knew they had to keep moving and not become complacent as they figured soldiers were on their trail, hunting them down.

Due to recent events, everyone was a little on edge, feeling like prey and constantly looking over their shoulders. If there were soldiers and strange men in the woods, there could be others. These groups were known to exist — nomadic tribes left over from the war – displaced by automation or dissenters unwilling to partake in regular society and abide by civilized rules. They were considered to be armed and dangerous and it was advised to exercise extreme caution if one was to encounter such groups or individuals.

Sitting around a crackling fire, everyone was sharing stories from their past and getting along well. In the distance, some group members heard a noise.

"You heard that too?" Cheryl asked, looking at Lauren, who had turned her head at the same time.

"Yeah, it sounded like it was coming from behind us," Lauren replied.

"Probably just the fire echoing throughout the forest," the Professor posited a theory. "Your mind will play tricks on you out here if you let it."

"Maybe it's Dane and Allie," Lauren suggested. "Dane? Allie?" Lauren called out.

"Hey, keep your voice down?" the Professor said. "We don't know who's out there. We wouldn't want to notify any unwanted visitors of our presence."

"Professor, with all due respect," Lauren said. "We have a giant fire and we've been talking loudly for the past few hours. If anything is out there, they already know we're here."

When they didn't get a response, several people became tense and unnerved. Train stood up with a torch and instructed everyone to remain calm.

"Be careful, Train," Lauren said.

Before Train even took one step, ten dark figures emerged from the woods. Unsure who these people were and what they wanted, Train was on guard, ready to defend his tribe.

"Who are you people?" he demanded in his most authoritative tone. As a towering figure, holding a flaming stick, Train was surely intimidating to anyone foolish enough to oppose him.

"We come in peace," a voice spoke, stepping into the light. "We were with you all on the bus."

The group around the campfire stood up and sized up the newcomers. Within a few seconds, they scanned their faces and recognized a few of them.

"I recognize them," Cheryl said.

"Yeah, they're good," Lynn confirmed.

"What are you people doing here in the middle of the night?" Train asked, still a bit defensive.

"We had to move camp. The soldiers aren't far behind. They killed a dozen of us already. We had to keep moving."

"So you led them here?" Train said.

"We're exhausted and need a place to rest. We saw the smoke from your fire, and figured it was you guys. Would it be okay if we hunkered down here for the night? In the morning, if you all decide to go your separate way, that's fine."

The Dark Circle squad exchanged looks of reassurance to each other and came to an unspoken consensus. "We don't have much to offer," Cheryl said, "but you're welcome to stay with us. The more the merrier."

"Perfect, thank you. We have some food if you guys are hungry. We found a pretty large berry bush earlier this morning and took whatever we could carry. We've been eating berries all day and would be happy to share them with you as a peace offering."