The Ruins Part 3 (Series of The Ruins)

Chapter 29

Four days after storm, let's start from the beginning.

The storm after they rested stayed for about a day when they travelled, taking so much breaks but couldn't stand in the cold as their faces are red from the bites of the harsh wind and having no time to build a shelters when their fingers are cramping up by this storming weather.

They'd worried about the possibility of that happening, but they'd planned to be taking time and always themselves up with the canteen of hot chocolate and building fires as it happened, so they could get their bearings, find some dead wood and hide under the trees from the cold wind, using traps and blankets to warm themselves. What they hadn't accounted for was the detour they had to take after a long stretch of wooded backroad turned out to be a dead end. They'd had to double back on two hours' worth of walking, and that was when they had to ditch the trail that Kal used before. Cold and uncomfortable, Kal was pissed that the trail he used was gone and now has to detour a map from Max and try to find the river where it leads to the school. Max was panting on his jog, Johan wedged into the trunk of a tree, Killeen and Kal wedged together to take their breaths. Poor Rin was shivering, the scar on her cheek was so pale, paler than her cold skin. Max went over and uses his blanket to wrap around Rin, giving a pat to her head and she thanks him.

They detoured down a second path in day three. It was good Killeen packed so much supplies so they wouldn't be worried on running low of them. Killeen worked together to keep everyone entertained, telling stories of the cards of famous Bounty Hunters, even telling the story of them helping the Saviors on the KillGames with the rhino and the exgrating explosion of the walls and Johan and Rin singing along as everyone sings along, including Kal. Max could tell, after a while, that the constant chatter was starting to grate on everyone else's nerves, but he elected to ignore it and carry on. If one kid complained, they would be a hell of a lot more irritated. And beside that, Max was enjoying himself. They need a day to have some fun.

Everything went smoothly enough until they reached on day four. On the map it had been marked on a gas strip- and it was stripped clean. It had never been a big town, certainly, barely a pit stop, but it had been a pit stop that they desperately needed. And there was nothing- a single gas station, stripped clean, the pumps long since dry, and the gas tanks of the few shambling cars left in lots and roads were empty. The scant houses and shops yielded nothing of significance, and forty miles after they'd left the town behind them, their water dry down.

"Crap." Max hissed as he checks for any fresh creeks.

"You out of juice?" Said Kal

Max sighed and scrubbed a hand through his long hair. "Yeah. Anyone else have some water?"

Johan nodded, looking resigned. "Only half a quarter. Better take only sips."

Everyone sat in the forest snowed bed for a moment, knowing what they had to do but not wanting to accept it quite yet. Max was the first to move, grabbing the roadmap wedged in between his pack and the center console and hopping out of the car. Everyone else followed suit as Max and Kal scans the map he'd spread out.

Max glanced up at him. "How much further to the school?" He asked, part of him dreading the answer.

Kal sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose. "About twenty miles."

"Fuck."

"I know."

"Language!" Killeen said.

"Sorry."

"Max, we don't have it in us to go another fifteen miles. Where we take, there is a short cut..."

Max folded the map back up, shoving it in the back pocket of his worn jeans. "Then we take it." He said.