External (Book 1&2)

Book 2|Chapter 4

|Tree Climbing|

"We need to come up with some sort of system to find everyone. Wandering aimlessly obviously isn't working." William proposes as the sun raises in the sky. Last night had been cold, colder than anything I had ever felt. With the thin layer of snow covering the forest grounds as well as the lack of shelter to block the wind, it had quickly become a bad mix.

The fire still burns in the distance and it will probably continue to burn for several more days. With nothing to stop the burning flames, it continues to hop from tree to tree, burning everything in sight.

"We should try to climb something tall, get to high ground to look around." Kevin suggests.

"Yeah that sounds good." William responds, in truth, it's the only idea we have. So, at this point anything would sound good.

I look around the scenery, trying to figure out where a high point would be. In the far distance, mountains reach towering heights. Just a few miles away the skyscrapers touch the sky. But neither of those will work. They are too far from the search grid.

The only tall things around here are the trees all around us. The trees are tall and the branches are sparse at the bottom but thicken the higher it gets. It's our only choice to see around the forest, but even if we get to the top would it help? The forest is thick of trees so would we be able to see through at the people walking beneath them?

"The trees?" I say, but I say it as a question not knowing if it would even help. Everyone looks up at them, probably questioning whether they could climb it or not. I, myself, also look up with that question in mind. I am physically fit. In my legs maybe not, but in my arms I am. Does it take both your arms and legs to climb a tree? Or is one superior to the other in the climb? Since I've never climbed a tree before, it's hard to tell.

"I guess we could do that." William says with uncertainty. He walks up to the tree grabbing into the nearest branch. He can barely reach it even with his tall figure, but he reaches it and is able to pull himself up. One by one he climbs up branch my branch. I look up as he gets higher, worry filling me. Again another bad idea from me is being perused. If he fell from this height, he could break something. And he's not even halfway yet.

One of his hands stretch up to the next branch, but as he grabs a hold of it, I snaps in half. I verbally gasp as I watch him slip from the branch he is standing on. He struggles as he falls to grab something, anything, to stop himself from descending any further.

It feels like minutes before his hands grab onto a thick branch that stops his fall. I sigh in relief as he pulls himself over it. He sits on it, not moving as he takes heavy breaths. He looks perturbed at the previous events and has to take a second to recollect himself.

"You okay?" I yell up to him and he nods before climbing down.

"Probably not a good idea." William says as he touches the ground.

"I could do it." I say suddenly, almost surprising myself, but I actually do think I can do it. I'm lighter than William so I'll probably not break any branches.

"No way." He responds instantly, shutting me down.

"I'm lighter than you. I can make it or at least far enough to see over most of the other trees." William looks at me and then up the large tree he had previously attempted to climb.