Civility [HIATUS]

4. When Phantom Death Approaches and Suffering Comes to an End

4. When Phantom Death Approaches and Suffering Comes to an End

         For the slightest of moments, Jane felt hope. Help was coming, the people in the chopper would explain what was happening, and Rin would help them defeat the bad guys. Now, she was back to square one, only this time, she knew the truth. The country was at war, and for whatever reason, Jane and Rin weren’t the enemy.

            Rin said he didn’t feel like talking, and Jane didn’t feel like hearing him complain about his headache, so for a while, they drove in silence. Heading east was their best bet. Jane aimed for her hometown, but if there was a surviving city along the way, they’d stop there.

            The sky was covered in gray, and unusual white fluffs fell to the ground like snow. Jane could scarcely believe that everything she saw was real, but this nightmare had been going on for too long—far too long for her to consider it anything else.

            For several miles, the roads were vaporized into black and white dust, making it difficult to navigate the war-stricken terrain. The barely legible, blackened street signs were the only reason she had any sense of direction at all. As long as she followed them, she’d come across a city, but so far all of the cities were in ruins.

            When the roads thickened to gravel, the signs became more legible, and they were about twenty minutes from her home. Jane was fortunate to find her way to the interstate, though being this far from St. Louis, the towns were either out of the way or spread far apart. They were nearing a town called Oakdale, home to about five-thousand people. From this distance, Jane couldn’t yet see if there were any survivors.

            “Please tell me this place isn’t also destroyed,” Rin grumbled from the seat beside her.

            Jane feigned a smile. The blast radius of the nuclear bomb was over forty miles, and this far out, little vegetation remained untouched by the bomb. If there were survivors in Oakdale, they would’ve been lucky to get away with third degree burns, let alone their lives.

            “It looks demolished, but it’s not black,” she said. “It’s called Oakdale. Are you familiar with the area?”

            Rin gave her a look that seemed to say, “You dumb bitch, of course I’m familiar.” But his words were the exact opposite.

            “No, I’m from the city. St. Louis. You heard of it?”

            Jane released a breath and returned her attention to the broken road. This guy was a real creep, and for a moment, she couldn’t believe that he actually wanted to save the world. She knew, however, that he was a good man. He had to be, otherwise he wouldn’t have saved her. It must’ve only been the headache that was bothering him.

            Or maybe it’s just me, she thought. They always said I was painfully naïve.

            She shook her head, shoving the thoughts aside and forcing a smile. “I didn’t know you were from the city.” It was a weak attempt at continuing the conversation. “Do you have family there? Or…” She paused and looked back at him. “You know. Did you?”

            Way to be sensitive, she thought. Your family’s fine, but his is probably charcoal. Jane sighed. Rin didn’t return her gaze, so she looked away. You’re such an idiot, Jane. You should’ve never left home. What were you thinking?

            Rin replied a few seconds later. “My head hurts,” he muttered. “Think you could keep it down?”

            Jane rolled her eyes and smirked.