Shadowfall

Chapter Three

 When the sun had finally risen, the others followed suit and began to roll up their blankets and gather their things, packing them away in their bags. Kate noticed that the group didn't seem to carry much. Between the three of them, there was one bag each. Vaann had managed to procure two new bags from the back room that Kate didn't dare go near again, and handed them off to Scout and herself. The two of them rolled up their blankets and shoved them in the bag, and when Kate peeked into her own, she noticed there were already a few things within.

"I took the liberty of grabbing some things that looked like they may fit you until you get the chance to pick some out yourself elsewhere," Vaann told the two of the newcomers as he snuck off into the kitchen where he began to go through everything in search of any foods they could take with them along the journey. He came up empty save a few bars of granola and some stale looking bread.

Kate watched as Marissa tied the lanterns from the night to their bags, then stood and slipped her bag onto her back. Kate mimicked this and slipped her own bag onto her back, readying for the day of traveling that was about to begin. She was tired; she had barely slept between her small adventures that included the mystery room and Lyllina. She had prayed for more sleep to come after she had come back inside, but to no avail - her eyelids grew heavy and she felt exhausted, but she found that her mind just would not silence. Thoughts plagued her brain.

She still had little to no memory of her life outside of anything basic. She still didn't understand what it was that was happening around her. It was bad, that much was obvious, but how had it come to this extent? What were those things and where had they come from? Who was her family and what was her life like before she had woken up to the flames swallowing the trees around her? She wanted answers, but the deeper she tried to dive into her mind, the more she found pain. Pressure, like someone was squeezing either side of her temples overcame her until she finally just gave in and let the thoughts go.

As the group slid out the front door and bid goodbye to the canary yellow home, Kate tried again to recall anything from her past. She tried to press further into her mind and ignore the pressure building up and down her spine and between her temples. She tried so hard that her hands began to shake and sweat formed on her brow. It was finally when Scout asked her if she was alright that she gave it a rest and focused her energy on the journey rather than exhausting it on what she couldn't achieve just yet.

Eventually, the town of Galla retreated from their view and all she could see was the once lively forest. The path they followed had been formed through years upon years of use, by horseback, on foot, and by carriages. The foliage that had once been green and full, now stood crisp, crunchy and dying. The light brown colors all around her brought a heaviness to her chest - the place had once been so alive and nature had once called to her here, like a song only she could hear. Kate kicked up dust from the dirt path beneath her feet now and then, watching the white sand clouds settle onto her shoes as she moved.

She found that if she focused on the sound of Scout chattering, she was able to keep moving without difficulty. The high pitch of his pre-pubescent voice made for an easy distraction from the exhaustion that haunted her and attempted to slow her down. To her, it felt like they had been walking for an eternity, though truthfully, it had only been a few hours. She knew the main reason her energy was depleting so quickly was her lack of sleep and the number of times she tried to channel her memory, but it wasn't her fault she couldn't sleep. She couldn't say much for the memory channeling though.

Despite listening to the sound of Scout's voice, she didn't exactly listen to the words. She was too busy taking in her surroundings. In the night, when the darkness swallowed them, it was hard to see what had become of the world. But now, with the sun up, it was difficult to not gasp at the things she was seeing. This was the first time she was seeing the world since the fires and the creatures since people started coughing and collapsing in the streets. She didn't remember where she had been before the first person's coughing fit, before the blood, when it had all begun. She could recall where she had been going either. It was as if she had just woken up in the middle of the street, just outside the cafe.