The Primary Branch by Chase Hildenbrand

Author:Chase Hildenbrand [Hildenbrand, Chase]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

In my dreams, I was placed in the Gift. It took a great deal of effort not to communicate with my host, Solomon, son of Jeremiah who was the first of my primary branch in the family tree to cross the sea. Silently, I watched him mind the farmland of his homestead on the outskirts of the colonial settlement.

When I woke, only slivers of smoke still rose from the charred remains of last night’s fire. I dipped myself into the river to wake myself up and rinse off. The brisk water did the trick and I rushed back out cursing myself for not starting another fire first.

I wrapped myself up in my blanket and started a small fire with the leftover wood that I had gathered the night before. Then I waited until I was dry before dressing. Breakfast consisted of a mix of leftovers from the last two days. After I ate, I packed all my things back up and continued on the road, heading west.

I imagined that the town of Fredericksburg was once beautiful. I could see it hidden beneath the decaying, overgrown by nature, features of its buildings. I wish I could see life in this town.

I wish I could see life in the world.

We made it back to I-95, went south for not long, then turned west once again at the next interchange. I couldn’t see the mountains yet, but it felt good having a destination, even if not an exact one. With any luck, I could course correct later when I checked back in with Pierce.

Ghosts of long-gone establishments lined the roadway as I travelled west of Fredericksburg. I’d grown used to them, these physical manifestations of a dead world. Now, all I saw were the shells, reclaimed by nature and crumbling back to the dirt.

We stopped several miles out of town when I noticed a lake to my left. I would never pass up an opportunity for fresh water, so we stopped once again. Possibly for the night, I hadn’t decided yet despite it only being early afternoon.

I gathered some wood nearby and started a fire, getting my water in a pot to boil. I sat on a hill, looking back at the way I came. Too far away to see, I guessed the town was twenty miles away. As the water boiled, I walked to the nearby tree line to do some foraging.

Ten minutes later, I had two pockets full of berries—my best pull yet during my journey—and was walking back when through the forest I heard Bella barking, and I knew that kind of bark. It was a warning.

I ran the rest of the way, sprinting out of the trees. Bella ran in circles, clearly upset about something. When I reached her, I looked in the direction that seemed to be angering her and my heart stopped.

Four horses with riders, maybe a half mile away.

People.

Human beings, alive and coming my way.

My first instinct was to run toward them, my hands waving in the air.

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