Dissension: A Societal Collapse Post-ApocalypticDystopian Survival Thriller by Julie Trettel

Author:Julie Trettel [Trettel, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Every morning now they awoke to frost covering the ground. The days were getting shorter and the wind colder, making it difficult to keep their heads up as they trudged along.

“Bubba was right, winter’s setting in early,” Jared said softly, voicing his concern but not wanting to alarm the others.

“It’s not safe to walk through the dark, Jared. And the team is slowing more and more each day. There’s not enough daylight hours to get us moving along faster.”

Holly worried constantly about her Squad. The days were short and brutally cold. They were only covering a few miles a day. It would take them weeks to make it home at the pace they were traveling. She thought they might have been wrong to leave Little Endor. Spirits were down. Hunting was poor. Everyone was cold, and tired. The whole team was on edge.

“What should we do, Jared?” She begged him to give her the answers, even knowing he didn’t have any to give.

“Maybe we should scout the area for shelter. Even just a few days out of this cold will improve morale. Then maybe we can pick up our pace and make up some distance. It’s worth a try.”

“This was a National Forest. It’s not known for an abundance of cabins or homes.”

“No, but there were campsites, right? I don’t know, Hols, it’s just a thought.”

She nodded.

“Tonight. You and me.”

“What?”

“We’ll settle into camp early, and then you and I will go out scouting. Maybe we’ll get lucky and stumble across something. I pray that we do. I don’t know how much longer we can keep going like this.”

She looked down at her hands; they were purple and shaking from the cold. They stayed a constant shade of purple now. They didn’t have the necessary clothes or gear to survive winter in the woods.

When they came to a clearing surrounded on one side by a huge boulder that blocked the worst of the wind, she stopped.

“We’ll make camp here tonight.”

The others looked around at each other, not understanding why. It was still early with several more hours of daylight ahead of them. Yet they were so thankful for the break that no one complained. They quietly set about making camp as close to the boulder as possible.

With a roaring fire, bigger than any they had dared so far, their faces relaxed and she saw life return to her Squad.

She left the others behind to go and find a quiet spot away from them all. When she found just the place, she dropped to her knees and looked up at the sky.

Lord, it’s me, Holly. I know I haven’t been very good with prayers lately, but we are struggling so much here, and I have nowhere else to turn. Please God, show me the right path to safety. Lead me on so I can guide them. Give us all the strength to continue to endure this harsh wind. Provide food and shelter so we can push on, if it be your will to see us safely home.

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