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WIND DANCED THROUGH THE TREES. The sparrows had gone silent, long since the sky was painted over with light-grey. The birds must have sensed the thickness in the air. The promise of rain, after many days of dry heat. They'd spread their feathers, and tucked themselves in their nests at the first sign of the foreboding storm.
How unfortunate we didn't have wings. Things would be easier if we could simply flutter away from things that did not serve us. Humans, however, were forced to walk through them. There was either something terrible, or deeply poetic about that. I hadn't figured out which one.
Truthfully, the foliage we traveled beneath wasn't so awful. It was thick with the birth of spring, our surroundings saturated in viridescent vegetation. The forest itself was a constant reminder that even as death triumphed, there was always possibility of renewal. The breath rattling the trees whispered as much.
I looked ahead to the deer trail Daryl led us on. We'd been on the move for most of the day, as he'd claimed to have felt like something—or someone—was nearby. Watching us. Nobody questioned Daryl's senses. We'd gone as soon as he'd suggested we take our leave. There was not room for taking chances after what had happened at Terminus.
"Ok," Carl said, "spell psychic."
I stepped over the skeletal remains of a fallen trunk. Thick moss wrapped around the thing, letting me know it had been down for quite some time. My gun was readied in my hands, but my head didn't swivel to stay alert on our surroundings. The adults were taking the majority of the stress-load, allowing Carl and I to be a little more carefree.
"P- H,"
He tilted his head, eyes searing into my own. He was terrible at making a poker face. "You sure about that?"
I glared back, nerved by his eagerness to see me fail. "At least let me finish."
He cradled Judith in his arms, running a gentle hand over her soft, short hair. "It was wrong. Add a point to my score."
