First Stop

"Sergeant, is it just me or are we being tied together with this safety rope?" Jiang frowned as he saw Laban have everyone run the rope through their belts.

"It's so that we don't get lost in the fog, we stay as one."

'Or die together.' Jiang's movement would be restricted by this and the fact that he was right behind their VIP. Looks like there was going to be little hope of breaking off or sneaking away without anyone noticing. If they were attacked like the Wraiths, Jiang could just cut the rope with his claws though.

"Slow and steady now. We're going to walk along the highway before breaking off to the west, towards the mountains where the reactor is." Laban said as they started their walk towards the gate closest to the highway.

'Oh, great, this is gonna be fun.'

Their march was slow and deliberate, caution was of the utmost concern to the team. But Jiang was bored out of his mind, all he was the ground and nothing around but fog. The fog enveloped everything, so even if he could see through some fog, behind that was just more fog. Jiang could tell how terrified Sean was from the way he was shaking in front of him.

They passed the gate uneventfully, and started to walk along the side of the highway. Vehicles still worked but there was no visibility, so they would either hit something or get stuck. But just in case an idiot was still alive and driving through the highway, they stayed behind the guard rails. It had only been a number of weeks but Jiang could make out the many abandoned cars on the highway.

Around an hour and a half later, Laban suddenly called everyone to a stop.

"I-I need a rest!" Sean declared as he stopped to catch his breath, he was also sweating profusely.

"Alright, we'll break for early lunch. We're near the gas station by the exit according to the sign we passed. Let's head there."

With those words from the Sergeant, everyone started to move again after Sean gulped down some water from his flask through the gas mask straw.

Jiang clearly saw the letters on the sign, so he knew the gas station was still 1.5 miles away or around 2.5 kilometers. But as he glanced at the sign, he noticed something moving in the corner of his eyes.

"See something Jiang?" Ma asked as he saw Jiang look around them. This formation was to maximize their coverage but this didn't mean everyone was looking at the same areas at once.

"I guess not, nothing's on thermals. But I got a bad feeling about this."

"You're only getting that feeling now!?"

"Yea, good point."

"I'll try to be extra vigilant, you too Gagnon."

"Copy that." Gagnon called from the back.

A little while later, everyone was standing in a semicircle with their backs to Sean as he faced the concrete guard rail.

"I can't believe this is happening." Ibarra said as he did his best to ignore the situation.

"This is something alright…" Jiang remarked as he scanned the area.

"Hey, this wouldn't be happening if we were at the gas station we were supposed to be near!" Sean frowned as he tried his best not to splash his leg.

"My bad, guys. This one's on me… I didn't know you were gonna drink a whole canteen in 10 minutes." Laban sighed as he apologized.

"Don't worry, sir. At least he's not squatting over a hole right now."

"Jiang, don't give him any ideas!" Ma retorted with a laugh.

As soon as they started to walk again, Jiang noticed something moving in the distance too. It was barely visible, even to him. Whatever it was, it seemed to be tracking them over the long haul.

'Eat or be eaten, looks like my next meal is here.' Jiang thought as he imagined the taste of their MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) versus whatever that was in the fog.

Eventually, they made it to the exit and headed down towards the gas station. By this point, Sean was taking long drawn out breaths through the gas mask. Jiang was surprised he didn't pass out from not getting enough air by this point.

As Sean limped towards the door of the gas station store, Laban stopped him before he could touch the door.

"Woah, we have to clear this building first. You know, make sure it's safe?"

Sean was too tired to argue, so he just nodded and just sat down on the floor.

"Anders, Ibarra, you know what to do."

They nodded and slowly pushed open the doors, watching out for anything out of the ordinary. They went row to row of the tossed and trashed store, making sure to check corners. After the front was done, they went to the back all the while everyone else was watching the front.

"Seems all clear, sir"

"Alright, everyone to the back and away from the windows. We rest here until noon then we head out again, that gives us a few hours to rest. So use your time wisely."

Everyone piled back into the employee locker room and started to break out their flashlights and MREs. They all took deep breaths after removing their gas masks inside, the fog wasn't covering the inside so it was safe to assume it wasn't in there.

"Sean, you can have my helmet, I'm pretty sure the fog doesn't affect me." Jiang said as he tossed his helmet over. The air flow was better in these fancy ones and Sean would be a little more relieved to be able to see with thermal vision.

"Much appreciated!" Sean readily accepted the gift from Jiang.

"So what does everyone have?" Jiang asked as he displayed his "Chicken Chunks" MRE, it tasted better than it sounded but not by much.

"Beef Stew."

"Beef Shredded, in barbecue sauce."

"Beef Taco."

"Brisket Entree, gravy with beef brisket."

"Spaghetti with beef sauce."

"Chili and Macaroni."

"Huh, I guess everyone besides me is getting gout." Jiang shrugged as he tore open his first meal of the day.