Caravan, Pt 9

The caravan finds itself on the road soon after the Crag assault. Everyone packs up their gear as fast as they can before all of you get back to your travels. Hunters in the caravan do their best to shed your scent and cover up your tracks as best they can. Noir helps them with this as well - she is perhaps one of the more experienced hunters in the group to begin with. 

Still, despite all your precautions, many of you can't help but be anxious about the Crags. If they've attacked once, they'll probably attack again. Beyond that, some of the caravaners murmur nervously about what has happened thus far - heavy rainfall and wild crag attacks are simply the beginning of their problems, and they know it. 

Both those things are just a sign of the hardships they're going to face in the weeks and months ahead of them.

Though their worries rise and fall and rise again over the course of the next few days, they all continue their long path northwards. Many simply do their best to swallow their fears and stay the course. Frank's leadership helps keep everyone together as well. And it goes without saying - you and Nance occasionally let loose a calming Surge that helps keep morale high.

As with the first day, you all do your best to stop before daybreak, then continue on your journey before the sun sets. If anything, to avoid the oppressive heat that daylight brings. You all also come to find that everything is much more active at night than during the day, and that makes for a more restful sleep.

You suppose that everything has a similar mindset to all of you - being active during the hottest part of the day only results in getting exhausted faster. And so most critters have become nocturnal, more or less. Some more reluctantly than others, you're sure.

Though the road itself is rough at times, the wounded among the townsfolk are able to heal - yourself included. The town doc helps as much as he can all along the way, re-dressing wounds, tightening splints, and so on. In fact, him doing the daily rounds for checkup and check-ins helps considerably.

You note that the groaning and complaining has all but subsided. Whether their aches and pains have actually reduced, or they've become more used to it, you have no idea. Everyone is on top of whatever is ailing them, and they do their best to manage their pains. And the doc has certainly helped with all of that significantly. 

And of course you teach and mentor Nance as you travel, imparting her with as much knowledge about psionics as you can. Not that you think you're some kind of expert or anything, but what you teach is better than nothing.

You watch her improve significantly over time, and she becomes capable enough of handling many psionic threats on her own. Mostly, she does what you usually try to do and calm down anything that comes at the caravan aggressively.

It works most of the time, with the remaining few often requiring an Orchestra and a show of force to overcome. A certain amount of pride fills you at seeing her become truly capable. Once she was just a Novice, barely able to see the future. Now, her potential is as limitless as yours.

A quick Scan shows that she's able to harness about as much energy as you did, before you started your Walkabout. She isn't quite up to your level right this moment, but you're certain that with time and practice she'll become truly formidable.

You watch as she Telekinetically spins a hovering rock in front of her, even while all of you walk further down the road. Though her movements are a bit awkward and unsteady, they aren't any worse than when you started your own TK journey.

And the way she practices her powers, she's liable to pass you at some point. You make a note to be as diligent as she is, at least if you want to seriously make it on your own.

Regardless, you both still have plenty to learn, and neither of you will improve if you don't continually practice and improve.

"Frank tells me that today's your last day with us," Nance says. She doesn't look up when she speaks, as she would normally. This time, her eyes are fixed on her rock. It's clear that most of her focus and attention is on her exercising her power.

You see her face contort slightly as her mind works hard to keep the thing in the air.

"Yeah, a turnabout's coming up ahead," you reply. "Gotta take it so I can keep going west. I've got my own journey ahead of me, and I can't delay it much more than I already have. Every day that I don't kinda takes a toll on me. Wish I could explain."

"I understand," Nance says. She nods in acceptance, but you sense a hint of reluctance within her. Understandably so. "I hope I've got what it takes to keep everyone safe…"

"Of course you do. You did great with the crags right on day one."

"All I did was keep the team together."

"Don't downplay yourself like that. Anyway, how about that swarm of rats a day or so ago? You dealt with that mess pretty much by yourself. You had them entranced like the Pied Piper or something."

"Ah, they was just rats. They're easy enough to deal with when you know how to talk to them the right way."

"Ah yes, just rats. Just a thousand of them all wanting to chow down on us… You're doing great, Nance. No need to doubt yourself."

Nance sighs deeply, then lets go of the small rock she's been practicing with. It immediately falls down and smacks the asphalt soundly. 

"Can't help but worry," she replies. "Whole town's relying on me."

"Everyone's relying on everyone else right now," you counter. "You don't have to be the strongest pillar, just another pillar among other strong pillars, yeah? And besides, you're already getting crazy good with psionics. I mean, it's only been what, six or seven days since we started? And already you're floating rocks in the air. You're gonna be a powerhouse by the time you all get to where you're going.""

There's a mutter of agreement around you, specifically from Nance's team. A couple of them give her some encouragement as well, and do their best to keep her spirits high. Plenty have seen her grow significantly.

"You can always lean on us whenever you need," says one. 

"We've always got your back," says another.

"If it weren't for you, we'd still be tangled up with that dang Rat King," a nearby caravanner interjects.

Together they lift her up, metaphorically speaking. It's more than enough to lighten her spirit and cause her confidence to swell. And because of her bonds to everyone, their spirits lift as a whole.

"Thanks everyone," she says after a moment. "I appreciate it. You all being here means the world to me."

She then looks at you, and gives you a wistful smile.

"I guess I'm just sad that we're losing a friend soon," she continues.

You find yourself misting up a bit on hearing her words. You've never really been much of a people person to begin with, and having someone call you a friend is… incredibly nice to hear. It hits deeper than you expect, that's for sure.

"We're still friends, Nance," you tell her as your throat dries up. "And we'll meet up again sometime soon. Months from now, anyway. Once I'm done with my Walkabout, I'll be heading up north to join you all. I promised my Dad I'd join him. Well maybe not quite a promise, but I said I'd go."

Your words lighten up Nance even more, and you note that she adds a spring to her step as a result. Perhaps subconsciously. But she isn't the only one who seems affected - anyone in earshot perks up on hearing your words.

Someone even gives you a 'hell yeah' in response.

It feels really good to be wanted and needed, and you wish you could stick around to help them. And also soak up all this camaraderie. But that just isn't in the cards for you. Not your immediate future, anyway.

The group eventually comes to a highway interchange, where numerous offramps lead up and around, curving off towards a couple different highways altogether. It looks like a winding mess from where you're standing, but is likely geometrically amazing from above. You suppose that it's likely symmetrical from there.

At the center of it all is an expansive parking area with some kind of shopping center in the middle. It's kind of like a mega travel center, with a medium-size shopping center surrounded by a handful of gas pumps and fast food stations in every cardinal direction.

The parking lot surrounding the travel center is about one third filled with derelict cars, many of which have long since been broken into. A few even seem somewhat lived in, with all manner of empty food tins and drink bottles gathered up outside. It's especially true for the vans and roomier SUVs. Not only that, but you see a handful of tents set up near the entrances into the shopping center, though none seem to be currently occupied.

You and Nance perform Scans, with both of you coming to the conclusion that there are about a half dozen people in the shopping center itself. They've likely been scavenging and living in the center for some time now, probably months at the least.

You tell Frank's team as fast as you can in order to warn them of course. The last thing any of you want is for a violent confrontation that leads to the deaths of the caravaners. But before they can really do much of anything, someone runs out from the mall towards you.

Her face seems happy, and she seems to wave at all of you in joy. You can just make out whatever she's yelling, even from this distance. You suppose that's thanks to your ESP, which improves to some degree every single day.

"Oh my lord, people!" she cries out. "We thought we was the only ones left! Come, come! Tell us where you're from!"

Her welcoming mood seems incredibly genuine, and you're certain that she doesn't have any ill will towards you. In fact, another Scan shows that the other people in the mall are genuinely surprised at your arrival. None are psionic. Which you tell both Frank and Nance through a newly-formed Network. The two of them decide how to proceed as you all approach, thanks to your psionic intel.

And so you and Frank and his team follow her back into the shopping center, while Nance and her team watch over the rest of the caravan outside in the parking lot. 

The other five people living here greet you as you walk into the building, some more tentatively than others. But in all you sense that they're happy to see other people in the first place.

Frank steps up to introduce himself and start a conversation with them, while you go and scout out the rest of the building from the inside. 

The building itself is smaller than it seems from the outside. In truth, it's less of a small shopping center and more of a large cafeteria. There are numerous food stalls along the far wall with a large eating area in front of them, in the very center of the whole thing. The food court is flanked by a large souvenir shop on the western wall and an equally large convenience store along the eastern wall.

Bathrooms are in a couple of corners, while a security station sits in a third corner. The final corner is some kind of private office, but it has long since been broken into.

Beyond its layout, the whole place is practically a wreck. The people living here have scavenged it all to hell and upturned every possible container in sight. Certainly, every food stall has been picked clean, and the only things left in the other shops are cheap trinkets or useless electronics. 

You note that the center of the whole place has been relatively cleaned out - or at least the tables and chairs have been pushed off to the side. In the absolute center of the room is a makeshift fire pit ringed with various stones and cinder blocks. There's some kind of makeshift, ramshackle tripod standing over it with a pot hanging from the center.

The floor in the center of the stone ring has been blackened with soot, and you can just make out coal chunks littering it. Clearly, that's where these survivors have been cooking their food.

Of course, while you look around, you also maintain your connection to Frank and his team through a Subnetwork. Not just to keep tabs on them, but also so you can still get every word of their conversation.

It turns out that these people have only been here for about a year. They came from somewhere in the middle of the country and decided to flee their homes after the apocalypse. It seems the damage was so bad there that they had no other choice but to leave. 

"Half our town died that day," says one of them. "Would'a stayed to rebuild, but the river got polluted and we ran outta food, so we decided to go east in search of some. Never did find much, at least until we got here. Been keeping us alive ever since."

"And where'd the rest of your town go? They move on while you stayed?" Franks asks.

"Most died on the way," someone says, her voice filled with sadness. "Not at any one time, mind you. Just bit by bit as the days went on. I think we stopped here 'coz we didn't got the strength to keep going. I mean, if we're the last, then we're the last."

Complaints and light curses erupt from the others, but she waves them off easily.

"I'm just being honest alright," she counters. "I know that's how I feel, and I'm sure as hell you all feel the same. I ain't lying to some stranger just 'coz I wanna save face or whatever."

She's met with a chorus of mumbles and grumbles, apprehensive of her stance but ultimately approving of it. There's no reason for them to hide how they're feeling, especially since Frank is more than willing to listen.

Plus there's something about Frank that just disarms whatever reticence they have.

"We lost so much getting here, things, people, maybe other stuff deep inside," says the one who greeted you outside. "Makes us wonder if it was a good idea to leave in the first place. Or if maybe we shoulda stopped somewhere at some point. Like here, now. But with more people to actually do the rebuilding with. Can't do that now with just the six of us."

"And staying here's gonna get us dead," says a third. "Ain't nothing left to eat, except that stack of canned beans. If we don't move soon, we're gonna meet up with the rest of the town no matter what."

"Well tell you all what," Frank says. "I've got people with me, and we're headed north to some kinda tradesman commune co-op that's been forming up there. Lemme talk to everyone else, maybe we can talk about inviting you into the caravan so you could come with us. Y'all can try to build new lives up there with us, too."

~~~ Author's Note ~~~

This marks the end of Act 1. 

Hope you're enjoying the story so far! If you are, help me out by leaving a review and sharing the story with someone you know. Thanks much - I appreciate it greatly!

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