I stepped out of my tent and began exploring my surroundings. A couple of the onlookers looked at me with a suspicious look. They noticed that I was limping as I tried to endure the pain in my stomach area. I soon came across a group of men who was just sitting by the table and I began approaching them. One of the men got up and began approaching me.

“My friend, come here. Come take a seat.” The man generously offered.

He guided me to a chair and sat me down with them. The man who was sitting by were curiously staring at me as I tried to get comfortable on the seat. There, one of the men asked me a question.

“You don’t seem to be around here. Did you just join our group?” The man asked.

I looked up to him, inspecting his features. The man seems to be in his early 30s and has a clean moustache.

“N-No. I’m not from around here, I came from Washington DC on the way to Kansas. I was on a solo trip until a couple of bandits robbed and shot me. From what I’ve heard, the lady rescued me and I’m now here.” I told him.

The man looked interested in my story, they soon brought up another question.

“So you’re going to Kansas huh? This Caravan is moving through there and headed for the golden state.” The man with the mustache told.

I looked at him with a surprised look on my face. I felt a bit lucky knowing that this caravan would soon be moving through Kansas.

“Is that so? Then that’ll be great news! Seems like I could tag along with y'all on this journey.” I said with an enthusiastic tone.

The three men look at me with a serious look on their faces. Suddenly, one of the men from the group who was the only one with glasses spoke up.

“We still don’t trust you. How can we know if you ain’t some bandit that’s waiting to raid us at night?” One of the men asked.

As he said that, the same women from before appears out of nowhere and hits the man’s head with a basin.

“Don’t you go scaring away our guest. If he wants to tag along, let him be.” She said with a sassy voice.

“I was just joking honey, relax.” He said to her while he rubbed his head and nodded lightly.

The woman gives him a stern look but soon leaves him alone. The man looks back at me with a small smile.

“That’s your wife or something?” I said with a slight worried expression.

“Yep, she’s one spicy gal. But that’s what I love about her.” He said with a calm demeanour.

I smiled lightly hearing his comment about his wife, feeling a familiar warmth from within me. Then suddenly, one of the men from the group who seems to be the youngest of the bunch held his hand out to me.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“The name’s Darwin.” The young man told.

I shook his hand firmly while making eye contact with him.

“Lawrence, Daniel Lawarence.” I told him.

Darwin smiled brightly as we both shook hands. There, the two other men introduced themselves.

“The name’s Liam. I’m currently the one managing these caravans until we reach the Golden State.” The man in his 30-40s told.

“I’m Jerome. I’m the one who takes care of the people’s needs here from medicine to basic needs.” The man with the glasses said.

I nodded slightly and looked up towards them.

“It’s nice meeting you folks. Thanks for bringing me in.” I said to them.

Liam looked at me and chuckled slightly.

“It ain’t free ya know? So we’ll need you to be a helping hand while you’re with us. We’re about to get back on the road so go get my horse and tell the people we’re going to leave.” He told me.

After he said that, Jerome nudged Liam with his elbow.

“The man’s hurt, you know? You shouldn’t push him hard.” Jerome told him.

“Ah, I forgot about that. I guess you should go and get in the caravan and rest for a bit.” Liam told me.

I raised my hand towards them, refusing his offer.

“It’s fine, it’s a small wound anyways. I’ll go tell them that we’re going to leave.” I firmly said.

Jerome was a bit cautious but seemed to let me go. I got out of my seat and made my way towards Liam's horse. I carefully mounted onto his horse and began moving towards the back of the caravan. I began telling the children that we’re about to move so I could get the message to spread faster. I began moving quickly to the back of the pack to begin moving. After a while, the entire caravan got the word and began moving one by one.

“Seems like everyone has gotten the notice, I guess I’ll head back to the front of the pact.” I muttered to myself.

As I was about to move to the front, I noticed Liam riding on another horse and began approaching me. I got off the horse and waited for Liam to arrive. Once he arrived, he got off his horse and walked up to me.

“We’ll be escorting the caravan from the back just in case, so stick with me alright?” He told me.

“Alright then.” I simply said.

They waited together for a bit before the final carriage began moving. Me and Liam got on our horses and began moving slightly behind the carriages. As we were riding, Liam started a conversation.

“Daniel, right?” He said to me.

“Yes, that’s my name.” I said.

“Why are you heading for Kansas?” He asked me.

I was a bit surprised by the question but I answered him anyways.

“I’m coming back to my fiancé after the war. It’s been 4 years since I last saw her.” I told him.

“4 years huh? Must be hell.” He said to me.

I chuckled slightly hearing him say that.

“It sure was, I’m glad I finally got to see the love of my life!” I told him.

Liam nods as we slowly follow the caravan. There he asked another question.

“Wasn’t there an event that happened there that caused this war?” He asked me.

My face darkened when I heard the event he was referring to, I looked down for a bit before answering.

“I’d rather not speak about it.” I said to him.

Liam looked at me with a concerned look but we continued to ride on. As we rode, I decided to ask him a question.

“You’re the leader here right? What will you guys do once you reach California?” I asked him.

Liam thought for a while, finding the best answer to my question.

“We’re going to settle there for a bit before finding work. I heard the gold rush there is still pretty active.” He told me.

“Gold huh? You must be a man who really loves money.” I sarcastically said.

Liam chuckled slightly hearing my joke.

“Well, I can’t deny that partner. But I also want to settle in and find myself a wife.” He said to me.

“I hope you find the right person for you.” I told him.

“Thanks partner.” He casually responds.

As we were talking, we heard the sounds of horse clamps coming from the front of the caravan. I looked towards the sound and saw Darwin coming at us with his horse. He soon came to us with a terrified look on his face.

“You two should really see this.”