Chapter 4: Into the Ruins.

The early morning air clung to a crisp chill, though the promise of a warm spring day lingered on the horizon. Ava arrived at the north gate, her sharp eyes scanning the small group of cadets lined up beside the jeeps. Lucas stood nearby, his usual relaxed grin greeting her as she approached.

"Morning, Blondie," Lucas said with a playful salute. "Ready for this little adventure?"

Ava smirked, shaking her head. "I’ll take the lead," she replied, heading to the lead vehicle. "You follow behind, and keep those cadets in check."

Lucas nodded, his grin widening as he motioned toward the jeeps. Ava slipped into the driver’s seat of the lead vehicle.

"Excuse me, Sentinel Ava?"

Ava turned, her eyes landing on a young cadet standing just outside the passenger door, fidgeting with the straps of her pack. The girl looked barely old enough to be in training—her uniform slightly too big, her eyes wide with both excitement and fear.

"Can I ride with you?" she asked quickly, as if worried Ava would say no. "The other jeep's a bit... cramped."

Ava raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Hop in," she said, gesturing to the seat beside her. As the cadet climbed in, Ava glanced at her again. "And just call me Ava. 'Sentinel Ava' sounds too formal, especially when we’re going to be driving for a while."

The cadet fumbled with her seat belt, her hands shaking slightly. "Thank you, Ava," she said softly. "I'm Callie. Cadet Callie."

Ava started the engine and eased the jeep forward. She could feel Callie glancing at her every few seconds, the girl’s nervous energy palpable in the small space between them.

As the convoy pulled away from the gate, Ava kept her focus on the road ahead, though she could feel Callie’s nervous glances in her direction. After a few minutes, Ava turned down the radio and broke the silence.

"So, Callie, what kind of Sentinel do you want to be?"

Callie hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "I’m not really sure yet," she admitted, her voice quieter now. "I’d like to be like you, but… I’m not very good with weapons or combat. My trainer says I might be better suited for something else."

Ava nodded thoughtfully. "I know your trainer. She’s tough, but she knows potential when she sees it. You might surprise yourself."

Callie looked at Ava with wide eyes, a flicker of hope in her expression. "Really? She talks about you a lot. Says you were one of the best she trained. And... that you didn’t always follow the rules."

Ava chuckled, glancing at Callie with a wry smile. "Sounds about right. Let’s just say I had a bit of a stubborn streak."

Callie grinned, her nerves easing as they continued down the road.

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"Relax, Callie," Ava said, her voice calm but firm, her gaze never leaving the road. "You wouldn’t be here if Lucas didn’t think you could handle it."

Callie blinked, surprised that Ava had noticed her nerves. She forced a smile, though the tension in her shoulders didn’t ease. "I just… I don’t want to mess up. I know I’m not the best with weapons or combat, and sometimes I feel like… like I’m not good enough."

Ava glanced sideways at her, softening her tone. "Every Sentinel has doubts at some point. Hell, I had plenty when I started. But it’s not about being perfect—it’s about learning and adapting. Lucas brought you along for a reason. He sees potential in you."

Callie looked down at her hands, her fingers twisting together in her lap. "But what if he’s wrong?"

Ava sighed, the memories of her own insecurities flooding back. She shifted her grip on the wheel and looked ahead at the long stretch of road leading to the ruins. "You know, I’ve had my fair share of bad days—days where I thought I wasn’t cut out for this. But you learn to push through, to trust yourself. The fact that you’re here, right now, means you’ve already taken that first step. Lucas wouldn’t have brought you if he didn’t believe in you."

Callie listened intently, her eyes flickering with a glimmer of hope. "You really think so?"

Ava gave her a small nod. "Absolutely. And here’s the thing—no one expects you to be perfect, least of all Lucas or me. What we expect is for you to try, to keep going, even when it gets tough. You’re not alone in this."

Callie smiled, though it was still tinged with uncertainty. "Thank you, Ava. That… that means a lot."

Ava smiled back, a rare softness in her expression. "You’re going to be fine, Callie. Just trust yourself. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have it in you."

The radio crackled, and Ava reached over to adjust the dial. "Lucas, you copy? We’re about five minutes out from the ruins."

"Copy that," Lucas’s voice came through, steady and reassuring. "Everyone stay alert. This place may be marked as safe, but that doesn’t mean it’s free from danger. Wastelanders, raiders—they’ve been known to shelter here."

Ava clicked off the radio and glanced at Callie. "The city we’re heading into was destroyed during the Great Cataclysm almost a hundred years ago. It’s been abandoned ever since. Officially, it’s safe, no lingering threats from the past. But unofficially, it’s a different story."

Callie frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ava kept her eyes on the road, her expression grim. "The ruins attract all kinds of people—wastelanders, scavengers, raiders. Some just pass through, others set up camp. It’s quiet now, but that doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way. You always have to be on guard out here."

Callie swallowed hard, the weight of Ava’s words sinking in. "I’ll keep that in mind."

The landscape around them began to shift as they neared the outskirts of the ruined city. The once-vibrant metropolis had long since crumbled, its towering structures reduced to skeletal remains. Jagged fragments of glass still clung to the edges of shattered windows, glinting eerily in the morning light. The roads were littered with debris, overgrown with weeds and wild vegetation that had reclaimed the land over the years.

Ava slowed the jeep as they approached the heart of the ruins. The eerie quiet of the place settled over them like a heavy fog, the stillness broken only by the faint creak of rusting metal and the occasional gust of wind that sent dust swirling through the air.

"This place was a city," Ava said quietly, her voice almost reverent. "It used to be filled with life, but now… it’s like a ghost. The Cataclysm wiped it off the map."

Callie stared out the window, her eyes wide as she took in the crumbling buildings and the desolate streets. "It’s hard to believe this was once a thriving city."

Ava nodded. "Yeah. Hard to believe, but it’s a reminder of what happens when things go wrong. There’s history here, but there’s danger too. Don’t forget that."

The convoy slowed to a crawl as they navigated through the maze of debris, finally coming to a stop in the shadow of what had once been a towering skyscraper. The base of the building was littered with broken stone and metal, the skeletal remains of the city stretching out in every direction.

Ava cut the engine and glanced at Callie one last time before they got out. "Stick close. Let’s see what we can find."

With that, the vehicles came to a stop, and the group prepared to disembark, the ruins looming over them like silent sentinels of a forgotten world.