Last Chapter: “Is there anything else that we could know?” Sara asked.

“Not unless you have anything juicier than that,” The Overlord smiled devilishly.

Sara shook her head no quickly, “No, sir.”

“Then we’re done here. Guard, escort them out.”

“Come on, let’s get y’all out of here,” The same man from earlier stated, getting them up and having them leave the room.

“If I ever catch you in my lands again, you will be my personal workers,” He warned just as the doors closed.

Haven (Previously: Mikael’s Farm)

Monday, January 21, 2019

Morning - Apocalypse Month 4

Ariel walked about the farm, checking up on people doing their tasks and the welfare of her people. Their population had doubled since the church, with most people living mainly off the river and the spares of food they could find in the wilds or overturned eighteen-wheelers. Her people were successfully surviving the winter, and she was proud. Snow had finally rained down on the farm, which was rare for a place like Haven being as south as it is. Ariel made everyone work as equals; herself included; even Ariel did her part with building the walls around the camp, and Mikael started work on the communal house to house the very little room they had in the first one. Ahead of her was the carriage that would be set up for her journey back up to Atlanta and Forsyth.

"I really am against this, Ariel!" Tonya huffed. "You could get hurt and maybe even worse kidnapped! You're the leader of this place and you know it!"

Ariel sighed, deadpanning her before replying, “I'll be fine. It'll be a quick trip to Forsyth, and other communities in the Piedmont region, we won't be going anywhere further north, besides Atlanta, I promise… We'll be back in a couple of months."

Tonya slowly realized the fact that Ariel wouldn’t heed her advice, "Fine... but please be careful! It’s dangerous out there and I don’t want you to get hurt."

Ariel smiled, "I promise you I’ll be as sneaky as a mouse and as careful as a lion." Then came Mikael, Lincoln, and Carlos bringing the final gear for their three-month trip.

"... So, currently, we have no news from the south. Either the Floridian coast was ravaged by the ungodly hurricanes or just self-imploded. But, from the passing news of people, the plague has gotten worse especially in the cities around us. But for a matter of other communities like the ones on the coastline, nothing," Lincoln told Mikael, giving him a catch-up.

"Ah, so I guess..." Lincoln opened up a slightly damaged map of the southern region of what used to be the United States of America. "We can start to go north to Augusta and then west to Columbus then all the way south to Valdosta, maybe further into Tallahassee, until we circle back to Savannah."

"What about Forsyth?" Ariel inquired, wanting to meet an old accomplice.

"What's in Forsyth?" Lincoln asked. "Those people are probably dead or wishing they were right about now. They might not even be there with what the Archbishop in Savannah said."

"I doubt that. They wouldn’t let that happen to themselves," Ariel rebutted. "Besides it wouldn't hurt to go there and check it out."

"Whatever you say, but we have to get going. I don't want it to get dark so soon and not make any travel," Lincoln continued with setting the rest of the supplies into the carriage.

After an hour of goodbyes and re-reading the checklist, they finally left Haven. With her people smiling and waving goodbye gleefully, giving them wishes of luck and fortune.

"Thank you, everyone, for everything! While I'm gone show them what Haven is really about, eh?"

In response, an overwhelming amount of cheers and claps came from the crowd. It slowly diminished as they rode away in their carriage, and the horses slowly pulled them out into the unknown new world. Hours passed by as the group traveled on the weathered roads and finally stopped when the sun began to set at the horizon for a temporary goodbye. Mikael set up a small fire with camp tents surrounding it while Lincoln and Carlos had gone out to find some game. Ariel walked towards Mikael and sat down, "This is so... weird."

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"You're telling me! If you were to tell me that we would be traveling around Georgia in a carriage a year ago, I'd think you were a madman," Mikael chuckled.

"We’re even lucky to say we haven’t gone mad," Ariel laughed, "But you do have to admit, some other species are probably excited about this."

"How so?"

"Well take it like this," Ariel scooted closer to the fire and Mikael for warmth from the cold, bitter air, "For us, everything changed. The way we viewed the world and its limits have changed, but for animals, it hasn't, except for their freedom. The zoos can’t function so they most likely let them out of their cages. Endangered species probably won't be endangered anymore and, let's be honest here if you were to fight against a pack of wolves, would you win?"

Mikael pondered a bit, "You're right, huh. So what does that mean for us?"

"Probably the fact that we're not the top of the food chain. We are at an equal and now the animals have no reason to fear us since we don’t have guns. Not even to mention the cannibals."

"I suppose you're right... I didn't even think about that."

"Thank the aliens in the sky for that,"

Mikael sucked his teeth, "Don’t tell me you think this was some alien intervention.”

Ariel thought about it for a bit and then shook her head jokingly, "Who knows, this world is a mysterious place. Maybe, they came down with their saucer shaped spaceship and beamed our planet with their sonic rays."

"Maybe it was a powerful witch from another world!" A feminine voice yelled coming from the cart. Lau jumped out from underneath the blankets in the back of the carriage. Her wild face and tight ponytail smiling ear to ear, "They have to exist, right!? It could be extraterrestrial witches!"

"Lau! Shit! You scared the mess out of me!" Ariel said, putting a hand to her heart as it pounded her chest. Mikael pulled back further from the campfire, almost collapsing to the ground.

“Dammit, Lau! Scared me half to death!” Mikael yelled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to guys. I just got so bored sitting in that wagon and my butt started to hurt," Lau whined.

"Nevermind that, why are you here!?" Mikael asked, "You should be in Haven where it's safe!"

"But, I didn’t want you guys to leave me! Also, I was thinking maybe I could travel with you and see what's new," Lau replied.

Ariel sighed, "Tell Lincoln when he gets back we're gonna have to turn around as soon as daylight hits."

"Wait, no! Please, I wanna travel with you guys. I promise I won't cause a scene or anything!" Lau pleaded.

Ariel paused and considered her options.

"There is no way you're seriously thinking about this!? This girl is like twelve!" Mikael said, not believing what was going on.

"I'm fifteen!" Lau rebutted quickly.

"Well, she said she wouldn't cause a scene and it seems like she really wants to go. So, let her. You say you're fifteen so you have to be ready for danger Lau. We don't know what's across these lands. There could be rabid animals, enemies, bandits, and maybe even..." Ariel moved closer into her ear and spoke softly, "... monsters!". Ariel tackled and tickled Lau, making her scream laughing.

In sporadic breaths of laughter, Lau responded, "I... can do.... it!"

Ariel immediately stopped and smiled at Mikael, "You heard the girl. She got this."

Mikael rolled his eyes and went into his tent. Soon after, Lincoln and Carlos had come back with fresh dinner. “We’re eating rabbit stew tonight ladies and gents!” Carlos laughed.

“Yay!” Lau smiled.

“Woah, what the hell is she doing here?” Carlos asked, “She’s like twelve!”

“Fifteen!”

"How ya holdin' up?" Lincoln asked Ariel with two rabbits at the end of his spear, putting them on top of the fire.

Ariel smiled, and her hungry mouth watered, "Finally! You don't understand how hungry the three of us are right now!"

"How’d she even get here?"

“She snuck onboard of the carriage,”

“A trouble child, eh?”

"That trouble child can hear you!" Lau sneered.

Lincoln rolled his eyes, "Well come out here and get ready to eat!" Lincoln then turned the skinned bunnies atop the fire like a rotisserie at a local Publix. All four of them were at the fire waiting on the food to finish and talked and laughed. Lau laid on top of Ariel as she had a blanket covered on her, Mikael had set his tent closer to the fire and only let his head peak out, Carlos sat in the carriage making sure everything was prepared correctly for the trip, while Lincoln just sat down meditating on his day. The moon was now rising to its full glory; the crickets, frogs, and other fauna of the wilds came out of their habitats and made the noises of the night.

"Let's sing a song," Ariel insisted.

"What song?" Lincoln asked, "Let it please not be the ‘She’ll Be Coming ‘Round The Mountain’, we’ve heard that one for months on end."

"I don't sing it that much! Do I?!" Ariel asked, looking at the rest of the group.

They all nodded in unison.

"Then what should we sing!?" Ariel asked once again.

Lau slowly began to sing one of her lullabies as a child. Finally ending with the group eating a hearty dinner and falling asleep in their tents with content. The apocalypse is over, but now it's time to survive the aftermath.