Fight, Flight, or Freeze: The Healer's Story
Chapter 211: This Isn’t Natural

Chapter 211: This Isn’t Natural

I think I owed the guys an apology, but as bratty as it sounds, I really don’t want to give them one.

We had been on the road for about an hour now, and I was ready to give up. My legs were trembling, my feet were aching, and I thought my soul was going to leave my body if I took another step.

My brain did its best to encourage the rest of me, reminding me to put one step forward, and it would be fine.

But about 20 minutes ago or so, even it stopped trying.

I heard a low chuckle behind me, and my body was swept up into a bridal hold. "You did good, Little Bird," he whispered in my ear as he maneuvered me into a comfortable position in his arms. "Now, take a nap. You have been stationary for a long time and even had your muscles atrophy on you. The fact that you were able to keep up this pace for so long is amazing."

I nodded to let him know I heard him and promptly fell asleep. I would apologize to the guys for slowing them down when I woke up. But I wouldn’t apologize for being here. No, we were a family now. Whatever the future held, we would face it together.

-----

"You know, any of us could carry her too," grumbled a low voice beside my head. I started to stir a bit, only to stop moving when I heard a hiss.

"I am the only one here that won’t tire," said the one holding me. I could feel his chest rumbling with each word. "Besides, I don’t want to wake her up."

-----

"Where to now?" asked a strange voice. I struggled to wake up, but I was just tired....

-----

"Does anyone else find this path oddly creepy?" That voice I easily recognized. Si Dong was talking right beside me, but I was still being held carefully in Rip’s arms.

"You think every place is creepy," grumbled Cheng Bo Jing, and I heard the sound of a slap before Si Dong yelped out in pain.

"But come on, even you have to admit that this is creepy."

His words made me want to open my eyes and see where we were. Cracking open one eyelid, I took in the scenery. Trees that should have been full of leaves remained bare as if it was the middle of winter.

Summer had been harsh; even I had noticed a distinct lack of rain this year. Plants were having a hard time growing, and food crops were practically non-existent, the sun drying up the sprouts before they even had a chance to grow true leaves.

I had never been one to overly care about the environment. I had always been too deep into my studies to really pay attention to anything other than my books, but if the apocalypse has taught me anything, it was that without our things, we were at the mercy of Mother Nature.

If this kept up, we wouldn’t need to worry about the zombies or Reavers killing us; we would starve to death before true winter hit.

Not wanting to see anything more, I closed my eyes and buried back into Rip’s chest.

I wished that there was something I could do to change things, but I couldn’t even walk for more than an hour. What help could I possibly be?

----

"Holy shit are you guys seeing this, too?" hissed Ye Yao Zu, waking me up. Huh, I wonder when I fell asleep.

"Yeah," grunted Rip, clearly not as impressed as Ye Yao Zu with whatever was going on. "It’s not natural."

"Not natural? It is the most natural thing in the world; it is just acting like it is on fast forward," disagreed Fan Teng Fei.

Curious, I once again struggled to open my eyes. There was no way walking should have made me this tired, but in my defense, it had been a while since I last exercised. I might have pushed myself a bit too far.

"What’s going on?" I asked, my voice coming out in a hoarse croak.

"Open your eyes and see Little Rabbit," chuckled Cheng Bo Jing. I didn’t really want to; it felt like a colossal effort for something that may or may not be worth it.

"Oh, it is definitely worth it," crooned Si Dong.

Taking in a deep breath, I pulled open my eyes and looked around.

The forest that greeted me now was completely different than the one before. This one was lush, like it had received a steady supply of sun and rain. The branches reached up to the sky, trying to get every last ray of light that they could while squirrels darted around their own version of a highway.

Birds chattered amongst themselves while rabbits darted across our path. Even the flowers seemed to be leaning toward the center, trying to touch us with their petals.

"This isn’t normal," grumbled a new voice... not one of my guys.

I looked up at Rip to see if he was concerned, and he didn’t seem overly stressed...

Until he looked at me.

"Little Bird, close your eyes," he growled, pulling my face as close to his chest as he could without cutting off my oxygen.

I didn’t ask him any questions; I just did as instructed and didn’t move.

"Is she still asleep?" asked Chang Guo Zi quietly. I could hear his footsteps crushing the dried leaves that littered the path we were currently on.

"She is," assured Bai Long Qiang. "The walking really took a lot out of her. She had been in a cage for the past two years, so it is to be expected."

"You and I both know that this isn’t normal... this forest was dead an hour ago," hissed Chang Guo Zi, coming even closer.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Cheng Bo Jing. I could feel the threat through to my bones, and clearly, I wasn’t the only one.

"She is an oracle; I need to know what is going on. I won’t walk my men into a trap," continued the leader. Despite everything, I really was impressed with how far he was willing to go for those he considered his.