Chapter 180: It Starts With a Dream
The car had fallen into a heavy silence following the conversation about stories that both Arthur and Aziel would rather bury in the deepest recesses of their minds. The weight of unspoken trauma hung in the air like a suffocating blanket, pressing down on everyone’s shoulders.
Arthur leaned his tired body against the cool surface of the window, his forehead pressing against the glass as he sought some small comfort from its smoothness. His breath fogged the window in small patches as the car passed through a winding road that cut directly through the middle of breathtaking grass plains.
The landscape stretched endlessly in all directions, a sea of emerald green that rolled and swayed like ocean waves in the gentle evening breeze. Wildflowers dotted the terrain in bursts of color – brilliant yellows, deep purples, and delicate whites that seemed to glow in the fading light.
’For a district in such shambles, it sure is beautiful,’ Arthur thought as he let his gaze drift across the horizon, following the gentle curves of distant hills that seemed to blend seamlessly into the darkening sky.
The sun hung low on the horizon now, a massive orange orb that painted the entire district in shades of gold and amber. Long shadows stretched across the plains, creating a patchwork of light and darkness that seemed to shift and change with every passing moment.
Suddenly, the steady hum of the engine began to change pitch as the car started to slow. Arthur felt the deceleration in his stomach as Cara guided the vehicle into a gradual stop, pulling it slightly off the main road and onto a patch of relatively flat ground surrounded by the endless expanse of grass.
The silence that followed was profound, broken only by the soft whisper of wind through the grass and the distant call of some night bird.
"Alright, we’re camping here for tonight," Cara announced, her voice cutting through the stillness with authority. She stretched her arms above her head, working out the kinks from hours of driving. "It’s way out in the open, so it should be relatively safe. We’ll take turns keeping watch throughout the night – each person will keep watch for two hours. You’ll be posted outside on top of the vehicle."
She stood up from her seat with grace and walked to the back of the car, fixing her gaze on Myah. The look she gave the younger woman was pointed and unmistakable. She tilted her head upward slightly, a gesture that somehow managed to convey both command and expectation. "You’re first, Myah."