THE CHILDREN LEFT BEHIND

AUTHOR’S POV 

The argument began before sunrise.

Elena had barely finished checking the water containers when Harlan stormed into the communal hall, his boots striking the wooden floor hard enough to draw everyone's attention.

"We cannot keep doing this!"

Several survivors looked up from their breakfast. Garrick, who was repairing a broken hunting knife near the fireplace, lifted his head.

Elena continued tying the lid onto a water container.

"Good morning to you, too, Harlan."

"This isn't a joke."

"I didn't say it was."

He stepped closer, frustration written across his face.

"We're running out of food. The hunters returned yesterday with barely enough to feed everyone, and the people we sent to inspect the northern path found nothing useful. We cannot sit here waiting for the forest to provide everything we need."

Elena tightened the strap around the container before looking at him.

"Which is why we're organizing another supply expedition."

"And where do you intend to find supplies? In another abandoned village? We've searched the nearest buildings already."

"There are old settlements farther down the mountain. Some were abandoned long before the plague. There may still be food stores, tools, or medical supplies."

"Or infected people."

"That is a possibility."

Harlan stared at her as though she had lost her mind.

"You admit there could be infected people, and you still want to send people down there?"

"We need supplies. That means we have to search somewhere."

"And if someone gets killed?"

Elena met his gaze.

"Then we will have lost someone while trying to keep the rest alive. That is why we'll take precautions, travel in a group, and avoid unnecessary risks."

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Garrick rose from his chair.

"I'll lead the expedition."

Harlan turned toward him.

"Of course you will. You two seem to think this place is your personal territory."

"No," Garrick replied calmly. "We think sitting around complaining won't fill our stomachs."

A few people chuckled.

Harlan's face reddened.

Elena intervened before the argument could escalate.

"We leave in an hour. Garrick, take three hunters. Bring back anything useful, but don't take unnecessary risks. If you find signs of infection, leave the area and report it."

"And you?" Garrick asked.

"I'm coming."

He frowned.

"You're a healer. You should stay here."

"I'm also the person who knows which herbs and supplies we need most. If we find medicine, I want to identify it before we bring it back. And if someone gets hurt, I'd rather be there than wait for them to return."

Garrick studied her for a moment before nodding.

"Fine. But you stay behind us when we reach the buildings."

Elena smiled faintly.

"I'll consider it."

"Elena."

"All right. I'll stay behind you."

He seemed satisfied with that answer, although she had made no promise about what she would do if someone needed help.

She finished preparing her medical bag, added a few bottles of clean water, and checked that the small knife at her waist was secure.

Then she joined Garrick and the hunters at the northern path.

The morning air was cold, and a thin mist hung between the trees. They followed the trail they had discovered the previous day, moving carefully through the undergrowth while watching for tracks.

The mountains were quieter than they should have been.

There were no birds calling from the branches. No small animals darted through the bushes. Even the wind seemed to have died, leaving the forest wrapped in a silence that made Elena increasingly uneasy.

Something is wrong, Luma murmured.

Elena kept her gaze on the path.

Something has been wrong since the plague began.

No. This is different.

Elena slowed.

What do you smell?

Luma seemed to concentrate.

Rot. Old blood. And something else I cannot identify.

Elena's fingers tightened around the strap of her medical bag.

She was about to warn Garrick when one of the hunters raised his hand.

"Stop."

The group froze.