Amanda stood inside the barn, her eyes darting back and forth as she searched for anything useful the three of them could use to help them in any way. The barn was seemingly abandoned - the only things left behind were rusted tools, pitchforks, and a few bale hooks. It didn't seem like much but it was more than they had hoped to find, At least this way if worse came to worst they could protect themselves.
Ashur and Boulder stood outside, leaning against the wooden fence, still staring out into the large field in front of them.
"Do you think anyone in the city made it?" Ashur asked, picking wood splinters from the fence.
"I...I don't know, I suppose it's possible but, I wouldn't get my hopes up," Boulder replied, lowering his head slightly.
"What do you think the city looks like?" Ashur asked, looking up at Boulder.
"I'm not sure, could be a ghost town, could look the same, or it could be gone altogether," He replied, thinking thoroughly.
"Do you think everyone caught in the blast turned into those...husks?" Ashur asked.
"You saw the shelter, if everyone there ended up scorched like that, chances are anyone else caught in the blast ended the same way," he replied. Ashur stood silently looking over the pastures. Everything seemed so normal but so different. The world felt alive but dead at the same time. He was so used to the sounds of the city and the sounds of the wild, but he couldn't hear either one. No insects, and no passing cars zooming by on the freeway. He couldn't even smell the morning aroma of dew sliding down the sides of the blades of grass bunched together graciously taking in the rays from the sun.
He never realized how much he hated the silence until this very moment. He had always thought the world would be a more peaceful place if everything had gone silent, but he saw it now the silence is just as dangerous and scary as the noise he hated. Behind him the sound of the barn door swinging open startled him, he jumped around to see Amanda standing in the doorway her arms full of tools and supplies they could use.
"Damn, nice haul Dash," Boulder said, smiling broadly.
"Thanks I hope all of it can be of some use," She replied, dropping the items in the grass in front of her.
"There are a few more things in here, I'll grab 'em and we'll talk strategy," She continued, turning back and heading into the barn again. She walked slowly, scooting hay across the floor with her foot. She traced her finger along the peeling paint on the walls, the faded wood falling off with ease. She pushed the tip of her finger into a wide crack in the wall, a splinter chipping off of the wood and jamming into her skin.
"Shit!" She winced, pulling the long sliver from under her fingernail. A buildup of blood quickly spewed from the small hole dripping onto the hay below. "Damn it," She said lightly, placing her finger in her mouth and sucking the blood out. Her tongue now drenched in a bitter, battery acid flavor. She removed her finger quickly and spit on the floor, in an attempt to get the awful taste out of her mouth.
"Everything okay Dash?" Ashur shouted, concerned.
"Yeah, just...pricked my finger that's all!" She shouted, squeezing the blood from under her nail and staring at it confused. Once the bleeding slowed down she remembered why she was in there, on the floor sat two more bail hooks and a shovel. The last tools of any value that she could find. She made her way over and picked them up. The bail hooks looked almost brand new, shiny metal hooks with beautifully stained handles supporting them. The shovel on the other hand was rusty brown with a sunbleached and splintering handle.
"Well, someone used this quite often," she said, silently to herself. She held the tools with both arms as if she were carrying a bride as she shuffled through the hay once more, sweeping it across the floor with her foot.
"Alright that's the last of them," She said, standing in the doorway, dropping the tools with the others.
"Awesome, these will work nicely," Boulder said, confidently.
"Yeah, all of these have several uses that will come in handy," Ashur said, picking up one of the bail hooks. As they gathered their tools from the ground, a loud creaking noise echoed through the valley as the ground beneath them began to quake. All of them wabbled dropping their tools and struggling to maintain their balance. Ashur and Boulder held their ground pretty well, gripping the fence, but Dash, who had just gotten over dehydration and exhaustion wasn't as lucky. She fell backward into the barn. The ground shook so aggressively that hay bales from the loft above tipped and slammed onto the ground below, missing her by a few inches. She dodged them the best she could before crawling back toward the door.
"Dash get out of there!" Boulder yelled, waving her toward them. She regained her footing by gripping the sides of the door frame for balance and using them to hoist herself back up. As she gained balance, she looked around hoping there was nothing outside that could fall and create any injuries. In the distance, she noticed the corn silo, a tall metal structure on the north side of the farm standing tall but shaking rapidly. She watched it intently when she noticed something wrapping itself around the sides and coiling up toward the rounded top.
She couldn't tell what it was but she was frozen in place watching when suddenly the sides of the silo crushed inward almost like a discarded beer can in the hand of a grown man. Her eyes widened in shock as whatever was wrapping around it lurched itself over the top crushing it even more and pulling it towards the Earth it sat on. She was stuck and couldn't make sense of what she had just seen. Boulder and Ashur fell to the ground, the loud crunching sound catching them off guard. They all watched in awe as the silo reverted to a pile of nothing.
Then she heard something, the sound of the ground next to her ripping open. She looked over, a large green vine sprouting up from the ground instantly. It was wrapping itself over the top of the barn on both sides, she didn't know what to do, she couldn't remember how to move. She stood and watched as the vines constricted around the barn, snapping several planks and support beams within.
"Dash!" Boulder shouted, concerned. She snapped out of her trance and lept from the door landing on the tools that rested in front of the door. She flipped onto her back and shuffled backward, staring up as the vines continued to constrict the barn. The snapping of wood and the squeak of nails ripping from their holes flooded their ears. The vines got tighter and sounded like rubberbands being stretched too far, close to snapping. Then with an echoing crunch, the barn fell. In front of their eyes, they watched as the earth seemingly swallowed the remaining pieces, leaving nothing but the tools and a pile of hay behind. As the vines disappeared the shaking did as well, allowing them to collect themselves.
Again the earth was calm as if nothing had happened at all. In shock Amanda sat there, her mouth held open and tears fleeing from her eyes. All of them were too stunned to speak and too terrified to move.
"Wh...What the fuck was that?" Ashur stuttered.
"The barn it's...it's gone," Boulder chimed in.
"What does this mean?" he asked, trembling with fear.
"It means we can't stay here. We need to know what the fuck is going on. We have to go back," Amanda said, trying to sound strong.
"Back? Back where?" he asked, nervously.
"We have to go home," She replied.
"What is going home going to tell us?" Boulder asked, skeptically.
"I don't know, but there has to be some kind of answers somewhere, and we gotta get them before every building ends up like this barn," She said turning and facing the boys. "Or worse, us." Boulder and Ashur shared a look of fear before turning back.
"What if there aren't any answers to be found there?" Ashur asked, with fear in his eyes.
"It's better to try and fail than never to have tried at all," She replied, calmly quoting a phrase she had seen on many posters.
"I'm with you Dash, if you believe we can find out the truth, then so do I," Boulder said, giving one of his classic thumbs up.
"Oh fuck it, me too," Ashur said, shrugging his shoulders knowing he was better off with people than alone.
"Okay then, pick a tool for protection, we leave as soon as we can," She said, reaching down for a pitchfork. Ashur bent down and grabbed two bail hooks, while Boulder joined Amanda in grabbing a pitchfork They gripped their weapons tightly, fearful and hesitant. They stared at each other confidently, knowing none of them had any idea what they would see once they left.
"Are we ready?" She asked. Both boys looked at each other and then back at her.
"Yup," They both said, nodding in agreement.
"Okay, let's go then," She said, preparing herself for the journey ahead. The sun settled in the sky shining its light on the ground and illuminating the poorly maintained dirt trail in front of them. They stood looking down the path leading into the unknown. The dirt behind them settled as what remained of the barn became visible. They looked ahead with fear and hope. One after another they shared a deep breath before beginning their journey home.