The second day without my brother and the scouts felt like a year because the camp was so quiet and everyone was just looking at the road and waiting for any sign of life. I woke up very early and the sun was still hiding behind the mountains but I couldnt stay in my bed because my heart was heavy with worry and many questions about where they are now. I went to the kitchen area to help the other women prepare the morning meal but we were all just moving like ghosts and nobody was talking much because we were all thinking about the same thing. We heard a very loud sound coming from the distance and it was like a horn or a whistle and we all ran toward the gate as fast as we could because we thought maybe they were coming back early. It wasnt them but it was a small bird that was trapped in a metal pipe and its crying sound made us all feel a bit sad because we were so desperate for any real news.
I spent most of the morning sitting on the top of the ruins and writing in my notebook about the colors of the wasteland and how the wind makes strange music when it passes through the broken windows of the old city. I wrote about my childhood memories of the festivals and the smell of the food in the streets and I compared it to the silence we have now because writing is the only way I can stay calm. Suddenly I saw something bright in the far hills and it was like a small flash of light that was repeating three times and then stopping and then repeating again just like a secret code. I shouted for Omar and the others to come and see and when they looked they said it was a signal from a mirror and it must be my brother and the scouts telling us they found something important. We all started waving our arms and some people lighted a small fire to show them that we saw the signal and the whole camp was suddenly full of energy and people were hugging each other and crying with joy.
We waited for hours for them to get closer and the sun was starting to go down when we finally saw five figures walking toward the gate and they looked very tired but they were carrying something large between them. My brother was in the front and his face was covered in dust but his eyes were shining more than ever before and he ran toward me and picked me up in a big hug. They found an old truck that was still in good condition and it was hidden under some trees near a mountain cave and it was full of medical supplies and clean water and even some old seeds for planting. This was a treasure that was much better than the "Sanctuary" for now because it meant we could fix our own home and help the people who are sick in the camp. My brother told us that they also found a road that leads to a valley where the land is green and the water is flowing and he thinks we should move the whole camp there when the spring comes.
Everyone gathered around the truck and they were looking at the boxes of medicine like they were looking at diamonds because we havent seen real medicine for a long time. I saw a mother crying because she knew her sick daughter could finally get better now and I felt that our mission was a total success and that we are finally starting to win against the darkness. We spent the whole night celebrating and eating the best food we had while my brother told us the story of their journey and how they found the hidden valley. I sat there with my notebook and I wrote down every detail of the truck and the green land and the mirror signal because this is the chapter where we stopped being survivors and we became winners. The moon was very large and white tonight and it was looking down at us like it was happy for our victory and I knew that we are not afraid of the ruins anymore because we have a new path to follow. We are going to start a new life in the green valley and we are going to build a world that is even better than the old one because we know the value of every single breath we take.