The Lost and the Found

Cal...

It has been three years since the war. Three years since I lost my family. Three years since I lost all I had to live for. 

Aug. 2, 1999-

I strolled down the wet, musty street, and looked over my shoulder as I heard the rumbling of what I thought was a car. But as I looked back, I realized it was not a car, but a heavy machine. A tank. It seemed to tower over everything in sight, seemingly a hundred feet tall. I stood there with my mouth gaping open, eyes wide, and a thought in my mind, why is the tank here? I didn’t know that day that the tank was a warning of the coming war-

December 5, 2002-

If I had known that day that the tank meant war, I would have left, me and my family, a long time ago. But now it’s too late. The war has destroyed everything, EVERYTHING I ever knew, everything I ever loved, gone. Gone like the wind, washed away by the waves of the war. But now I have to put that behind me. I walk back to my shelter. I live on the streets since the buildings and people are gone. The blue tarp with bullet holes and burn marks all over it, draped over what must’ve been some clotheslines. Before the war, I lived in a high-end apartment, with an amazing view of the city. But now, I’m almost glad that the apartment is gone, that I don’t live there, I wouldn’t want the view of what I had lost. If the apartment had made it through the war, I couldn’t stay there. The view of the demolished city, the memories. It would be too much to bear. 

I hear a slight screeching sound, almost like the sound Caleb’s shoes used to make as he walked up and down the apartment halls. I look to the left, and nothing’s there, but when I look left, I do see something. Caleb. As skinny as a stick, but Caleb. 

“Cal?” says a rough voice.

“Caleb,” I whisper. I run toward him and embrace him. 

“You’re looking pretty rough,” jokes Caleb. 

I don’t respond, but I smile, and he returns it, tears streaming down both of our faces. 

Suddenly Caleb’s face darkens. 

“We have a lot to catch up on,” he says darkly. The excitement and joy are gone from his bright eyes, and now they are cold. Angry, almost. 

I motion to hum from my lean-to and tell him to sit down.

  “Where were you?” I question. 

“That’s not important right now,” he dismisses me, “but what is-” he pauses, and I look at him questioningly. “Is that I think I know where Cade is.”

I gasp. Not only is Caleb alive, so is Cade. But that doesn’t matter now. I don’t have the energy in me to go looking, and Caleb obviously doesn’t either. 

“That’s amazing, but for now, you need some rest. Let’s talk more about Cade in the morning. “

_____

Caleb and I stay up talking about what we’ve done for the past three years until the sun sets and the sky turns a deep crimson. I lay down and process all that Caleb has said. Cade, alive. Other survivors. A shelter. A new start. I hope it’s all true, but the time to find out is not now. I close my eyes and let the sound of the cricket’s singing drift me off to sleep. 

I awake to the sound of a crackling fire. I rub my eyes and blink them open. Caleb is standing at the fire, cooking something, although I don’t know what. 

“What’s that?” I grumble. 

“I found some chicken eggs at an old, deserted farm along the way.”

“How’d you find me?” I inquire. 

“Luck,” Caleb replies. 

-----

 I cringe. I hate that word. Luck. It's okay, Cal, If we have any luck, we'll get through this. The last few words my parents said to me before the explosion. The last thing I will remember about them. Now counting on luck is one of my greatest fears.

I walk East, towards the rising sun, the sky painted a mix of blues, purples, and pinks. I walk away from Caleb, away from my fear of losing someone else.

Luck. I really should get over that fear. Losing others. That's more understandable. And my other fear. Saving Cade. What if it's too late? What if Cade is gone? I push the thought out of my mind.

I continue East for a few miles. Thoughts of Cade, mother, and father float through my head. That's when I make my mind up. I'm getting Caleb and we're going to save Cade. From what, I don't know.

_______

Caleb...

I look at Cal like she's crazy. Go get Cade? Now?

"There's no way. Not where she is." I reply.

"Well, where is she?" Cal asks, eager.

I sigh. "In the dark lands."

"The what?" Cal looks at me like I just told her that unicorns exist and that she's part mermaid.

"Look," I say, "I know it sounds cheesy, idiotic, even. But the dark lands are outside of the city. Well, what's left of it. It's where all the survivors are. They won't let anyone leave. And I mean anyone. "

"Well, I can be very persuasive," Cal states stubbornly.

"We can try to get Cade out, but the odds of us all getting out alive are pretty slim. Our fate is up to luck."

Cal cringes.

______

Cal…

Luck. Again. I almost feel like Caleb’s trying to get on my nerves. But I also feel like he’s forcing me to face my fears. And that’s just what I’m going to do. And I’m going to find Cade in the process.