Clip Clop. Hooves striking against the solid ground underneath. Air gently moved across my face like the light brush of grass. I could hear things rattling in the ruins around us.

Kevin trotted up to the other side of Roderick and asked, “What is making the air move like this. I do not see any fans.”

“I think this is the thing called wind. I read in a book that pressure changes cause the air to move, and that movement is called wind.” Roderick was also useful as our walking textbook on all things outside the Wall.

I thought I had learned enough to survive out here, but I would not have had a name for this gentle sensation brushing against me and pulling the damp heat with it for just a moment.

Strange noises filled the air with creaks, buzzing, and and chittering. Sometimes a bird could be heard, and I thought of the birds that nested in the city. If birds had survived out here, maybe we could as well.

In the distance I could see an end to the wall of ruined buildings where brown scars rose up from the land in strange and suffering formations.

It seemed distant, but we approached it I realized they were burned trees rising up from the ground. Looking back, I could still see the Wall looming over the edge of our vision like it had always loomed at the corner of everything in my life. I could also just barely make out the pink bubble that blocked out the sky rising up above it. Would it one day all disappear from view?

We continued on, each of us lost in our own thoughts. From time to time I looked over at the others as we rode forward, and everyone seemed as enamored with the strange scenery as I was.

The ruined city slowly faded to the edge of our vision as the road disappeared to just dirt and dead trees. Still the Wall rose up above the barren land as reminder of what was behind us.

The wind ran across my face again, its feet dancing along and drying the sweat. It was hot here, but the heat felt good. The sun felt like it was warming up a soul that had forgotten what warmth was. Pure unaltered energy slowly shifting across the sky towards our destination both guide and time teller as it slowly moved down blocking out what was ahead with its fiery brilliance.

Looking away from the brilliance I could see the other two struggling with it as well. Roderick had his head tilted down to take advantage of his black cloak and Kevin had his hand in front of his face to block the sun.

I took Kevin’s approach and held my hand in front of the Sun’s angry assault. My mind rambled back towards Kevin’s words. I had to let go. I had to move on. This world outside the Wall should be a fresh start without the lingering attachments of my old world to hold me back. At least until we found something to report and I returned.

But Kevin wouldn’t be returning. I thought of his family, probably now slaving away as Dishonored. His poor father was probably already dead from the treatment the Dishonored were given.

I hadn’t let myself think about that when time disappeared in the Wall. It had gone on and on in a cycle of forgetting old ways and learning new things. This ruined old world was my new world.

It would be a good place to start over if it wasn’t for the radiation. But there had to be something beyond the radiation. Radiation went away over time according to what Roderick had me read. It had been a long time since whatever happened to this world.

I thought of the books Roderick had me read. Some of them spoke of this as “The New World” discovered by explorers from a land mass across the sea. They also spoke of things called wars and huge numbers of people dying as the explorers killed those who already lived there.

Maybe there were people still living somewhere in this desolate world? Maybe not here, but somewhere beyond the ruins and sand. I just had to hope that this world beyond the safety and horror of the City was not my death sentence.

The sun sent rays of red light streaking across the sky like a bird stretching it wings across the sky as it neared the horizon and Roderick called for a halt again. He checked his device and nodded. “We need to take our first pill.”

“And when will we need to take the second?” I asked as he rode up next to me to give me the pill and he simply shrugged as I took the pill. Was he afraid of dying?

He rode away to give Kevin his pill. How much longer did we have? We needed to get as far west as quickly as we could, “I think we should ride through the night. We aren’t asking the horses for that strenuous a pace and I think they can handle it. We can take turns sleeping on our horse while we ride. We need to try and get out of the radiation zone before our pills run out.”

Roderick nodded as he pulled off his hood, and the red of the sky seemed to shift into his hair like a bloody halo. I hadn’t been able to see him earlier, but in the fading light I could see he looked tired. The joy and excitement he had when we left the city were gone. Was it simply the weariness of travel, or was it a realization that this was a suicide mission settling in? Was he regretting his reasons for coming?

“I recommend we ride through part of the night the way you are suggesting, but that we take some breaks to rest the horses.” Roderick said as he fiddled with his saddle bag.

“I think we should at least take a small break now,” Kevin’s voice came from the other side of Roderick. “As Roderick mentioned the horses will need rest, food, and water as well.”

Kevin’s horse halted, and Kingston and Roderick’s horse both followed. I looked down at the black creature I was riding, and noticed the sweat on his fur. I had been wrong to keep pushing them forward.

Kevin jumped down, and grabbed his saddle for support. Walking with what seemed like stilt legs, he pulled off one of the large bags attached to his saddle. “We each have one small grain bag and two water bags. Ration it, and don’t let your horse drink too much.”

“How much is too much?” Roderick asked before I could.

“I’d say half a bag.” Kevin was already holding open a bag for his grateful horse.

I tried to copy Kevin’s graceful dismount, caught my foot on the top of the saddle, struggled, and eventually freed myself landing hard on the ground, and collapsing. My legs didn’t want to support me. Kingston looked over at me with pity in his eyes and nudged me.

“Yes, yes. I’m getting you some water.” I told him as I grabbed his neck and used him to pull myself upward into a standing position. Maybe I should walk some next to him in the future because my legs and seat bones were now feeling very sore.

Roderick was sitting on the ground looking dazed, and I saw Kevin helping him stand. At least I hadn’t needed Kevin’s help yet. I copied what I had seen Kevin do, and offered water to a grateful Kingston.

“You seem to be doing well,” Kevin commented while grabbing the grain bag and bringing it to me.

I didn’t need his help, “I’m not completely useless!”

“Never said you were. Your quite good at a number of things. You just don’t seem in shape for this.” Kevin’s kindness hurt. His help hurt. But he was right. I hadn’t done anything while in the Wall to be in shape for this.

New world, new life. If he saw me as a sister, I would be his sister. “You might be right, but it doesn’t mean you have to look down on me.”

He sighed and raised is hands up, “You win. I won’t help you. I’ll go back to helping the wallite whose never ridden a horse in his life before and didn’t think about that before volunteering to go on an adventure.

Kevin walked back toward Roderick, and my sore legs protested me turning down his help. Roderick needed his help more than me anyway. I pulled the water away from an unhappy Kingston who wanted more. Kevin had said not to let him drink too much.

I dug my hands into the grain bag and held out a handful of grain for him, which he happily ate before diving for the grain bag, “Oh no you don’t. We have to ration the grain as well and you would happily eat all of this. One more handful.” I offered a little more that he happily ate.

He was such a sweet horse. What did he think about being forced into a dark space for a while and then suddenly being brought out into this world of light. Had he been sitting in the Wall the entire time we were there? His whiskers brushed against my face and his soft lips tickled my nose making me laugh. “You win horse. Just a little more,” and I held out a touch more for him to lick of my hands before putting away his grain bag.

Kevin and Roderick were sitting on the ground in front of us munching on some of the dried meat bar from their rations. I grabbed my own rations and went to sit next to them as the sun faded from view with the last traces of red sinking behind and a dark blue absorbing the world above. Small lights peaked through, and a large white blob that almost look like a wall person’s face rose into the sky.

“The little lights are stars, which are very far away suns.” Roderick said while looking straight up at the sky.

“And what is the round white thing?” I asked. I had read a little about stars and using them for navigation. None of it made sense at the time, and it was making even less sense and innumerable white lights slowly filled the sky. How could one person tell the difference for the difference between any pattern in this mass of little lights.

“That’s probably the moon. It’s a big rock that circles the Earth.”

I nodded. I remembered reading about the moon, but I had thought it would look more rock like and less - less - bright.

“You two should rest,” Kevin’s voice broke through our joint fascination with the night sky. “I ’m not really good at navigating, so I will take watch when we give the horses a break and sleep when you are leading.”

It made sense. “Alright.” I finished my meat bar, and drank a little of my water. The touch of water against my mouth made me want to guzzle the whole bag of water, but I had to stop myself just as I’d stopped Kingston. I laid out on the dirt, as I would if I were in a cell, and attempted to sleep.

I’d finally gotten used to the soft bed, and now the hard dirt hurt. It made my hips ache, and then my back felt stiff, and my legs were cramping. Sleeping on my back hurt my poor seat bones. Pain. Non stop pain. I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with how sore my body was feeling.