371 Dreams

They were not the only gang out there who survived in the city, but most other groups avoided them. Parcus was merciless and brutal, but those were the qualities that kept him and his gang alive. 

Mara and the human survivors were going to be selected and the rest would be slaughtered. But she wanted to save everyone. 

"So I offered up intel in exchange for our lives. I proved to him that we were of value, and for a time, we were safe. We travelled with them, lived with them, but it was clear that they always kept us at a distance," Mara explained as she tightened the grip on her hands. 

When food was scarce, that was when they started picking people to be removed. They did not even spare their own. Mara desperately fought for their survival but she no longer had anything to offer. 

"That's a horrible situation to be in. You did what you had to, I respect that, " Ronni sighed after listening to Mara's story. 

"But it was the wrong decision. If I chose to stay, with all of you. Maybe, maybe everyone else would still be…" Mara could not bring herself to say it. 

Recounting the death of her friends broke her heart. The pain was too much to bear. But she had no tears to cry. Her eyes were dry. 

Ronni placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. 

"You followed your gut and made a decision. Indeed, it ended in tragedy but you could not have known or predicted it. Yes, you gave intel that led to us being attacked and weapons taken but you convinced Parcus to spare our lives."

When Parcus and his gang infiltrated their campsite and rounded them up, Ronni could see the bloodlust in their eyes. They were seasoned murderers who lacked a moral compass. 

But Mara did everything in her power to convince them otherwise. As luck would have it, it worked. 

"I should thank you, all of you should be thanking you. You saved us. Even Vyrena… heck if you had not talked Parcus out of killing us then and there, Vyrena might not have recovered."

Mara was surprised by Ronni's words. She had never thought about it until he mentioned it. Finally, she was able to smile just a little. 

"Thank you, it means a lot," she meant the words she said. 

Ronni smiled, "You're welcome."

Back at the marble building, night time came for them and Vyrena was pacing around the campfire. Her shadow moved alongside her as she did. Back and forth she walked, as the rest entertained themselves. 

Boss, who watched her walking back and forth for the umpteenth time could no longer take it. But just as he was about to say something, someone else got to it first. 

She did not get a reply. Vyrena continued pacing. Realising she was deep in her thoughts, Maribelle was about to give up. But Boss was not about to. He quickly got up on his feet and went over to her. 

Upon seeing within her range of view, Vyrena stopped her movement. 

"What is it?" She asked, wondering if Boss was looking for her. 

"Ah, well… why don't you come and sit down with us? Pacing back and forth can't help much after all," he phrased his question carefully, mimicking Maribell's attempt. 

Vyrena smiled, his words were true, so she took the suggestion. Everyone else who was sat by the fire begun talking about dreams they've had. Some of the children had been experiencing vivid dreams at night. 

"I dreamt that I was on a large open field and I could hear someone, calling my name. But when I turned to look, all I could see was a shadow of a person," Jos explained his dream. 

"Did you chase after it?" Maribelle asked as she listened to his story intently. 

"Yeah, of course, I did! I just had to find out who this person was. But each time I got closer, the voice still seemed so far away. Eventually, I just woke up," he sighed. 

"Mine is sort of similar, yet different," Maribelle shared. 

"Different how?" Jos asked out of curiosity. 

"I was at a dinner table in a house of sorts. I was seated on one side of a long table with at least… six...seven… eight… eight people altogether. They were joyfully passing bowls of food around but they never passed it to me. 

When I tried to get their attention, no one responded. It was as if I was invisible to them. I started crying… then I woke up."

Joining in the conversation, Boss added, "I only ever get food dreams. There was one where there's a giant honey glazed roasted turkey leg on the fire."

"That sounds so good, Boss! We've only just had dinner but I'm hungry all over again," Tizzie exclaimed. 

"Yeah! Me too! I can hear my tummy rumbling!" Jos added. 

Maribelle turned to Vyrena, "What about you, Vyrena! Have you had any dreams as of late?"

"Well… as a matter of fact, yes, I did."

She recalled the dreams she had in the past and the more recent ones she had. 

"If they are anything like my nightmares, it would be pretty horrible," Sorren commented. 

"Mine were a mixture of nightmares and dreams," Vyrena explained, "I've had a few where I could hear someone calling my name. Others, where I felt as if I had witnessed the death of a loved one."

As she continued to recall the details of her dreams, the images became more vivid in her mind. But every time she tried to look at the face, it was always a blur. 

"That happens to me too! I can never make out the faces of the people I see in my dreams!" Boss added upon hearing Vyrena's words. 

"You know, they could all just be dreams and not a reflection of your real memories," El theorised. 

"What… that sounds so depressing!' Tizzie added. 

"Well, if my nightmares were just, nightmares. I would be happy," Sorren argued with a laugh.