Hope was shaken away.

"Good morning sunshine!"

"Uhh!" Hope groaned. "Fu-"

"Hey!" Barked Papa Bear.

"-ck off!
"Launguage young lady!"

"Five more minutes!"

She pulled the sleeping bag up over her head. It was hardly day break. She felt papa nudging her in the side with his foot. She groaned in annoyance, and pulled the sleeping bag down. She rolled onto her back, and stretched with another loud sleepy groan. She lay on her back, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Uhg...is there coffee?" A sleepy voice mumbled beside her.

"I sure hope so. I also need a shower!"

"That ...would be heaven!"

"Come on sleepy heads!" Papa called again.

"Only if there's coffee!" Lanna yawned.

"Lucky for you...there is! Now get your lazy asses up!"

The girls groaned and got up. Hope could hear the rustlings and the rest of their group   waking up. Hope slid her boots back on and pulled one of Papa's flannel shirts on, and rolled her bag up. Just as she was handed a steaming tin mug of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal.

"Ya know. If it weren't for a deadly sickness stripping human kind, half the world ripped apart by a dying sun...it would be like camping on summer breaks."

Papa sat down with his own tin mug.

"Ahh. I used to take my kids camping every summer."

"Ya?"

He hummed. Lost in the memories. Hope slipped her coffee. Feeling kind of sorry for herself. She never got a normal childhood. Everyone she talked to had some kind of normalcy before the sun flares, or the Flare took over everything; kindergarten, friends, play dates at the park, camping. Hope was home bound, because she didn't technically exist. Her parents kept her birth a secret. She wasn't registered with any government. She was born after the sun flares after the earth was destroyed and WICKED was gaining control.

She remembered Will telling her stories late at night about what it was like right after the Sun Flares hit.

She was elbowed and she jumped. Looking around Lanna and Papa were looking at her.

"Earth to Hope."

"Uh huh. Yep. Great. Agreed." She nodded.

Lanna snorted and rolled her eyes, "pay attention, woman!"

"Time to pack up." Papa said with an amused smile. "Also, it's your turn to drive."

Hope groaned. She had a habit of spacing out. She finished her coffee and helped put the fire out and load up the few camping stoves they had. They would do dishes at the next stream they found. Papa tossed her the jeep keys, and he slid into the jeep beside Lanna. Hope spun the key ring around her finger and climbed onto the driver's seat.

"Where to Papa Bear?" She yawned.

"Just follow this gravel road."

"Eyh eyh." She turned the engine on and the line of jeeps and trucks slowly ambled down the road again.

It was another long day of traveling. They would have to stop and clear the road from logs and rock slides or push the trucks across a washed out section.

"Where is this mysterious highway?" Hope grunted as they pushed the last truck out of a huge patch of sticky wet mud.

"These guys better have hot fucken showers!" Tim groaned as he strained to push the truck, the tires spun, splattering them with mud.

The truck was finally freed causing Hope to fall into the mud as the truck went free. Hope cursed. Tim laughed at her as he helped her up.

By mid afternoon, Hope was in a miserable mood. She was hungry hot covered in mud that had dried and made her itchy and she was positive they would never find this lost highway.

"Chin up Kiddo. It might be just around the next bend."

She just ground her teeth, she slowed down to hardly a crawl as the gravel road suddenly twisted to the left, and went back down on a steep incline.

"Ha!" Papa cried.

He was pointing out the front window. And laughing, pure joy and relief on his grizzled old face. At the bottom of the incline was a paved road.

"There is your mysterious nonexistent highway, Hope the hopeless!" He holard.

The grin on his face was enough to make Hope smile. She eased the old jeep down the slope and onto the road.

"Left? Right?" Lanna asked, leaning forwards, looking out both windows.

"Well if Papa Bear is right...I'd venture left, deeper into the mountains. Right goes back, eventually, to the Scorch." Hope said with a frown of concentration. "Right?" She looked at Papa Bobby, for reassurance.

His look of pride told her she was right before he said anything. So putting the truck into drive again, they headed deeper in. The line of trucks following. It was much easier to drive on a paved road. Sure there were pot holes, cracks and crevices, but definitely easier to drive around.

The sun was slowly starting to fall behind the high peeks when they came across their first abandoned car. Hope slowed down as they passed. An uneasy feeling suddenly crept in.

"Just keep going." Papa said, waving his hand as he leaned out the window to see the car again.

Hope did as he said. But they passed an old rusted van on the other side.

"Uhhh...Papa?" Hope started.

"Yeah I see it." Papa said. "Stop the truck."

Hope stopped and put it in park. He hoped out and went to talk to David, Andrew, Netty and Ruth; their unofficial, official leaders. Five minutes later he came back.

"Guns out. We're going Baserker."

Lanna and Hope got out of the truck and dug out their gear. Up and down the line Everyone who could shit a gun was getting ready. Pulling what little protection they could on. Hope pulled her helmet on and her hood up, scarf over her face. Her leather arm guards and half gloves. Lanna did the same, Vera came running over. Papa tossed each girl a shot gun and a hand gun, and extra bullets.

"Listen up!" Bellowed Odin. Everyone paused. "I'm hoping it's not crank infested. If it is non Munies, stay in the vehicles! Young ones do not get out of the vehicles. You know the drill. Eyes open, ears allert. Warning shot first. Then...shoot to kill."

Hope and Lanna saluted him, and everyone climbed up and into the trucks and jeeps. Their rag tag group of people had their guns out, a few from hatches in the roof or they were out the window, or kneeling or standing and leaning on the supplies for support. But every available gun was out.

Hope undid the built in hatch open and she stood up. Lanna and Vera pulled up the fortified sides, making it harder to shoot the windows. All the way down the line of trucks and jeeps engines were starting back up.

"Okay girls. Slow and steady." Papa growled as he turned the truck back on.

Vera covered their backs, Hope had the right and Lanna had the left. They crawled down the highway again. Hope's eyes swept the gloomy forest shadows, a great place for a gang ambush. They normally didn't hide this far away from towns or cities, but there was always the possibilities. Wouldn't be the first time their group had been ambushed by a gang, hoping to take anything and everything, including any immune kids; sell them to a middle man who would sell them to WICKED.

Hope didn't see anything, but that uncomfortable unease was growing in her chest. They passed a few more abandoned cars making the line of trucks snak back and forth over the highway.

"I can feel them watching." Lanna shivered.

"Steady girls." Papa warned.

"You seeing this?" Hope called down.

"Yeah." He growled. The truck came to a stop, putting it in park but left the engine on and slowly got out of the truck. "Stay here."

Raising his hands high into the air, indicating he was unarmed...well no weapons in his hand anyways, he slowly walked forwards. There was movement in the trees that caught my attention.

"2 o'clock." Hope whispered.

"9 o'clock." Lanna whispered back.

"Dammit." Hope cursed.

"Clock face!" She yelled. It was their code for surrounded.

"Steady." He called back.

He took a few more slow steps, his hands still raised high. Hope didn't like it. He was exposed, sure there were cars blocking the road, he could use as shelter, but right now there were snipers and he was alone.

"Lanna you locked?" Hope whispered.

"Ya." She replied. Hope could feel the tension in her body.

"Ve?"

"I see 10." Came Vera's reply.

"If they shoot we do too."

"Locked an' loaded." Lanna said her voice was low and dangerous.

That was the thing with Lanna, sure she was a bit boy crazy, and giggly. But when it came to defending her people, any kind of threat didn't stand a chance. She was the best ride or die Hope could ask for. Lanna always had her back. And Hope had hers, and together they had Papa Bears. Vera was slowly becoming just as tight. Hope and Vera had been with Odin for almost eleven years, and Vera had only been around for a few months. But Hope and Lanna would do anything for her.

Papa took another step and a crack echoed off the mountain. Followed almost immediately by three more. The warning shot from the hidden people hit the road by Papa's feet. Hope pulled her trigger and there was sharp yelp crashing, and a loud thump. She shot the tree branch and it snapped, apparently. The person fell from the tree. The other two sent warning shots as well.

"Hey!" Oden yelled. His deep voice boomed through the surrounding area. "We come in piece! Show yourself!"

There was silence. And it stretched. The anxiety became almost unbearable. The inside of Hope's cheek was raw from chewing it. And her jaw hurt from clenching it so tight.

"I see them."

"Same."

"Yep."

Odin hadn't moved, he stood straight and tall and with all the confidence. He waited patiently. And his waiting paid off. Someone stepped out from the tunnel up ahead. He looked scruffy, but he was clearly the leader, just by the way he held himself. He walked straight through the parked cars and towards Papa. Not that he needed it, but Hope and Lanna turned their guns to point at this new threat. Vero stood up through the hatch, in the middle of the girls. Also pointing her gun at him.

He stopped a few feet in front of Odin. He dropped his large powerful arms and crossed them. They had a five minute conversation. Hope couldn't hear what was being said, but it didn't seem like a heated argument. Odin had turned and gestured to the line of people and trucks, he also pointed directly at the girls.

The scruffy blond man nodded, and held his hand out, which Odin shook. Odin turned and walked back towards the truck, the other man followed.

"That was some sharp shooting." The blond man nodded.

Hope looked to Odin. He nodded. Hope pulled her hood back and pulled her scarf down. She grinned down at the man.

"I was trained by the best."

"Vince, these are my girls. Hope, Vera and Lanna."

"Girls, I'd like you to meet Vince. The leader of The Right Arm."

Hope's eyes went wide, and her heart picked up it's pace. She tried to swallow, but her mouth had gone dry.

"Nice to meet you, girls. We could use a few more good shots. You'd get along with Sonya and Harriet."

Hope had no idea who those girls were but she just nodded. Papa took Vince to talk to David, Andrew, Netty and Ruth. Hope sat down with puffed cheeks and let out a long exhale. Lanna and Vera plopped down into the seats as well.

"We ..we found them!" Lanna said, her eyes were just as wide as Hope's as she looked over at Hope. They sat in silence for a second and then all at once they burst into giggles.

A few minutes later Odin climbed back into the truck with a smug smirk. He looked at Hope and raised an eyebrow.

"Fiiiiine! You win! They're real. And I believe in ghost stories!"  Hope rolled her eyes but the grin on her face gave away how she really felt.

He threw his head back and howled with laughter. His bid feel belly laugh made Hope laugh along with him. Lanna and Vera joined in.

They had to wait for Vince to clear the area, which surprisingly didn't take long, they had a system and it easy enough to move the few perfectly placed cars to make a way for the trucks to get through. Vince waved them through. Odin pulled up beside him and opened the reinforced metal window cover.

"Follow me and I'll lead ya to The Right Arm camp."

Odin nodded. It took another hour to get there. Weaving through the mountain, the road rose and fell, snacking this way and that. The view was pretty. Hope wasn't sure how she felt. Nervous, excited, relieved, all of it mixed together. But then she felt the guilt and bitterness. Harvey should have been with them. Her briefed happy mood burst and she felt even worse.

"What's wrong kiddo?" Papa asked, he could sense her mood changes almost better then Lanna.

"Harvey should have been here." She said flatly.

Papa hummed and reached over, keeping one hand in the steering wheel and pulled her into a side hug.

"I know. We lost a lot of good people. But now we live for those we've lost."

"But he's not lost! We know where he is!" Hope argued.

Papa nodded and sighed. The anticipation in the truck burst and a sense of gloom settled on them.

"If I could..I'd break into that stupid WICKED building and take him and everyone they ever took...I'd get them all back! And burn that building to the ground."

"If you find out how, I'm right beside you!" Papa said solumly.

"Count me in!" Lanna added.

"Me too." Vera added.

Hope nodded. She said it, but had no idea how. But for now, until she knew how to bust all the kids out, she would try to live for those she had lost over her life.

The truck crested a hill, and Papa slowed down and came to a stop. Spread out at the bottom of the valley were rows of tents mixed in with some kind of more permanent structures, like it might have been a mining town at some point. Or some kind of camping ground with little cabins and yerts scattered throughout. And people busy hurrying here and there.

"Welcome to the Right Arm, girls. The next part of our lives are about to begin."

"I like the sound of that, Papa Bear!" Lanna laughed.

Hope had a tight feeling in her chest still.

•°•

° had some kind of apocalyptic truck/jeeps in mind, similar to these. °
° I had the idea that the the "regular" citizens not in the big fancy "Last City" lived a bit more Mad Max/zombie apocalypse type life. °

° I HAVE MORE PICTURES AND BOARDS AND GLIMPSES INTO MY IMAGINATION IF THE CHARACTERS AND THE BRAINSTORMING OF THIS TMR WORLD ON MY INSTAGRAM PAGE: wattmama_mellenh °