Abigail's Calling: A quest for freedom in a post-apocalyptic future.

The wind whipped across the wasteland, sending a stream of sand and dust into the air. It was quiet except for the occasional howl of the wind and the sound of our horses hooves against the dry earth. We had been travelling for several days now but we still hadn't spotted any signs of battles or anything that would indicate our presence was known to anyone.

"Do you think they know we're coming?" I asked Abigail, my voice lost in the wind.

She turned back towards me and nodded, "They know exactly where we are."

I turned forward again and saw that all of the others were staring at her as if she had just said something ridiculous.

"What do you mean 'they know'?" Joe asked, his brow furrowing with confusion. "How could they know? No one's followed us since we left city."

Abigail shrugged, "They can sense us somehow." She explained, "I don't know how it works but I'm sure it's not just me." She continued after seeing everyone look at her skeptically. "We've been travelling northeast from Sydney for days and yet they haven't attacked yet. They could have ambushed us at any time if they knew where we were but instead they're letting us get closer to them willingly."

Joe looked even more confused than before, "W-what?" He stammered out before shaking his head, "That doesn't make any sense. Why would they let us get closer when they can just ambush us whenever they want?" He questioned incredulously.

Abigail sighed and put her hand up to shield her eyes against the sun which hung high in the sky overhead, "I don't know." She admitted reluctantly, "But I'd rather not take any chances." She finished before turning away from them and resuming her scanning of the horizon for any signs of danger.

It didn't seem like anything was going to be resolved by continuing to discuss this further so after a moment or two, everyone else returned their attention to scanning the horizon as well. We continued riding in silence for another hour or so until eventually Abigail stopped us again.

"Alright," She began looking at each of us in turn as she spoke, "If you see anything suspicious then let me know right away okay?" She glanced over at Joe who looked far too eager to please than warranted by his rank as a simple lieutenant, "Joe your job is just to follow our orders without question so you should be fine there." She continued on without waiting for him to respond before looking down at Sarah who smiled nervously back up at her;

"Sarah you'll be helping me to spot any traps that might be set up ahead as well as help sneak around if need be." Abigail explained with a smile before continuing on;

"Michael you'll be acting as lookout whilst also helping Joe with whatever he needs before stepping in if things get too intense for him okay?" She looked over at Michael who grinned back up at her excitedly;

"Of course ma'am!" He replied eagerly which caused Sarah to smack him upside his head with an exasperated sigh;

"D-don't call me 'ma'am' Michael!" She cried out in mock anger which caused Abigail to giggle while Michael rolled his eyes;

"And finally," She continued looking around herself slowly as she spoke before stopping her gaze on me, "You'll be leading this little excursion today Katie." She added smiling softly while I felt my stomach flutter nervously in response to what she had said.

I nodded and straightened myself up in my saddle before gesturing for everyone else to follow behind me as I started off towards what appeared to be some sort of small hill ahead of us. We approached it slowly until finally we neared enough that everyone was able to see what lay beyond it on its other side;

A small encampment spread across a large clearing filled with tents and vehicles littered everywhere within its boundaries. There didn't seem to be anyone around however which did nothing more than heighten our suspicions even further about whether or not this was just a trap set for us or an actual camp filled with people who weren't aware that we were here yet. It seemed unlikely though because there was no way that they wouldn't have noticed our horses hooves making so much noise against the ground as we approached them otherwise right? My thoughts were interrupted when a hand suddenly closed down hard onto my shoulder causing me to gasp slightly in surprise before turning back towards Sarah with wide eyes. Her face was scrunched up in concentration while she stared intently through her scope which was pointed towards the camp itself. After a moment she nodded down towards the encampment and whispered something into my ear that made my breath hitch in fear;