The Goodwills: Adventure in an Apocalyptic World

chapter nine

“My group is in charge of watching tonight,” Victor said as he stroked Vanessa's hair. 

 Vanessa hummed and nodded in response.

Victor got to his feet shortly after. As though it was planned, Nathan, RJ, George got up as well.

The four walked towards Karl. Derik seeing them, got up and joined. Too tired for small talk, they all walked in silence.

Getting close to Karl, Victor said, “How is tonight's watch going to be?" 

“Considering the cave has just one entrance, that's where you guys will be stationed mostly." Karl responded, after thinking for a bit.

“At least two people will be on watch at a time, the rest can use that opportunity to rest.” Karl said.

"Okay then, we'll be going now.” Victor said as he nodded.

The watch was uneventful as though the night decided to be merciful. Still their vigilance did not wean. The moon sped into hiding as morning crept upon them.

"Let's move, we're close to the frontier already.” Karl boomed as the day dawned.

Everyone stirred from their sleep as they sat up. Still not used to the early raising, they stirred up from their sleep groggily.

The five that stayed up as watches were even more tired considering the time they found a place to stay and began the watching.

Without dragging things for too long they all stood up, except a woman who was still on the ground.

“Hey miss! We're leaving" someone said as she shook her gently. ‘Why is her body so cold?’she thought.

"Step back” Karl said as went towards the woman.

He bent and put a finger under her nostrils. 

" She's dead.” Karl said as he moved her body and noticed the blue-black vein on her neck.

" Did she eat more than two fruits?” Karl asked as he looked up. 

No one responded.

" Taking more than two fruits will lead to poisoning. And it has no remedy.” Karl said, then he sighed.

“Let's go." He said as he walked away, out of the cave.

They began their journey 

—

The land changed before they noticed it had.

One moment, they were pushing through damp grasses, leaves wet with dew brushing against their arms as they navigated through. 

The air, thick with the smell of rot and flowering vines. The next moment, the trees thinned. Light spilled through in uneven patches.

Victor slowly lifted a hand, not in alarm, but in instinct.

“I think we are close,” he said quietly.

No one argued. Everyone felt it.

They had been moving since before dawn, bodies stiff and aching from the night before. 

The fruits they’d gathered had helped, but only just. The hunger wasn’t gone. It had retreated, waiting to return. Still, the energy was enough to keep their legs moving, to keep their eyes open.

Robert wiped sweat from his brow and glanced back at the group. The Goodwill family moved close together now, closer than they had days ago. Fear had a way of shrinking distance.

Caleb stayed near the rear, scanning the terrain, his hand never straying far from the thick wooden stick he carried.

“Let’s not rush,” Robert said. “If this is the Frontier, it won’t announce itself kindly.”

Karl snorted softly. “Nothing has so far.”

They passed through another shift in terrain, grasses rising and falling like frozen waves, tall stalks whispering against each other as the wind moved through. 

Creatures watched them from a distance. Some bolted when noticed. Others stood still, too still, eyes reflecting light in ways that made everyone uneasy.

By the time the first sign appeared, no one was surprised.

A walkpath was seen among the grasses, indicating Human movement . The grasses around also showed human activities.

“We made it,” Karl said, though his voice carried no relief.

The Frontier rose gradually, not as a wall or a gate, but as a presence. Wooden structures with some metallic shine emerged from the landscape, ugly yet functional. 

Watchtowers stood at uneven intervals, manned by figures,who had bows drawn and did not wave or call out. Weapons gleamed in the sun.

The group slowed as one.

Victor felt a strange tightening in his chest. After everything, the beasts, the nights spent listening for movement, the constant uncertainty, this should have felt like safety. Instead, it felt like standing before a storm that had learned to think.

They didn’t make it ten steps into the Frontier before voices rang out.

“Stop.”

Sharp. Commanding.

They froze.

Figures emerged from behind barriers and tents, moving with trained precision. Frontier guards. Their clothes were worn but intact, reinforced at the shoulders and chest. 

Some carried blades, others spears, real ones, not the splintered tools the group had relied on. One guard stepped forward, his spear entirely metal, polished and heavy, its tip catching the light.

“Hands where I can see them,” he said.

No hesitation or  threat, just expectation.

They all raised their hands, unwilling to struggle.

They were searched immediately. Rough hands patted them down, pulled at clothing, checked hair, mouths, even the soles of their feet. When Victor flinched, a guard shoved him forward.

“Stand still.”

Karl clenched his jaw. “We’re not armed.”

“That’s not the point,” the guard replied without looking at him.

What little they had left was spread out on the ground and examined with disdain. 

Victor noticed the way people nearby watched, not with curiosity, but calculation. No pity, no welcome, just assessment.

When the search was done, the guard with the metal spear stepped forward. He was tall, broad-shouldered, his face marked with old scars. When he spoke, his voice carried easily, cutting through the murmur of the camp.

“You are now in the Frontier.”

He paced slowly before them, spear tapping the ground with each step.

“This is not the Safe Zone. No one feeds you here. No one protects you unless you earn it.”

He stopped in front of Victor.

“What are meteor crystals you ask?” he asked not expecting an answer.

“This is a meteor crystal.” He said as he raised a small, red luminous Crystal 

“If you want to stay the night in this camp, each of you submits one meteor crystal every night. No crystal, no shelter.”

A murmur rippled through the group.

“All resources in this camp,” the guard continued, “are exchanged only with meteor crystals. Food. Water. Medicine. Information.”

He let that sink in.

“And listen carefully,” he added, his eyes sweeping over them. “Any meteor crystal found belongs to the finder, so long as they can keep it…and stay alive.”

Silence followed.

Victor stared at the guard as he was once again reminded,this wasn’t the end. It’s another test, crueler than the last.

“You all will be allowed to stay in the camp tonight without submitting crystals. Take note, it's only for tonight.”

"See you tomorrow.”

The guards stepped aside, and the group was waved through.

Inside, the Frontier was exactly as the guard had said. People were better fed than those in the Safe Zone, lean, strong, their movements efficient. But there was no laughter, no idle conversation. Every interaction seemed purposeful, transactional. Eyes followed newcomers, measuring worth.

“This place feels worse,” Robert muttered.

“It is worse,” Caleb replied. “Because here, everyone knows exactly what they’re risking.”

They were assigned a small area near the edge of the camp. No tents, just space. Night was coming fast. The sky had begun to darken, the light shifting from harsh to soft.

“We don’t have enough crystals,” Victor said quietly.

Robert nodded. “Then we decide what to do next. Together.”

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then one of the younger members of the family broke the silence. “What if we leave?”

Karl laughed, but there was no humor in it. “And go where? Back through that?” He gestured vaguely behind them.

A disagreement sparked, small but sharp. Voices rose, then fell. Fear pressed in from all sides.

Victor listened, then stepped forward.

“We should do our best to stay United, at least for now." He said.

“We are the new guys, easy target, fat prey, scattering is going to make us easier to pick up." He continued 

“Besides, we didn’t come this far to fall apart,” he said. “We will learn the rules of this place and survive”

Robert placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re right.”

Night settled over the Frontier, and with it came a cold that sank into bone. Fires burned, controlled and few. Guards moved constantly, never resting.

Victor lay awake, staring at the stars. The Frontier loomed around them, unforgiving and alive.

This was not safety, but it was the next step, the necessary next step.

And survival, he realized, would cost more than anything they had already lost.