04 The Road to Conifer Village / Following the Tracks

Previously, on Usagi Days: The girls spot a lone stranger on the road. They extend a peace offering, and offer to share a meal. That night, they hear the sound of the Usagi starting …

- 4.1 - A Betrayal -

By the time Ruby finally wrestled her way out of the sleeping bag, the Usagi was already peeling off down the road.

In the dark she could barely make out Anemone's body, curled up on the ground in pain.

Fearing the worst, she called out, "Annie …"

To her relief, Anemone answered back, a twinge of pain in her voice, "I'm okay. But the Usagi … Violet's still inside …"

Ruby started off after it. Knowing full well it was pointless, she continued to run. A pair of red tail lights receding into the night. When there was no sight of it anymore she stopped. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. She struggled to catch her breath.

She made her way back to the camp. By then the first light was beginning to show.

Ivy was tending to Anemone's injury. There was blood on Anemone's face, cuts from the scuffle. (And what looked like … soot?)

Anemone: "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop her."

Ruby: "It's okay, Annie. It's not your fault."

Anemone: "She snuck up, and—"

Ruby: "It's okay."

Anemone: "She threw freaking … campfire ash in my face." She coughed, a plume of ash blowing out her mouth.

Ivy wiped Anemone's face with a damp cloth.

- 4.2 - Following the Tire Tracks -

The trio followed the tire tracks made in the white dust-snow. No food, no supplies. Just the clothes on their back and three sleeping bags rolled up. A single canteen running low between the three of them. Anemone's rifle. Nothing to hunt.

Anemone: "The door was locked, Ruby. I locked it."

Ruby: "I'm not blaming you, Annie."

Anemone: "She was so quiet. I didn't even wake up until she pulled me out of the car."

They walked for some time without saying anything.

Ruby looked back at Ivy, who was falling behind. Her eyes were on the ground, her forehead wrinkled in worry.

Ruby: "Hey. Violet's okay, Ivy. I'm sure she is."

Anemone: "Yeah. Violet's strong. She'll be okay."

Ivy looked up. "… Yeah." She attempted a smile. "Yeah. She's too annoying to be anything but okay."

They all laughed a bit at that, even if it was a bit forced.

Then they went on.

- 4.3 - Anemone Reflects on Last Night's Conversation -

The four girls continued following the tracks. They followed the turns and swerves Sandra had made to avoid obstacles. Random piles of debris. Abandoned, rusting cars.

Ruby: "Look. Look! She hit the bumper on this one. Ha! See? Fresh paint marks. Oh, my poor Usagi …"

Ivy: "I mean, it is her first time driving … anything, really."

Ruby, scoffing: "Skill issue."

Ivy: "Yes. Yes, it is."

Ruby: "Hang in there, okay, Usagi? … Mommy's coming …"

Ivy: "I really wish you would stop calling yourself that."

Anemone, bringing up the rear, wasn't paying attention to her friends up front. Her own thoughts were stuck on the previous night.

No, not about the theft—before that.

Last night, after dinner, while Ruby and the others were busy cleaning up, Anemone had taken the opportunity to take Sandra aside to ask her a question.

Sandra: "Ithaca station?"

Anemone hadn't expected much of an answer. Every time she asked someone new about it, it was always the same answer. Either it was a myth, a pipedream, or just plain unheard of. But she had to ask anyway.

So it was to Anemone's complete shock that Sandra said, casually:

"Yeah, sure. I just ran into someone who'd come from there."

Anemone had so many questions after that. Who? Where was it? What was it like there?

Sandra: "Why are you so interested in it?"

Which had seemed like a strange question—how could someone not be interested in Ithaca Station? But she'd been caught up in the prospect of learning new information, and explained:

"Onee-ch—" Anemone flushed red, managing to catch herself. "I mean, my older sister, she … she left by herself, to look for Ithaca Station. She knew it was dangerous. We were from the West. The journey East—she would've never forgiven herself if something happened to me. So she stopped me from following."

Anemone only managed to get a few, scant details before Ruby and the others joined them. But, seeing as how Sandra would be joining them on the road, Anemone figured that she would have more chances to talk soon enough.

The two most important takeaways were that A) it was real, and B) it was close.

Sandra: "Somewhere near the Old Capital, if I'm not mistaken."

Her older sister was out here, then.

At long last, Anemone was finally going to see her again, after all these years.

"Annie? You okay back there?"

Anemone shook her head to clear her thoughts. She looked ahead to Ruby and Ivy, up the road. She had fallen behind.

Anemone: "Yeah. I'm good."

She hurried her pace and rejoined her friends.

- 4.4 - The First Night -

At night they could go no further. They made camp.

They huddled close to the fire for warmth. They didn't talk much. They needed to save every little bit of strength they had.

Ruby knew they couldn't sleep for long. Every hour spent not following the tracks meant another full day of walking. Which meant that, to catch up to the Usagi would take them …

Well, face it, Ruby. Too many steps to count.

It was a hopeless task. Impossible.

Their only hope now was that Violet managed to overpower Sandra.

Because if she didn't, then …

Ruby shook her head. She didn't want to think any more.

- 4.5 - The Second Night -

The second day gave no indication they were getting any closer.

The reality was that they might never catch up.

None of them could admit that out loud, but each knew it in her heart.

Each member dealt with this anxiety in a different way.

Ruby actively avoided any and all thoughts related to it. The moment it entered her head, she shooed it away like it was a mosquito.

Ivy worried about her best friend's safety, sinking deeper and deeper into worst-case scenarios, hoping that, just because she thought about it, it wouldn't happen.

Anemone, on the other hand, was fixated on the fact that, if they just hadn't picked up some random person on the road, none of this would be happening.

At night they stopped to rest in what remained of a small town. Crumbling buildings, abandoned storefronts. No need to check them, they knew everything here had all been picked bone dry.

They slept terribly.

In the early morning they moved out again.

- 4.6 - Ruby and Anemone Argue About the Inherent Goodness of Man -

Anemone: "I just want to go on record as saying that I was against picking her up this whole time."

Ruby: "Come on, Annie. Enough."

Anemone: "No. Not 'enough'. You're too trusting of just about anyone."

Ruby: "And you're too paranoid."

Anemone: "Paranoid is what keeps us safe, Ruby. Paranoid keeps the Usagi safe. Violet safe."

Ruby: "Humanity is what we make it. If we treat everyone as 'bad' by default, then that's what we are. We can be better than that. We are better than that."

Ivy: "(… Guys.)"

Anemone: "Gee, why don't we just pull up to a gang of bandits next time? Invite them to our camp and make sure they're nice and fed? They'll slit our throats while we sleep but hey, at least we'll have kept the spirit of humanity's goodness alive."

Ruby: "That's not the same."

Ivy: "(No, seriously. Guys. Stop it. Look.)"

Anemone: "You're talking about a different world than the one we live in, Ruby. In the real world, the post-Orc world, that's not kindness. It's weakness. And people will take advantage of that."

Ruby: "And it was that same 'weakness' that led to the four of us being together today. It wasn't so long that you, Ivy, and Violet were all in the same situation that Sandra was. What if I'd not bothered with any of you? We wouldn't be together today."

Anemone: "No, that's not even—"

Ivy: "Hey! HEY! Both of you, stop fighting and LOOK!"

Anemone, Ruby: "Ivy, WHAT?!"

Ivy was pointing straight ahead. They looked to where she was pointing.

Ahead of them on the road, a figure appeared on the horizon, drawing nearer.

Ruby's heart skipped a beat. She recognized that silhouette anywhere.