NovelEnglishMaja stumbled backward, feeling the ground tremble beneath her once more. Nana reached out to steady her, her expression
etched with concern.
"It's an aftershock. No telling how long it'll last. From the looks of it, the entire mountain's been decimated. See those broken bricks
over there? Those must be from the research base, just blasted apart by simmense force."
In the face of nature's might, human innovation seemed insignificant.
Maja and Nana stood there for an hour, waiting for the tremors to subside before they began to navigate the rocky path that led
deeper into the chaos.
Among the stones, twisted pieces of modern machinery lay scattered - the remnants of the research base's equipment.
Sweat beaded on Maja's anxious forehead as she thought of Dylan, who was also inside. Her pace quickened, and she nearly
tripped over a jutting rock, almost tumbling down.
Nana caught her, and together they glimpsed the horror below: a mass grave in the crevice, bodies piled upon each other,
distorted beyond recognition.
Maja couldn't hold back any longer, bending over to retch beside a tree.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe dead were unidentifiable, their features twisted, causing a sourness to rise in Maja's stomach. She vomited for a full minute,
her eyes reddening before she rinsed her mouth with bottled water.
Even Nana, hardened by countless assassinations and her own dark deeds, felt a twist in her gut at the sight.
The fissure was deep, snaking down for miles, filled with the dead. It was too much to bear, and she supported Maja's arm instead.
"We should keep moving. There's a long crack here. The base must have been underground and got heaved up by sforce.
That's good, in a way. It means not everyone inside got buried deep. But who knows how many are still alive."
Maja was at a loss for words, simply trudging forward in a daze.
The bodies becmore numerous as they walked on, apparent victims of the base's disaster. Swere still breathing, pinned
under massive boulders, staring blankly at the sky as if pain was an alien concept, murmuring to themselves.
"The sky, the blue sky, it's been so long since I've seen it."
"No, it's been years since I've seen the blue sky."
"Ha, | can actually see the sky, the trees, the green. | can hear water flowing. It must be a dream; | must be dreaming."
These researchers had been trapped underground for at least a decade, with no plants, strict control, and no permission to step
outside. They looked at the sky with an obsessive fervor that belied their pain.
The first survivor Maja found was in this state. She and Nana hurried over.
"Where's the base? What on earth happened?"
But no matter how much Maja questioned, the man just stared at the sky, entranced. A leaf drifted down, and as he reached for it,
tears filled his eyes. It was as if he was breathing purely on instinct, his soul long gone.
Maja frowned, realizing she wouldn't get any answers, and they moved on.
The devastated area was vast and endless; even though half tress had been devastated, there were still many fallen trees
obscuring their view. Weary, Maja found a rock to sit on. Nana joined her, both looking worse.
The living were scarce; so far, they could count the barely alive on one hand, and it felt more like death's brief respite than
survival.
As dusk approached, staying put becincreasingly dangerous. Nana pointed to a relatively flat spot not too far off, "Let's rough
it there for the night and continue searching tomorrow."
Maja nodded, nibbling on a granola bar.
Nana crafted a makeshift shelter from the tall grass to provide sprotection from the wind. After setting up, she sat down and
took a few bites of the rest of snacks.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmMaja's gaze landed on the jade bead around Nana's wrist, which was carefully protected, strung on a red cord and evidently
cherished for many years.
"What will you do if you find your brother?"
Nana smiled, her hand instinctively caressing the bead, "I'll take him to Mom's grave first. She must have missed him a lot."
After a pause, she suddenly looked up at the darkening sky, "It's all my fault."
She would always say that whenever the topic arose.
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