Empty trails lay ahead again. Our meals remain scarce, thirst turns to a crutch. In the quiet fades of echo there is no sleep. I wake dreamless; it’s as if nightmares would bring me comfort. In spite of it, we fare on, with no hint towards an end.

Tre speaks out, blaming Patru for the futility of our road. Patru does not respond. There’s a weight upon his expression, lessened in the waning torches. Tre draws closer, amid vicious criticism of Patru’s leadership. What is anger turns to panic. Tre’s cries scorch in the empty landscape.

He stoops down to the ground. All Patru has to give is an apology. His eyes gaze in vain. Tre rises and pushes him to the wall. Before we can intervene, he has already crushed Patru’s face with a rock the size of his fist. We try to hold him back, but he simply shrugs us off. His physical strength is immense. He grabs Patru and continues to hit him, wetting the floor with blood. We are finally able to pull him back, but it’s too late.

A headless corpse is left. Tre does not wish to observe what he has done. He has closed himself off, blind to his surroundings. It is a sickly kind of regret. I turn to Liu and Peth. None of us know what to do. There is nowhere to bury Patru. We are sorry.

Tre walks ahead; we clutch at our weapons anxiously as we follow in his steps. The man we knew is but a shadow, a fragile beast has taken over him. What are we to do we wonder. Fear suggests we rid ourselves of him before he makes a move. His resources would be made better use of if it were just the three of us. We discuss this matter over and over, reaching no conclusion. What humanity remains limits us.

We sleep in shifts – two keep watch on Tre, while the other tries to get some shut-eye. Restlessness persists however. For now, we strive to be better than our conscience suggests. I wonder if that will last.