Hope Crawls Through Ruins by Kain Rwan Vale 221

Chapter 221 

But all triana could see was a blur of white, the rain hammering the windshield so hard that it was almost impossible to see ahead. 

The car was crawling along at a snail’s pace. 

Briana started to panic. 

Why did this crazy weather hit us out of nowhere?‘ she thought. 

“It’s fine.” Shepard said, catching how tense Briana was. “We’ll just take it slow. There’s no need to hurry. It’s just coming down hard.” 

“We really should’ve checked the weather forecast instead of just heading out to the deep mountains on a whim,” Briana said. 

Shepard tried to reassure her. “Out here, the weather forecast is pretty much useless. Checking wouldn’t have made a difference.” 

Briana bit her lip, about to say something, when suddenly there was a sharp clunk. 

Something hit the car’s undercarriage. 

Shepard slowly stepped on the accelerator, the engine roaring louder and louder. 

But the car just wouldn’t move forward. 

Briana furrowed her brows deeply, worry etched on her face. 

She thought, ‘Did the car just break down? 

‘Or is it just stuck?‘ 

“I’ll go take a look,” Shepard said. “Stay in the car and wait for me.” 

He grabbed an umbrella and got out. Briana sat up straight, her eyes glued to him. 

Shepard crouched down in front of the car, peering underneath. After about ten seconds, he stood up and headed back to the driver’s seat. 

2 

Even with the umbrella, Shepard was still mostly soaked. 

The rain was coming down so hard that the umbrella didn’t help at all. 

“Any luck?” Briana asked. 

“I’ll try backing up,” Shepard said, “see if I can get us around that rock under there.” 

He tried turning the wheel and shifting gears, but it was no use. 

The car was stuck, unable to move forward or backward. 

No matter how many times Shepard tried, it was pointless. 

The engine kept roaring, but the car didn’t budge an inch. 

There was a hint of worry on Shepard’s face, breaking through his usual calm. 

15:58 Tue, Jan 13 G. 

Chapter 221 

He upped trying art just killed the engine 

er if they can come ge us 

Hirvana austanatically checked her phone. 

1lwere were no bars at all. 

Maybe Shepard’s got a signal Briana thought. 

Before she could ask, Shepard said, “No signal. 

He tried to call someone, but nothing happened. 

Shepard turned his head, glancing over at Briana. 

Briana met his gaze, her eyes locking with his. 

In that moment, the sense of danger truly settled in for both of them. 

The car was stuck. 

They couldn’t get in touch with anyone outside. 

And now it was pouring, and they were stranded deep in the mountains, not another soul in sight. 

If they just stayed here, they didn’t know what might happen. 

Since they got here yesterday, they hadn’t run into a single soul. 

It was just the two of them. 

“Don’t worry,” Shepard said, still sounding calm and collected. “We’ll just hang tight until the rain stops. No storm lasts forever, 

This downpour can’t go on forever… can it?‘ Briana tried to reassure herself, though she wasn’t so sure. 

The rain hammered relentlessly against the car, the sound almost deafening, but at least inside it was warm and dry. 

But who knows when it’ll finally stop?‘ Briana thought, anxiety creeping in. 

“It’s definitely something different,” Shepard said, squeezing Briana’s hand a little tighter. “Guess we’re stuck here listening to the rain, huh?” 

Briana looked down, avoiding his eyes. 

That uneasy feeling started to take over, filling her with worry. 

But she didn’t say anything, just nodded. “It’s okay… Staying a little longer won’t hurt.” 

The rain kept pouring, relentless for four whole hours. 

The whole time, both their phones showed nothing. No signal at all. 

After what felt like forever, the rain finally eased up, so Shepard and Briana grabbed their umbrellas and ventured out to see what they could find. 

They wanted to see if anyone was around, or maybe spot a road nearby. 

16:58 Tue, Jan 13 MM G 

Chapter 221 

They hadn’t even made it half a mile when both of them froze, just staring blankly at what lay ahead. 

It was a landslide. 

A wall of rubble, a dozen feet high, completely blocked the only path out of the valley. 

So even if their car hadn’t gotten stuck earlier, there was no way they could’ve driven past this landslide. 

“Seriously, it’s this bad?” Briana muttered, her voice shaky. “What are we supposed to do now?” She couldn’t help but glance at Shepard. hoping he’d have an answer. 

She knew it had been pouring all night. 

But she never thought the rain would turn into a full–blown disaster like this. 

Now, she and Shepard were truly stranded. 

With the supplies they had left in the car, they could hold out for three days at best. 

If nobody found them within those three days, Briana knew they’d be in serious trouble. 

Shepard wrapped an arm around Briana, drawing her close and angling the umbrella to shield her from the rain. 

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious,” he said. “Let’s get back to the car.” 

“Are we just going to wait again?” Briana asked, her voice tinged with frustration. 

“That’s all we can do,” Shepard replied, his tone steady. “We need to save our energy and keep our spirits up.” 

He kept his arm around her as they turned and headed back to the car. 

Briana was feeling uneasy, her nerves shot, and she kept stumbling over the loose rocks scattered along the path. 

Luckily, Shepard was always close by, catching her just in time whenever she nearly lost her balance. 

Back in the car, Briana felt her chest tighten with worry, the anxiety pressing down on her. 

She thought, ‘No cars can get in, and we can’t get out. What are we supposed to do now? 

‘It’s already afternoon. 

‘Once it gets dark, who knows what kind of trouble we’ll run into? 

‘Could there be wild beasts out here? Poisonous snakes? 

‘It’s going to get cold at night. How are we supposed to keep warm?‘ 

Briana couldn’t stop her mind from spiraling with worry. 

At the same time, guilt started gnawing at her. 

“This is all on me. I was the one who just had to drag us out here… Briana thought, regret weighing heavy in her chest. 

“What are you thinking about?” Shepard asked casually, handing her a piece of chocolate. “Here, something sweet to cheer you up.” 

Briana took it, had a bite, and then passed the rest to him. “Here, you have some, too.” 

He smiled, squeezed her hand, and just bit off the rest of the chocolate straight from her fingers. 

16:58 Tue, Jan 13 MMG 

Chapeer 271 

Mmm, chocolate tastes way sweeter when you feed it to me, he grinned. 

Even now, he’s joking around! Briana thought 

For a moment, she couldn’t tell if she wanted to call him out or just admire how chill he was 

Seeing her reaction, Shepard reached over and ruffled her hair. “Seriously, it’s okay.” 

“But the road’s completely gone…” Briana murmured, her voice full of worry 

She thought. How are we even supposed to get out? 

And how’s anyone even going to get in here? 

‘How’s anyone supposed to rescue us now? 

“There’s always a way from the sky,” Shepard said, trying to reassure her. “A helicopter could still reach us.” 

“But who would even know to send one for us here?” Briana said. 

Shepard met Briana’s eyes, his voice firm and full of conviction. “Briana, you don’t need to worry about anything. As long as I’m here, nothing will ever happen to you. 

“Just rest up and save your strength. I swear to you, no matter what, we’re getting out of here safely. Absolutely, without a doubt.” 

There was a powerful pull in his words and the believe him no matter what. 

way 

he looked at 

her was like 

an irresistible force that made her want to 

Briana just wanted to nod, just wanted to agree. 

The light outside was fading. 

Their phones were almost dead. 

The car was running on fumes. 

It was getting dark again. 

Somewhere out there, the roar of some wild animal echoed all around them. 

ሩ 

Briana rested her head against Shepard’s chest. 

She asked, “Does this mean we’re… really in this together now?” 

“If you say so, then yeah,” Shepard said, easygoing as ever. 

He always just went along with whatever she wanted. 

“Come on, be serious,” Briana said, her voice tight with worry. “Shepard, what if we’re stuck here forever?” 

Shepard flicked her forehead. “There you go again, overthinking things.” 

Briana frowned. “Why are you always so optimistic?” 

“Because I know we’ll be okay. Just trust me, alright?” Shepard said, his voice calm and full of confidence. 

Chapter 222