Dear Dad,

  We are camped, literally, in the middle of nowhere. We're headed towards something the people a few villages back called "the lands of plenty." I have no idea what that means. Maybe it's food? Or information? Or just people?

  Who knows! Not me, that's for sure.

  I, apparently, never know about anything. I'm always the last to know things and plans, and they plan stuff without me, like being out in the middle of nowhere. If he'd taken a different route, we might have been at the city a week ago!

  But no, we had to take the "scenic route" because Riley was apparently worried about bandits or whatever. Has she never watched a horror movie? You never go off the main trail. You stay on the main path because it's safer! And now, here we are, in the middle of nowhere. God only knows when we'll get to the city or make it home! Because she was worried about the lesser of two evils.

  We're gonna get murdered by Jason Voorhees. Who I didn't know who that was until Zanair opted to give us nightmares by telling scary stories. I don't think I even fell asleep til dawn.

  This sucks and is super stupid, and I hate that I'm here with these people, that I have to keep being around them, and that I ever agreed to go to the stupid grocery store in the first place. I should have stayed at school or waited for you or someone else to get me. Zanair drives like a crazy person, too! I'm not saying it's his fault we're here, but I'm feeling like blaming him.

  And Willow's trying to keep us pushing forward, but I'm tired, and so's everyone else, so we're not going anywhere. We're just gonna lay here in the mud and sleep until we're dead or until something eats us, or something.

  Never should have gone with them.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Grace got as spooked as I did by Zanair's stories cause she came over and put her sleeping bag next to me last night. I think it was so I would get eaten or murdered first, though.

  I can live with that.

  I don't even know how far it is to the lands of plenty. I don't even know what those are, but I hope they have running water. I don't like baths, and quick swipes with, like, river water and stuff sucks, and everyone smells, and I smell, and I don't like anyone or anything, and I just want to be home.

  I miss you, and I hate this stupid place, and I miss Uncle Dave, and Uncle Jay, and Aunt Poppy, and Aunt Cathrine, and everyone. I miss being home. I miss having stupid, normal things to worry about, like math, if someone at school likes me, and if I get pizza for lunch. I miss pizza and Music, going for bike rides, and eating dumb, plain oatmeal for breakfast.

  I miss my life. I hate it here.

  I just want to go home, Dad. Why can't you find me? Why can't I find my way home? Why can't I just wake up?

  I just want to go home. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be around these people.

  I don't want to listen to Reese, Riley, and Zunair argue about where we're going and why, about what we're supposed to do, about whose advice is more important. No one's getting home if we can't agree on something, and none of us can do anything if we can't just figure out what to do next. We don't even know where to go next, the lands of plenty. We're supposed to go through there to get to the city, but if that doesn't help us, or they mislead us, what happens next? We don't even know which way is north for sure. We just have to believe it when people point in a direction and tell us it's north!

  We might die here, alone and starving, cause we can't find any good food, and none of us are good hunters, and we don't know where to go, who to trust, or even if we can trust ourselves. We have no mode of transport, which is barely a reliable road. I think we're going to die, and if we do, I'm sorry for not saying I love you more often. I'm sorry for the dumb, stupid things I asked for that didn't help either of us and for arguing about dumb, stupid, things that don't mean anything now.

  If I don't find my way back home, I'm sorry, and I hope these letters find you someday so you at least know what happened to me.

  I love you a lot, and I miss you.

  Love, Jack