Chapter 72: A Changed Life

Together, with more strength and resolve than before, they would confront it. They wouldn't be traveling alone, even if the road ahead would be dangerous. They had the public's backing, a burgeoning network of sympathizers, and each other. They were prepared, but it would not be simple. The struggle for reality had started. The hospital room's impersonal walls gradually vanished from recollection as John and Marie emerged into the busy downtown street. The earth was glowing golden under the warm, welcoming light of the sun, a far cry from the sterile isolation they had suffered for weeks. Ignorant of the conflict they had just waged and the one that lied ahead, the city throbbed with life. John inhaled deeply, feeling a new purpose fill his lungs as the clean air entered them. He looked across at Marie, who had her hand nestled in his. A wordless understanding passed between them as she caught his eyes. The individuals who had wandered into this conflict had changed. Their