Survivors of The Pandemic

3

"Okay, so I've already told my story and Darren has told his. Who else wants a go?" I ask making the question open. I don't want anyone to feel pressured into telling their story. For all I know, it could be a sensitive subject.

"Six months ago, I got sick. Didn't know how I got infected, but I did. Got taken to isolation. Tested on when I didn't die. They gave me my color assignment pretty quickly, and I figured I could read their thoughts. Controlled a guard to let me go." Austin shrugs, not thinking too much about it.

"If you don't mind me asking, did you have any family?"

"None that I talk to. No girlfriend, no parents it's just been me for the last years." I nod, thinking of how lonely that must've been.

"I had a family, a loving husband, and a daughter. My daughter got infected first, died pretty quick, but not after giving the virus to me and my husband. My husband died, I watched in vain as I knew there was nothing I could do. I obviously didn't die. The government never found out we were sick, so I was never caught. I figured they would notice after a while, so I ran before they got there. That was a year ago." Amber says a tear in the corner of her eye.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I could never imagine the feeling of losing a child." My sympathy is clear in my voice. I'm glad I didn't have a boyfriend or a kid. Yes, I lost my family and I still miss them a lot, but losing a child is something totally different. It's a part of you, and a parent is never meant to watch their kids die. It's supposed to be the other way around.

"Well, I don't really have a story. I was working. No family didn't matter that much to me, really. Parents died five years before the pandemic. Having a girlfriend or wife didn't matter to me. A few friends but I lost contact with them when the first lockdown started." Jeremy says with a shrug.

"I know you said it didn't matter but it sounds lonely," I say, voicing my thoughts. Jeremy looks at me. "When I think about it, it sounds lonely, but I've never been a very social person. Always kept more to myself, I'm fine in my own company."

"Yeah, I was somewhat like that myself. Still, I'd like to at least have a family thought."

"Anyway, over to a more positive subject. Does anyone have something else they want to talk about?" Austin breaks off. I agree with him, though. The subject turned somewhat depressing. Thinking for a minute I realize I never found out who the other gold is, Amber only said 'she', indicating that it's a woman.

"I have a question." I raise my hand and they all look at me. "Do you know the name of the other gold coming here?" I look at Amber, giving the question to her. "Her name's Mary-Ann. She seemed nice for all I've heard. Just hope she makes it here." I nod, finding her answer useful. I've never heard of her before, but it's always nice meeting new people, at least when I know they're not trying to put a bullet in my brain.

"Who owns this cabin? It's actually rather nice." Darren comments looking around to prove his point. I agree with him and had I not been thinking about people killing me I would've asked myself.

"I ran into it a while ago, figured it would be a lovely place to stay. If anyone ever comes here they're either guards or a person with a color assignment. No ordinary person would wander off into the woods like this." It's a good point, and it makes me smile that someone has been thinking about safety, and all. Something I appreciate very much because I've always been overthinking things.

"I'll head up to my room, take a break and relax. I'm exhausted. Is there running water here?" I'm longing to have an actual shower. "Yes, I override the water and electricity so there's both." I smile, finally. Lifting my bag onto my shoulder I turn to Amber.

"Do you mind showing me my room?"

"Sorry, I forgot. I'll join you. I miss talking to another girl. It's been a while." I chuckle at her response before turning to the boys. "I'll see you tomorrow then." Giving a small wave I turn around following Amber out of the room.

She guides me up the stairs and towards an empty room. It's not much but a double bed, a wardrobe and a desk with a window facing the back of the house. The walls are in a light gray color.

"The bathroom is across the hall from your room. For the time being, this will only be your room, but once we get more people we'll have to share. I hope that's okay?" I shake my head with a smile.

"Don't worry about it. The last couple of days before I found Austin and Darren, or more as they found me. I slept on the streets or in a lab. This is much better, thank you so much." I give her a big toothy smile. She hugs me, catching me slightly off guard, but I find it comforting. I haven't hugged someone in so long.

"Can I pack out, or won't that be necessary?" I ask once we pull away from each other.

"Yes, by all means. I hope for us to stay here for a while." I nod placing my bag into the closet, pulling out a fresh pair of clothes. "I'll leave you to it then."

"Please don't, I'd rather have someone to talk to. At least for a little while. I'm in dire need of some girl company." I say with a small chuckle. She just smiles at me before sitting down at the end of my bed.

"How are you?" concern lacing her voice. I let out a sight.

"I'm fine," I say, but immediately hears how crappy that sounded. "Okay, no. I'm not fine. Far from it. I killed three people, and the guilt is overwhelming. I feel like a monster, an abomination. Why is my ability the only one who's deadly? I know orange can be deadly, blue, and gold too, but my ability is made for killing and destroy things. Why me?"

I put my face in my hands. Flopping down on the bed next to Amber. I feel her hand on my back as she tries to comfort me. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't control it and you were scared. If anything, it's their own fault to scare a young girl with powerful abilities. The color assignment you were given, red, maybe be destructive, but it's also the most powerful one. Once you gain control you could rule the world if you wanted to. If you feel bad about the lives you took that makes you a good person. A monster or any bad person wouldn't feel remorse or even bad for killing someone. You had a motive, and it was self-defense. Don't let it beat you up too much."

Letting her words sink in I dry my tears which I never noticed started falling.

"Thank you." I sniffle, letting out a dry laugh.

"Don't mention it, now I assume you're pretty tired, so I'll leave you to rest. We'll talk more tomorrow." I nod as she gets up from the bed, walking out the door and leaving me to my thoughts.

I take off my clothes, laying down in bed falling asleep almost instantly. The thought of a good, warm, and comfortable shower was long forgotten.