The Wastelands

Strangers

Nico's POV

Life sucked even before the world turned into an apocalyptic hell-hole. My dad was barely ever there, and when he was, it didn't feel like he was. I only ever realized he was home when he started yelling at us. My mom died when I was young, so I don't really remember her. From what Bianca told me though, she was pretty amazing.

Bianca is my big sister, by the way. She's probably the least dysfunctional person in my whole life. Including me. Anyways, we spent most of our childhood in a place I can't really remember either. My dad took us there after mom died and just left us. We spent a few years there before the world finally ended.

I say finally like I was waiting for it, but I wasn't. I was a scared little kid who saw on the news that people were 'going crazy' and 'raging out' and 'going on killing sprees'. I was terrified. People started calling them 'Blights', and told us that no matter what, nobody should ever go near them. They said that the blights were uncontrollable and their disease was highly contagious. The government was  locking up anyone who had even the slightest cough, and they executed those who turned while under the quarantine. 

Bianca tried to distract me, but there were so many people around us that were dying, I didn't know how to calm down. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, I forgot how to be an actual person. I was a ghost. A soul out of body. Nobody really knows what caused it, or who the first blight was, or even where the first blight was. 

If I had paid attention after we got away, maybe Bia would still be here. Maybe the person who was there for me all those years wouldn't be gone in that matter of days.

No. I can't afford 'maybes'.

It was a long time ago. I'm fine now. I'm alive. For her.

Now, as I sit against the wall, fidgeting with my shoelace, I can't help but wonder about the stranger pacing in front of me. He hasn't stopped moving since I told him about the Blights outside.

He's definitely not alone. Nobody who has nothing to get back to is this anxious to get away from a safe place.

"Gods, can you please just sit still?" I finally ask. "Your pacing is making me dizzy."

He takes a long, steady breath and sits on a low down shelf near the front window.

"Sorry," He mutters. "I just really need to get out of here."

"What, am I that scary?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood-- more for me than for him, because Jesus Christ he's making me nervous,  but it makes him smile.

"Oh yeah, you're terrifying. All four foot nothing of you." he shoots back.

"Oh, ouch!" I say with a hand over my chest. "I'll have you know, I'm actually 5'6."

He laughs and shakes his head, looking away from the window and to a blood stain on the tile about six feet away from him.

Then it's just silent.

And more silence.

A lot more silence.

Fucking Christ, so much silence.

Until the screams. The awful, gut wrenching, blood curdling screams. The ones you'd only ever hear in horror movies with that one 'really great actress who screamed so loud, and it totally shocked you'. Before they started happening in real life. As soon as it happened, I stood up so fast I almost fell back down again. I grab my gun from my back pocket and scramble over to the window. Solace is already looking out and trying to figure out what's happening. His face is so pale right now, he might be ready to pass out.

"Good gods." he whispers.

Yeah, the gods are anything but good.

It's probably best that I don't watch this. There's a woman outside being torn to shreds by the blights. Wonderful. I just really hope she was alone.

After a while, they cleared out and all that was left outside was the remains of their breakfast.

"I'm gonna go now." Solace says, almost too quiet to hear.

"Good luck." I respond as he opens the door.

ding, ding, ding.

I sit on the floor for a while after he's gone, just staring at the stars on my gun. Bianca's friend drew them on. She loved stars. It was her dads gun before he died. Then she gave it to me after Bianca died. Not too long afterwards, she was gone too. I was alone again. 

🖤🖤🖤

Walking back to my camp alone was weird. I'd gotten too used to someone being there. I have to readapt.

As I walk along the dirt road, I imagine what I might be doing right now if the world hadn't ended. Would Bia and I still be in that place? If not, where would we be? Would she still be alive? I wonder about that place a lot. Bianca never told me what it was, but now that I've thought about it so much, I'm about 50% sure it was an adoption center of some sort. I also wonder if my dad is still alive. Maybe he is, or maybe he isn't. He was never great at doing things for himself, so I doubt he is. But if he's not a blight, and he's somehow still alive after all these years, he's not on the side of good.

About halfway to camp, I sit down at an abandoned bus bench to take a break from walking. I don't know why I went so far from camp. It's a dangerous game to play. But I did, so there's no point in complaining. I take a few deep breaths and let my eyes close momentarily. But they snap open again as soon as I hear a faint rustle in the tree line. I stand up slowly and look around, my hand instinctively reaching for my gun.

I focus all of my senses toward the direction of the sound. Each step toward the woods leaves my heart beating faster. When I'm about a foot away from the trees, I see a small figure. A boy around 12 years old is standing there staring at me with a terrified look on his face. I don't relax.

See, when the Blights were finally addressed as dangerous, people went out of their way to keep away from everyone and everything. They started using animals as bait. A distraction that would last long enough for them to get away. Then all of the animals were gone and they decided that next up on the sacrifice list was the old people who were too sick or fragile to be of any other use. Then, you guessed it, children. 

So I'm not still tense because of the kid. I'm still tense because of the people that could be with the kid. 

He could be alone, but I'm not about to find out. Don't get me wrong, I feel terrible for him. For all of the kids who were thrown out for the convenience of others. But helping him —or trying to— could get us both killed. 

So instead, I wait for him to run off. When he does, I decide to cut my break short and keep walking. 

When I get back to camp, I'm taking a nap.

🖤🖤🖤

AN: Hiii!!! I'm sorry this came in so late, but because I just finished all of my state testing, here's a celebration post!! I just finished it today and I was beyond excited, so I hope you enjoy!!! (Btw, if you have any ideas for chapter names feel free to share and I'll credit you!! I'm seriously not good at naming them lol) I hope you had fun reading!! Next chapter is already under construction :)

-Sage <3