𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 | an apocalyptic novel ©

Chapter 51

Stuck in the Apocalypse

2031 or so?

Sina

It has been long... so long.

How long exactly, I'm not fond of it.

My whole body is weak and I can barely stand upright.

Shaking, I rummage through my pockets in the hopes of finding my flashlight. I thought Suraya and I were easily able to find our way back to the base, with or without Aidan - even without a map. But being out and alone in the middle of the apocalypse at night is terrifying. The vicinity makes sounds that remind me of people wailing in pain, the collapsed buildings aching under the weight of the rubble and corrosion taking over. The wind howling around the corner of the alley I'm hiding in seems to whisper my name.

"Sinaaaaaa...Sinaaaaaa...."

I grind my teeth to continue. If I remember one distinctive thing from recruitment training in the base, it's to find shelter before midnight arrives. I failed at that already, yet we can't just sleep under the open sky. Despite how weak my legs are, I have to continue.

I'm sure Suraya is just as weak.

"Are you still behind me?" I ask quietly. A sound close to a "Yes" sounds from over my shoulder and when I turn around to face her, Suraya has wrapped her arms around herself in a poor motion to comfort herself while leaning against the rough brick wall of one of the buildings at the side of the alley. She must be terrified.

She is only fifteen. Too young to have seen all of this, too young to have been recruited. She was twelve when she was brought to the base in the first place. I was fifteen too, and the things I endured scarred me. I don't know when exactly on this trip we passed the phase where she was bickering to me about almost-not-almost shooting Aidan, but now we are both equally as silent.

"Hey, it's alright, I'm here."

Suraya shakes her head and presses her lips together. "Aidan has said that too, and now he's gone. I'm not up for trusting anyone anymore."

Her words strike me deep, unleashing a pain inside my heart I didn't know I buried there until now. Losing Aidan was just as painful for her as it was for me to lose Jason, and yet I forgot. Sending Aidan away suddenly tears open a new wound inside my heart, just now. We were friends too, right?

My hands find the flashlight I buried in my pocket. Flicking it on, I can make out quite a bit more in the darkness.

"I'm sorry-"

"Sure you are."

"Suraya, please. At least hope. Have faith. You don't have to trust me, you don't have to be with me. But I'm your only source of survival, so remember that." My voice echoes along the alley.

When I turn back away from her and simply hold out my hand for her to grab, so we don't lose each other in the dark, I feel her fingers interlocking with mine.

"We will find Aidan and it'll be okay."

"What if we don't? I'd be surprised if he'd want to be with you after that shitshow you pulled off." I hear her ask behind me when I start to walk out into the street. The flashlight illuminates a small path in front of us.

"We will."

"You don't know that-"

I whirl around to her. "Can you just stay optimistic? When did you lose your hope?"

Suraya snorts. "I never had hope."

I rub my eyes. "Hope is all we ever cling to, Suraya. Every time we went out into the world, we hoped."