My head is thumping and I can barely move. Every limb is stiff and my joints have seized up, making it difficult to stand.
Zach is also not helping.
I shuffle sideways in an attempt to get off the brown soft squeaky couch we're laying on. Zach groans next to me and his arm, which is slung around my waist, tightens.
'Don't go,' Zach mumbles.
'Unless you want me to pee on you, I need to go outside.'
'If I get to keep you here, I don't mind.' Zach kisses my neck.
I laugh, allowing myself to sink back into him briefly. 'I do mind. I don't need to add to my already disgusting odour.'
'You smell gorgeous.' Zach's fingers move under my top to stroke the skin along my stomach then dip lower running along the waistband of my trousers.
'Liar.' I turn and brush my lips against his. 'I really need to go.'
'I'll come with you and watch.'
'I'm only going to tell you this once Zach, I'm not into that. There is going to be no pee involved in our relationship.'
Zach laughs loudly. 'Ok, that wasn't what I was thinking but good to know.' He continues to hold me and his face turns serious. 'I meant, I'd watch for danger.'
'There is nothing but tumbleweeds out there and as far as I know, they are not life-threatening.'
'You never know.' Zach frowns.
I shake my head in amusement. 'I'll be fine. Give me one minute.'
'I'll be waiting. Ready to do some other stuff.' Zach wiggles his eyebrows.
'I thought you didn't want to call it other stuff?'
'You cringe when I use the actual terms.'
'That's because they sound gross.'
Zach chuckles. 'Well, I don't want my girlfriend to think it's gross, so now I'm stuck calling it other stuff. This is your fault, Kit. You're making me less crude.'
'That's all on you. I've always liked your crudeness.' I grin whilst gently easing myself out of his grasp.
'I knew it. The innocent act is just that, an act. I bet inside that head of yours you're cruder than me. Before I know it you're going to out crude me. Don't do it to me, Kit. It's one of my most attractive characteristics.'
'You're an idiot sometimes.' I say, grinning widely as I walk away.
'As long as I'm your idiot, I don't care.'
'You're definitely mine,' I call over my shoulder.
Outside, the sky is dark grey so I can't make out how high the sun is. I'd guess it's midday. A cracked road stretches out in front of me. Now it's daylight, I can see a mass of buildings in the distance, possibly a town or city. At least we don't have to rush off, it shouldn't take long to get there. I sigh in relief. We've run out of food and I want to sleep in an actual bed tonight.
I should be glad we found the brown soft squeaky couch last night. Tucked into a little room at the back of this building, it's barely big enough for me let alone the two of us. I shouldn't complain, it's better than the rusty car we slept in the night before.
We've been riding almost constantly for the last two days, unable to escape the barren nothingness which seemed to stretch for eternity. Yesterday, we started cycling at sunrise and by the time night started to fall, we still hadn't found anywhere to sleep.
It was terrible.
Continuing with the lamp as our only light source, we cycled slowly, dodging the large cracks in the ground, until we'd finally come across this building. Zach said he's seen similar looking places in the movies he's watched and thinks it's a roadside Diner, which is apparently a building where people would stop and eat at when they travelling across the country. I can't imagine choosing to do what we're doing, then again, maybe I'd feel differently if we had an end destination.
Walking back inside, I pass through a large room of turned over chairs and tables. Positioned on one side is a higher curved table with stools lined along it. I guess this is where people would sit and eat.
I struggle imagining what life was like before the Virulence outbreak. I don't understand the purpose of most of the buildings or objects. Zach is often able to identify them. Linking them to various movies which give him a reference to what life used to be like, whereas the books I've read relied on my imagination which has so far been very wrong.
Nothing looks like how I expected which makes me feel completely lost.
Entering the little room me and Zach slept in, I freeze. Something is wrong. It's too quiet and Zach isn't on the couch. A movement causes me to turn and I see Zach pushed up against a wall by two figures.
Drifters.
But Drifters aren't meant to exist.
'Run,' Zach mouths at me.
I shake my head and step forward, I won't leave without him. Two heads turn, one scowls and the other grins at me. Hands grip my shoulders but they don't belong to them. I jerk forward but I'm being stopped. Pressure clamps down, pinning my arms to my side, pulling me backwards so I'm fully in contact with the stranger's body behind me.
My chest constricts. I'm struggling to breathe. A familiar sensation returns, one I was hoping to never experience again: being trapped, unwanted contact.
'Get off me,' I whisper hoarsely. Kicking my legs back, I fight against the tightening around my chest which is preventing my lungs from expanding.
'Get off.' I hear my voice repeating it over and over, begging, crazed and panicked. My heels connect with something fleshy, the grip loosens around my chest and arms. I lash out with my fists and my arms. I can't see anything. I only feel the unwanted pressure of hands on me, trying to restrict me. I'm screaming louder, flinging my limbs out with us much force as possible.
'Let her go and she'll stop fighting back.' I hear Zach in the distance, his voice barely audible over the loud thud of my heart and the ringing in my ears. The weight lifts and I'm on my knees gasping for air.
'Kit, it's Zach. You're fine, they're not going to touch you again.' Zach's voice is soothing.
I don't respond. Clenching my fists by my side, I refuse to open my eyes not wanting to face the shame of my complete failure. I panicked and reverted back to my old Naturalist ways. I haven't changed.
I haven't changed at all.
'Kit, look at me,' Zach demands. I force my eyelids to open. His eyes are level with mine and his expression softens. 'I'm ok. You're ok.'
He stretches out his hand, and I stare at it confused until I remember I can touch Zach.
I trust Zach.
My hand feels clammy as it slides into his. Zach holds it tightly as he helps me stand on my shaking legs.
Three figures stand around us: a boy and a girl, who look around our age, and a woman, who looks much older. Their clothes are stained and tattered. The older woman has a bat and gun tucked into her waistband. The boy holds a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. The girl starts searching through our bags, and I cringe as she pulls out the book I've disguised with a different front cover.
Please, don't look through that book of other stuff.
'Who are you with, sweethearts?' The woman's voice is gentle as she looks us over with her one working eye. The other has a closed eyelid which sags in, suggesting an empty eye socket lays beneath.
'No one. It's just the two of us,' Zach responds.
The boy and girl glance at each other with evident surprise whereas the woman's face remains passive and unreadable.
'You sure about that, sweethearts?' She looks around. 'Where have you come from?'
'Nowhere,' I croak shakily.
The woman pursues her lips and crosses her arm. 'Everyone comes from somewhere, sweetheart.' She looks at the girl who has emptied our bags. 'Find anything?'
'Bags are clear,' The girl says. 'Only a bunch of boring plant books, a sketchbook, pencils, clothes, water canisters and a solar operated lamp. I'm disappointed.'
'What are you looking for?' Zach says.
'Weapons. We need to know how much of a threat you are.' The boy responds, staring at me.
'That one doesn't need a weapon. She's seriously unhinged. She's a threat all on her own, to us and herself.' The girl snorts.
'Cas,' The boy says sternly, his eyes still not leaving me.
'Don't be rude, Cas. They're only trying to survive. Like we all are.' The woman turns to me and Zach. 'We probably gave you all a bit of a shock. Sorry for that, but we got to be careful. Some outsiders are mighty hostile. Then you get the ones like you who are hostile cause they're scared.'
'Am I the only who saw her freak out like a complete lunatic? She's not hostile. She's psycho.' Cas crosses her arms.
I bite my tongue. I would defend myself if I didn't agree with her.
'She was defending herself from an attack,' Zach snaps.
'No, she was freaking out on a psychotic level. She has some serious troubled shit going on in that head of hers, for her to respond like that.' Cas rests her hands on her hip.
I hate her for being so right.
'Cas, enough,' the woman says sternly before smiling at us. 'Tell me, what made you two younguns stop in this place?'
'We came across it and thought there might be some food here.' Zach shrugs.
Even though neither of us really believed we'd meet anyone, we would talk about what we would do if we did come across people. We agreed we'd never mention our settlements, never mention running away, never mention my resistance to diseases, including Virulence. We'd say we had to leave and that would be it.
'Where are your parents or guardians? Or the group you're with?'
'It's just us.' Zach grips my hand and pulls me closer to him.
'And where exactly are you on your way to?' She arches an eyebrow questioningly.
Zach looks at me. Neither of us know. There is no known end destination.
'How long has it been just the two of you?'
'About a month,' I respond
'You're lucky you've survived this long, sweethearts. It's not safe to be travelling alone unarmed. Why don't you come back with us?' She gives us a sympathetic smile. 'Doesn't look like your bags got any food left in them, you must be hungry. We got food, and we can give you a place to stay, while you figure out what you're doing.'
Zach tilts his mouth to my ear. 'We don't have to-'
'We'll come,' I say out loud.
This is what we've been looking for. This is what Zach spoke about finding. People, another way of life.
Zach nods in agreement and walks towards our bags. I follow him, veering around the three strangers, trying to maintain as much distance as the room allows. Cas inspects Zach as he grabs our stuff and shoves it back into the bags.
'I'm Cas. I have to say, you're really sexy,' She says, grinning widely.
I splutter at her forwardness while Zach chuckles. 'I'm Zach.'
You'll be dead in a minute if you don't tell her to back off.
Cas turns to me. 'You're also pretty sexy. The whole unhinged aspect works for you, makes you wild and exciting.'
What the-?
Cas spins on her heel and waves an object in the woman's direction. 'Radios run out of battery. I'm going to find the others out back and tell them what we found. I'll meet you outside.'
The woman frowns. 'You told me you'd charged it?'
'I was lying.' Cas shrugs before darting out the door. The boy and woman shake their heads whilst continuing to watch us as we pack our belongings back into our bag.
'I'm Bo.' The boy walks over and offers his hand.
'Zach.' Zach shakes it.
Bo offers his hand to me, and I simply stare at it like an idiot. Nice hand but I'm not touching it.
'Kit.' I respond, pulling the bag onto my back as Bo lowers his hand.
We walk through the Diner, manoeuvring around the scattered furniture. Zach stays by my side the entire time. Bo and the woman walk ahead. When they exit the building, Zach holds me back and whispers in my ear, 'I'm not sure we should go with them.'
'We can leave if we don't like it.' And realistically, what other option do we have? Our food supplies have run out, and I'm getting tired of constantly moving with no end in sight.
This is what we've been looking for, isn't it?
Zach's hand brushes against mine and our fingers interlock. We give each other a tight smile before exiting the building, where Bo and the woman are waiting for us. The woman is standing at a distance speaking into a black box in her hand.
Bo walks up to us. 'So, a month with just the two of you, that must have been intense?'
'We've had our moments.' Zach squeezes my hand, and I can't help smile.
'Where is your settlement?' I ask.
'We live over there.' Bo points to a large building in the distance. 'It's not a settlement, just a group of survivors who have met over the years and formed a small community.'
The woman walks over to us. 'The last new joiners we had were about seven months ago. Before then, we hadn't had any newbies for over five years. You'll be warmly welcomed. We've all been wanderers, at some point, trying to find a place to call home.'
'How many people are there in your community?' I ask.
'Thirty-something. A few babies been born recently, so don't know the exact number,' The woman smiles.
'Are you two...? ' Bo glances at me without finishing the sentence.
'We're together,' Zach says.
'I thought as much.' Bo shrugs. 'Is it serious?'
'Serious enough that I would risk my life for her,' Zach growls.
A flicker of surprise runs through me. Is that the truth? Zach's jaw is set. He's angry but he's also displaying an emotion I've never seen him demonstrate before. He's jealous.
Why does that make me happy? I'm unhinged. That girl, Cas, is spot on.
'Are you three related?' I ask.
'No, but we're as close as family. The whole community is. Don't get me wrong, we have our disagreements, but we all look out for each other,' the woman says.
'Doll's the official mum of the community,' Bo jokes.
'Which basically means, I get everyone moaning to me and wanting me to kiss their booboos.' Doll grins.
Cas appears from the side of the Diner, animatedly talking to two other people; a woman, with a mass of hair tied back, and a man, with a sparse covering of white hair. Cas continues to wave her hands around wildly while the others laugh.
'So, this is the wild animal?' The white-haired man jokes, his face wrinkling further as he inspects me. 'I think you've been exaggerating again, Cas. She doesn't look like she'd say boo to a ghost.'
'Looks can be deceiving. She can pack a punch, that's for sure. I got a black eye developing.' Doll touches her eye which is red and swollen. 'She got the good on too.'
'Need to up your game Doll. What will everyone say when we tell them you got beat up by a teenage girl?' The man snickers.
'Don't underestimate teenage girls. They often the ones which have got the most fight in them,' Doll smiles at me. I want to like her. She seems friendly. Then again, Ben was friendly and he kept me prisoner whilst testing diseases on me.
'Dolls still tougher than you Carlos, so don't get too cocky,' the woman says, who's standing next to Cas. She steps towards us with her hand outstretched. 'I'm Fara. The official doctor of our community.'
I flinch and take a step back, unable to stop myself. Fara doesn't say anything however I see the questioning look on her face, on all their faces.
'Zach.' Zach steps forward and shakes her hand, his other hand still holding mine.
'Kit,' I respond.
'They're coming back with us,' Doll says, picking up a bicycle from the ground. She turns to us and gestures towards our bicycles propped against the side of the building. 'I assume they're your bicycles, sweethearts? Grab'em and follow us.'
'Go ahead without us. We're going to head to the town and look for some items we need,' Fara says.
'More like waste time so you get out of completing your duties,' Cas mutters.
'I heard that,' Fara says over her shoulder as she limps towards her bike with Carlos. She has a bat slung across her back and a knife attached to her belt. Carlos walks beside her with a gun tucked into his belt and a knife strapped to his ankle. All of them have some sort of weapon. How often do they have to use them?
How safe is life in this community of theirs?
Author's note:
What do you think so far? What do you think of the people they've met?
There's going to be lots of new characters introduced over the coming chapters.
I hope you're still enjoying it. Don't forget to vote xx