"I'm coming with you, then," I say with conviction. I know that Rhiannon is being a little witch right now, but she's still my sister. When she makes a mistake, I help her fix it. I just hope she hasn't dug her own grave, or ours, in doing this.
"No."
"Yes," I groan in frustration.
"No," mom turns to me, a hard look in her eyes.
"Yes," I reply, giving her the same glare.
Mom shakes her head and turns to leave. I follow. There's no way she's leaving me here to worry about them. I'd rather die than spend my life without my family.
We walk into the meeting room to see the elders sitting at a little table, chatting amongst themselves. Most of the survivors converse together in this room, and the majority are teens and adult women ages twenty to fifty. The elders consist of Anna, Cassandra, Enya, Claire, and Patricia.
"Anna, we have a problem," Mom says, a worried look flashing across her pale, wrinkled face at the word 'problem.'
"What is it, Andi?" Anna replies, standing up. The other two elders immediately follow suit. Ever since Abigail, they have been quite cynical and paranoid of any issues in the compound. Well, they've always been a tad paranoid since the disease broke out, but their fear has grown significantly since that incident.
"During the night, Vivi and Rhiannon left the catacombs. They're out...there," Mom mumbles. I can clearly see worry flash across their faces before a hardened look replaces it.
"They left together, willingly?" Patricia asks, her dark brown eyes challenging. I can already tell where this is going.
"Yes, and I was hit in the head for it," I reply, feeling their eyes fall on me.
"Then they're on their own. We gave Vivi a chance and she's blown it. As for Rhiannon, she sided with the girl, so that is the end of this discussion. You may leave if you wish, but we will not offer any support for those who willingly risk the safety of this group," Anna replies harshly. However, I did notice the sadness in her eyes. She was like a grandma to me and we've spent ten years living together. I could say we were close; but obviously we weren't if she was willing to exile us for helping two girls that were way in over their heads, especially my sister.
"Very well, Anna," Mom replies just as harshly. She turns to me with eyes blazing, "you still want to come?"
I nod without hesitation. Anna's eyes crinkle in sadness and I know she's most affected to lose us.
"We leave in twenty."
...
I wrap elastic bandage around my chest to flatten my breasts; Vivi's friend, Raven, who is also a Forager, had advised me to do so.
"Yep, here," Raven wraps it around my chest multiple times to flatten my breasts. I bite my lower lip in light irritation over how tight and compressing it feels.
"Raven, I'm not cutting off my hair," I tell her. She'd been quite adamant about it earlier, saying it was the safest option to not getting caught.
She sighs, "So I've been told. But you know it helps when you get into the city. If you're seen, there's a chance that you'll be ignored. It's bad enough that it's so red."
"I can tuck it in the back of my sweater," I say and pull my shirt over my head.
Raven passes me the knapsack she packed filled with food, weapons, and clothes. She also included bandages in case we end up staying longer than expected. We're not sure if Anna will let us back into the catacombs if we return, but I hope she'll take all the years we've known each other into consideration.
"Are you ready?" Mom asks, her hair is cut shorter, yet it's still red. We don't have any hair dye anymore, so it's a risk we'll have to take.
"Yes," I tell her and pull my black sweater over my head. I'm also wearing black jeans and a belt because the pants are made for men and fall down my legs without one, and my usual black sneakers.
"I'll go with you to the entrance of the forest and give you a drawn map of the city. It still looks the same, but there are places you should avoid, and others that may be somewhat safer. It'll also tell you where you can find certain products. I'm sorry I can't go with you all the way. Anna has threatened that she'd kick me out too if I went any further than the entrance."
"We understand, thank you," Mom replies. I only nod in response. Bringing up Anna's name and how we probably won't be accepted back installed a flaring anger in me.
We walk down the hall and the realization that I'm actually going to be breathing in fresh air dawns on me. I guess I got my wish. And you know what they say...
Careful what you wish for.
...
I breathe in deep as the fresh air meets my cheeks, the wind gently blows back strands of my hair over my pale face. I smile and look up at the sky, the branches and trees creating a covering above us.
"Mellie," Mom calls me, sounding serious.
"Hm?" I look up and see both of them staring at me with cautious expressions.
"This trip isn't to relax and enjoy the scenery. You need to focus. Please tell me you'll stay alert," Mom groans quietly. I can tell she's worried about me so I nod in response.
We make our way towards the border, which is a little over two hours away, and follow Raven for guidance. She would stop every so often to listen for any possible threat; however, all we heard was the music of the birds as they chirped back and forth to each other, the splashing of the river in the background, and the sway of the trees as the wind whipped through the leaves.
"Shh," Raven hushes us from any speaking, gesturing with her hand for us to stop walking.
I have the urge to ask what the problem is but keep quiet when Mom sends me a look of warning. Yeah, she knows me well.
We wait for a minute but hear nothing out of the ordinary.
Raven nods with her head for us to continue. I roll my eyes at her paranoia. However, she does have a point. I guess it's because I'm not used to this sort of thing. Kudos to the elders and my family for rejecting my proposal of becoming a Forager.
We continue walking which seems like an intense escape out of jail. Raven's anxiety brings forth tension that I haven't felt in years. It brings back horrible memories of our hasty escape out of the city.
"Raven, why do you keep stopping?" I ask, getting really stressed out over her behaviour.
"Shh," she shushes me rudely, putting her hand over my mouth to stop me from speaking.
Mom stares at her in astonishment. She obviously doesn't know if she should defend me or let Raven take control of the situation.
Raven shakes her head at the two of us.
"What?" Mom mouths at Raven, making sure not to move anywhere and make agonizingly loud noises with the crunching of the leaves and twigs.
Raven looks around anxiously, her eyes landing on something, and then our whole world crashes when an arrow whizzes past my ear, nicking it. I flinch at the harsh pain and cry out. Raven pushes me to the ground and hisses for us to be quiet.
I hold my ear and groan at the pain. There's a hot oozing liquid trickling down the side of my ear and down my neck: blood.
"I knew I heard something. We've been followed for quite some time; they're playing with us like wolves do with their prey," Raven informs us in a whisper. My eyes widen. What if Raven hadn't come with us?!
We stay quiet, completely scared out of our minds. If that arrow had struck just a little lower, I'd have a dangerous neck wound.
Suddenly we hear a snap a few steps away from us. I freeze in fear, my nostrils flaring.
"Here," Raven whispers as she slaps a piece of paper in my hands before crawling towards some bushes. We follow her, knowing she'd be the one to help us get out of here safely.
We hide behind the bush and Raven turns towards us, "Head straight from here. Follow that map, it will help you just as much as I could. Trust no one, not even other women. Some will do anything to help out their situation, even if it means bringing you in for their masters. They'd rather their masters be happy than help you out. Once you're there, you'll be on your own."
"What about you," Mom whispers. I nod, worried for Raven's safety.
"If I get caught, I get caught," Raven shrugs.
"That's not right," Mom looks at Raven as if she were crazy.
"I'm sick and tired of living like this. I just want this to end," Raven says and then peers through the gaps of the bush. Her eyes widen, making us worried over what she sees.
I look as well and feel my heart nearly explode at seeing three men standing around twenty feet away from us. Two have long machetes and the other has a crossbow in his grasp. They each have a gun placed at the side of their hips as well. Yeah, they're definitely playing with us. They could have shot us when the whole hunt started.
Raven turns back to face us and hisses "run!"
We don't hesitate to do what she says. I stand up and run for my life. Mom stays beside me as we swing in front of trees to give us an advantage. I feel the knapsack on my back weighing me down and look over at Mom to see her jumping over a few roots growing all over the ground like veins.
"Fuckin' bitches. Get em!" I hear from close behind. I wince at the pain in my ear but it's not as agonizing as before; probably because of the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I cry out when another arrow whips past my head; however, it misses me this time and hits a tree.
I feel the items in the bag weighing me down and do the only thing I can think of and shrug it off my shoulders. I know I've done something wrong in leaving the essentials behind but it was either keep the bag and risk the chance of getting caught or drop it to run faster through the maze of trees. The only thing I have is the map tucked in my pant pocket. I remember all the items in the sack and feel dread wash over me: I just left my weapons–my protection against these creeps.
I look over at Mom and see her horrified face at the missing knapsack from my back. She must have realized the same thing. Thankfully she still has hers.
"Fuck!" I hear a man's voice scream in anger. I feel the fear increase when this time instead of an arrow, a bullet nearly misses mom. She trips but catches herself. I tremble at the thought of the bullet hitting her. If they hurt her, I'd lose it.
I breathe out deeply, ruggedly at having to run. I haven't had to in a while. I whip out the map and see that the border is located near a fallen down tree in it with the initials A.G.M carved into it. I'm guessing it stands for Anna Geraldine McGuire, elder Anna.
I feel anxiety pulsing through my veins like tiny needles shooting out all over my skin. These men are getting closer to us, no matter how fast we run. Thankfully their aim is shit, as they keep missing us.
We head straight just like Raven instructed, and without looking back we make it to the border.
I guess I didn't know what their plans were from the start. Why shoot at us so many times and miss?
...
I see the tree with Anna's initials carved into it. I don't have time to admire the scenery, however, because the men are still chasing us. Do they not have enough females? Jesus, they've been following us for over two hours already! It's actually frightening how close they were to the catacombs. Was the place raided after we left? Are there more of them around here?
"What do the instructions say?" Mom whispers from beside me. We're currently squished into the grass on our stomachs, green stems tickling our faces. She has her knapsack on the side of her, opened so she can rummage through it. Because we have to hide, she decided to take out the smaller weapons that are easier to carry and hide. I feel like a complete idiot for throwing mine away...
I pry open the map carefully as to not make any noise, and look at all the comments. There's markers for safe locations, food indicators, and banned areas. I scan the closest safe spots and realize we're close to some: a barn called Wickers, an abandon factory, and the underground tunnels that the city prepared in case of emergencies. I wondered why these were safe havens, considering they were places anyone could stumble on or know about. The comment written next to each refuge maintained that they're great places to hide out at during hunting hours. The markings direct us towards them on the paper. Mom points at Wickers. It's the closest.
"Where the fuck are they?!" I flinch at the sound of a man's voice close by.
"Markus, I swear I saw them head this way!" another man yells.
"Dammit, you're fucking useless!" I hear the first man yell at the other, then a resounding click that soon released a loud bang. The noise echoed throughout the forest, sending birds flying out of the bushes and trees.
It was a gunshot. Not even seconds later, there was a resounding thud. I guess it was a body that fell to the ground.
Silence, and then heavy breathing. From our own, and the men remaining.
"Those bitches are mine. You better fucking find them, or else I won't care to shoot you too. Find them, now, I have better things to do than go looking for two pieces of meat," this Markus growled out to the other man. There wasn't a reply.
I look over at Mom and widen my eyes at her. She looks around us and then focuses on the map. She memorizes it quickly before pointing with her finger that I should put it back in my pocket. I nod and fold the paper slowly so it won't crinkle loudly. Once it's finally in my pocket I back up, still on my stomach. I look around me so that I don't move over anything that will snap or crush underneath the weight of my body.
I turn my head, and look for the marker of the barn. We crawl through the tall grass at a slow pace and when we reach the side of the road, we wait and listen for any sounds.
Nothing.
The road was the marker. We have to cross it to get to safety. I look over at mom and see her eyebrows narrowed in confusion. I turn my head back and stare at the road as if it held the answer. Do we have to pass it?
"Mom?" I whisper.
She looks at me and shakes her head. She knows this mission is extremely risky. These men are close. They know we're around this area. Wouldn't the road be an obvious place to find us?
"Should we still go to the barn?" I ask quietly.
She sighs and then looks back at the road, "no, I don't think we should. I guess it's the reason why the map says to go across at night. Because it's easier to blend in."
I nod in agreement.
"Where should we go then? We can't just wait in the grass all day?" I ask her, my eyes dart around to see any impending threats.
"The factory?" Mom replies, sounding not sure.
I pull out the map again and find where we are, which is at the side of a large farming field. From the looks of it, we have to backtrack and move to the left instead of the right. The field will hit the edge of the forest. After we meet this mark, we have to travel into the forest. However, there will be a few houses placed in front of our destination. This brings us down to more complicated risks. My instincts react to the factory route, my gut telling me that this path is better.
"Okay," I reply, turning to the left. Dammit, Rhiannon! I inwardly groan at how much she's already put us through.
I'd still do it all again to find her.
After a long and anxious crawl towards the edge of the forest, we make our way over a small hill and continue until we're sure it's safe to stand. Jesus, I feel like I'm in a warzone!
"We have to go straight. See that sign?" Mom tells me and points. I notice the dirty grey sign that says "Brooksview" and look down at the map to confirm it. She's right.
"So we just have to get through these houses without getting caught, and then we'll be close to the factory?"
Mom nods.
We cautiously walk through the forest, fully aware of our surroundings. It seems like there's no people around, it's quiet and peaceful. I don't feel that way at all, far from it. We move around the houses and within seconds are filled with extreme fright. We hear men talking, a bunch of them laughing with each other. And close. Each safe haven seems to come at the risk of our lives. I don't know how Foragers do this...
I look towards Mom, unsure of what to do. She turns around frantically, looking for a place to hide. The voices are getting closer. It's as if time stops completely. We don't know what to do, there's no one to help us.
We're trapped.
Mom grabs my hand and pulls me towards a tan wooden fence. She climbs over, making me do so as well. As we land, not even seconds later, the men walk by the fence, seeming to be unaware of our presence. I look at Mom, my teeth clenched together in fear. Her expression most likely reflects my own.
"That was a close one," I whisper, feeling out of breath.
She nods, looking like she's in shock.
"Are you okay?" I ask, worried.
"I-I'm worried about your sister. If those men were so close, just hours after they left the catacombs...What if they've already been taken?"
"Mom, Vivi's with her. I'm sure they're at the barn or in another safe place right now. Who knows, maybe they're at the factory? We can only hope that they're safe," I tell her.
She begins to slowly crawl up the backyard of someone's house. We look up at the windows to see if anyone was watching us. This was probably the most second dangerous thing we've done. Crawling through the backyard of a deranged man who could come out any moment and shoot us.
We make it half way when we hear a flapping sound and then very loud growling. Mom looks up and gasps in fright. I repeat the same movement and mirror her expression. We'd been so focused on the door and window that we hadn't thought about any pets. Growling erupts from the large Rottweiler slowly trotting towards us. It looks angry, baring its large canines.
"Mom..." I say, my body shaking.
"When I tell you to run, you do it, understand?" Mom tells me. I look at her in confusion but nod anyways.
However, before she can say anything else, the dog leaps towards us. I yelp in fright and jump up quickly. I run towards the fence and hop over it. Mom reaches the fence but the animal chomps down around her ankle.
"Mom!" I cry, trying to pull her up by the arms, but the dog won't let go of her.
"Ah!" Mom starts to scream, making my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. If she gets any louder, we'll be heard. I know it hurts tremendously for her, but she's going to make the situation worse with her wailing.
"Shh," I hush her and growl at the dog, trying to make it scared of me. But the dog seems to get angrier.
I hear something behind me and don't have time to react when a man appears at my side. He's young, possibly twenty to twenty-five years old, and his chest and arms are covered in tattoos. His hair is a dark brown, ruffled and littered with pine needles. His eyes are a light hazel, stuck between green and brown. I don't bother focusing on his appearance though, as I'm struck by paralyzing fear. My heart feels like its been stabbed and my lungs robbed of oxygen. I'm also keenly aware that his eyes are focused on me, his head turned to the side as if wondering what the hell I was doing.
I feel my lips tremble on their own accord and hands begin to shake around my Mom's arms. Mom looks at him like he's a mutant, disgust plastered across her face but also an expression of extreme pain.
He continues to stare at me, his eyes never leaving my face. He suddenly bends down to my level, making me flinch.
This causes him to lightly chuckle, the corners of his lips twitching at my frightened expression.
My muscles tense when his head moves next to my cheek, his lips descending on it. They're warm and soft, making me frown. The man leans back and smiles as if I told him a dirty secret. He finally turns away from me and takes in Mom's unfortunate predicament. He sighs, sounding bored, proceeding to grab a gun from a strap on his hip. He pulls out a skinny cylinder shaped fold, placing it over the tip of the gun. I immediately recognized the fold as a silencer, and with absolute fear, I watch him point it at my Mom. I reach for it but he pushes me back, making me stumble and fall on my ass.
"No!" I cry out when he pulls the trigger. It's a noise like a robotic laser, the sound you hear on Sci-Fi movies of the like. It's quick, quiet, and a bringer of horrible emotions in my case.
I black out.