Meet Me At The End Of The World

Chapter Two

Shadows dance around me from the dancing light of the distant glowing campfire. I creep across the school grounds unaware of what to expect. There may be people here but what state will they be in when I reach them? Will they mug me out of desperation or will they be too weak from starvation to survive the night?

I know I should turn back but the enticing drag of curiosity pulls me towards the unknow as hope wriggles its way into my heart allowing me to believe that it's someone like me awaiting a hero to save them.

I stop and duck behind the canteen which is the closest area of shelter provided this near to the campfire.

"I found a good source of weaponry today which is swell. We can visit tomorrow so you can pick a real weapon." A girl's voice blathers on, clearly comfortable with the person she's talking to.

"I like what I have." A boy says bluntly yet not in a cruel way. My heart hammers in my chest as the knowledge of there being two humans sounding around my age just a mere few feet away.

"But you don't own a weapon." The girl continues with a disapproving tone to her loud voice.

"Exactly." The boy counters with a hint of something I can't quite detect in his voice.

Excitement laps over me dulling all of my precautions. I step out from my hiding place and approach the campfire where the two teens sit. The girl jumps to her feet in a matter of seconds and whirls around to face me, some sort of gun in hand. I open my mouth to assure her I come in peace but all that comes out is a strangled sound of unused vocal chords.

"Who are you?" The girl demands and I attempt pointing to my throat to signal that I can't speak but she doesn't seem to understand.

She pressed the nose of the gun to my forehead and stares me hard in the eye despite being at least four inches shorter then me. She rubs her finger against the cut on my face causing me to hiss in pain.

"How do we know you're uninfected?" She demands but once again I'm unable to answer her.

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The store cupboard of Austin Academy is starting to get old. Even in the darkness I have been able to memorize every shelf's content and resite it aloud to strengthen my vocal chords so I can finally explain to them my situation.

After my lack of answer, the girl clobbered me across the head with her gun and when I awoke, I was locked within the caretakers cupboard. I assume I've been trapped for a few days but time can be deceiving these days so I'm unsure. All I know is that every few hours or so, someone passes stale bread to me under the door. At first, I believed that they were feeding me stale bread because I was their prisoner but now I truly believe that it is all they have.

Today is looking like a normal day of being locked in a store cupboard. I've tried calling out for help and banging on the door but wherever I am, I assume the two teenagers aren't close by. The school has a towering fence circling the perimeter meaning that as long as I'm here I'm safe from any undead. I may have been able to climb the fence but the undead lack any ability to scale it.

Suddenly, I hear the click of a lock and the door swings open flooding the small space with cold natural lighting. I squint against it to see the girl standing in the doorway her hand on her gun.

The girl is beautiful. Her skin is a golden brown and her dark hair hangs in waves cascading down her straight back. Her eyes are dark yet shimmer with some sort of internal light that I can't even begin to comprehend. Despite being shorter, she carries a large presents that I believe is from her extravagant personality.

"Huh, I guess you're still alive." She states as she slips her gun into the band of her jeans and places her hands on her hips.

"Yup. I'm still alive." I tell her my voice almost completely smooth after non-stop use for however many days. It's been so long since I've spoken to another human that my heart starts to thunder and my palms get sweaty.