13 Years of Struggle

Chapter 33

Night had fallen shortly after we had broken up the fight between Kolson and Javier. Now we all sat around the small fire Becky and Thiago had made. I sat criss-cross applesauce next to Noa and Regina. I slowly ate the can of beans Amir had given to me to eat tonight. I hated beans. But it was either eat them or starve.

I carefully set the can down next to me and just tried to stop myself from vomiting. I moved my gaze and just stared at the flames of the fire. The smoke soon billowed in my direction and I had to move out of the way to prevent the smoke from going into my eyes.

I coughed into my elbow as the smoke came into my direction again. " You okay Claire? You sound like you're dying?" Noa asked, carefully placing her hand on my shoulder.

I looked at her and nodded. " Yeah. I'm good."

Regina looked at all of us and she soon spoke " Anyone else bored out of their minds?"

I nodded and responded." Yeah. I'm bored as hell."

Noa then soon stood up and stretched. She stared down at all of us with her eyes. " I know something we can do."

Bruce was the one to ask. " What's that?"

She waited for a few seconds before replying. " We get to know each other a little better."

I nodded and soon added." That sounds like it could be interesting."

" Alright. Well. I guess I'll go first. Maybe this will interest you guys. Me, Alejandro, and Javier are from Mobile Alabama."

I soon said. " Mobile? Wait, isn't that place a shit hole or it was?"

Everyone laughed except for Javier and Kolson who sat far away from each other. Occasionally they would shoot each other glares. Noa was laughing hysterically and she tried calming down as she tried speaking. " Yeah. That's exactly right!"

I laughed slightly as well. " So anything else interesting you wanna add Noa?"

She pondered for a moment or two before she nodded and spoke. " Well I was in training to be in the air force."

" You were?" Regina asked curiously.

She nodded her head and soon answered. " Yeah. After my...uh mother died I started training for the airforce. I wanted to be a pilot."

Soon Alejandro added. " Yeah when our mom died I was 19 and she was 22. I was already out of school by then and working a crappy job at a car dealership. Then after a long time we stopped Javier from being put in a foster home."

Becky soon said. " Hmm...sounds like you guys had a rough life before the world ended."

" Yeah it was pretty bad." Alejandro replied to her.

Noa soon spoke once more. "Alright, who wants to go next?"

Becky raised her hand. " I'll go."

Noa nodded her head and sat back down next to me. Becky soon stood up and she sighed. " Well Claire, Bruce, and Kolson already know what i'm about to say but I'm sharing it with the rest of ya."

They all nodded their heads and I just smiled a bit and listened. She soon started telling them. " So before shit hit the fan I was a finance lawyer for some bank in Durham. The pay was good and I made a living on it."

" Finance lawyer? Sounds like a boring job." Thiago remarked, snickering.

She moved her gaze over towards his direction. " Yes it was. But let me guess what you were before the apocalypse hmm? I would say a lonely little fast food worker."