My body shocked itself into consciousness, forcing my eyes open with a start. I hadn't meant to fall asleep, but I didn't have time to chastise myself right now. The only thought in my mind was 'get up.' Get up or die, more like. Merely thinking about it made my heart race, but my hands pushed against the soggy leaf bed, righting myself rather gracelessly. The world spun for a moment before I was ready and walking again. My backpack had slipped off my shoulders a bit, but all it needed was some readjusting.
The world was red and orange as lazy autumn sun filtered into the forest. Everything seemed so peaceful, as if it were trying to distract me from the horrors that waited beyond the tree's borders. I couldn't hear them, but my whole body was distinctly aware of what lie out there, preying on my people.
Way back when, I would have never called them "my people," something more along the lines of leeches. Most of the survivors lived in camps, refugees of this war against mutation. I rarely met someone outside of the protectors who even knew how to load a gun, let alone shoot one. Granted, when this war started Willow and I didn't even know what a gun was.
---
Willow and I crept along the cool wooden hallway in our socks, hushed whispers following us as we went. The low hum of a t.v. beckoned them forward, casting a blueish glow around the room. Snores mingled with the low voices on the ABC drama that my dad liked to frequent. A relaxed hand rested on the floor, fingers curled in blissful sleep.
The world was red and orange as lazy autumn sun filtered into the forest. Everything seemed so peaceful, as if it were trying to distract me from the horrors that waited beyond the tree's borders. I couldn't hear them, but my whole body was distinctly aware of what lie out there, preying on my people.
Way back when, I would have never called them "my people," something more along the lines of leeches. Most of the survivors lived in camps, refugees of this war against mutation. I rarely met someone outside of the protectors who even knew how to load a gun, let alone shoot one. Granted, when this war started Willow and I didn't even know what a gun was.
---
Willow and I crept along the cool wooden hallway in our socks, hushed whispers following us as we went. The low hum of a t.v. beckoned them forward, casting a blueish glow around the room. Snores mingled with the low voices on the ABC drama that my dad liked to frequent. A relaxed hand rested on the floor, fingers curled in blissful sleep.
