𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 ; 𝐙. 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧

Left For Dead

𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁; (𝚊𝚍𝚓) 𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚘𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗.

Following the sound of cluttered voices, Michael and Ziggy ran hand in hand, seeing a large crowd gathered around the entrance of the Arts and Crafts Cabin. Ziggy took the lead, pushing herself through the large crowd and dragging Michael behind her. Once she reached the front, she stopped dead in her tracks, leaving Michael to take her side. Michael also suddenly stopped as his eyes looked down at the floor. His stomach turned into a large knot, the boy feeling the sudden urge to puke. There before him was a camper, Jeremy's dead body, hacked open with blood splattered all over the place.

Michael gripped Ziggy's hand again, heading straight towards the exit, following the rest of the crowd to the Mess Hall where Gary was frantically ringing the emergency bell.

"Let's go! This is not part of the game! Go, guys! Go!" Gary's voice echoed through the woods, becoming louder and louder as Michael and Ziggy made it to the Mess Hall.

When running inside, Michael was relieved to see Nick who was counting the smaller children running inside for safety. Before he could say anything, the power suddenly shut off, causing more screams to erupt.

"How many?" Gary asked, rushing through the door and turning to Nick.

"Twenty three," he said, catching sight of Michael and Ziggy who were all speechless.

"That's thirty missing at least," Gary replied with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair due to stress.

"Where is Cindy, Tommy, Joan, Kurt?" Michael quickly asked, realizing that the three of them were the only counselors in sight.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them," Nick said, rushing to the phone as the lights came back on. However, he quickly slammed it back down. "It's dead," he said with a defeated sigh.

"We have to go. We have to warn people," Ziggy said, letting go of Michael's hand and heading straight for the door.

Michael quickly stopped her, stepping into her path and gently grabbing her shoulders. "Hey!" he said, giving her a concerned look.

"My sister, she's still out there Mike!" she exclaimed, trying to push past him. He still didn't budge.

"Listen, Nick, Gary, and I will go, okay? Just please stay here," Michael pleaded, trying to find some sort of compromise with the girl.

"I can't just sit here!" she argued again, continuing to try and get past Michael.

"I'm not letting you get hurt!" Michael exclaimed, the room seeming to get silent with his words. "Please, let me do my job. I'm gonna find Cindy, just stay here okay?" Michael said, resting his hand gently upon her cheek.

He then went over to the supplies table, handing Nick and Gary flashlights, keeping one for himself. "You guys check out Cabin One and Nine okay? I'll keep searching the woods," he explained, the two boys nodding before heading out. Nick's glance lingered a bit longer on Michael before he got out the door.

Michael followed shortly after, turning on his flashlight when he heard the doors behind him open again. He turned around, his eyes falling onto Ziggy who ran straight up to him.