Apocalyptic World

Chapter One: The Apocalypse

As the rain hit our window, I was wrapped in my blanket on the window cill just watching the storm. My dad was in the basement trying to turn the power back on. I actually liked the dark, I always felt safe. My dad doesn't like the dark though, he says that the dark can keep evil things hidden. Whatever that means? "Nathan, I can't get the power back on so I have to call an electrician." Dad said. I didn't care though, I just kept watching the rain. Dad walked over to me and asked, "Room in that blanket for one more?" I gave him a corner of the blanket and we wrapped it around us. "I don't understand why you and Tracy like doing this." I looked outside and said, "Me and mom like doing this because it's relaxing." Dad sighed and said, "I know that no one could ever replace your mother but can you please give Serena a chance." I looked down not knowing what to say. I didn't really like Serena. Sure she's nice but she also was weird. Dad smiled at me waiting for an answer, I gave in and answered, "I like her. She's nice but can you see if she can stop watching the alien movies in the guest room." My dad answered, "I can ask her to turn it down." I shook my head, "You know the guest room is next to my room. I really don't like to be up hearing screams and gunshots." "How about, you finally throw away some of mom's pictures from your room and I can have her watch tv in the basement." I shook my head again, I could never get rid of mom's pictures. "I like those pictures and sense they're in my room. They don't bother anyone." Dad hugged me and said, "I like those pictures too but Serena thinks that those pictures are keeping you from accepting her and I want you to accept her. So if you can prove that those pictures aren't keeping you from accepting her then you can keep them." Someone then knocked at the door and my dad answered it. It was Serena, my dad greeted her with a huge smile and she walked over to me and said, "Hey Nathan." "Hi Serena." I said without making eye contact. Dad then walked up and said, "I think I'll leave you two alone to bond." Dad left the room and walked into the basement. Serena smiled and said, "I brought you a gift." I sighed and said, "Let me guess, you bought me a toy car or a phone or something." Serena shook her head and brought out a book. "It's the secret garden." She said while passing it to me. I grabbed the book and started examining it. Serena asked, "Do you like it?" I looked at the book and nodded. "This was mom's favorite book." I said. Serena smiled and said, "I know, your dad told me that and since I know that you are just like your mother. I figured that you'd like it too." I smiled and said, "Thank you Serena." Serena hugged me and said, "That's the famous smile your dad was telling me about, huh." I nodded. I opened the blanket and asked, "Want to join me?" Serena smiled and wrapped herself in the blanket with me and we watched the rain fall. Serena said, "This is very relaxing." I chuckled. Dad then came back running, "GET TO THE CAR NOW!!!" He yelled. Serena picked me up but a creature broke through the window and one of the glass shards hit my hand. Serena kicked the beast away and ran to my dad's car. Dad then ran out with a kitchen knife and unlocked the door. Serena put me in the backseat and got into the passenger seat. My dad then got in the driver seat and started to drive very fast. Dad handed me the kitchen knife and said, "Keep that with you at all times and kill anything that attacks you." I grabbed the knife and then showed Serena my hand. She then grabbed the glass shard and said, "This might hurt a little." Serena then pulled out the glass shard and dabbed some alcohol on my cut. Serena then grabbed the first aid kit in the glovebox and wrapped a bandage around it. Once she finished, Dad swerved out the way of another car. Me and Serena sat back and Serena said, "You mind slowing down." Dad turned on the radio and the person said, "These dangerous creatures are everywhere and..." Dad immediately turned off the radio. Serena then asked, "What are those creatures?" Dad answered, "The same creatures that killed Nathan's mother in the old crypt. I call them exosaurs." Serena asked, "Why Exosaurs?" Dad answered, "Because they have an incredibly strong exoskeleton and we theorized that they came down on the meteor that killed the dinosaurs. Why were they hidden for so long? We don't know." "What if they were in some form of hyper sleep?" I asked. Dad shrugged and said, "That could be a reason why they were dormant but not hidden." "Well, in order to survive the effects of the meteor. You'd have to be underground and the world could have been in one piece before so..." I said. "They could have burrowed and when the continents shifted they ended up in a completely new location. That actually makes sense but that would mean that nowhere is safe." Dad interrupted. A truck honked their horn but it was too late. The truck hit us, sending the car tumbling down the mountain. When the car finally stopped, I unbuckled my seatbelt and crawled to the front of the car. I saw dad with his eyes closed, so I shook him. He didn't open his eyes. I knew it, he was dead. Same with Serena. I crawled back to the back seat and held the knife close. I'm much too scared to move and I don't know where to go. After three days, someone walked to the car and found me hiding. "Hi little guy, are these your parents?" The person asked. "My dad was driving and that was his girlfriend." I said. The person then held out their hand and said, "Come on out, I won't hurt you." I didn't move and said, "Dad says to never trust anyone." The person chuckled and said, "I don't think that matters now. The world is in an apocalypse and if you don't trust anyone then you'll die." They had a point but I don't know if I can trust them yet. "What's your name?" I asked. "I'm Samuel but you can call me Sam or Sammy." I crawled out of the car and asked, "How do I know that I can trust you?" Sam smiled and said, "Keep that knife with you and I will give you full power to kill me if you please." I nodded and said, "My name is Nathan." Sam asked, "Can I call you Nate?" I nodded and asked, "Where will you be taking me?" Sam shrugged and said, "I don't have anywhere to go." I looked down and said, "Neither do I." Sam then put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Cheer up. You can travel with me. My bike is just a little ways from here but it would be much better living out here with some company." I smiled and said, "Thank you." Sam smiled and grabbed something out of a pack that I didn't see earlier. He gave me something wrapped in aluminum and said, "You must be starving." I took the aluminum foiled, wrapped item and unwrapped it. It was some turkey and I ate every last piece of it. Sam smiled and said, "Let's go before those things find us." Sam and I started walking deeper into the woods and after ten minutes we made it to his motorcycle. I eventually said, "They're called exosaurs." Sam started up the bike and asked, "What are?" "Those monsters. My dad thinks that they came down on the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs and then they burrow underground to survive the effects of the meteor. They also have a strong exoskeleton." Sam let out a sigh and said, "So they're aliens." I nodded even though I didn't want to admit it because aliens was the right word but yet so stupid at the same time. Sam then put me on his bike and said, "Hold on but tell me more about these aliens." I held onto the handlebar and said, "They killed my mother and most likely are all over the world." Sam started driving and eventually got on the highway which was really clear. Sam then said, "Most likely, so you don't know." "Well, everything I told you is just a theory. We don't know if the world was in one piece during dinosaur time and we don't know if they really came down on the meteor." "So what you're saying is that they could have originated from earth." Sam said, trying to summarize everything. I nodded and said, "They could've originated from earth but my dad and his research team found fragments of the meteor under their exoskeleton." Sam asked, "What if they fed on the meteor?" "My dad thought the same thing but they were found to not have a mouth. They have noses so they can breathe but I think that they feed off of energy. Now I'm not sure which energy but it might be any energy except for atomic energy." I said. "Why not atomic?" Sam asked. "Well, atomic energy is very powerful and very strong. If they consume it I think that they'll be like us getting electrocuted because of the amount of energy." I answered. Sam nodded and asked, "Do you have any illnesses or diseases or stuff like that?" I answered, "I have Dissociative identity disorder." Sam asked, "What is that?" "I pretty much can act like a different person at times, like completely different." I answered. "Oh, do I have to worry about that." Sam said surprised. I shook my head, "My different personality only comes out when a certain pressure point is hit. It's a very weird thing and my dad has been researching it but it's nothing he has ever seen." Sam sighed and said, "So these pressure points..." "If I'm scared, like really scared. Then a personality I like to call Scar comes out. He pretty much eliminates the threat and keeps me safe. If I'm uneasy about someone then a different personality I call Jacob comes out and keeps close tabs on the person. Finally, when I'm in danger, a personality I like to call Ash comes out and he's a fighter. He'll get me out of a life threatening situation no matter what. He once saved me from drowning." Sam smiled and said, "Well, I'm glad you like me." I nodded and now my dangerous journey begins. I've been traveling with Sam for eleven years now and nothing got better. Sam got up early and woke me up. I groaned and said, "You do know how early it is right now so if you don't have a good reason for waking me up. I'll kill you and leave your body for the Exosaurs." Sam laughed and said, "Happy Birthday Nate. As of today you are officially sixteen so I'll teach you how to drive my bike." I chuckled and said, "I can't believe you actually remembered." "Hey!" Sam exclaimed, "I'm only thirty three." I yawned and asked, "What day is it again?" Sam laughed and said, "And you think my memory is bad. It's August fourteenth, your birthday." I yawned and said, "Well, the first gift I want is to sleep in." Sam shook his head and said, "Not today. You know that Walmart you wanted to raid..." "Not raid, just loot. It isn't raiding if we don't attack people." I interrupted. "Well, I scoped it out and you're right, we might be able to find some equipment, ammo and food." Sam continued. "Sammy, don't forget that we also might find some survivors." Sam nodded and said, "Yeah but we need to go now. The Lost Raiders are thinking about looting the place too." I got up and stretched. The Lost Raiders have been on our backs for three years because I killed a scout, in self defense. "They're too stupid to take anything important. We should be fine." I said looking for my kitchen knife. Sam shrugged and said, "Maybe but you know how they are. They'll burn that place to the ground when they're finished." Sam then grabbed a black beretta and tossed it to me. I caught the gun and said, "You don't plan on fighting them." Sam shook his head and then grabbed a silver beretta and said, "I don't plan on fighting them but I also don't think that we're leaving without a fight." Me and Sam then heard a snap in the woods so we cocked our guns and aimed in the direction of the noise. Me and Sam were silent for three minutes and then we finally decocked our berettas and holstered them. Sam said, "Nice reflex." "Thanks." I said. Sam then said, "You get to drive us to the walmart." I smiled and hopped on the bike waiting for Sam. Sam got on and said, "We might be lucky and find a knife sharpener. That kitchen knife is looking pretty dull." I shrugged and said, "Maybe, maybe not." Sam got on and said, "Show me what you got." I immediately looked at the tank and said, "Sam, you forgot to gas it up." Sam looked at the gas tank and chuckled nervously. I looked at him and said, "We better start running." "Yeah, we should." Sam said. I then got off the bike and we started running to the Walmart which was a mile away. The run would be like a morning jog because of the situations we got ourselves into, in fact we could be professional runners because of all the times we ran. Now in this world, if you're not fast. You're as good as dead. In four minutes we made it to the Walmart and had plenty of energy. Sam walked in front of the motion sensor door and it didn't open. "Why would you think that would work?" I asked. Sam shrugged and said, "I thought these things never died." I sighed and said, "They need volt batteries to work and those only last five years. So these doors were dead for six years." "Alright genius what do we do?" Sam said annoyed. I examined the door and said, "We might be able to enter through a backdoor or side door." Sam picked up a rock and said, "Maybe but I'm just going to break through the door." I shook my head and said, "The alarm system might still work. If you break anything then it will go off and any exosaurs in the area will hear and kill us. Or raiders." Sam looked at me and said, "We should be fine. We're raiders too, and darn good ones." I gave Sam a look and then the doors opened. Me and Sam drew our guns and walked in slowly. We examined every place before proceeding, raiding 101. Never trust unknown land, and Walmarts aren't really unknown but none of them ever opened their doors for us. After we made it past the first set of doors, we immediately pulled up our masks. The first set of doors then shut and the second set opened. I tossed a rock in to make sure there weren't any exosaurs on the other side. Me and Sam walked through and were hit with a horrible smell. Sam looked around and couldn't find anything that could've made the smell. I looked at the ventilation system and said, "Someone tried to knock us out with gas. Not very strong but if we follow the vents we can find them." Sam nodded and we followed the vents but went in different aisles to stay safe. Eventually we made it to a door where the vents ended. I looked at Sam and he nodded. Sam then kicked the door in and I ran with the gun drawn. Sam walked in and looked around. I looked around with him and found a little girl. I holstered my gun and slowly walked over to her. She backed up and I stopped moving. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you." I said in a soft voice. I then heard a click and a female voice said, "But I will." I put my hands up and said, "We don't want any trouble." "Well, two big men and their friends don't scream safety to me." The female replied Sam then said, "We don't have any friends. We only have each other." The female then pressed the gun on my head and said, "Don't lie to me or else he dies." "He's telling the truth but if other people are here then we need to leave now." I said with confidence. The little girl then grabbed my kitchen knife and I yelled, "Hey, give that back." The female behind me then said, "Why, it's an old knife that's not any good for cutting vegetables." "My dad gave that to me before he died. I never leave without that knife." I said. "Oh your parents died. Boo hoo, well I don't care." The female said, obviously upset. I took a deep breath and said, "Let's make a deal. You let us go, we'll never come back, you kill us. A gang after us will be after you two. Or we stay here and we all die." The female asked, "Why would a gang be after you?" "I kinda, killed one of their scouts. In self defense but still. They aren't happy." The female took her gun off my head and said, "Alright but we're coming with you." I took my knife back and Sam chuckled and said, "Yeah right. You'd just tried to kill us." The female said, "Self defense and if I don't go then me and my little sister will die because of you two." I shrugged and said, "Wouldn't be the first time someone died because of us. What makes you so special?" I turned around and the female had her gun pointed at my forehead. I sighed and said, "If you want to kill someone, take the safety off but don't do it now. My buddy will have you dead within seconds." I took her gun and said, "Never let a raider take your only weapon. It'll make you dead." The female had disgust on her face and said, "Don't hurt my sister." Sam laughed and said, "We don't hurt children, we don't kill children but we will hurt people who threaten our life." I peered outside the door and said, "Sam, we need to go. Eli just got in." Sam asked, "What about these two?" "They can only come if they can keep up now let's go." Sam holstered his gun and the female said, "Thank you but can I have my gun back." "No." I answered. Me and Sam then ran to the back of the store with the two girls following us. We made sure to stay low and quiet as we scuffled to the laundry aisle which was the closest aisle to the exit. I peered my head out and the duck ed back in. "There are two guards blocking our way out." I whispered. The female then whispered, "What if my sister walked over to them and distracted them." I shook my head, "Eli's men will kill anyone no matter the age."I whispered. Sam whispered, "We can try to kill them both. I have a suppressor in my pocket." I nodded and said, "Take out the other guy once I take out the guy on the right." Sam nodded and put his suppressor on his gun. The female asked again, "Can I have my gun back?" Sam looked at her and said, "No." I ran after the dude on the right and stabbed him in the head, killing him immediately. Sam gave the other dude a double tap to the chest and the three of them ran out the door. I slowly walked out the door making sure we weren't followed. We then ran into the woods and took a break on a rock. The female asked, "When can I get my gun back?" I looked at her and said, "We don't even know your name." The female said, "I'm Catherine, my little sister's name is Lucy." I said, "Nice to meet you two. I'm Nathan, and you already met Samuel." "I heard you say Sam." Lucy said. "He sure did, and only my friends can call me Sam or Sammy." Catherine sighed and asked, "How long have you two been working together?" I shrugged and said, "Eleven years now, believe it or not. Sam saved me." Lucy then said, "So you two aren't brothers." I shook my head, "I'm way too smart to be his brother." I said. Catherine groaned and said, "I need my gun." I looked at Sam and he sighed giving her the gun. Catherine immediately pointed it at us and said, "Give us everything you have and ensure us a safe passage to a nearby safehouse." Me and Sam bursted out laughing and I said, "You obviously didn't learn from before. Never trust a raider with your weapon." Catherine cocked the gun and turned off the safety and yelled, "I'm not playing around." Sam sat up and said, "Check the magazine. It's empty." "We knew you'd try to pull something like this so we took out the bullets." I said, "Oh and there aren't any safehouses anywhere but if you want a bunker then good luck." Lucy asked, "Why, don't bunkers accept everyone?" "Ten years ago, yeah but now. Anyone without a bunker is considered a raider and will be shot on sight." I answered. Catherine asked, "Where are we going next?" Sam looked at her and said, "We?! Me and Nate are heading back to camp. You two can go anywhere you want but with us." Catherine ran in front of Sam and said, "What is a fifteen year old girl and her five year old sister supposed to look for? We've been living in that Walmart ever since this happened." I shrugged and said, "Head back to your parents." Lucy looked down crying and Catherine said, "They died when she was two. Those creatures killed them." Sam and I looked at each other and I said, "Guess it's both of your lucky days because you two are coming with us." Catherine lit up in excitement as we headed back to camp, stopping for gas on the way there. Once we got back, we filled up the bike and the atv hidden in the leaves and I asked, "Do you know how to drive an atv?" Catherine shook her head. I sighed and said, "Well that means you're riding with me." Me and Catherine got on the atv and Sam and Lucy got on the bike. I then grabbed a molotov, lit it and tossed it at our camp as we drove off. Catherine looked back and asked, "Is this just some kind of raider tradition? Burn your camp when you get new members." "No, I burned it to slow down the monsters and we aren't raiders." Catherine said, "Well, raiders kill and you two kill. Raiders rob and you two rob. Raiders trick and you two trick." "Well we only do that to survive and not all raiders are bad people. We just need to survive somehow. Now Eli's people are raiders but the worst kind. They are cruel but Eli is the worst. He kills as he please, robs as he please and tricks as he please. He'll even kill his own men. But with him, you have a much higher chance of surviving so he has a gang of over thirty thousand people." Catherine then asked, "If he's so cruel and doesn't care about his men. Then why is he going after you for killing a scout in self defense?" I let out a nervous laugh and said, "Because I killed his brother. His brother was scouting when that happened." Lucy asked, "So where are we going?" Sam answered, "Gang falls. We're going to Gang Falls. Now it's a two day trip so stay weary and when we get there stay with us. That place doesn't take too kindly to outsiders." Catherine asked, "Why are we going there then?" "I know the leader of that place and me and Sam were a part of his gang for a while. You two will be safe there." I answered. "Wait, so you're just going to leave us there." Catherine exclaimed. Sam sighed and said, "If you have a different plan. We're all ears." Catherine said, "Fight them head on." Sam and I bursted out in laughter and I said, "You must be out of your mind. We can't fight them." Catherine said, "And you can't just run. It's cowardly." Sam said, "So, we're being cowards for running away from something that'll kill us." Catherine then said, "Well, if you put it like that." "Catherine, you need to understand something. Living out here, everyone accepts the fact that it's kill or be killed. Me and Sam on the other hand don't kill unless we have to." I said. Sam slowed down and looked at me. I nodded and said, "Listen, no pressure points are being hit. I'm fine." Catherine asked, "What pressure points?" Sam answered, "Nate has Dissociative identity disorder. So if a certain pressure point is hit, he will act like a completely different person." Lucy asked, "Why didn't our sleep gas knock you two out?" I answered, "Well, the gas was really weak. We had our masks up mainly to hide our identity but it also kept us from falling asleep." Sam looked at me and said, "I'm sorry Nate. This birthday didn't go as expected." I shrugged and said, "This won't be my last birthday you know." Catherine said, "Wait, it's your birthday today." I nodded and said, "We were just going to get some supplies from Walmart but you two were there and our plans had to change." Sam opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of a truck. I looked behind me and saw Eli and his gang chasing us. Catherine said, "Give me a gun with bullets in it." I shook my head and said, "Sam, into the woods." Sam nodded and we drove into the woods. Eli and his gang followed but we were at an advantage because of the tight squeeze. "Sam!" I yelled, "Throw something." Sam nodded and grabbed a stick of dynamite, lit it and tossed it at Eli. His timing was way off but it did slow them down. Sam and I were about to cheer when we saw the exosaurs. We immediately stopped and cut the engine to our vehicles. Catherine asked, "Why did we stop moving?" I covered her mouth and whispered, "There's an exosaur in front of us. Stay quiet." Eli and his men were causing a lot of noise so the exosaur burrowed it's way to them. I sighed and removed my hand from Catherine's mouth. I whispered, "We need to continue on foot." Sam nodded and we got off our vehicles and started walking. Catherine said, "I have so many questions." I looked at her and whispered, "You can only ask one question and whisper." Catherine nodded and asked, "Why are we walking?" Sam answered, "Because it's the quietest way to travel." We then heard a snap in the bushes and Catherine let out a shriek. I ran to her and covered her mouth again and aimed my beretta at the bushes. Sam walked over, gun drawn, and investigated the bushes. As Sam was getting closer to the bushes a moose walked out. Sam froze and walked back slowly. I whispered to Catherine and said, "Don't make a single sound or move." I took my hand off her mouth and grabbed my knife. The moose let out a bellow and a nearby exosaur killed it in an instant. Me and Sam slowly walked to the exosaur with Sam behind it and me in front of it. Sam then wrapped his arm around its neck and pulled his head back. I cut an open right above Sam's arm, stuck the barrel of my gun in it and pulled the trigger killing the exosaur immediately. I got my gun out of the opening and Sam let go of the exosaur corpse. I cleaned my knife and my gun and said, "Let's get moving, there will be more." I then looked at Lucy and said, "I hope we didn't scare you but you did a good job staying quiet." Lucy nodded and said, "That was the first time I ever saw those things killed." I walked over to Catherine and said, "If you want her to stay alive, keep quiet." Catherine asked, "Are you threatening her life?" I shook my head and said, "I'm just saying, that thing didn't see the moose until you screeched." We started walking again but it was getting late. Lucy was dozing off so I picked her up and said, "Just go to sleep." I noticed that Catherine was dozing off too so I walked to Sam and said, "Let's set up camp. It's obvious these guys have never stayed up like this before." Sam asked, "How can you tell?" I gave him a look and said, "I am carrying Lucy and Catherine is at the point of passing out." Sam shook his head and said, "We are close to an Rv parking lot." I asked, "How close?" Sam said, "Just one more mile." I looked at Catherine and then said, "You promise." Sam nodded and said, "I know that we can last all night but these guys do need their sleep." I sighed and walked to Catherine and asked, "How much further can you go?" Catherine yawned and said, "I can go all night." I sighed and said, "Don't push yourself. There's an Rv lot just a mile ahead." Catherine nodded and said, "I can carry Lucy for you." I shook my head and said, "I'm fine, me and Sam are used to this. We just need you two to be safe." Catherine smiled and said, "Thank you." Sam looked back at us and let out a grin. I rolled my eyes and kept walking with Catherine. Catherine said, "So I can stay awake, let's talk." I shrugged and said, "Sure, what do you want to talk about?" Catherine said, "Samuel, I want to talk about him." I looked at her and then said, "Sam, he's like a father figure to me. My mom was killed by those things when I was really little and my father dropped his research on them to take care of me. When I was five, the outbreak happened. My dad gave me this knife and told me to defend myself with it. But as we were on the mountain, the car was hit by a truck. We were tumbling down the mountain and I must've been knocked out because when I woke up. He was dead and same with his girlfriend. I didn't move from the car for three days and then Sam came and saved me. He took me in and taught me how to hunt, fight and find my way back home. Sam is like a father to me." Catherine said, "Wow, he's really been there with you." I nodded and said, "He even has the horrible jokes to add it all together." Catherine chuckled and said, "You are really lucky. So your dad was a researcher." I nodded and said, "My dad was the head scientist in the entire government." Catherine said, "Well, that's ironic. My dad was the best soldier in the army. I never expected to see him lose a battle. But tell me more about your mom." "My mom was my dad's assistant." I said, "She always had time for me and even when I was a little kid. We would sit at the window and watch as the rain fell. But when she died, I still sat at the window with her blanket. I always feel as if she was with me. But now, I feel as if they both are with me." Catherine smiled and said, "That's great." I nodded and said, "Lucy doesn't talk much does she." Catherine shook her head and said, "She was born when the worst of it was happening. Every night I would tell her what it was like when we weren't fearing for our life. I would tell her about the daycares that she could've gone to, the restaurants and the food." I said, "Well, the place we're taking you two has all of that. Gang Falls might seem like a bad place but they actually want to bring the end to these evil gangs and the creatures. They first started by rebuilding a place that is like the old world and you guys don't need to be worried about dying because they have state of the art protection. Only a fool would attempt to attack that place. Not even Eli would stand a chance. Eli only has thirty thousand people with him at minimum. Gang Falls has a population of fifty million, and half of them are soldiers." Catherine said, "Must be big." I said, "Heck yeah it's big. It's so big that they had to build levels because of the lack of space." Catherine smiled and said, "Stop it." I asked, "Stop what?" Catherine said, "Getting my hopes up. You're making me believe that there's a future for me and Lucy." I said, "Well, if you don't believe that. Then what's the point of living? We need hope to stay human and we might have a chance." Catherine said, "Sorry for trying to kill you, twice." I smiled and said, "You never had a chance. Me and Sam have been playing you ever since you opened those doors. But we never were going to hurt anyone." Catherine asked, "Why won't you guys let us stay with you?" I sighed and said, "We don't want to get anyone else killed because of what I did. We also don't want to train anyone else. Lucy maybe but you might be a little too old. Sam took me in when I was five and he trained me. I never got as skilled a fighter as him for three years." Catherine said, "Well, you can't expect us to feel safe in a new environment." I sighed and said, "It's not like we don't want you to join us. Trust me, it would be nice to have some more company but we can't look after ourselves and then you two at the same time." Catherine asked, "When was the last time you cried?" I answered, "I know you're changing the subject but I haven't cried in eleven years. The first lesson I was taught is to keep your feelings buried and never dig them back up." Catherine said, "That must be horrible." I shrugged and said, "You learn to live with it." Catherine said, "Never, I need a good cry every now and then." I smiled and said, "You're right but I do something else instead of crying. I like to remember all the good times I had." Catherine smiled and looked at Lucy. "She hasn't slept like that ever since our dad died." Catherine said. I looked at Lucy and said, "Well, this day was very exciting so she probably wore herself out." Catherine shook her head and said, "She trusts you. She never sleeps like that." I asked, "Why did I give her a reason to trust me? We just met." Catherine said, "That's because you're confident and know how to talk to different people." Sam called out, "We made it." Catherine and I walked up to Sam and I asked, "Which one are we staying in?" Sam looked around and pointed to a big blue one. I shrugged and we walked to it. I said, "I'll go in and check if it's empty. You stay here and don't cause any trouble." Sam gave me a look and said, "That was one time." I said, "Well, we have people who can't fight so." Sam shrugged and said, "I'll take her." I nodded and as I passed Lucy to Sam, she shifted and grabbed my hand. I took Lucy's hand off of mine and walked in the Rv. I heard a noise at the other end so I grabbed my gun and cocked it. I looked at Sam and asked, "Can I have a flashlight?" Sam shook his head and said, "Lost it, remember." I groaned and walked to the other end of the Rv. I made sure to stay quiet as I moved over to the other side of the Rv. It was too dark to see anything but I was able to make out a figure in the bed. It was a person, I heard a click and then a voice saying, "If you dare pull that trigger, you'll get hit by a slug from a twelve gauge shotgun." I said, "I didn't mean to trespass. I'm just looking for a place to sleep." The voice said, "You do know how dangerous it is to walk in a closed area." I answered, "Trust me, I know. I also know never to travel alone." Sam then walked in with a gun drawn and said, "Whoever is there, I want you to put down your gun or I will open fire." The voice let out a growl and said, "You better put your gun down or else I'll kill him." Sam hesitated for a moment but then cooperated and said, "He's just a kid. Don't kill him, you want me." "Sam." I said. Sam said, "I brought him into this when he was just a little thing. He is just trying to survive, please leave him alone." "Sam, what are you doing?" I asked, confused. Sam continued, "I'm a grown man so you want to kill me. He's just a kid, you want to leave him alone." The voice asked, "What game are you playing?" Sam said, "No game at all. But I do want to say that if you kill any of us, Eli will be after you." The voice then said surprised, "You two are Eli's men." Sam shook his head and said, "Eli wants us dead and he don't take too kindly to people who kill his bounties." The voice was about to speak but I killed him with one shot to the head. Sam looked at me and said, "What the heck?! I was just about to get us this Rv." I said, "You left two girls out there alone. If we didn't finish it up quickly, they will die." Sam then said, "What do you take me for? An idiot, of course I didn't leave them alone. I brought them with me." "Sam!" I yelled, "That is so unsafe and stupid. What if we got into a gunfight? Did you just expect them to run out without getting shot?" Catherine shushed me and said, "Lucy is still sleeping." I took a deep breath and removed the body from the bed and put the pillow with blood on it under the bed. I then walked to Lucy, picked her up and tucked her into the bed. I looked at Catherine and said, "Me and Sam will take the couch." Catherine nodded and sat next to her sister. Me and Sam walked outside and Sam said, "You're starting to catch feelings." "Toward who?" I asked. Sam said, "To Catherine. Now you know the rule one of catching feelings." I groaned and said, "Yeah, I shouldn't catch feelings." "Because?" Sam asked. I continued, "Because that would be a distraction." Sam nodded and said, "That's right. Who you were eleven years ago doesn't have to die but you can't be putting us at a disadvantage like that. What'll happen if she starts catching feelings for you?" I asked, "I don't know, what'll happen?" Sam answered, "It'll be harder on the both of them when we leave them at Gang Falls. She'll feel like you abandoned them." I said, "Well we can't just stop having feelings. Those feelings are what makes us human. Without them we would be just like Eli, a man who kills who he wants." Sam said, "I knew it was going to happen eventually. You're going through those changes." I argued back, "This has nothing to do with my hormones. I'm just saying that we aren't a part of Eli's gang anymore, we don't have to abide by his rules. We can have feelings." Sam said, "It's fine to have feelings but if you show them. You're showing a sign of weakness." I said, "Well, just because we can't show feelings we can't just be cold to them." Sam said, "If you want to go with them then you can. I won't stop you." "I never said that." I said, "I just said that we can't be cold to-" "You don't have to say it. Your recent actions and the way we're arguing. So now, do you want to be with them or not?" Sam interrupted. I said, "Sam, this isn't fair. You are a father figure to me and my best friend but we can't just be jerks to them on this trip." Sam shook his head and said, "Choose, because Lucy is already attached to you so you have to choose to stay with me or go with them." I looked down because this decision was going to break someone's heart and it was breaking my heart. "I'm staying with you Sam." I finally said. Sam said, "Alright, so don't get attached." Sam walked inside the Rv and I punched the Rv in front of me. A voice then said, "Wow, you're best friend just made you choose between him and the girl you love." I immediately drew my gun and aimed in the direction of the voice. A man with a black beard walked out and said, "You have no reason to be all tensed up." I asked, "Who are you?" The man answered, "I'm nobody. I just want to tell you that I have the answers to all of your problems. All you need to do is turn Samuel in." I cocked my gun and said, "You better leave now." The man nodded and left. I put my gun back in it's holster and leaned against the Rv. I sighed and said, "This has to be my worst birthday." I then heard the sound of thunder in the distance so I walked inside the Rv. Shut and locked all doors and sat at the window and watched as the first rain drop hit the window. Soon another hit the window and another. After a few seconds, it was storming and I was watching it all. Catherine walked to me and said, "I heard what happened out there. Who did you choose?" I sighed and said, "That doesn't matter. Sam is just being dramatic." Catherine chuckled and asked, "So you two were a part of Eli's gang?" I nodded and said, "For eight years we were with Eli. Eventually we got tired of the killing so we planned to leave. Eli's brother heard that and attacked me. I stabbed him in the head and we had to run." Catherine said, "Well, I just hope that we don't ruin your friendship with Sam." I sighed and said, "Trust me, nothing is ruined. He's just being over protective of me." Catherine asked, "Why can't you catch feelings?" I answered, "It can change a person when they catch feelings. The person could have a whole new meaning of life but if the person they like dies then you will lose the will to live." Catherine said, "Well, that's a stupid reason not to catch feelings but do you like me?" I shook my head and said, "Sam is just saying stuff." Catherine said, "Oh, but he is right about Lucy growing attached." I nodded and said, "Maybe but how attached can she get in two days." Catherine said, "I'll try to make sure that she doesn't grow too attached." I nodded and then she went to bed. I continued to watch as the rain fell and after a little bit I passed out.