𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐈𝐧 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬

- Chapter 1 -

4.

18.

2734.

2:15.

Those numbers will forever be engraved into my mind. The numbers follow me everywhere. They appear in my dreams. On the blank, yellow, outdated sheet of my journal. On the walls. When I close my eyes, when I open them - they are there, taunting, smiling.

Reminding.

Reminding me of April 18th, 2734. The time when Earth became a ground for the dead, damaged and destroyed.

"This way." My mother whispered.

She had a lantern in her hand that did not help us much. The darkness consumed the path in front of us. It was pitch-black, seeming like someone turned off the power of the stars and the moon. The night felt heavy, burdening, almost unnatural. I found myself swallowed in nothingness, doubting if my mother went the right path.

"You are going to miss pizza day."

The flashback was gone like it never existed. I looked up to see Jake. He gave me a bright smile that reached up to his light gray eyes. His hair was messy as usual. It didn't seem like he cared. He took a seat on the circular table opposite of me. Just like that, my time alone disappeared as well.

"I'm not hungry," I replied, shortly.

My eyes slowly traveled across the dining hall. People patiently waited in line for food. The newbies from last week cluelessly walked around, trying to find the table to sit at. I couldn't judge, I was a new member less than two weeks ago too.

Usually, every other day, a new person is announced on the intercom. The leader of this building complex, which they call Ground Zero, introduces them. Every time their voice is warm, and friendly - convincing you that you are safe, and the worst has already happened.

Deep, indiscreet laughter echoed through the quiet lunchroom. All the eyes were on the group in the far corner. More than dozen of guys and girls ate their food and talked. They were the oldest ones, and have been here the longest. That spot was theirs. Most of the time, they seemed to be unaware and careless of the world outside, only when they had to train the younger ones.

I realized I stared for way too long when my eyes met Chase. He was one of them, the trainers. He was also the leader of that group. Everyone respected him. In the two weeks of being here, the one thing I knew for sure was that he had authority. I turned back around, breaking the contact first. I never talked to Chase but his body language and the way he looked were eerie and unexplainable.

I looked down at the metallic, silver bracelet on my wrist. It was simple and basic. The only detail was the numbers carved on it. 171. I didn't know what it meant. I woke up with it the first night here and I wasn't able to take it off. I tried every way I could think of but nothing worked.

"Allie you need to stop your sulking and live a little."

I stopped twirling the bracelet. I wanted to tell Jake to stop calling me that. He gave me that nickname the first day I came. He knew it annoyed me but he continued to say it anyway. And I wanted to tell him that I had every right to be "sulking" because half of the world's population either vanished or turned into the Infected.

I suppressed it. He was the only person here that did not give me annoyed or cold looks. On the first day here, he told me to sit at his table with his friends and he was nothing but welcoming. He and his friends are the only people I semi-talk to too. If I didn't have anyone I would go insane.

"I'm going to try," I muttered.

He gave me another smile. I knew he was gloating because his whole face practically said "I won, I convinced you." I didn't want to say anything because Jake was someone you could hardly turn down. He was good with words, but also good with making you feel bad. He would look at you with those eyes and you would be unable to say no. So, I forced a small smile too.

As his group started pulling up, I stood up. I grabbed the backpack I carry around everywhere and told them I was going back to my dorm. I hated loneliness, but this many people wasn't something I was fond of either. They didn't object. They knew I never stayed long.

"Hey Allie," Jake called and I rolled my eyes as I turned around. I was unsure why he talked to me. Or why he was so welcoming. Without a warning, he tossed a bag of chips.

Looking at it I said, "I told you I wasn't hungry."

"When you are on the brink of fainting because of starvation, that'll come in handy."

I couldn't help but laugh. It was a short, quick laugh. The one where you are both annoyed and amused at the same time. Wordlessly I accepted the bag and tossed it into my backpack. Without sparing another glance at him, I left the dining hall.

______________________

Hey guys!
This is the first of the book. It's fairly short because I wanted to show what's going on and how the writing style will be like. There isn't much information right now, but hopefully you stick to the very end to find out how everything unfolds.
Hopefully you enjoyed this! If you did, please comment, vote and share because it helps me a lot. Criticism and ideas are always welcome.
Thank you for reading, the next update will be soon.
PS...these beautiful footers are made by marina_swampert;she is absolutely amazing, highly suggesting to check her out <33