The End: Only The Beginning

[1] Sugar Tree

Copyright 2015. All Rights Reserved. Do not reproduce or copy this story in any way, shape, or form. Thank you.

Chapter One :

3 months later -

"Carter, do you think you guys can cover my shift later today?" My sister questioned. She had promised that she'd help Liam with practicing with his gun after 'school.'

"Okay." I nod my head to her, smiling.

Our shifts were basically opposite, which I didn't say a word about until they put me with Ryder for the next two weeks. Night shift with your sisters boyfriend who you met right after you almost shot him? Awkward. Although he does have my sense of humor. We both share the love for 'The Office' and both of us can come up with various puns for whatever boring situation we are in. So, it hasn't been that bad I assume, except for the awkward silences between rounds.

She waves goodbye to me and I begin walking away to find Alyssa. Her and her fathers' sleeping quarters were right beside my family's, so we had gotten even closer than we already were. Yes, the minor age difference would have usually set us apart, but we had a lot to learn about each other and those months we spent on the road accounted for a lot of talking and playing crazy games to get to know each other. Surprisingly, we had gotten quite good at flip-cup. The non-alcoholic version of course.

I pull my coat over my shoulders in an attempt to create some friction to get a little bit warmer. The climate of the Virginia mountains wasn't quite as warm as it was back in California. The members of the camp here at Sugar Tree had long since gotten used to the cold and windy temperate, but the ones who arrived with me were still adjusting to the sudden change of season. Now that we were in the first stages of winter, that had also become a factor in it being colder.

"Hey Carter!" One of the teenage girls in the camp waves hello to me. There weren't many children here, but there were quite a few teenage boys and girls. Katie and Marcus have found that they rarely even see their young ones anymore because of how much these people love toddlers. Everyone loves to play with them. It takes their minds off of what's actually happening.

"Hey Max!" I respond. Max, also known as Maxine, isn't a 'girly' girl, hence the nickname 'Max.' Surprisingly, we have gotten along quite well for a sixteen year old and a thirteen year old, and she has confided in me about a lot of her life stories and things which caused me to also confide in her. The age difference isn't ideal, but she's almost the younger sister I never had. Sure I had Ali, but since we are very close in age, I never had the younger sibling that I could remember the day they were born. With my sister I was too young at the time.

She smiles back before her face becomes determined as if she's trying to remember what she was about to say.

"Lose your train of thought?" I question, attempting to help her out.

Her face lights up, "Oh yeah! Wanna go to the bonfire tonight? It's gonna be real fun!"

"I can't! My shift is from 7 pm to 12 tonight."

"Don't worry about that, Carter. You're still new here so you don't know. Go talk to Mason." She smiles before walking away from me.

I sigh before going off in another direction to find Mason, the camp leader. He isn't like a president, and he's far from a dictator, but he has some say in what goes on in camp and on raids. He also recruits new members which is how I ended up here. He has no other family here except for his son Chris, and he is an army veteran, so he's very strict, however he's a very kind man at heart.