The Meme Life

Chapter 13

Arianna and I have been walking for about four hours. It's dark outside and my lower half is killing me. My feet are sore from all the walking, and my cut sends spikes of pain up through my leg. We moved out of the hill area and into a forest of sorts.

"Why don't we call it a night?" Ari suggests. "We can use our jackets as blankets and camp or somewhere. Maybe find something to eat?"

"Yeah," I say. "I need a break anyways." We'd been trying to think of ways to get home all day, but everything we tried failed. No hitchhiking, no gas stations nearby, no nothing. So walking aimlessly is really our only choice.

We walk around a little more and pick a spot that's hidden well. It's a secluded shelter behind some bushes and a really big rock. We have to crawl through some plants to get to it, but it'll keep us out of sight.

It's a narrow spot, but both of us fit. We may not have a lot of room for movement, but at least we aren't on top of each other. I lay my jacket down on the ground underneath us since it's thinner, and we drape Ari's across our top.

"Hey," I start. "Don't you think it's a little strange that the Anti-Memers didn't chase after us?"

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe they thought it was too much effort, or they couldn't risk resources," she suggests.

"Yeah, maybe."

Silence.

"So what do you want to know about me, Mr. Meme?" Arianna asks out of nowhere. I look at her and take a moment to think of a good question.

"What's your damage?" I ask casually. Her eyebrow lifts up.

"My damage?" Ari repeats. She sighs. "Oh boy, where do I start? Uh, well, when my brother and I were toddlers, our parents died in a car accident. We were raised by our aunt."

"What else?"

"My aunt was great. She didn't have any kids of her own, so she spoiled us." Ari said this with a grin.

"Sounds like you really love your aunt," I say.

"Loved." Arianna gives a sad smile. "She died last year."

"Where do you live now?"

"With friends. Carl and I stay with some of the other Dankest Memers."

"It must be nice having a twin," I reply. Arianna goes to say something back, but something catches her eye instead.

"Shit, Cena, your leg. We need to clean that." My leg is bloody and looks disgusting. I won't even go into detail about it because it's so gross. Looking at it makes me feel the same way as when I watch the 'Country boy, I love you, blehhh' vine.

"With what?" I ask. "We have no water. And I don't think there's any water around here."

"Then tomorrow, we make finding water our priority." Arianna look at my leg again. "It looks deep."

"It is," I tell her. "Hurts like a bitch."

Silence takes over, and I use that as an opportunity to think. If we keep wandering around like this, we could get lost for days. Suddenly, I get an idea.

"We need to climb a tree," I say at the same time Arianna says, "You lack confidence."

"Wait, what?" Ari and I ask in unison. She puts her hand up and shakes her head.

"Okay, why do we need to climb a tree?" she asks.

"Because we will be lost in these woods forever, and climbing a tree might help us figure out which way to go," I explain. I can almost see the gears turning in her head. By the way she slowly nods, I can tell she agrees.