The Game of Survival

ZERO | PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

They left on my birthday. In the middle of the night, they quietly packed up and left with nothing but a goodbye letter full of lies. I don't usually believe in sayings, but tragedy does change people. People like my family, who used to be loving and protective of their children. Although, I should've expected something to happen to me after my sister's disappearance.

Leaving me alone wasn't the direct source of my resentment, however, leaving me in the middle of an unmarked forest at night isn't the most settling place to be for the last two months. Especially for a seventeen-year-old girl. Looking over your shoulder at night became second nature especially because of how dangerous it can get in a place where no rules have been set.

It wasn't hard to see my chances of survival were slimming by the milliseconds as I sat with my knees curled into my chest and rocked back and forth, fighting back tears.

Almost a year passed since the world fell into its deep chaos nicknamed the Pandemic. The sea levels rose first. Then a heatwave wiped out cities from end to end across continents. Then, a plague-like sickness spread like wildfire in a dry land. Tornadoes permanently touched down in the south and midwest, along with razor-sharp dust storms raced across places like California, who earned the nickname Fornia because half of it was lost, and parts of the the Southwest. Tsunamis completely erased states from New Jersey to West Virginia and waves tickled the edges of Ohio.

Australia fell first from wildfires and droughts that spread across the country, killing hundreds of thousands. Then Europe fell from the second plague. France was next, then India and Germany, China and North Korea, Africa and the Philippines.

Then America.

America fell from all of the above, minus the second plauge. From what I knew, the plauge only touched Europe and France. But, with the government's announcement of a permanent shutdown, all hell broke loose. Riots began in front of the White House, waiting for the President to dare and show his face. Stores were broken into, laws were ignored, police were as unhelpful as they already were.

My sister disappeared during the second riot we had to cross to escape our city.

Glass was broken, entire buildings were set ablaze and seemingly increased its heat with the cheers and screams from the crowd below watching the structures burn to their bitter deaths. People were murdered for things as simple as looking at a person in the wrong way, or even at all. My parents, sister and I eventually became surrounded by violence. My mother wept as my father hesitated constantly to maneuver his way through the ocean of people.

My sister held tightly to my hand, wishing she was still complaining about college assignments that were due. My mother's panicked words slurred together with emotion as my father dragged her almost limp body behind him.

Snap!

My ears perked at the sudden movement behind me. I tightened my knees around the bookbag between them with my hand hovering over the baseball bats handle. I clenched my jaw tightly and pushed back the aching in my throat as the tears on my cheek dried from the wind that pushed my hair out of my face.

In one swift move, I put on the pack and withdrew the bat and gripped it by my side. I looked between the trees that were previously behind me. I concentrated my vision as I slowly moved back towards the rock that had the notebook with the note I so badly wanted to burn under it. My shoulders touched the bottom of my ears nervously, praying to any God that was willing to help to spare my life for one more day.

A deer came prancing out from where I was looking and, instantly, I relaxed. The dams behind my eyes threatened to burst with happiness and relief but I refused.

For the last two months I've somehow survived on small things like grass and squirrels. But even I knew that, eventually, I would need to move sooner or later. I chose sooner.

But where? I thought helplessly.

A memory pricked my mind, my mothers voice beaming like sun rays through the dark clouds.

"There's talk of refuge up in Regina. Canada. I left the maps home though, so we'd be going based off memory." She sighed.

Going back to the place I'd been scarred from, from all the violence felt surreal. I was terrified of finding all the things I missed from that night of the riot. The breaking glass echoed in my ears, testing my anxiety. I shook my head and hiked my bag over my shoulders and adjusted the sleeves on my jacket.

Home.