The Game of Survival

ONE | VANISH

CHAPTER ONE
VANISH

The quietness of the town sent an uneasy chill down my spine, my stomach churned nervously as I put one carefully placed foot in front of the other. I swallowed hard and gripped the straps of my bag tighter as my knuckles turned white.

The streets were empty with only the sounds of liter scrapping against the ground being the most exciting thing in the small town. My feet crunch against the gravel and my eyes darted back and forth.

While this was still considered a town, it is also considered an 'unmarked territory.' Unmarked territories don't have leaders, leaders who set ruled in place to keep and install peace throughout their grounds. Even in the marked territory, if the wrong leader is chosen, it could be worse than unmarked. That was the case for most territories these days. The wrong land falling into the wrong hands of men and women who's personalities may have flipped to the wrong side after the Pandemic.

Fortunately, I haven't encountered any 'mishaps.' However, I could feel my luck start to slip through the slim fingers of time, telling me my turn was well on its way.

The eerily quiet town made my stomach churn uneasily making me shiver as I walked down the empty street. The only sound that could be heard is the scraping of liter against the gravel the wind dragged along with itself. I slowly stalked past an empty playground with a creaking swing set that echoed in my ears sending goosebumps down my arms. I passed an empty deli with shattered windows, overturned tables, and chairs and knocked over shelves. In the back of my mind, a memory played like a movie with my sister and me as the main characters, laughing and walking out of the deli.

Tears built up behind my eyes as I shook away the memory and I sped my pace upon the sight of the place I once felt safe in came into m view. The dark grey roofing and off white housing walls warmed my heart with nostalgia I didn't welcome for long.

As I walked closer to the house, I saw the windows had been blacked out with midnight black paint. My eyebrows scrunched in confusion as I silently thanked my past self for forgetting to lock the door behind me in my frenzy before the Pandemic was in full effect, and my family vanished.

The porch floorboards squeaked under my feet signaling my presence to anyone close enough to hear. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck in anticipation. I gently put my hand on the rusted, metal knob my father refused to replaced and slowly turned to the left.

Click!

It's unlocked. I mentally sighed in relief.

Minding the oddly weighted door, I tightened my grip around the doorknob and tried to keep the door from swinging open and slamming into the already dented wall. Still, on alert, I shut the door behind me trapping the darkness inside.

I walked forward, the floorboard under new shifted. I turned my head to see on either side. I squinted in the dark and leaned forward at objects that I was unsure of being a person or just that, an object.

My curiosity pulled my attention upstairs, but I had better things to focus on.

Food. Water. Clothes.

I had to flip my house upside down and take anything that's left and hope no one's been through here. I walked to the kitchen guarded and leisurely opened my bookbag. I opened the top cabinet and plucked a few canned fruits and delicately placed them into my bag, mindful of needing room for other essentials. Next, I went into the pantry and pulled out a bottle of water and other light-weighted snacks.

Unable to fight my impulse to rush up the steps, I paced up the stairs and balanced my weight so my steps were nearly silent. I turned my back to my sister's room and pushed down any remaining emotional feelings and headed straight for my room. My hand hovered over the wooden bat I tucked into my bag's pocket. I used one hand to push the door open while leaning out of the way in case any bullets went flying.