The Game of Survival

THREE | BOYFRIEND

CHAPTER THREE
BOYFRIEND

Despite the weirdly, newfound light trust between all of us, it seemed like everyone I'd been forced to shack up with was taking turns in keeping a side-eye on me. I remained quiet the entire walk with anticipation of what was going to happen next. Sure, I'm safe from whatever threat got their teammate riled up over but, what happens after the time of the threat passes?

"You should probably put that on now."

My ears perked as I lifted my eyes from the floor to whoever began speaking.

I followed Xavier's finger to the grey bandana scrunched in my fist. I sniffed as I uncrumpled the item and smoothed it out in my hand. I nodded, not looking at the boy in front of me. I tried to tie the bandana around my head but I struggled to feel the two ends enough to not get a few strands of hair within the knot.

"Some help?" Xavier asked, watching my pathetic performance.

I cleared my throat and quietly let out a puff of air. "Please."

Xavier smiles, "I've got it." He moves carefully as he ties the bandana across my face as we keep our feet moving, only slightly slowed as he concentrated. He murmurs an apology after accidentally tugging at my hair.

I don't make any indication that I hear him, I just silently remind myself of the dust. I'd heard—well my parents heard—about sections of towns being caught in sandstorms as if it were rainstorms, and like rainstorms, they were seasonal. Summer brought them rarely whereas spring brought them on down regularly. Winter brought icy storms that froze the grain of sand, creating sharper blades than anyone's ever felt. But during the transition from summer to spring, a cloud would rest over the town making it impossible to get a break from it.

"Just to be clear," Lilac started, looking to me with a low voice with her purple bandana tied around her face, "I do hope you turn out to be good. While an event like this should bring people together, there are still a lot of people, women, who don't want to be my friend. But somehow, I think— I hope— you're different."

I scrunched my brows for a moment before looking ahead of us and seeing a cloud of dust calmly moving and shifting within its own space, claiming the entrance as their own.

Xavier leaned over to whisper to me. "They're going to ask you to put your hands up and remove your mask. When you do, hold your breath, the dust is laced with some sort of infection and if you breathe any of it at all, you could die within hours if it goes untreated."

I looked at Xavier as I absorbed the information like a dry sponge. I decided not to ask any questions as to why they would ask people to remove their masks, knowing the kind of risk they'd be taking. I bit my tongue and pushed forward.

In front of us, a mist that blurred the things beyond the gate we stood in front of. On top of either of the pillars were guys with a gun pressed against their chest, in attempts to intimidate anyone who dared to walk up to the gate. Two more men broke through the mist, aiming their guns at us.

"Bags on the ground, sleeves up, hands up!"

Everyone, including me, followed their directions to a T before they finally deemed us worthy to pass through the wooden gates, more than a foot taller than I was.

Lilac and co. picked up their bags at slowly stalked to the entrance.

Lilac turned to Evan, "I'm going to drop off all this stuff to Alyx for disinfection and for her to review the stuff, see what needs patching up. You wanna come with?"

Evan turned around, eyeing both Kai and I then nodded. "Not like I have anything better to do."

I resisted the urge to scoff and roll my eyes at his attitude.

Xavier pat Kai on the back. "I'll catch you later man. It was nice to get out of this place."

Kai smiled at Xavier, "Of course, I'll let you know if we leave again."

The dark boy gleamed with joy in his eyes before turning away from Kai and nodding at me with 'goodbye' written all over his face.

He thinks we're friends.

Kai looked at me next. "You're going to need to see Malum, he's usually the one that decides who stays and who doesn't."

"Who says I wanna stay?" I put my hands in my hips, gently tugging on the mask to adjust its position, but without compromising my health.

Kai cleared his throat. "Well, considering the fact that you have no idea the threats that are on the other side of that gate, tells me you need more help than you think you need. So, in all honesty, it doesn't matter if you wanna stay or not. You need us more than we need you." He shrugged before combing back his light brown hair.

I opened and closed my mouth before fully deciding to keep it closed as I ignored the ever growing grin that painted itself on Kai's mouth. I started to follow behind him.

As I walked along with Kai, surveying my surroundings and taking everything in, my eyes found Xavier jogging lightly with a purpose. His arms found their way around another man with smooth beige skin and patches of brighter skin.

Then something in my mind clicked. My mind connected the pieces as to why Xavier was in such a rush to come back to their camp.

His boyfriend.

Or maybe husband, but Xavier looked no younger than I was. So the possibility of him being married already was unlikely. But not impossible. I was the end of the world after all.

I hugged myself in the cool breeze. I watched the two embrace each other lovingly and a hint of a smile crept its way to my lips, resisting the urge to squeal at their eyes that filled with pure happiness and love, as they kissed lovingly.

Cute.