Lauren shuffled quickly, swiftly along the dark streets, her hands buried deep within the pockets of her jacket. Rain attacked the ground around her, but she gave it no mind. The ground glowed with the dim light of a rising moon and reflected all that passed. A bitterly cold wind blew from behind her as if it were pushing her forward and away from everything wrong in the world.
She continued her casual stroll throughout the lonely, secluded streets of the town. With a deep, drawn out sigh, she wandered back onto the water drenched side path, stumbling over the curb as she did so. Outstretching pale hands, she caught the weight of her body before it smashed onto the cement. Thunder boomed around her, the waves of sound echoing within her chest cavity. Scowling, she wobbled back onto her knees, her torn, orange scrubs tattered more than before; her shirt dotted with bits of grass and droplets. A shiver ran down her spine as the dampened cloth stuck to her skin.
As her senses, temporarily dulled, returned, she realized what she was facing: the fenced in area of Quarantine 2. It also went by another name; common among the locals:
The Cavern of Death.
Surrounded by rolling hills, it stood in the center of a low chasm- high, spiral metal gates running on every side. Electric, spiked wire topped each piece, blocking out intruders and escapees. The atmosphere emanated sorrow and grief. Listened to closely, you could hear the heart wrenching screams of the dying, lying hopelessly inside each of the many bland, white trailers scattered about what used to be a baseball field. Her nose twitched at the foul stench of the rotting corpses, her stomach lurching in disgust. The smell was strong, fresh and as her eyes wandered across her field of view, she spotted shadows in the distance, throwing what seemed to be body parts into a ditch, while another figure striked a match. The biohazard sign that hung above her was worn and dented, the colour slowly fading. It warned of the fate of those who entered.
Entwining her skinny fingers around the metal frame of the gate, she watched the scene with a sullen stare. It was an imminent fact that one day, she’d be among the detached limbs that now were among a patch of thick red smoke.
She reminisced among her thoughts before the plague, relishing in the memory of a summer baseball game, where there was no underlying fear or threat. The sun shone brightly then, shimmering upon her skin with tranquil warmth. As the ball of fiery light lowered beyond the horizon, the town slowly slipped down with it. Darkness now covered everything she once knew and held close.
“Lauren?” A voice questioned lowly behind her.
Lauren stopped in her tracks. The voice was recognizable and she knew in an instance who it was. But she was afraid to turn around-terrified by the prospect to see her friend behind the gate. With little confidence, she glanced behind her and sighed with relief, “Sam.”
A dark figure sauntered into the dim light of a flickering street lamp, her equally similar orange jumpsuit illuminated. Her most noticeable features were highlighted: her gem like hazel eyes, her platinum blonde hair, and her beaming smile.
Sam grinned. “Hey, Lauren.” Her voice was muffled slightly by the surgical mask covering her mouth.
YOU ARE READING
Never Give Up: A Novel
Science Fiction"And today we mourn the loss of a life, of respect, and a friendship. All was reborn into pain and hate." A wicked, merciless dicatator. A battle-scarred friend fighting to save what's left of her plague-ridden world. And behind it all...a dark secr...
