This Isn't the Zombie Apocalypse

7. Just Some Friendly Murder

Turned out, Ana couldn't run to save her life. Literally.

Apparently, she had some heart issues, and lungs issues, and about every other issue out there, so running was out of the question, as well as any long-distance walking without breaks. For someone who basically had a heart attack if he did not run, that was a big change for me. I was jittery, eyes darting this way and that, hands clenching and unclenching, and every snapping twig or tumbling rock sent a jolt of panic through me. My chest screamed underneath its makeshift bandage.

My life was being flipped upside-down once again. One day I was on my own, running for my Life, the next I was walking next to another person, who, by the way, I still hated for some reason. Whether it was from my lack of human interaction for so long or an actual dislike towards Ana, I didn't know, and frankly, I didn't care. Either way, I still wanted to drown Ana Renee in a bucket of Jell-O. Or maybe leave her to climb her way down a very tall tree, where she could fall a very long fall. Or...

Snap out of it, I ordered myself, pinching the back of my hand. I tried to evoke those feelings I had when she was first talking to me, where there was only happiness at not being alone, but nothing worked. There was only this boiling rage in the pit of my stomach and this nagging urge to punch Ana before leaving her forever.

Sighing and running a hand through my hair, I mumbled, "I have some serious problems."

Ana, who was in front of me, turned her head sideways and smirked. "Definitely," she bit out, and then she was walking ahead again, placing much needed distance between us.

If it wasn't obvious, Ana wanted to bite my head off as much as I did her. We were special that way.

I mumbled something else, making sure it was inaudible, because it was neither kid-friendly nor Ana-friendly. Then we were silent once again, Ana leading the way while I followed; Ana huffing and puffing while I was bored out of my mind at the barely three mile per hour pace.

And my brain wandered again. It wasn't heavy thinking, just light thoughts, like how ice cream would be a great treat underneath the blazing sun or how the dirt was tickling my nose. How much I wanted to lie down and rest and feel safe. How much I missed my old life, before everything went haywire.

Okay, they weren't that light-hearted. At least I wasn't thinking about how much I wanted to stab Ana with a plastic spoon. Repeatedly.

Finally, the awkward silence got to me, and I broke down. "Where are we going?"

Ana stopped, not facing me but not ignoring me either. "My home," she told me, plopping down, chest heaving.

I hesitated. "So... civilization?" I sat down as well, making sure there was a good three feet between us.

"Sort of," she replied.

I furrowed my brows, trying to decipher her words and body language. Nothing came—I was still too obtuse for anyone's own good. "What do you mean by sort of?"

Ana pulled up a knee to her chest and faced me, eyes meeting mine for a millisecond before moving on. "You haven't been near people lately, have you?"

I shook my head, flicking a nearby rock that went skittering off. "Nope. I try to avoid it. Keeps people alive and, you know, not dead." A pained look flashed across Ana's face at my words, but it was quickly wiped off and replaced by a blank slate. I wondered what happened, what caused that pain in her. Not because I cared—nope, not at all, because that would contradict the whole must hate Ana emotion—but because I was curious.

Ana bit the inside of her cheek, thinking, before she said, "You'll see."

oOo

I saw all right, and it was not anything that I had thought I would see.