When the World Goes Cold

Chapter 6

The noose around my neck finally loosened enough for me to answer.

I didn't even remember going back to the grocery, barely remember Atlas' hands guiding me to the chair where I sat. But I remembered their question.

Everything still blurred at the edges, and my heart slammed against my chest so hard it hurt, though I felt the cracked leather beneath me instead of burning blood trying to burst out of my flesh.

"I was part of their group."

Atlas looked up, shifting to sit on their legs and place their palms on their knees. They looked curious, even if their itching fingers showed they weren't confident.

"They're a cult. Their belief is that they need to wipe away the rot of the world. The-" My voice broke. "The execution is what they do to non-believers."

"You willing joined them? Why?" Atlas asked.

"I didn't know they were like that back then. I just thought that maybe they'd... that I'd be able to find something to believe in again." I shrugged. "Something to explain why everything went wrong."

They pulled at the fraying strings of their pants, eyes searching the stained carpet for a reply."Didn't take you for a praying person."

"Not sure if I still am one, any more."

"Oh."

Their pause left me itching to say something to make the air lighter, to ignore the numb pit in the bottom of my stomach as the weight of what I said sunk into my bones. The feeling had been there for ages, but admitting that I really didn't know what I even cared about, that the one part of my childhood, of normalcy I always kept close had died with the rest of the world...

It felt like I was drowning in a raging ocean.

"How's your pop?"

At my question, Atlas glanced at the bottle resting by the wall.

"It's actually one of my favorites. Dad used to surprise me by getting it on the way home from work. Never knew they made an orange one."

"I never liked pop much. Fizzy water is better."

They screwed up their face. "Why? it just bites your mouth and there's no flavor."

"There's some flavor, it's just not overwhelming sugary. Also less carbs."

"Oh, please. Bet you like exercise, too."

"I do."

"Can't relate."