"Run run run run run!" Jessy whisper-shouts at me between laughs.
"I thought you said the donation collector wasn't here tonight." I tease him as we sprint through the dark streets.
"Oh, shut up. How was I supposed to know she was going to work until 10 o'clock at night?" He laughs.
The old blind woman yells indistinguishable words from the food shack as we continue our way back to the bunker. I trail behind him as we make our way down the alley. He unlocks the door and throws the bag of food into the hole. The bag lands with a thud on the hard ground as he follows it into the bunker. I climb part way down the ladder, pulling the hatch shut behind me.
I walk up to where we has begun to put the cans on the shelves.
"Nice run." I say coming up to him.
He puts his hand up in a fist. I curl my fingers together and I knock my fist with his.
"Guess what I found?" He smirks, scavenging his hand through the bag.
"Some kind of drink? Water? juice?" I ask.
It's been more than a month we have been saving our water, not wanting to risk going to the water supply of the town. We don't have enough to last us that much longer, even if we barely drink any of it.
"Sadly no... But I found these!" He takes a pack of cookies out from the bag.
"No way!" I grab the pack from him, ripping it open, and taking a bite of the sweet treat. The chocolaty flavor pleases my taste buds. I hand one to Jessy.
"For a second there I thought you weren't going to share." He laughs, taking a bite.
I playfully roll my eyes at him. I close the container and place it on the self. I continue taking cans, small snack bags, granola bars, everything we grabbed and I place them on the wooden platforms.
"Jessy." I stop taking food out of the bag.
"Yeah?" He says, looking up at me.
"You know we are going to have to go soon right? We're not going to be able to last much longer without any water."
He sighs. "Yeah, I know. We'll lay low for a couple of days then we'll go."
I smile at him. Then continue unloading the food.
At some point we finish going through the bag, at some point we begin playing games. Laughing, having fun. At some point we fall asleep, with the game board still out on the floor.
The next few days go by in a blur. We play a lot of games. We tease each other. We try to enjoy ourselves as much as the world will let us because although the world gave us something back, it took something too. They took our ability to meet new people, to go to school, to get a job, to see our families. All we have now is each other and that's exactly how we are going to spend our lives, together.
"Nat. Nat." I open my eyes to Jessy gently shaking my shoulders.
I yawn. "What time is it?"
"3 o'clock." He whispers, standing up and slinging a back back over his shoulder.
"Wait what? Why are you waking me up at 3 o'clock in the morning?"
"We're going to get water so we don't end up dying." He tells me.
"What? Right now?" I ask, my voice still full of sleep.
"Yes now. Get up, we have to go." He smiles at me.
I quickly get up and sling my backpack onto my back. I follow him out of the bunker and through the streets of the town. Eventually we make it to the other side of town. We crouch in some bushes that line the side of the large building.
YOU ARE READING
For Every Life There is a Story
Cerita PendekEvery life has a story. This book is filled with many the stories of many lives. Each chapter will bring you on a new journey through the eyes of another. "From every wound there is a scar, and every scar tells a story. A story that says, 'I survi...
