𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐬

CHAPTER 17: THE NEST

A little laughter coming from next to me woke me from my distraction. I looked to the origin of the pleasant sound and saw a very happy rusty cat, jumping on ponds and wearing a little white dress while she licked her popsicle.

"She seems happy," said Nate, putting his paw on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I answered, looking at Maya play outside of the ice cream shop.

We were having our first time together, alone, but of course, I had to take care of Maya because my parents were too busy working. Sitting at a table just outside the shop, we were talking and looking at her.

Nate was reading one of his books on his Kindle. He always followed those famous gay smut writers or something, like the fox, but I didn't have much interest in those things.

"Here's your milkshake," said the waiter.

I looked at him, a gray cat wearing thin glasses that helped to notice the pink eyes and had a crooked smile, and was trying to be nice, but clearly didn't want to be there.

I thanked and grabbed it giving it to Nate so he could take a sip. The waiter went back, muttering something under his breath.

"Wow, what's that?" he asked.

"Strawberries," I answered, sipping as well.

"Why not chocolate?" he asked again.

"Because I like strawberries and you know what happens when dogs eat chocolate," I explained. "And onions, you're not eating onions,"

"I'm a coyote!"

"The same thing, you're all canines,"

At that exact moment, it started to rain. The waiter on the outside ran back into the shop yelling.

"KAROL I'M NEVER COVERING FOR YOU AGAIN!".

Another yell came from inside the shop.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE MY SISTER, SHUT UP AND HELP ME FIX THIS!"

I chuckled and looked at Nate, but he wasn't there. Maya also had disappeared. I looked around, and neither the gray cat nor the others were at the scene. I heard a thunder sound and lighting blasted my eyes, and then, everything changed.

I was running with my life, my ears ringing and the raindrops hitting my skin with the strength of gunshots. And speaking about gunshots, they were sounding all around the place, with small specs of light announcing the place from where the shots were being fired.

But I had no attention on those shots. I was running back. Back to the hospital, back to Ohio, back to my family. The car was broken, the bow was destroyed, and I had lost the ring I promised to give to Nate.

The world was falling apart, and when I saw the hospital, I knew it was true. A horde of Gluttons surrounded the building engulfed in flames. Screams and yells could be heard from the inside. My knees fell to the ground, and I stood there, with a skeptical face. I knew they were inside, and now, dead.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Pandora.

I looked at her, and she pointed her gun at my forehead.

"It's funny how you can end the world by just opening a box," she said, and a shot echoed through the dark fields.

I woke up in cold sweat, touching around every surface I could reach, making sure none of that reality was actually happening. I was still inside the car, in front of the mall, the same place I parked yesterday after I managed to, miraculously, avoid crashing the car.

I sighed and looked outside. The mist was dense and the drizzle from my dream was also there. There was no use in driving with that weather, so it was just better to explore the mall, looking for supplies.