Manifestation

5: Decisions

"Break." Jane sat down on the warm sand. I sat next to her.

It has been two hours since the last attack. This was my fifth time helping Jane. I was starting to get really tired but nobody else looked tired except Jane so I didn't dare say anything. Ryan wasn't letting go of the leader thing. He still thought I should make all of the decisions and I couldn't give in now.

"Ready?" I asked Jane.

She nodded and I helped her up.

"Jack, your turn."

He slung his arm around her neck and we kept walking. Ryan walked next to me.

"Why didn't you do it?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you shoot the second gun man?"

I looked down at my dry, cracked hands, baking in the hot sun.

"It was a man's life. I'm surprised I killed the first one."

"You kill creepers every day."

"But they weren't creepers. They were human beings with lives."

"They were shooting at us."

"That doesn't change anything."

"They were as bad, or almost worse than creepers."

"So you kill them like they are creepers?"

He shrugged. "Whatever works."

I couldn't see someone like that. Pretending they were non human so they were easier to kill.

"Being a leader you are going to have to do things you don't want to do." He said.

"You are seriously giving me a lesson on how to be a leader?" I scoffed.

"I am just telling you in the future you need to do some things out of your comfort zone."

"Yeah, you are."

"I guess I am."

I scoffed.

Up ahead, I saw two figures moving slowly towards us. I pointed to them.

"What's the plan, captain?"

"Stop calling me that! It doesn't take one person to make decisions, it takes the whole group. This isn't a democracy! We are all one and need to act together, not just one person's poor judgement." Anger boiled within me.

I jogged up ahead. Anything to get away from Ryan at this point.

But as I got closer, I realized they weren't creepers, they were people.

A man and a woman, they looked a bit older than I was. The woman wore a sundress and a floppy sun hat, her brown hair blew around in the hot wind.The man wore a tank top with a hot dog advertisement on it, his blond hair was matted down into a clump on his head.

The woman looked relieved to see me.

"Oh thank God, please help us." She pleaded.

I got my gun out and aimed it at her head, they put their arms up in defense. I wasn't going to pull the trigger, but they didn't know that.

"W-We don't want any trouble." The man said in a deep voice.

"Please, do you have food? Water? Anything? We have been walking for the longest time and can't find an oasis or anything. One more day and we could die."

I didn't know what to do. It wouldn't hurt to help them, but it would be two more mouths to feed.

"Do you have any weapons?" I asked. I was only going to help if they were useful.