Apocalypse | m.c

5

- M A C Y ' S P O V -

My breathing is heavy and my chest moves rapidly as a catch my breath at the edge of a lake. I massage my swollen feet, the excruciating pain from all the running shooting through my leg. I have a few cuts and bruises here and there from the tree branches whipping against my body as I sprinted passed. After an hour of non-stop running I finally have my much needed rest.

I silently hum to myself, ripping a long strip off of my long sleeved, khaki button up I'm wearing. I immerse the material into the water and cleanse the blood from my cuts. I notice a large gash on my upper arm, feeling a sting of pain as soon as I notice it.

Isn't it weird how we feel the pain long after the damage is done.

I dip the material back in, the water turning into swirls of red. I tie the strip around the large cut on my arm.

I bring my legs up to my chest and hug them tightly, somehow finding comfort in my own action. A few unwanted tears make their way down my cheeks as I stare out into the peaceful lake.

"Shh... Don't cry..." A kind, soft, familiar voice rings in the cool winters air.

"Mum?" I spin my shivering body around.

"Be strong for me." I feel a freezing hand caress my shoulder, calming my tense body. I miss her warm touch so much.

"Mum, I miss you. I don't want to live in this world anymore-" I hiccup as more tears race down my cheeks at the sound of my mothers soothing voice.

"Be strong." Her voice slowly vanishes into thin air.

I'm sorry I couldn't save you mum. I wanted to tell her, I wanted to tell her it was my fault. It was my fault. I was going to say those meaningful words but I just couldn't seem to get the words out in time before she disappeared.

I've seen her spirit for the fourth time since her death. I don't understand how she's still here, not here, but with me. My mother passed away two months ago, and it was all my fault. If only I could have gotten to her in time she would still be alive today. I beat myself up for it everyday.

I soak up the stray tears using the sleeve of my shirt and sigh, standing up from the damp grass on the edge of the lake. I look out at the water one last time, memorising the way the reds and the oranges of the sunset gently colour the surface of the lake, the small ripples taking my breath away. I look above me to see tall trees standing over me, the tops slightly swaying in the winters breeze, and in this moment I see the true beauty of the world we live in.

I turn away from the lake and begin to jog in the opposite direction. I leap over fallen trees and piles of debris, the wind breaking through my long, brown hair as I run. A smile finds its way onto my face and I slowly find myself sprinting, my surroundings blurring. I let out a laugh and spin around while running.

I feel so alive.

My fun ends when I skid to a stop in front of a tunnel, a cloud of dirt rising from the ground. The tunnel is rounded, the bricks that make up the tunnel are covered with green moss and vines, making it look hundreds of years old. I never go in tunnels because it breaks one of my rules of surviving.

I have five vital rules; no tunnels, no friends, no permanent camps, trust no one, and the most important rule, no relationships.

But there is no way around the tunnel. On both sides there is a thick forest guarded by a barbed wire fence. It is impossible to get to the other side of the tunnel without going through it.

Sometimes, rules are meant to be broken.

I let out a shaky breath and grip my rifle so tight that my knuckles turn white. One of my biggest fears; tunnels. Especially ones that are so dark that you can't see the other side. Lucky for me, this is one of those tunnels.

I touch the handle of my sword with my right hand, making sure my backup weapon is still there incase, for some reason, I lose my rifle.

"On the count of three..." I begin the countdown to entering my worst nightmare. "Three..." I take a few deep breaths. "Two" I take a few steps towards the pitch black tunnel. "One..."

I step into the darkness of the tunnel.

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