Shattered

Confusion

The next time any of us (Spot, Man #1 and 3, and I) talked was when we were at least half a mile away from the crazed monster. We were at the exit of the large neighborhood complex, gasping for breath and crouching behind a decorative boulder as a resting place and for cover. The boulder was on a small hill overlooking the countryside outside the neighborhood, which was an endless expanse of hills and wooded area. The only visible road was a small, dirt path stretching infinitely left and right. There were no buildings whatsoever; the closest one was a supermarket five miles east. The shelter was at the nearest town, which was Canterbury, and that was at least twenty miles away.

I couldn't believe that I had just witnessed cannibalism. Now, I even felt sorry I had left the basement. In comparison, it seemed safe and secure. I wasn't sure what our plan was, in fact, since this whole thing started, I've had no clue what I've been doing. Now, I felt determined to change that. With my current strategy (none), I've lost Grandpa and found a bloody arm.

Throughout the day, I tried to figure out why there was an arm in there. It seemed almost comedic in a sick way. When nightfall came, we all went to sleep behind the rock, except Man #3, who kept watch. I fell into a deep sleep for a few hours, but I was woken up by the sound of voices talking. My heart stopped. Thankfully, it was just Man #1 and Man #3 talking. I guess they couldn't sleep.

I turned over on my back, so I could see them. They didn't notice me. Man #1 began, sounding very worried. "Steve, the kid's right. It's not safe here. And what about that arm? That person probably had the government-made disease, the Miseria or Miseritis or whatever it's called."

That didn't sound good. Steve sighed. "Our government is horrible, Mark. Most normal citizens don't know the real evils they commit, but back when I was in the local government committee, we learned all about it. And whenever something goes wrong, they just send out armed forces to kill everything. And it doesn't help that the ruler is a bloodthirsty tyrant who has complete and total authority." He paused and looked back in the direction of my house. "And, if that guy had Miseria, then they must have brought disease injectors, which changes the whole game. This place is infected, and we have to leave as soon as the sun rises. And what happened with George?!?"

"We should have known something was up. It was pretty obvious sometimes that he had a screw loose. Remember when we were climbing the Northern Peaks, and we couldn't find him for five days? And when we reached the top, there he was, skinning an alpine bunny. We should have suspected that he had a meat problem. Good thing he didn't catch us off guard, and eat one of us."

That sent chills down my spine. But, I was fairly confident that I was safe with Mark and Steve. They were survivalists, after all, and they were talking about a plan, which I desperately needed. I fell into a half-sleep for the rest of the night.

As soon as dawn poked its head over the hills, the men woke me up. "Come on, get up, Stanley! Let's start the day, we gotta get a move on!" They tried to sound like they were excited to move, but I knew the real reason we were rushing. No matter what their motives were, moving was a great idea.

Our breakfast was some odds and ends foraged from Steve's backpack. While we were eating, they announced that we would be walking very far, so they could carry Spot, if I let them. I agreed. They were trustworthy.

We exited the neighborhood, then took a right onto the dirt path. It seemed to stretch forever, disappearing into the woods around it. I could tell that an exhausting trek was ahead. Mark pulled out some granola bars from his pocket, and offered it to us. Steve and I took our share, and we all nibbled while we walked. After a half hour, the scenery around us still looked the same, and there was nothing visible ahead except for more road. Because of the awkward silence, I finally said the words I needed to say. "So... what's the plan?"