Vagabonds

Chapter 1

Chapter song: Sleep on the Floor by The Lumineers

ALEX'S POV

When I woke up this morning being forced to go to church I didn't know I'd actually get to see the other side of life. Yet here I am now stuck in a room with a bunch of church kids gouging their eyes out.

I'm just kidding.

But they are ripping their heads off and throwing furniture at the door.

Again, I'm kidding.

That first part was figurative. The second part is all literal though.

I'm standing here watching these kids panic as they stack up furniture after furniture against the door to prevent whatever's on the other side from coming in. Why am I not helping you ask? One, I'm still pretty shook from what happened. Two, they all look funny hauling shit in their Sunday dresses and slacks. And three, I don't want to get in the way of the devil look in their eyes. Seriously, I'm not sure if they want to keep the monsters from coming in or themselves from going out and killing the monsters themselves.

"This cannot be happening."

"Don't worry. God will protect us."

"Why is this even happening?"

"Is it the end of the world?"

Thoughts and questions kept being voiced out once they were done barricading. Which, I have to say, they did a pretty lousy job of doing. I don't have much experience in barricading but I can tell by the way they randomly threw the chairs together that one wrong touch and it'll collapse.

I just watch them worry the shit out of each other. I don't bother joining in and trying to get them to relax and feel better because... Well, because they've basically ignored me ever since I got here. And I mean even before we got into this mess.

Aside from being forced to go to church, I somehow also got forced to join a youth group. They were friendly enough until it got to the part when I told them I was non-binary. That's when conversation became awkward and forced and they stopped making eye contact. I get that they all grew up in the church but damn. They're all teenagers and young adults. I doubt they were still that sheltered. Or is it really just ingrained in them?

I move from where I'm standing and grab a loose chair from the barricade. Nobody pays me any attention until I smash the chair into the emergency glass case. I pick up the axe and head to the door.

"Where are you going?" A brunette girl stops me. If I remember correctly, her name is Riley.

"I'm leaving." I look at her and tell her. But of course she's not looking back at me. She's looking at some space beside my head.

"No, you're not." She says firmly. Would've been more effective if she held eye contact, I thought.

"Yes, I am." I answer back and step aside past her.

"No, you're no—"

"Look, I'm not going to coop myself in here with a bunch of church kids waiting for some miracle. The best chance I have for survival is out there. So I'm leaving." I'm seriously losing my patience right now.

"It's too dangerous out there!" She frantically screams at me.

"What do you care? You all can't bear to be around me anyways. Even now you can't look me in the eyes." I stare at her intently but she never looks back, proving my point.

"I—"

"I'm leaving." I cut her off before she can say an excuse.

"You can't." She says weakly.

"Watch me." And with that, I kick one chair on the barricade and everything else completely topples off. I push my way to the door and leave without a second glance back.

A/N: What do you folks think?
Updates will be every Friday moving forward. So yes, Chapter 2 will be on January 7.