Survivors

Chapter 1 -Katherine

Oh crap. This isn't looking good.

I run into the main room where my brother is talking with Blaise, both heads turn my way from the noise of me opening the door so quickly and carelessly. "What's the problem Kits?" urgh, stupid baby names. Why use them when you don't care?

"Food supply will only last another two days if we're lucky and considering that mission you were planning, it isn't gonna last." geez, this is hard work. Who knew being the supply overwatcher was such a hard job, I wish we had our nanites working like they used to. Then we wouldn't have to worry about starving.

My brother has changed since the outburst. He has become much more bossy and more in control almost, but I guess he'd have to be if he's leading our group in this strange world. We can't even sleep anymore, which proves at least one of our nanites are working normally - as we have infinite energy.

"Then we'll change the aim of the mission, we won't look for others. It's over to food supplies." He stood up and stared at me, he acts so different around me. Even when we were younger he treated me as an angel child, forever giving me attention when I didn't need it. Now he ignores me most of the time, can't even look me in the face anymore.

I do feel like nobody cares about me anymore, I get ignored by everyone except Noelle. She's the only one who ever pays me attention, she's my only friend here. Even Ash acts like a stranger, regardless of me knowing him for my entire life.

He left the room, probably to speak with someone about the food situation. Did he give me the job that was the least work so he didn't have to put up with me? It really feels that way sometimes, like everyone just wants me out of the way and gone forever. It was only since we met the others though, not even when mother died.

Blaise stayed on the sofa, they never talked to me. Blaise is genderfluid but as we never talk, I never know their pronouns so I just use they/them/theirs and it isn't offensive. I was about to turn and leave but I heard a banging at the door and screaming from an unfamiliar person.

Sometimes the dead came and tried to come in but it was the most life-like scream I've heard since mother was caught trying to save me before Ashton got me out, but that makes it his fault she died. He could have saved her instead of me, but he didn't. He could probably have saved both of us if he wanted to, but he saved me. And now he treats me like a scab, I'm an itch that he can't scratch yet, and he's just waiting for the right time to scratch me off and flick me away.

Noelle came up from the basement with the ACR from the weapons room. "Don't stand in the open Kitty, you never know." And that's what I could call care. I shut the door to the living room and then shut myself behind the glass doors to the dining area and then Ash opened the front door.

A girl came running inside the second it was open, risky much? But there was a small crowd of roaming dead that entered behind, everyone would scream at me if I let the strange girl into the house so I held the door shut. I felt bad as she curled up against the glass with her hands over her ears, gunshots scare me too. 

When they roamers were all down, Noelle shut the door before they rose. (They still had some kind of healing nanites, no fair.) And then turned to the girl, I couldn't hear through the glass but when I reached a hand to the door handle Noelle shook her head vigorously so I drew back. 

I just leaned against the table and watched Noelle talk with the girl, gun still positioned as to shoot in defence. I was the worst person with fighting, even though Noelle and Ash tried their best. Maybe that's why he hates me, I'm a disappointment to him.

That thought stayed with me until the next day. I had seen Noelle and Ashton talking with the girl. Her name was Maybel Bailey, she was 15. It surprised me that someone that age had survived all this time, almost half a year on her own. 

We all left the next morning, Noelle had spent hours persuading Ashton to take me with them and eventually he gave in. We all went on a hunt for food around the city roads and it was oddly silent and empty. But the second we arrived at the shopping road it was buzzing, we had to take the rooftops. We all were laden with heavy gear for protection but Maybel had refused and scaled the wall like a monkey, faster than I could and I was the fastest climber in the group but not anymore.

I hadn't forgotten the thought of Ashton thinking I'm a useless disappointment. If Noelle was the only one who cared then she could deal with it. I turned 90 degrees to face the road, packed with dead people. Everyone was checking each other so nobody would notice.

Deep breath in, and deep breath out. I ran towards the edge of the building  and was just about to jump but someone had wrapped their arms around my waist and tugged me back onto the roof. "Just let me go Elle." By default I assumed it was Noelle who stopped me but then I realised it wasn't her.

"What the HELL were you thinking!?" Ashton.

*Eh, this was just off the top of my head so it might not make sense to anyone