Chapter One

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Before New Ham, Harry and Amelia didn't notice each other. Harry was the popular rich guy and Amelia was the new girl that sat alone at lunch. She'd lived in West Ham for a couple of years but hadn't formed any relationships as she skipped a lot of school in her final year.

She ended up spending a lot of time with her parents, who happened to be obsessed with camping and hunting. At the time she didn't realise how lucky she was that her parents taught her to survive.

No one could have predicted what happened to the students at West Ham high school when they got on those buses and how they would react to it.

The misplaced excitement for the trip had turned into extreme disappointment when the buses turned back. That disappointment then transformed into panic once the students realised that everyone else in town had disappeared.

Amelia lived on the edge of town, so she didn't notice at first. But when she got home and found that her parents were gone, she suspected that something was wrong. She called them; they didn't answer. Her parents would never leave town without her and if they had to, they would at least leave a note or something.

Before Amelia could figure any of it out herself, a meeting was called in the town square. After a lot of debating the students agreed upon the explanation that everyone must have been evacuated because of the horrific smell that had infected the town. No one was convinced that this was the truth, but everyone quickly put their suspicions aside when Clark discovered that the church was unlocked.

It didn't take long for the party to start. Amelia's decision not to go was easy. She never went to parties, so she certainly wasn't going to now. She needed to find her parents. She tried to see if there was anything news on the internet about the evacuation, but she couldn't access it. All connections outside the town seemed to be cut off. This prompted her to get on her bike and cycle to the next town over, hoping that someone could tell her what happened.

However, she was stopped by a thick forest. The trees seemed familiar, but they grew where they shouldn't have. Amelia's body was stricken with shock. Her usual steady breathing turned into sharp breaths as she frantically cycled to the other side of town. She was met by the same forest. She followed the tree line around and found that they were surrounded.

This wasn't right. There was no escape. The feeling of despair overwhelmed her. She wanted to scream, but she just sat in silence. Processing.

I should tell someone, she thought as she cycled back through town. The party in the church was still going on. She was going to stop, but her legs kept peddling. She had to go home. She discarded her bike in the front yard and ran into the house. She went straight to her room, and like she had done a thousand times before, climbed into her bed, fully clothed. She just laid there thinking about her parents. About how they said that the trip would be good for her, that she should spend more time with others. I should've followed my gut and stayed home.

Amelia woke up late the next morning to find that everyone else had come to the revelation that she had. They were completely screwed. This is when her instincts kicked in for the first time; she rushed around her house gathering all the camping supplies they had and hiding them in her parents' closet. She knew that people would panic and start hoarding supplies; they would start with the supermarkets, and then raid the independent food stores. Amelia thought more long term and got in her truck and headed to the hardware store, where she picked up tools and seeds. Everything that you would need for growing your food. She told herself that short-term she could live off what was left in her house and those surrounding it. She also stopped by the gas station and filled so canisters full of fuel. Not for her truck, but in case the electricity went down, and she needed to run a generator.

Finally, she thought, all that time in class daydreaming about the end of the world scenarios is being put to good use. She got to work straight away preparing her backyard to grow food. She ignored what everyone else was doing but did notice a message that was sent out informing people of a 'town meeting'.

The meeting started with tension and Cassandra, class president, suggested that they should all share resources. Some very vocal voices disagreed. First Harry, arguing that everyone should keep the stuff that they had. It was clear that there was some tension between Harry and Cassandra. The tension was cut by Campbell firing a gun in the church. The act of violence forced people to choose sides; those who wanted to share versus those who wanted to keep property separate.

Earlier that day it was decided that a small group was to be sent out to see what was beyond the forest. They were expected to be gone for a day or two, but they ended up returning by the evening meeting. One of the girls had died from a snake bite, causing the meeting to end abruptly and on a sorrowful note.

The emotions of the town simmered down after the funeral, and everyone settled into a new normal. It didn't take long for people to get bored. Harry Bingham decided to hold a game of Fugitive. But somehow Fugitive was the least chaotic event of the evening. A large storm caused the power to go out and people went to the hardware store to get flashlights, but it turned into a full-on riot. Amelia happened to be walking past as people started smashing windows. It reached a boiling point when someone set a car on fire. Amelia looked around, looking for someone to step up and stop the nonsense. No one did.

The next day Cassandra called a meeting for the girls of the town to discuss the boys' behaviour. Most of the people rioting were boys. It was decided that they needed a more organised way of living: a work-rota and communal housing were put in place.

Amelia thought that the work rota was a good idea, but the communal housing seemed unnecessary. But she supposed she was lucky as she got assigned Harry's house, which was essentially a mansion. Although its size didn't matter as a dozen people were moving in. Amelia hated sharing a room with people she did not know. She needed her own space.

Harry wasn't pleased with the situation either, but Amelia didn't feel all that sorry for him - to her he seemed like a selfish, rich asshole. It didn't take long for Harry's house to turn into a pigsty. Amelia tried to tidy up, but she was fighting a losing battle. Harry would occasionally bump into her at breakfast, but they both took little notice of each other. She knew that he was upset with the situation, but she didn't realise how upset he was until prom.

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