Life After Death

Chapter 6

Nathaniel didn't sleep a wink last night. I could only tell because the proximity in which we were sleeping meant every time he moved, he kicked me in the shin, waking me up in the process.

There was a backroom in the store we had found them in where we all decided to stay, it was small with no windows, but seemed perfect in terms of sleeping. Mainly because it conserved as much heat as there was.

Me and Jade seemed to sleep fine. Probably a weakness on both our parts. We seemed to trust each other enough to sleep just like that, in no time at all. Jace didn't sleep just like Nathaniel didn't, I didn't know from him kicking me, but I could feel his glare across the room every hour. Not that I could blame him- him and Nathaniel were the most sensible ones here. And when morning came, the sunlight beamed in from under the gap in the door, and the two boys began shuffling around more and more as they just wanted to get today over with. Neither of them seeming to be too thrilled about the trip planned.

In my defence, I asked him if he was fine with it, and we need some shit, otherwise winters going to hit hard and fast and were going to become frozen popsicles.

My last winter was hard but being alone helped. I knew what I needed, and I needed less of it. I did not have to share blankets with anyone, I could hide and tuck myself away into tiny spaces and conserve my own body heat without having to find room for anyone else. But it was also miserable shivering all alone, thinking back at how much I missed old life. Now I had someone to talk to and help keep from going back to that dark place, take my mind off of it.

"You said yesterday we weren't reapers?" I asked with a perplexed expression as we tied our boots back up, "What in God's name is a reaper?"

"They're a thug-like gang, they're pretty widespread around these areas with random groups of them 'claiming territory'. This side of the country wasn't nuked, and you could probably find at least one building they've claimed in each town if it was big enough."

"Claimed?"

"They mark a building with a scythe logo in spray paint. But they're brutal, you don't wanna be finding your selves in their company."

"Why?" Apparently, I was full of questions today.

"People like us are known as 'stragglers' or 'strangers', if they see us on the side of the road, they either make us swear allegiance to them or kill us. Two lovers run it, but I don't know their names. There is another group, they got given the name peacekeepers. Basically, take everything I just said and think of the opposite. They want to restore society instead of dictate what's left of it."

How the hell had I been around for so long and not know any of this, neither did Nathaniel judging by the look painted across his face, I mean I know we had no one to tell us, but I assumed these things are just picked up on.

"I wouldn't be too worried about it, they're a big group, but they don't go hunting for us. You two made it two years without being found, or even knowing about them," she tried to reassure.

This whole conversation filled me with question after question, but I felt I'd already asked too many to people I had known too little a time. Clearly, they weren't too bothered with it in their knowledge, so I didn't have to be.

We were just about ready to go, so I passed out rationed amounts of the toothpaste I had in my bag, and we all scrubbed that as hard as we could into our teeth. Jade had a hairbrush, so we took turns in using that, thankfully, I probably looked like something a bird would land on or mistake for prey.

Outside, it was still gloomy, but the rain had turned to drizzle, and the mist and fog had cleared up slightly better. At least, I could see further than a hundred metres in front of me now.