A World Buried By Lies

08

Our first step onto the highway is a hell of an uncertain one.

We found an old hunting cabin on our way out of the woods. Loaded with goodies. We stocked up on everything from a pack of cards to a box of matches, and even two old ration bars.

We high-fived in excitement when we found those.

Now, my backpack, hastily packed with supplies we scavenged, feels heavy on my shoulders. The sun is a fiery orb in the sky, casting a relentless wave of heat upon us. It's a stark contrast to the cool, shaded wood we've left behind.

Ravi and I exchange glances, a silent understanding passing between us. There's no turning back now. The decision to embark on this journey to Alaska feels like a leap of faith into the unknown. And it's terrifying.

"So, which way?" I ask, my voice laced with skepticism. My trust in Ravi remains fragile, and I can't shake the feeling that he's hiding something from me.

He checks the compass we found, the needle wavering slightly before settling on a northern direction. "North," he says simply.

I raise an eyebrow, unimpressed by his choice of words. "I know it's north, Ravi. But how do we know we're heading in the right direction? How do we even know Alaska is our best option?" I feel bad for my cold tone, remembering the way we had joked around before the base.

Ravi's lips curve into a patient smile. "We don't. But it's a start. It's a chance at finding others who might help us make sense of all this."

"All this." I repeat the phrase with a bitter edge. The world has become a cruel and chaotic place, and my trust in anyone is hard-won.

We start walking, our footsteps echoing on the empty highway. I'm slower than I would be normally from a combination of my head and my lack of food, but Ravi calmly matches my pace. I can still see the guilt from his actions heavy in his eyes when he glances at my feet, slowly trudging down the faded yellow line.

The hours pass in silence, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. Ravi keeps his eyes on the compass, leading the way with a determined stride. I follow, my skepticism unabated. I glance at him occasionally. His eyelashes are so long. It gives him this terribly elegant beauty. I pull my eyes away hastily.

What are you thinking?

"Why did you really come back for me?" I ask suddenly, hoping to distract myself but also feeling unable to suppress the question any longer. "You could have continued alone."

Ravi slows his pace, casting a sidelong glance at me in hesitation. "...I told you." He says after a moment. "We're stronger together. Besides, I couldn't leave you like that, knocked out in the woods. You saw... them."

The infected.

I shake my head, unconvinced. "You had your reasons. I don't buy the 'we're stronger together' line. There's more to it. But Ravi, I promise you, there's nothing special about me, I won't be helpful to you."

He sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly. There's an another moment of hesitation. "...I know. But I've been alone a long time."

Me too.

"But—"
"Just—" He cuts me off rather sharply. "Some things are better left unsaid," he says, quickly returning to softer tone and smiling at me apologetically.

I can't help but feel frustrated. His secrecy gnaws at me, making it difficult to trust him completely. But I can't deny the sense of security that comes from having another person by my side.

We stop for a brief rest on the side of the highway, sitting in the shade of an overturned truck. Ravi opens his backpack and retrieves both ration bars. He offers one to me, and I shake my head. "What you doing? We can't eat both now!"
"It's been almost two days since either of ate. If we're going to do this, we need energy."
"I know that, but that's our only food!"
He smirks. "Don't worry, we'll find more. After all, you said you're a hunter."

I glare at him stubbornly, but despite myself, I take the bar and scarf the entire thing down, silencing my stomach slightly. I realize then it's been two days since I drank anything as well, and I suddenly feel it in my bones, a certain heavy weariness.

"Ravi... how do you get water?" I ask, genuine curiosity forming. Does he have a spile too?
He silently pulls a package of tiny white pills out of his pack to show me. "A scientist at the base made them. They remove first stage infect cells from water. Takes about twenty-four hours."
"Couldn't they remove the cells from people then??"
He smiles and shrugs. "No idea. I'm no scientist. They could've been working on it for all I know... before... Anyway, we'll have to find some water before we can use them."
"Actually..." I pull out my spile.
"What the..."

I lead him to a healthy looking tree and show him how to hammer the spile in properly. I step back, smiling proudly as the clear water begins to spill out.

"Nice." I mutter. "Sometimes it comes out black." I explain, turning to him.

He frowns, "and you still use the spile? After it touched infected water?"
I shrug, "I just wipe it off."
His frown remains.
"Hey, I'm not infected, am I? Anyway, we're wasting the water." I reach my fingers out towards the steady stream eagerly, but Ravi's hand shoots out and stops me. I turn, confused, and he holds up his white pills.
"But—"
"Nope. Not sure how you've made it this far drinking this water"—He gestures to the trickling drops—"but now that you're with me, we're doing it my way."

I roll my eyes.

Once we've filled our canteens and thrown his pills in,—I grumble about the twenty-four hour wait—we return to walking in silence and my thoughts drift to the past. I remember the days when my family celebrated my birthdays, when I had a mother who cared for me and an older sister who promised to protect me, and a goddamn doctor. Now, it's just Ravi and me, two survivors in a world that has forgotten kindness.

"What was your family like?" I finally ask, breaking the silence. It's a question that's been lingering in my mind, a curiosity born from my own longing for the ones I've lost.

"My father was a scientist at the base. My mother... she passed away during the outbreak."

I can sense the pain in his words, the weight of loss that we both carry. "What happened to your father?" I inquire gently.

"He didn't make it," Ravi says quietly, but calmly, as if he's resigned to the fact that his father is gone. "He was infected during the incident at the base. I watched him change, watched him become something... inhuman. There was nothing I could do."

I feel a pang of sympathy for him, a reminder that we're all survivors of tragedy in our own ways. I wonder if he had to pull the trigger on his own father, the way I had to... No. But his words only deepen my skepticism. There's something he's not telling me, something about the incident at the base that he's keeping hidden.

"Ravi," I begin, choosing my words carefully, "you said you were warned about coming to this base in Ohio. Who warned you?"

He hesitates, his gaze flickering away from mine. "Someone I used to know. Someone who had information about the bases."

"Someone you used to know." I repeat the words slowly, a growing suspicion taking root in my mind. "Who is this person, Ravi? What aren't you telling me?"

His expression is conflicted, torn between the desire to be honest and the fear of revealing too much. "Astra, I promise, when the time is right, I'll tell you everything. But for now, we need to focus on getting to Alaska. It's our best chance."

I can't deny the logic in his words, but the uncertainty lingers. Ravi's past, his secrets, and his true motivations remain shrouded in mystery. And in a world where trust is scarce, it's a mystery that gnaws at me with each step we take.