The Day The World Ended | ONC 2024 LONGLISTER

12| bloodthirst

Simon wasn't sure if they should trust these people or not. The man, Chris, still looked wary of them and Simon thought he might be a danger in the future. And the young woman seemed overly happy to meet them, it set his nerves on edge. The other three didn't say anything and didn't look much of a threat but Simon knew better than to judge people by their looks especially now, when everyone had thrown whatever morals they had out of the window.

The place was bigger than they initially thought. There was even a bathroom even though the shower didn't work properly. Still, there was clean water, food, medicine and clean clothes. The ventilation wasn't bad but it was a little hot and stuffy in there. But that was far better than the living conditions above ground where people just ran around and fought for food. 

Chris had wanted to see the truck. And he wanted Simon to take him there, no one else. They didn't have any other choice than to agree. That's how Simon found himself weaving his way through the rubble towards where they hid their truck with an armed man next to him. All Simon had on him was a knife. 

He couldn't blame Chris for being suspicious of them. If someone randomly broke into their hiding place, he'd want to beat them up too. 

"How did you steal a truck without getting killed?" Chris asked.

"We didn't," Simon corrected. "It was Novah and Jordan. They already had it when we met them."

"So you knew that girl before?" Chris sidestepped a block of concrete.

"We were on the same subway—the two of us and Mellie. That's the blonde one." Simon wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt. "I just knew her for a day. Then she fell off a bridge when we saved Kaylin. Of course, we thought she died. Maybe she did. Even Novah doesn't know that."

Chris hummed thoughtfully. "What about the boy?"

"Jordan? He's Novah's friend. I didn't know him before."

"Do you trust them?"

Simon was so surprised by the question that he stopped walking momentarily. Only when Chris turned and raised an eyebrow at him he started following him again.

"Yes. I mean...I don't have any reason not to trust Novah and Novah seems to trust Jordan." Simon looked Chris in the eyes, daring him to question him. "So yes, I do trust them."

Chris tilted his head, eyes narrowed. Then he shrugged and continued walking. "I guess then I'll have to trust you."

Simon wondered why Chris seemed to dislike Novah and Jordan so much. Not dislike exactly—more like, he didn't trust them. Had he seen anything? Were other subjects here before them? Did they do something that made Chris so wary towards them?

Where were the other subjects anyway?

They reached the truck in a few seconds and Simon threw the doors in the back open. He gestured at Chris to get in and then followed him inside.

"You've got quite the stuff here." Chris whistled, looking at the weapons.

"Yeah, they will be useful if we are at war," Simon said. "But not now. We can't eat bombs, can we?"

"Technically, you can. It's just a matter of exploding and dying." Chris quipped.

Simon rolled his eyes in response but did not say anything. The truck was mostly filled with various types of guns and hand bombs. There was food maybe enough for a week for five people: soup cans, biscuits, bread and water. It wasn't much but it was better than those rations they handed out. Those food tasted like how cardboard would taste.

"You've got food in here?" Chris asked.

Simon nodded at the mini fridge in the corner. "Nothing much. But they taste like actual food rather than paper."

Chris hummed. "We've got food down there too. They have hidden quite the stock there. Some were starting to stale but thankfully we could get the fridges to start working again. The electricity gets cut off sometimes but so far it hasn't been a problem."

"So do you plan to stay down there forever?" Simon asked, sitting on a bench.

Chris who was still prodding at the guns, shrugged. "Maybe until we run out of food or the place falls on us. Or until the government finds us and kills us. Either way, it's better than living aboveground even though it sometimes gets too stuffy."

Simon could wholeheartedly agree with that. Aboveground, every waking second was a battle. He had forgotten how many times they had had to fight off people who tried to snatch their food or steal the cars they stole. Then there were also the cannibals who had turned to killing and eating anyone they met. That was what hunger did to humans. Hunger made people desperate, it made people angry. It forced people to do things they had never even considered doing. Children had become easy prey. They were easy to kill, whether it was the cannibals' doing or just to steal extra food and water. No one was safe anymore.

"I know you are wondering why I don't trust those two kids," Chris sat on the bench across from him, laying his rifle across his knees.

Simon blinked at him. "Well...Yeah. I don't see any particular reason why I should not trust them. So why? What did they do?"

"Not those two, obviously," Chris replied. "I just met them. But I saw the others on the TV. We have got a small one in that place. Doesn't work sometimes. Anyway, they don't seem quite right to me."

Simon raised an eyebrow at him. "Doesn't seem quite right? How so?"

Chris shrugged, staring at a spot on the wall. "I know it isn't their fault. They didn't ask to be the human version of lab rats, but...the way they kill without hesitation," Chris shook his head in a way that was a mix of disappointment and confusion. "It scares me. They are like killing machines. I don't know if you saw them or not; if they showed them on those giant screens. There were close-ups of fights and the look in their eyes is pure bloodthirst."

Simon thought for a moment. He remembered the look in Novah's eyes when she described how the soldiers had killed the other two subjects who were said to be captured. There was this hauntingly empty look that had made a chill run down his spine. And he couldn't forget how they took down an entire group of dozen or so soldiers. Just the two of them. With stolen guns. They fought with an efficiency and ferocity that a teenager should not have. 

He couldn't disagree with what Chris said but he didn't want to agree to that either. 

Suddenly, the walkie-talkie in Chris's pocket crackled to life. Simon jumped a little at the sudden sound and Chris dug in his pocket until he found it, Lilah's voice coming through it.

"You have to get back here. Now. Over."

Simon and Chris stood at once. "Why? What's going on? Over."

There was the sound of a TV in the background as Lilah spoke again. "They are showing live. They are in the area, in a helicopter. and they are coming this way."

Just then, Simon could hear the barely audible sound of rotating blades above them, getting closer and closer in every passing second. Simon felt dread weigh down his heart. Had they tracked them down or were they randomly patrolling? Then why would they be showing it on TV if that is the case? Were they coming for Novah and Jordan?

Chris pushed him towards the exit. "Get in the truck. Get in the driving seat. We are taking this with us."

Total word count 15,130