I'm Just A Kid

Chapter 18: Becoming Death

I woke up late the next morning.

At first, I didn't realise anything was wrong. The sunlight was already filtering through the fabric of the tent, much brighter than it should have been if I'd woken up at my usual time. My entire body felt heavy, as though I hadn't slept at all, and for a few peaceful seconds, I simply lay there, trying to convince myself that I could go back to sleep.

Then I noticed the noise outside.

There was shouting.

Not the usual shouting either. It was panicked and confused, with voices overlapping one another until I couldn't make out exactly what anyone was saying. A cold feeling immediately settled in my stomach. I carefully pushed myself upright, rubbing my eyes with my good hand while my broken arm ached beneath its support.

Something was wrong.

I could feel it before I even left the tent.

Carefully climbing to my feet, I made my way towards the entrance. My arm protested with every movement, but I barely noticed. The shouting outside had grown louder, and my heart was already beginning to pound as I pushed aside the fabric and stepped into the camp.

Then I saw Harper.

"Harper!"

My voice caught in my throat.

She was standing only a short distance away from our tent, completely still, and for a moment, my mind refused to understand what I was looking at. A thin trail of blood ran from her nose and across her mouth, while more had been smeared against her cheek where she had obviously tried to wipe it away.

My stomach dropped.

"Oh my God."

I hurried towards her, panic rising so quickly that I could barely think.

"Harper!"

She looked at me, and my fear only grew. Her face was pale. Far too pale. There was something strange in her expression too, something frightened and uncertain that I had never seen there before.

"Emmy, don't."

I stopped immediately.

"What?"

"Don't come near me."

My heart began pounding harder.

"What do you mean, don't come near you?"

"Just don't."

She took a small step backwards when I tried to move closer, and somehow, that frightened me more than the blood. Harper never told me to stay away from her. If anything, she was usually the one following me around and making sure I wasn't doing something stupid.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice becoming higher with panic. "Are you hurt? Did someone do this to you?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know."

I looked desperately around the camp. People were rushing towards the dropship, while others stood in small groups with terrified expressions on their faces. Nobody seemed to understand what was happening, but everyone knew that something was wrong.

Really wrong.

"I'm getting Clarke."

"Emmy, wait."

But I was already moving.

Well, running as quickly as I could with one broken arm.

I pushed through the people gathered outside the dropship and pulled back the sheets covering the entrance. The second I stepped inside, the smell hit me. It was sharp and metallic, mixed with the unmistakable smell of sickness, and my stomach immediately twisted.