We All Fall Down

|07

     After walking alone, with no supplies, for what I estimate to be another twenty minutes, I stop and realize that I desperately need water and food.

      I see a bush with berries over to my left, and I run over to it. The berries are dark blue; blueberries. I lean over and pick some berries off of the bush.

      As I am leaning back up I drop the berries into the middle of the bush. "Dang it," I say and reach my hand to pick them up.

      My hand goes over something soft and smooth. I lean over and push the bush apart to see the body of a redheaded girl.

      I stare at the body for a minute before turning away and continuing to pick berries, not bothering to pick up the ones that I dropped onto the body.

      "Aria," a shaky voice says from behind me.

      I turn around and see Marcus standing there, his face red and tear stained. "What happened?" I say and look around for Sarah.

      "She got burned," he says and more tears pour from his face.

      I stand there, not saying anything, refusing to believe that Sarah was dead.

      "We found a couple of other people and we were looking for food. I left them for a little while to use the bathroom. When I got back they were dead in a ring of fire, their bodies were all burned."

      "Oh my god," I say and hug him, unsure of how to make him feel better.

      "The fire never stopped burning too, and it started spreading so I ran," he says and hugs me back.

      He drops to his knees, now hugging my legs. In the distance I see the fire coming towards us, moving fast.

      "Marcus we need to move, now," I say and help him up.

      He looks over to the fire and his sadness turns into anger. "That fire killed my sister, that fire is going to kill all of us."

      "Come on, let's go," I say and grab his wrist as we start to run, the fire right behind us.

      "Wait," he says and stops running, causing me to stumble back words. "Why can't we just let it kill us, we wouldn't have to be test subjects anymore. No more pain, no more suffering, no more loss," he says.

      "Are you kidding me? We survived this long; we can't just give up and die. If we survive this then I will get us out, no matter what it takes. I promise, but we need to go now," I say to him, angry that he would give up so easily.

      He doesn't respond and doesn't move, instead he just sits there as the fire inches its way closer.

      I grab his arm and drag him along as I run. "Come on, move your feet faster!" I scream at him.

      He is still crying as I drag him, and is so reluctant to move that it is as if he has lost his will to live, that once his sister died his whole life was over, but it isn't, and I was going to prove that to him.

     "Fine, if you want to die then go ahead, but I'm not going to die with you, and I'm not going to watch," I say to him and let go of his arm, starting to run.

      "Wait," he says and runs up beside me. "I'm sorry, but she was the only friend that I ever had, and now she's gone."

      "Yea, I know how you feel," I say to him and think back to Sophia's body. "We can mourn over them later but for now we can't stop, the fire is about to catch up to us," I say and turn back to see that the fire is now about three feet away.

      We continue to run, faster and faster until my legs are burning so bad that I need to stop. "St-stop," I say, panting as I do. "I need a break," I say as I bend down and rest my hands on my knees.

      "Me too," Marcus says and looks at me, "Do you know who's body you found earlier?" he asks me.

      "No," I say, still panting, "Wait, I never said anything about the girl's body," I say suspiciously. "How did you know about it?"

      "Um," he says and then looks at me. "Because I'm the one who killed her."