Badlands (Camren)

4. INSIGHTINMIND

Camila

"Run!" The girl yelled.

She was clad in a dark shirt and leather jacket, topped with motorcycle boots. The kind of clothes the brooding emo kids used to wear at Camila's school.

Camila was lost in the fact that there was another human besides her here to comprehend anything

She wasn't gonna die alone after all.

"Are you stupid?" The girl demanded, now gripping her wrist.

"I said run!" Her words seemed to finally sink in as Camila started to run along with her.

"Wait, my house is this way." Camila told her running left. A suspicious look flickered on the girl's face before she began running left.

"What are we running from again?"

"You don't wanna know, trust me."

Camila nodded and they continued to hurtle down the path until she found an alley way that led to her street. She could finally she her house a few metres away and she'd never felt so relieved.

"You live here?" The girl voiced in disbelief. Camila nodded.

"I do now."

"But don't they come here? At night?" Camila frowned in confusion.

"Who's they?" The girl's face dropped into a shocked stare.

"You don't know? You mean you've never seen...?"

"Seen what?"

"The Glitcheds."

"What the hell is that?" The girl's expression was getting more unsettling for Camila.

"You know the ones affected? The ones who caught the virus..." Camila's mind wandered as she tried to remember if she'd ever seen one of these glitched ones.

"... I think there's a flaw in their code so that's why they Glitched. What did you say your name was again?" The girl asked, ending her rambling.

"I didn't."

"Well I'm Lauren, you?"

"Camila. What do these Glitched people look like?"

"You've never seen one? Like ever?" She questioned. Camila shook her head.

"N-no I'm new here and-"

"- wait, what do you mean new?" Lauren asked slowly. Camila looked at her as if she'd grown two heads.

"I mean I just came here a week ago. I think."

"Where did you come from?" Lauren asked, slightly backing away.

"From my home, my- my old universe!" Camila exclaimed, irritated by the way Lauren was looking at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lauren demanded.

"I don't know! All I know is that I just woke up in a bed in a building a week ago and I was here!" Camila cried. Lauren's eyes widened.

"A week ago? You mean you just got injected?"

"What do you mean?"

"There was a virus that was going around, wiped out most of the population so the government injected everyone with Predictions and the people who aren't compatible to their Predictions Glitched."

"What do you mean by Predictions?" Camila asked, cutting off Lauren. Lauren shot her a small glare before explaining.

"Predictions of how their lives would be if they lived." Camila narrowed her eyes at Lauren.

"What do you mean if they lived?" Now Lauren looked uncomfortable.

"Did you die in your- universe?" Lauren countered. Camila shook her head.

"No I was at school, in the bathroom when the words error appeared on the mirror and I ran out and got sucked into the vacuum in the wall and woke up here."

"Someone cut off your dosage? That's impossible."

"Well that's what happened." Camila said stubbornly.

"It's not possible there's no one to cut off dosages anymore." Lauren told her.

"Why not?"

"Because they're all dead." Camila froze.

"D-dead?"

"Yeah everyone who was left after the virus was injected and the Predictions are an endless supply. The Glitcheds are the one's whose Predictions weren't compatible so they woke up and they would be the ones to cut off other people's dosage to prey on them."

"Wait, so these Predictions can take me back to my world?" Camila asked hopefully. Lauren's eyes softened and she offered Camila a sad smile.

"No I'm afraid not."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because your world doesn't exist."

Camila stared blankly at Lauren before scoffing.

"Of course it does. I just told you-"

"-I know what you told me. Those were your Predictions." Lauren told her calmly.

"They're not real?" Asked Camila.

"I'm sorry but no." Anger bubbled through her body.

"That's bullshit!" Camila snapped, turning away. Lauren didn't even flinch.

"It's the truth." Camila shook her head.

"You're a goddamn liar." Camila snarled before marching into her house and shutting herself in her room. She could hear Lauren's footsteps following her.

"I'm not lying." Lauren replied hotly.

"Yes you are! Get out of my house." Camila yelled. Lauren merely shook her head and held her ground.

"Check your ankle." She prompted. Camila narrowed her eyes at her.

How dare she-

"I said check your ankle Camila!" Lauren yelled this time. Camila flinched at her tone before yanking off her shoes.

She pulled up her trousers and for a second she didn't see anything until she saw a code.

A barcode to be more specific. Under it was a series of numbers. Hers had 91393.

"What the hell is that?" She asked Lauren, glaring at her ankle.

"It's your identification code."

"No." Camila mumbled. "No, no, no."

"This isn't real. This is that stupid Predictions." Camila insisted shaking her head.

"Camila listen-"

"Leave me alone. Please." The crack in her voice when Camila said please was enough for Lauren to leave her room.

Camila sunk into her bed, stilling in foetal position.

None of it had been real. Dinah, her friends, her school, her achievements, her family.

Camila choked on a sob as she realized that she had no one.

She truly was all alone.

---

A/n- happy badlands day!!! As I'm calling it. I'm doing okay now, I can't walk without limping though. I don't know if I ever will.  On another note, Lauren's here!!! In this chapter!!!! And an official permanent character!!!!

So to boost morale for this book, I've decided that people who leave the most comments (inline or otherwise) will get chapters dedicated to them.

And I'm going to have a contest here today. Camila's identification code isn't just some random numbers it represents something. The only hint: he's a famous singer. It could be anything numerically related so good luck. And the winner will get to have a character in the book!!!

- Tay x