We Were Forgotten {ON HOLD}

Be Thankful

~Alex~

The five of us sat around the fire I made, trying to warm ourselves up from the cool air of the warehouse. I was still pretty mad at Carter for attacking that boy like that, but he did have a point. I did the exact same thing when those guys were messing around with him. I overreacted, and I jumped to conclusions. I'm willing to admit that.

I was also willing to admit that I was screwed over by that boy. I never...I couldn't believe how I actually let him get away with talking to me like that. And I even laughed about it. It was shameful. Never again, I told myself. Don't even look at him, don't even let him get to you again.

That's why I didn't do anything when he said he enjoyed touching me. I just left it alone. Because I know his type. They twist everything around to where instead of yelling at them, you start kissing them. Disgusting.

"So..." the blonde lady said. "Where is everyone from?"

I just looked at her. She was pregnant; I saw the tiny bump in her midsection. The other boy, the brown skinned one, shifted uncomfortably in his spot. "Well," the lady said. "My accent is probably a give away, but I'm from Cambridge."

"Oh really?" asked the smaller, black haired boy. "Yeah that's cool. I was born here, so I guess I'm pretty boring when it comes to that. But my friend, Carmen..." He smiled and started blushing. "She's from Honduras I think."

The other boy looked up at him and asked, "You have a crush on her. Don't you?"

He shrugged. "I guess so. I mean yeah. I do." He squirmed in his spot and laughed a little bit. "She's like...I don't know. She's just Carmen."

"Did she get taken?" Asked Carter. I wanted to slap him, for saying something like that while this boy was all happy. It was insenseitive.

His face turned from really giddy and happy, to sad and depressed. "I don't know. We were with our friends when the light things came. We actualy all kept quiet, but then someone sneezed, or coughed, or something. I don't know but that gave us away, and the dammed thing came in the room we were in. It wouldn't leave.

"So I was thinking that I could distract the thing long enough for her to get away and save herself. So I...I told her that I loved her, and dashed out of the room. I don't know what happed after that. I just remember her screaming 'We have to wait for him! We can't leave him!'" He sighed and pulled his knees to his chest. "I miss her a lot. Like I can't call her, because she's grounded and her parents took her phone. I tried everybody else she was with, but it all just went to voicemail.

"I want to go looking for her in the morning, though. I have no idea where to start, but I know I'm gonna find her. I have to."

Later that night, mostly everybody was asleep. Cambridge was in that office, while Carter slept next to me, resting his head on his bookbag and his arms around my back. I had verbally forgiven him, and also resolved to curl up under his huge arms. I tried going to sleep, but the cold hard floor made it impossible for me to find any place that was comfortable.

On the other side however, Carter was sleeping soundly and snoring quietly. Poor nÏave Carter, I thought. He wasn't taking this thing seriously, and he wasn't trying to prepare himself for the worst.

People like him, the ones who had it pretty good, wouldn't be. Not saying that I had a rough life, I was just kinda normal, with normal teen girl problems. It's just that...well I've accepted the fact that the possiblity of us dying tomorrow was a lot higher than it was yesterday.

I just sighed and burried my face further in his chest. His heart was beating at a steady pace, a lot calmer and more peaceful than it was this morning at school. Did I ever thank him for saving me? Was my hatred for him a lot stronger than thanking him for saving my life? It was just two words. Thank. You.

"Hey how did you know I had a crush on Carmen?" I heard. It was that flirty boy.

"I saw it on your face," said the other boy. "When you said her name. I saw it. It was just wrtten on your face. And I have two fifteen year old brothers. I know the look on boys faces when they talk about their crush."

"Huh.That's interesting. My name's Craig by the way," said Flirty.

"Tyler. But all my friends call...used to call me Ty." I heard their hands clasp together and they shook.

It was silent for a while, and I assumed that they went to sleep. But then Craig asked Ty a question. His voice was kinda hushed, so I didn't hear what he asked, only Ty's answer. "Um you don't have to whisper or anything. Everybody's sleeping. But yeah. All of them."

"Oh wow. Sorry about that. I only saw one of my friends go. But you..."

"Yeah. I mean at least you tried to do something to help your friends."

"What do you mean?" He paused, then laughed. "Oh you mean how I ran out like that?"

"Yeah. I didn't do anything but sit there looking scared."

"But I mean, at least you didn't have a girlfriend or something." There was another long silence. Then, "Oh shit you did? Wow sorry man."

"She was just right there. In my arms and everything. And...I don't even know. Next thing I know, she was gone. Everybody was gone." His voice started cracking, and he was struggling to keep himself together. "And it's my fault my brothers are gone. My mom and my step-dad are gone too."

"Jeez."

"Yeah." There was another long silence, and all I could think was, This guy has lost everything. Litterally everything there is to loose. And I've been complaining about being with Carter. "But my baby sister," Ty said with a little bit of hope in his voice. "They said she ran out of her daycare center looking for me."

"So then there's a chance she's still alive, right?"

"She's three years old. If there's a chance, it's very, very slim."

"But it's still a chance. You should look for her tomorrow. I mean, she is your kid sister and all."

Ty sighed. "I know. Yeah. And you said that you were going out for your girl tomorrow morning?" Pause. "Could you maybe look for her too? Her name's Sierra and this is what she looks like." I wished I could've turned my head to see the picture of his baby sister, but there were two thng preventing me from doing that: one, they thought I was sleeping; two, they were on leaning on the back wall while Carter and I were on the east side of the warehouse.

"She's cute," Craig commented. "I mean like in a three year old way not in a way that I would like date her or...something...nevermind yeah I'll keep an eye out for her. But if I do see her, what would I do?"

"Take care of her. I know once you leave, we probably won't ever see each other again. So if that happens, I just want you to keep her safe."

"Yeah. Sure man. And if you see Carmen could you promise the samething?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. Oh and sorry about your friends and family."

That's right. He'd lost everything. Everything. When he came, he had nothing. Not even his worst enemy, or just anybody that he knew. I couldn't imagine that. Walking around the end of the world with out a single soul that knew who you were, or who even only knew of you.

At least I had Carter. I can't belive how stupid I was for yelling at him. He was my only security to my life before this. The only thing pretty much keeping me from going completely savage on the world and everything in my way. But of what really? Living?

I was going to die anyway. Right about now I was just fighting off death for as long as possible. That's basically what we're doing with our lives. With all of the work and "accomplishments" we're still fighting off death, trying to fight the fear of running out of time. And now I was spending these hours, these days, months, years, however long it would take for this thing to end. I was spending them with Carter, and I should be thankful, not hateful.

I looked at his peaceful face and brought my body closer to his. Thankful. Not hateful. I kissed his cheek, whispered a thank you, and closed my eyes, letting the weight of the depression in the warehouse woo me to sleep.