You can see yourself. You are standing in front of a mirror, one that is oddly tall, taller than you. Not that yours is a difficult height to surpass, if you're being honest. You slowly raise your chin, and scan the reflection before you as your eyes travel up the glass.
When you make eye contact with the mirrored version of yourself, a bright white light blinds you, and a white hot pain strikes your forehead like a lightning bolt. You clamp your eye lids closed and allow your hands to fly to your head, cradling it with shaking fingers. Your fingers tangle in your messy locks and pull, somehow, trying to reach the source of the pain, and end it. Or at least ease it.
The ground quivers beneath you and your eyes fly open, only to find the white light, has not ceased. You hysterically look everywhere, finding the same thing. Nothing.
You stumble over yourself when the ground shakes you again, struggling to regain your balance. The pain doesn't stop, ease up, or even pause for a millisecond. But it doesn't get worse, so you fight off the stinging in your eyes from unshed tears and scream.
Your throat burns with the resounding scream, but as soon as the piercing sound could be heard, everything stopped. The pain. The temporary blindness. Everything.
You focus on what's around you. The mirror is to your right now, shattered and splintered on the ground. Surrounding you is rubble, from the cement room that was previously standing around you. The only pure thing in the room is in front of you.
It's in the shape of a boy. Tall and skinny. You make eye contact.
|
You open your eyes, slowly and at your own pace. Which is how waking up should be, someone forgot to put that in the; 'Humane Policies & Guidelines For The Impending Zombie Apocalypse'.
"Oh, here comes Sleeping Beauty." Murphy chirps, sarcastically, as you sit up.
You roll your eyes. "Bite me, Princess." You slide over to the back door of the truck and hop out, including yourself in the 'daily group circle'.
Murphy shrugs and relaxes his stance, but before he can even blink, 10k has stepped in front of him, hiding you from his view. Your breath is momentarily caught in your throat and you wait for someone to act first.
"Don't even think about it, Package." 10k sneers, taking a testing step closer to the sicker version of Papa Smurf.
You don't have to see Murphy's face, to be able to imagine the murderous glare that is planted on it. You feel your chest tighten with an unwelcome anxiety, as the two men continue their silent stare down.
"Listen here-"
"MURPHY." Addy snaps, interrupting the impending argument.
"Here. Now." Warren orders, snapping her fingers beside her.
Murphy grumbles something (assumingly) colourful under his breath and shuffles away from 10k. You sigh in relief, now that there is distance between the boy and that aspiring monster.
You reach the short distance to 10k's arm and tug it backwards, lightly, pulling him towards you and out of the center of the circle. You are also secure in the fact; if Murphy tries to do anything to Ten, you will be able to act quicker and end his sad little life.
You let your hand slide from 10k's elbow, down his arm and brush his fingers. You focus on Warren, listening to her plan, or at least trying to.
You've been very confused about things, ever since you met this group. Ever since you met Ten Thousand actually, considering that came first. 'Things' being everything; life, humanity, sanity, even love.
