Quake

The Backpack

I kept walking, just wandering aimlessly. I picked up small items for entertainment along the way, but I didn't see any more signs of life. There weren't even any insects or birds, and that's what scared me the most. I decided to go to a store, but not a huge one like Walmart. Who knows what creeps are over there waiting for kids like me? I decided to go to Dollar General, since no one goes there, even on normal days. I decided to hide my backpack under my jacket. Satisfied that it was well hidden, I set off to the store. Now I looked like a regular old hunchback, not a kid with supplies and weaponry.
---
When I got to the store, I was surprised to hear voices coming from inside the pile of bricks and wood. I couldn't hear exactly what they said, but their voices sounded familiar...
"We have to do something about this. If we find the survivors, maybe we could rebuild."
"But how would we find them? Even if we did, wouldn't they be hostile?"
"Can't you just trust people? Not everyone is as bad as you think."
"I know... I just don't think we should risk our lives like that. Who knows what could happen!"
"So you want us to just be like everyone else?"
"I think that would be safest!"
"Calm down! Why don't we just not kill people unless they try to hurt us?"
"So they can kill us first? 'Cause that's exactly what's going to happen!"
"Fine! You do it your way, and I'll do it mine."
"Fine."
I heard them walking in my direction. I didn't know what to do, so I ran.
"Hey! Who-" I heard one of them chasing me, so I kept running. I felt something hit my backpack, but I kept going. Right after that, I heard a gunshot, so I started swerving as I ran, and eventually everything went quiet behind me. I turned my head and I didn't see them, so I began to slow down. I just kept walking until I got too tired. I saw a halfway still standing building, so I decided to camp out there. I looked at my backpack and saw a knife hilt sticking out of it. "That must be what they threw at me!" I thought. I looked at the backpack again, and saw a bullet-sized hole. "They tried to shoot me! This backpack saved my life, though. Twice." I looked at my gun, and realized it was my gun that had gone off, not theirs. I put the safety on the gun and put it back in my bag. "Only once then" I thought. So now I had two knives, three bottles of water, six snack packs, one gun with 9 bullets in it plus 3 sets of ammo, matches, a first aid kit, a flash light, a lighter, a sleeping bag, and a few little trinkets. That's... good... I guess? I don't exactly have a baseline, but this should last me a bit.
---
I woke up to the sound of gunfire. I looked outside the building, and saw some kids shooting at the rubble. As far as I could tell, there was nothing over there, so I assumed it was target practice. That was until I heard a bird screech and saw it fly away.
"Ffff- fumpernickle!" It was the people from yesterday.
"Quit worrying about a stupid bird! We have to find the girl from yesterday! She obviously had something on her back, and I'll bet it was a bag full of supplies! You're going to scare her away, or give her a chance to ambush us. Think before you do stuff!"
"Because your so high and mighty? 'Oh, look at me, I'm miss perfect and I never make any mistakes! I get to boss everyone around because I'm better than them!"
"You know that's not what I meant."
"Whatever. Just be quiet."
"Fine." I heard them start walking again, and they walked to the 'entrance' of the building, which was really just a gaping hole in the side of it. I shrunk back into a corner and hoped the shadows would conceal me. I closed my eyes until I was barely squinting, so they wouldn't see the whites of my eyes.
"There's nothing here. We should go." Why did the voices sound so familiar?
"You never know what you might find. You search that half and I'll search this one. If you find anything, yell for me." I racked my brain for who those voices belonged to. I knew they weren't anyone in my family, or any of my best close friends, but the way they fought and the way they treated each other...
"Kealy and Emily" I accidentally said under my breath.
"Who said that?" One of them yelled. They began to creep in my direction, and I shrank down as small as I could. They must've seen me move, because the immediately yelled out "Kealy!" and drew their gun. I heard a bullet hit the wall above my head, so I bolted for the way I came in. Emily began running after me and she continued shooting. I felt one bullet hit the back of my shoe and another graze my ear. I kept running, feeling light and airy. Then it hit me, my backpack was still in the corner. I continued running, out my entrance and around the building to where they came in. I heard them a couple dozen feet behind me, so I slipped into the building and slid into the corner where my backpack is. Was. It's not here. I heard them come in the entrance, and I didn't know what to do.
"I have a gun!" I yelled. "And I will use it."
"No, you don't. All of your stuff is in this backpack. I know you need these bandages. If you cooperate with us, you can have your stuff back and we will let you go. If you don't, then I will be forced to use my real gun. Understand?"
"Yes, I do. But I also understand you have terrible aim and you won't get much done. So, here's what's gonna happen. You are going to either give me that pack and leave, or I will just run away. If you try to shoot me, you won't get what you want, which is obviously the knowledge of where I got that food and water. You decide. 5 seconds." I heard the shot before the bullet burned my neck. I pretended like it had hit me fatally and I fell to the ground, limp. They began to walk towards me.
"Wow, my aim is terrible. I was aiming for her head, but whatever gets the job done." I heard Emily say.
"Wait, doesn't she look familiar?" Kealy said.
"Is that-"
They paused to think about who I was, and it gave me all the time I needed to put my plan into action.