Beside the Dying Fire

Kai's POV

After the 4 of us reached the lobby, Sarah and I bid farewell to Savannah and Cameron. As they walked one way, we walked the opposite. We looked around. The city was in ruins, it was awful. Then again, Phoenix wasn't much of a tourist attraction before the walkers. Most of the buildings on the block had an "X" spray painted in white. After places like Vegas, we realized that that meant that the place had been looted.

Diamondback Stadium was in the distance.

"Let's check there," Sarah suggested. "It's a big place and their might be things worth grabbing."

"Okay, twin," I nudged her with my elbow.

She rolled her eyes at me, which happened quite frequently.

"Listen, Kai," she told me in a serious manner, which really caught my attention. "The world isn't just making jokes and having fun. Not anymore, at least. This is an apocalypse. There is a huge chance that none of us will live to see our adult years, maybe we'll even die right here. Just promise me one thing. When I die, don't let that bring you down. You are a survivor, so that's what you have to do when I'm gone: Survive."

I said nothing in response to this deep thought that just came out of oblivion.

We walked into the stadium through the gift shop. The 2 of us shoved candy bars into our pockets, for we were saving the room in our backpacks for larger items. We stumbled upon the main area. Tents were all over the floor, signs that people had stayed here.

"This must have been like a safe house in the very beginning, offering sanctuary to those who came," I pointed out.

Dried blood covered parts of the floor where tents weren't constructed.

"All this blood, there must have been a massacre here," Sarah observed. "I'm sure that's what drove these people out."

The loud sound of a piece of metal hitting the concrete floor echoed throughout the area.

"Dammit!" a voice followed the metal in it's echo.

Sarah took the rifle off of her back and I unholstered my pistol. We slowly maneuvered around the sleeping bags and coolers, past the stands and booths that once sold diabetic foods. We heard fast paced footsteps growing softer. That person was running away. Sarah broke into a sprint and I closely followed her tail. A door slamming at last second caught our eyes. We approached the door. It read 'Maintenance Closet: Staff Only'".

"Why don't you come on out, we aren't here to hurt you," Sarah bargained. "We just looking for some food for our community. If you oblige, you may join."

There was a pause before the door slowly creaked open. A skinny Indian boy stood with a sharpened piece of copper pipe in his hands.

"You said you wouldn't hurt me," he said, "but you still have your guns out."

Sarah flipped hers onto her back and I holstered mine, but kept my hand near the handle if I would ever need it.

"I'm Yaaseen," he said.

"I'm Sarah and this is Kai," Sarah introduced us.

"I take it you aren't with the bandits."

"Bandits?" I asked.

"They find you. Then they take everything that you own. Then they kill you. It's pretty simple," Yaaseen explained. He pulled white pouches out of his sweatshirt pocket. "You said you needed food? I have seed packets, right here. Just get me out of this city."

"You have a deal," Sarah smiled as she snatched the packets and tossed them into her backpack.

Groaning echoed down the halls.