The Final Survivors

2.

I quickly got back to my room and took a quick shower considering I had been running around all night, and I changed into another pair of clothes that I found on my bed. It was almost like they knew when I changed so they could placed out new clothes for me. I had been feeling like I was being watched but everyone I've talked to here has said I'm safe so I shook the feeling off. I just had so many questions for Adrian but Grace said to go easy on her. Whatever that meant. I just had to figure out how to sneak up to the roof. It was almost 11:15 so I had to be quick or I would get caught by the guards again and get in even more trouble; even though I was the new kid I knew they wouldn't go easy on me.

I peered through the crack in my door to make sure the guards that were usually on my floor were gone. Once I was sure the coast was clear, I darted through the doorway and made a mad dash for the stairs. I hadn't seen any elevators while I had been here and I wasn't going to waste time looking for one. I didn't even know how many floors were in this building so this could take a while. I wonder when Adrian got to the roof and how long she had been waiting.

Suddenly I heard muffled voices above me and as they got closer I found a crevice in the wall where I could hide while they passed. I held my breath as they got nearer and when I was sure they were gone I kept climbing the awful stairs. I reached the top door, which conveniently said roof, and took a glance through the small crack that was showing the bright moon.

I quietly opened the door but if Adrian heard me she didn't turn her head. She was leaning up against a fence with barbed wire at the top just watching the stars, a beer in one hand and her other hand clenched around a small hand gun. She was in new clothes from earlier yet she still managed to get some dirt on them somehow, and her hair was dripping wet probably from a shower she had just taken, like me. I was scared I won't lie. I had just met this girl earlier that day; I didn't know what she was capable of.

"Hey" I said so quietly I didn't think she had heard me until she slightly turned her head. "Sit" was all that she said. So I joined her up against the fence and she handed me a beer of my own. I cracked it open but didn't drink it just yet. I wanted to remember what she was going to say. As if sensing my uneasiness she dryly said "its water, we reuse all the bottles we can find around here." I slowly took a sip and sure enough it was water just like she had promised.

"I'm going to start from the beginning and then you can ask me questions, okay Jax?" I only nodded in response.

"My names Adrian and everybody calls me Aid for short. It was a nickname I didn't necessarily want but it stuck anyways. When I was 8 my parents had my brother, Zephyr, everybody calls him Zeph for short. As you've probably guessed I'm 18 and Zeph is 8. My parents left us a year after Zeph was born which left me in charge. I had to grow up. I didn't know where my parents went or what I was going to do. A year later Zeph was 2 and I was 9. I had a feeling something was going to go wrong that day but I had no idea what. I was walking outside with Zeph when this thing just came out of nowhere and tackled me. Before my parents left, my dad had taught me some self-defense so I used what I had learned to get away. I took one look at it and knew it was something bad. It had these menacing black eyes and it reminded me of something from a zombie movie. It had these razor sharp claws and it could just slash things up like these was no tomorrow. It was incredibly fast too and I didn't think I could outrun it but somehow I did. I threw Zeph on my back and ran as fast as my little legs could carry me back to our run down house. I knew my dad had hidden guns somewhere so I searched for them and found them. I packed up everything I could, threw Zeph on my back again, and we were off. We had to find a safe place. I found this run down hotel that had a warehouse attached to it and started fixing it up. Every time one of those creatures came toward me or Zeph I would shoot it. I wouldn't let it get near him. For 28 days those things kept coming until I killed the last one. I named them Slashers because of their claws. I thought it was over with. I thought it was done. I could not be more wrong. That year I finished fixing up the building to make it safe. The next year they came again. It was weird because they came the same day at the same time but this time there were more. Pretty soon, Grace was knocking on my door trying to get in and for some reason I trusted her. She came in and helped me kill off those wretched Slashers. That same year, sometime after Grace came, a bunch of people showed up. They were willing to help fight off those Slashers as long as they got a place to stay. I, of course, agreed and they stayed true to their word. The next year when the Slashers came back they were ready to fight. I gave them my knowledge on self-defense and they gave me knowledge on food, repairing items, and so much more. I had built up an empire. A place to save us all. We had a good functioning system. Kids didn't know what was happening and adults got to protect them. They get 3 square meals a day and once the kids are 18 they learn to fight. Zeph knows bits and pieces but not everything. He knows that mom and dad left. He knows that something bad is happening in the world. He knows that I don't get enough sleep. He knows that I'm always stressed. And he knows that I love him and I would always put him before myself; I would give up my own life before I let him die."

"This whole thing has to have something to do with my parents leaving. The day they left I knew something was wrong. I mean my dad told me there were guns and he told me to be on the lookout. He taught me self-defense. I knew everything I could have known. It was the same day at the same time every year that these Slashers came. My parents have to be the ones who invented them or at least helping the government with this. Each year there are more and more Slashers that appear. Once we kill them all we get out and restock everything. Get more food, water, ammunition, and anything else we think we're going to need for next time. I only know of one safe place and that's the government center. I've seen people come out and be surrounded by the Slashers but they don't get touched. It's like once they get to the center their invincible. It's about 12 miles away; it's the brightly lit building way out there but nobody can get there. I've sent people out there. I've killed people trying to get them out there. Everything I've tried has failed. Nothing works Jax, nothing works. I have to get Zeph out of this wretched state. He needs to be safe. I'll give up my own life if it means that he can get out of here, if it means he can survive but I don't know what to do anymore."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, probably lost in our own thoughts. I finally found my voice and looked towards Adrian.

"I'll help you" I said suddenly. "I need Jason to be safe too. Since my mother died, he's the only one I have left. I have to make sure nothing happens to him, for my mom."

She didn't look too surprised that I had offered, almost like it had happened before.

"Look, I understand you want to help for your brothers' sake, but I've been here a long time and every year the Slashers get meaner and faster and scarier. You have to be on your feet. You need to take classes before we make a run for it. I can't let another person die because they weren't prepared and, no offense but I can't let my brother die because you aren't prepared."

At least she was telling the truth right? I mean she was right after all. I did need classes. I had shot a gun before but I didn't know much self-defense. I had to do this for my brother and for Zeph. Even though I had only known Adrian for a day, I trusted her and her judgement. I was going to do anything I could to get her, Zeph, and my brother out of here.

"I know I can do it just please let me help" I all but pleaded. She let out a long sigh and finally turned towards me for the first time that night. I could tell that she was tired and that she didn't smile often. She had little to no laugh lines and she just looked like she wanted all of this to be over and I didn't blame her. I had only been here for a day and I was already ready to get out of here to somewhere much safer.

"Fine, but you need some serious training" she said quietly, almost like she had hoped I wouldn't hear her. I just nodded in response and we went back to looking out over the run down city, me with a small smile on my face and her with her dull lifeless eyes and frowning face.

"So what's the front line?" And just like that she was back to chattering away but I started to tune her out because all I could possibly think about was how I was going to get Jason out of here and to safety, and if I helped save her along the way, then so be it.

Howdy yall! (It's a Texas thing haha.) Again, thanks so much for reading this far if you have. I can't believe I'm actually writing this thing and I can't believe I've gotten this far. If you have any corrections for me then leave a comment! All the love.

What did you not like about this chapter?

Do you think Jason and Zeph are gonna become fast friends?

How do you think training is gonna go?

-S.N.