After The End

Gone

"This is it." I thought.

My mind was running ramped with the fresh memory of my parent's gruesome death. I was going to die, just like my parents. The dead killed them, tore them apart and I couldn't stop it. My mother scream was still fresh in my mind. I was curled in a ball in the warm blood of my parents. A clap of thunder startled me shooting more fear in to me.

Through the thunders rumbling I could hear footsteps approaching. The dead killed my parents now they were going to kill me. I squeezed my eye closed and waited for the pain to start. The ripping, biting, and excruciating pain. But it never came. I opened my eyes to meet bright, burning blue eyes.

His eyes studied me sympathetically, he snapped back into reality calling to someone.

"There is some girl over here!"

I flinched at the loudness of his voice. Panic gripped me as I feared who was around the corner. Another man emerged.

"Auden, get over here now!" A man approached from the corner, his build was large, he was very muscular.

"She needs our help, we can't leave her!" He got closer, but I flinched away from him terrified.

I lifted my head up slightly to access the situation, my hair was matted to my face from the blood.

The larger, older guy's harsh eyes softened when he saw me. He slowly approached me, seeing the fear in my eyes. I hated this feeling of weakness.

"What's your name?" The older guy gruffly asked.

"Emerson." I squeaked answering him. My throat was so parched from the dehydration.

"Emerson, right? How old are you?" The man named Auden with the bright, blue eyes answered me.

"Seventeen." I barely croaked, I couldn't do more than one word answers.

The two men looked similar in age. Maybe mid-twenties. The both looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

The less intimidating blue eyed man bent down on one knee, his eyes slightly panicked as he realized the danger of just standing here.

"Emerson, we have a camp that is safe. We think you could do good there. Do you want to join us? Would you.." Auden was cut off by the larger, more muscular man.

"Emerson, we will keep you safe, if you let us." He stood a good four inches over Auden raindrops were soaking his shirt.

I nodded unable to answer. The exhaustion and malnutrition made holding on to consciousness hard. The grief was washing over me again. As a sign of agreement I offered my bloodied hand to the larger man who I had yet to learn his name.

He pulled me and led me to Auden who supported my weight. My legs were weak and bruised and I was covered head to toe in blood.

Auden lead me to a truck bed full of supplies and he picked me up placing me in the truck bed as if I weighed nothing. Auden climbed in behind me supporting my head. I could hear growling approaching us.

I heard the door of the truck slam shut and the engine rumbled to life. The rugged terrain caused the ride to bumpy almost to the point of pain. Finally, after what seemed like forever the road smoothed out.

Auden was studying me intently when he reached in the back. He pulled his hand back revealing a water bottle. He offered it to me and I graciously accepted it chugging the liquid. My parched throat, soothed.

"Slowly now." He quietly whispered, reprimanding me.

After what seemed like forever I saw a large metal fence passing by and we finally came to a stop. I heard the truck door slam.

"You two had me worried sick, Barrett." An unfamiliar woman's voice called from the front of the truck.

"Sorry mom! Little bro and I had to make a pit stop." Barrett said opening the back of the truck revealing me. A little bloody girl.

They're brothers?

"Oh god! The poor girl!" The maternal woman with blue eyes looked over me.

Barrett and Auden helped me out of the truck. Revealing the largest expansion of a once neighborhood surrounded by large steel walls.

"Welcome to the Compound." Auden whispered in my ear.

The chapters will get longer! I wrote this story in seventh grade and I'm slightly changing it! Please be kind as it's not edited. Constructive criticism only please! What team are you? #Barson or #Emerden