World Without Souls

Chapter 11: Kevin

I wake up on a scratchy couch, in a cabin made out of wood. At first, I'm confused until the events of the previous day flood into my head. Getting up, I notice I'm the first one awake. Peering around me, I take in the cabin. It's small and parshly furnished. On the far side, a small kitchen that is only big enough for one person at a time sits next to two doors. I currently sit in what must be a sitting room, with two couches, a coffee table and an old, black and white television. Trent lays on the couch across from me, snoring softly. Light pools in from a floor to ceiling window on my right, highlighting the eeriness of this place.
I walk over to the first door, opening it as silently as I can. Inside, I can just make out the figures of a double bed with Kara and Ivory spread out upon its neatly ironed sheets. For the first time in awhile, Ivory doesn't look like she's in pain.
The next door opens to a small bathroom, with a dirty looking shower and a toilet suited for a midget.
Returning back to the room, I notice how there's a fireplace beside the window. Knowing Ivory knows how to light a fire, I set out to get some fire wood.

The outside air is fresh and everything is covered in the sweetness of morning dew. I walk around collecting firewood as I hum a tune from one of my favourite musicals, Wicked. A hesitant tap on my shoulder sends me screaming as I whip out my wind weapon and point it to the attacker.
"FUCK!"
"I'm so sorry, I should of known better than to do something like that, especially since now people are being killed and..." He keeps apologising as I stare at him, shocked. I no longer hear him as I stare at him in wonder.
He has oak brown hair and emerald green eyes that seem to look deep into my soul, hinting at an unknown wiseness. He is tall and lean, with long lashes and full lips. His hair is a little scraggly from days running and neat eyebrows rest on his forehead. He's too beautiful, I don't understand how he exists.
"Who are you?" I ask, cutting him off. He pauses a second before answering.
"My name is Cole. And who might you be?" He replies, his voice echoing through my head.
"I'm Kevin. What are you doing out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing." His eyes glint playfully in the morning sun. My heart flutters as I point to the cabin.
"My friends and I are staying in there, would you like to join us?" I mentally facepalm myself. This isn't some afternoon after school where we're deciding who's house to go to; we're in the middle of an apocalypse.
"Sure." His eyes lower and stare at my weapon I'm still holding. His eyes show a flicker of recognition, gone so fast I'm not even sure if it was there to begin with. I slide it into my pocket as we head off towards the cabin. Inside, the others sit gathered on the couches, murmuring quietly.
When I enter they rush towards me in a fit of relief, stopping when they see who's beside me.
"Who's that?" Kara prods carefully.
"My name is Cole, and you are?" Cole asks politely.
"My names Ivory," Ivory replies, looking at him distrustfully. "and this is Trent and Kara. Why are you here?"
"Ivory!" Kara hisses. "Don't be so rude!" Ivory rolls her eyes and sits down.
"I found him in the woods." I tell them. "Or more like, he found me..." I grin at him shyly, and he smiles back. My heart beats even faster.
I look back up and meet eyes with Ivory. She raises her eyebrows, hinting at a smile.
"Alright then, Cole. Why don't you sit down and tell us what has led you to this moment?"
"I will, but first, do you have any food?" Cole murmurs. As if on que, his stomach grumbles in an asking to be fed. We all laugh, but because of tension, not humour.
Cole strolls over to the cabinets in the kitchen and opens it, showing stacks of cans that reach back far.
"Looks like someone was planning on staying here for a while." Coke says out loud, before grabbing a can of baked beans and opening it with a can opener he found in a drawer. He doesn't heat it up, he simply eats it out of the can like it's no big deal. The smell of baked beans wafts it's way through the cabin.

Everyone sits down on the couch and looks at him expectantly. After a few minutes, he sighs and puts down the can of baked beans and starts telling his tale.
"I lived in the city. It was the first place in Victoria to become overrun with Infected. When they came to my part, it was already too late. I had managed to steal some FA pills, but my parents weren't so lucky. I remember waking up and seeing them eating my little brother, no more than 2 years old... After that, I managed to escape, but I've been on the run for a while."
"How did you manage to get all the way down here?" Ivory asks, her voice level with a twinge of sympathy.
"I've done nothing more than run. At one point, I had a bike but I had to leave it behind after an...incident with an Infected." Cole looks around at all of us. "What about you guys? How did it happen for you?"
"We were in the middle of class when they attacked. Since then we've been on the run and have had...incidents with people along the way." I explain.
"Ivory got shot." Kara says shortly.
"How?" Cole asks worriedly. His concern makes me like him even more. He's worried about someone he's only just met..
"I ran into an old 'friend'." Ivory laughs coldly. Everyone looks at her, a bit concerned.
"I'm going to have a shower." Ivory declares, getting up with ease. I gasp in surprise.
"Is your leg better?" I question her. She points the wound in my direction. It's already starting to close up. Whatever that stuff was she put on her leg, it worked. Now she saunters over to the bathroom like she's in no pain at all.
"What are we going to do about our clothes?" Trent asks, finally speaking up. I look down at my clothes for the first time. I'm still in my school uniform, but now it's ripped up and dirty, with dry blood stains peppered all over it.
"We can raid a clothes store?" Kara suggests. "It's not like any Infected can harm us now." She pulls out her perfume bottle weapon, grinning with excitement.
"Aren't we already heading to Ivory's house?" I ask.
"Oh yeah." Kara puts the bottle away. "Why is that?"
"Her brother stayed home sick. She's desperate to see if he's okay." Trent tells us, emphasising desperate.

After awhile of waiting, Ivory finally steps out. Except, now what used to be waist length hair is gone. Instead, the left side is shaved off while the right side is cut shoulder length.
"Ivory, what did you do?" Kara exclaims.
"It got in the way. I always wanted this hairstyle anyways." Ivory answers passively.

After everyone has taken a shower, we sit around the fire Ivory lit. We sit in silence until we hear heavy footsteps approaching the cabin.
"Who is that?" Cole whispers. "Is that another one of your friends?"
"No, were all here..." Kara whispers back. Ivory tip toes to the window and looks outside.
"Shit."
A man with a gun stands outside. His hair is black with grey splotches, he is thickly built with hard eyes. He holds a huge rifle, pointing it at us.

"Get out of my cabin, you filthy thefts."