Paranoia

10

I stayed up all night packing, and helping the town prepare for the move. The sickness was only growing, and by 5 a.m. that morning, only ten people remained. 

Miss Violet.

Mr. Baker.

Tyler. 

Jenny.

Justin. 

Doctor Erin. 

Madison. 

Liam. 

Nolan. 

And me, Tessa. 

Out of thirty people, only ten were left. 

The people who were in Quarantine were deemed healthy by Doctor Erin, and were released. 

I met up with Tyler at my house, and he helped me finish packing up my things. Nolan, Mr. Baker, and Justin worked on fueling up two cars to drive in. 

"What was Quarantine like?" I ask, as I finish packing some things in boxes. 

"Boring. I missed having you around." Tyler says, turning to focus his attention on sealing a box. 

"Really?" 

"No." 

Tyler lets out a laugh. 

"Haha, you are so funny. Glad to know you you came back to sense of humor." 

"Did you get make a joke?" Tyler laughs again. His laugh sounded pure and innocent. Also glad to know there were still pure people in the world. 

"I don't know, did you?" I tease back. The only reason why we were kidding around so much was because we trying to make our situation more light-hearted, despite how dark and gloomy it actually was. 

Nolan walks in, his hands covered in oil. "Guys, it's time to go." Nolan says seriously. 

Tyler and I share a look. I nod. "Can I have a couple of seconds?" I ask. 

Nolan nods, "Hurry up, though. Just until we get the rest of these supplies loaded."

I stood in the living room, my dog and cat laying on the couch. I walk over to them, scratching their heads. My cat purred, my dog wagged her tail. 

I whisper, "I'm sorry." I kiss them both on the head. My dog jumped into my arms and began licking my face. 

I set her back on the couch, and begin walking around my house. I didn't want to leave. I have lived here all of my life. Never once did I thought I would have to leave. Especially like this. 

I walked into my old room. My walls were painted a faded pink. My bed pushed up against the wall. My dreamcatcher hanging over my bed. 

I let out a sigh. I lay down on my bed, talking in its sweet scent one last time. 

"Tessa!" I hear Tyler calling for me downstairs. 

"I'm coming." I get out of my bed. As I walk out of my room, I close the door, locking it tightly. If anyone were to find this neighborhood, I didn't want them to find my room. I didn't want them to know what twelve year old girl used to live within this room. The twelve year old girl who used to have nightmares of growing older. A twelve year old girl who used to keep journals of her life. A twelve year old girl who would lock herself in her room and cry herself to sleep when her mom died. 

It was MY room. 

Not whoever else would just show up here. 

I rushed down the stairs. Tyler waited in the kitchen for me, his eyes starting to water. 

This was not easy on any of us.

I grab Tyler, hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry about your mom." I say softly. 

"Don't worry about it." He lets go of me. 

I nod. "We should go." 

Tyler nods, and we exit the house. 

The remaining eight stood outside, mingling. Hugging, crying, packing. 

"Alright, we are driving five in each car. In my car, Jenny, Madison, Tessa, and Tyler. In Mr. Baker's car, Nolan, Doctor Erin, Miss Violet, and Liam." Justin says to the remainder of us. We all looked tired, and no one protests. 

We climb into the cars, Justin and Jenny in the front. Madison and Mason sitting on either side of me. 

Justin starts the car up. We all sit in silence. We pull up to the man made fence the blocked our exit. Blocked off what was left of the world. Nolan pulled the gate open. The world was open to us. 

"I haven't been out there in three years." I whisper to Tyler. 

"None of us have. Well, besides the group of three that traveled to get supplies." Tyler says. 

Justin pulls outside of the gate. The world looked way different then what I remembered. Everything was grown up, and a pale green instead of a vibrant green that I remembered it as. Plants seemed to grow, while the humans were only dying away. 

Jenny gripped her map in her hand. She was in charge of leading us to the city. To the CDC. 

I looked around at some of the houses as we drove past. Some were burnt down, others with red X's on the doors. The world looked dead. Very dead. 

Then again, it was dead. Four out of the five people in the world died. The ten of us that remains were the one fifth left. 

Madison kept her head down. She's always told me that she doesn't remember much before the sickness happened, but I think she just chooses not to remember. Her friends all died. Most of our friends had, all but each other. 

"I'm tired." Madison mumbles, rubbing her tired eyes. 

"Then sleep. You can lay on my shoulder if you need to." I say to her. 

She nods, leaning on me, and closing her eyes. 

After a few minutes, Tyler speaks up. 

"You're a good person, you know that?" Tyler says to me, very softly. 

I smile, leaning my head on his shoulder. "It takes one to know one." I close my eyes, feeling tired myself.

Madison laying on me, me laying on Tyler, and Tyler laying on the car window, we all slowly fall asleep. We had a very long drive ahead of us, and I wanted to have a much energy as possible. 

The soft snores from Tyler, and the hum of the car driving steadily down the road, and the soft murmurs from Justin and Jenny were all it took to put me right to sleep.