Paranoia

11

My eyes fluttered open, light seeped into my vision. I felt Madison shift on my shoulder.

"Where are we?" I ask, leaning to sit up.

"About a half hour away from Atlanta." Justin says softly.

I sit up and peer out the window, my eyes still adjusting to the light. The sky was covered with soft clouds, and no piece of blue sky was visible. Abandoned cars, some with bodies inside, littered the roads, as well as some trash and papers.

It looked like something off of a horror movie.

I used to read stories and watch movies about the future. Some good, some bad. I just never actually thought that the future in those books could become my reality. And so soon.

I sigh, feeling Madison slowly stirring, and waking up.

I sit up fully now, my head no longer resting on Tyler's shoulder.

"I'm hungry." Madison says softly.

I sit up, and pull out my backpack. I grabbed an apple that I had picked off of the trees before I left, and handed it to her.

Madison takes the apple, and wipes it on her shirt. She then takes a huge bite out of the apple, it's crispy skin making a satisfying crunch as she bites down.

"What's the plan?" I ask. I knew a general idea of what we would be doing, but I didn't know the details.

"We are going into the CDC to try to look for anything that we can use to try and help us from getting sick. Maybe even learn some information about what this sickness is. And maybe find a place to go." Jenny says softly as she looks out the window.

I glance out the window again. It was sad to see the rotting corpses of people. Some sat in their cars. Some sprawled out on the road and grass. These people had their lives ahead of them. They had a chance to do things in the world.

But then this happened.

And this is their fate.

As I look outside, we drive past a group of bodies. They were lined up in a row. I counted five people total.

But they weren't rotting.

And they didn't die like the others did.

Their skin was a pale green. A sickly green.

They had a hole in their head.

Birds gathered at their bodies and pecked at their skin.

I gasp and cover Madison's eyes.

"They were executed." Tyler mumbles.

"But why? Who would do something like that?"  I ask out loud, trying to keep my cool.

"Gangs, most likely." Justin says.

"Do you think they could still be around somewhere?" Jenny asks.

"Maybe. But the body's look like they've been dead for a week or so." Tyler speaks quickly.

Madison whimpers beside me. "Are we past them yet?"

I nod. "Yes. It's safe." I stroke her curly dark hair.

Madison sits upright again.

We drive in silence for a while, until the outline of a deserted Atlanta comes into our sights.

"I remember I used to come and visit my aunt who lived here." Tyler says softly.

"Just in case, go ahead and put on your face masks." Justin says.