YIS APOCALYPSE

Divide and Conquer

***Azaan and Keshini***

1.Fourth night.

2.Extreme hunger.

3.Ravishing thirst. 

4.Killing paranoia. 

And that was only the beginning of the mental list Azaan was creating to summarize the events happening around him. It wasn't normal for him to create metal lists like this. It wasn't normal for him to organize his life in general.  It reminded him of Hudaifa, always thinking ahead and planning. Always being ready. She used to create a schedule to study for semester exams three weeks before the exam. It was kinda sad to see such beautiful time being wasted on studying. If it were Azaan, he would most definitely use his time more wisely. Azaan left his thoughts to caress through the corners of his minds that he had never been to.  He looked behind himself as keshini shuddered, and then shriveled in closer muttering something.   

"What Keshini?" Azaan whispered trying to see if she would reply. 

"... it's - all Azaan's fault..." She muttered in response.  

"What is?" He asked suddenly gaining interest.

"It's his fault..."

"What is his fault?"

"The cows-..." Her response died out.

"The cows?" He asked back now completely engaged in the amusement he sensed by asking Keshini things in her sleep. "What about the cows?"

"Cows fart methane..." A laugh escaped from. What the hell went on in her mind? It never made sense. Azaan enjoyed the moment of laughter by propping himself so he could properly see Keshini over the soft carpet of the mosque. 

"What else is his fault?" He inquired further. 

"The killings...-" Her voice died out as she picked up her finger then dropped it back onto the floor.

"What... killings..?" Azaan asked nervously. 

"Mi-..." Her voice died out again. 

"Who?" She didn't reply and continued to throw her her hand over her head, trying to find a comfortable position.  "Who?" He asked louder, his voice slightly echoing. Azaan's stomach grumbled unruly increasing the funny feeling of the emergence of guilt. Something had caused that guilt and now it worried him. Keshini's response had brought in the possibility of him being responsible for the killing of his friend Mike. Could he be responsible? Could he, not taking the option of helping his friend out, be the reason of his best friend's death? Azaan had replayed his friend's gruesome death and scream in his mind constantly thinking about how he couldn't have changed the situation around. Azaan thought of a legitimate reason he could give to the ghost of his dead friend to explain why he wasn't able to save him, but the only thought that seemed to come up was the fact that it was all his fault. It was all Azaan's fault. It should have been Azaan in Mike's place, it should have...    

***Hudaifa and Grace***  

Hudaifa scavenged through the drawers of the middle school English teacher's desk. Staplers, papers, sticky notes, writing utensils, filled the drawer. But no food. No. Freakin. Food. She needed food desperately. Hunger had carved into her stomach making her feel weaker than ever, even after the long afternoon nap she had taken in the corner of the room as Grace had stayed up. She closed the desk drawer in anger accidentally hitting the large gauze around her forearm. Pain ripped through her arm as she clenched her teeth from screaming. Even braces had never hurt this much. Hudaifa took a seat in teachers office chair. The only source of comfort at the moment. She busied herself by twirling the telephone cord around his finger.