THE PASSAGE (Book two of two)

Chapter 1: Olivia.

Here before the group, stood the tall building we had been trekking for miles to get to- crawling with Poppers in every nook and cranny. I turned my head to where I saw Loranna peeking her head out from under her scarf, and suddenly felt a wave of dread. There she stood, as she cracked a simple grin. "It's about time," she muttered.

My eyes shone with disbelief at the thought of what we were all about to do. "Do you really expect to take out every last one of these things?!" I whisper-shouted, hoping not to drag any attention of the Poppers. The Poppers were attracted by sound and smell, but we were a safe distance away, so I think we'd be good for now.

I looked around to everyone, to see if anyone would side with me, but they all seemed like they had their minds set. "Great, I'm with a bunch of lunatics looking to run into a suicide mission," I muttered under my breath. "Yeah, pretty much." Samantha replied back, glancing over to me with a sad look on her face. "Well, if you really think of it that way, then why don't you go ahead and take charge and be the bait for us, Olivia?" Devin said, his voice a low growl. I froze, looking around to anyone who might attempt to stand up for me. Everyone shot me the same glare- a look of displeasure and hatred. "Go on," Alyssa prodded at me with her gun, forcing me to stumble forward. "H-hey now, don't you think this is a bit harsh...?" I whirled around, beads of sweat trickling down my face. Nobody answered.

I panted, panic taking over my body like a quick-spreading illness. "God, you're all crazy!" I screamed. "God, keep it down!" Loranna shouted at me, grabbing me by the throat. I gasped, her nails digging into my tainted flesh. "L-Loranna...!" I grunted, trying to claw at her- but remembering that my hands were bound. She dragged me closer and closer to the pit of Poppers up ahead, which made me panic even more. I began to fight back, struggling. I thought about taking her head-on, but doing that would result in me getting fed to Poppers as a nice early breakfast meal.

"We can work something out, p-please!" I begged, sobbing at this point. I never thought I'd stoop this low to be begging to someone like her, but my life depended on it. Then, the thought came into my mind that maybe living wasn't really the best option right now. I didn't really like it before all this happened, so maybe leaving the world now wouldn't be such a bad thing afterall.

"Go on, do it. I know you wouldn't dare to." I provoked her, sneering at her under layers of grime and sweat. "You don't have the balls to do it," I said, panting as she dragged me closer and closer. She stopped in her tracks, looking down at me. "You're right. Maybe I don't, but I know someone who does. Someone who hates you much more than I do." She grunted, throwing me down into the cracked sand and Texas soil. "Yo, Samantha!" Loranna yelled, beckoning her over. "Fuck," I muttered under my breath, shutting my eyes. I knew how much she hated me, and I knew she just might do this since she really did lose all her trust in me.

"Go ahead, I've got nothing to lose." I found myself tearing up, and my voice cracked as I spoke. I never thought it would hurt this much to die at the hands of a loved one.

My secret would die, unspoken of along with the rest of me, never to be admitted to anyone. I was suddenly okay with this fact, and I was ready to accept my death. "Just do it, throw me in with the rest of them and let me get devoured." I laughed quietly, telling myself it'd all be over soon. I looked up at Samantha, tears ridden in my eyes. "Come on," I choked.

Samantha continued to just stand there and glare at me, sighing short handedly afterwards. "Come on, get up. You're going to help us fight whether you like it or not. Sorry you can't die today, really is a shame." She knelt down, her black hair sticking to her cheeks and forehead. It had become a lot longer and a lot more greasy than when this all started- obviously since there were no showers available. I never really got to study Samantha up close anymore- it felt nice that I was able to do this peacefully.