The Anomaly Affliction

Thirteen

The first thing I hear when I wake up is the sound of small footsteps.

I rub my eyes, blink a few times and peer out the car window to see a four-legged creature about half a metre high and the length of my shoulder span. It has thin fur the colour of sand, a long, thin face, and a bushy tail. Its ears are large and pointed upwards, its body is scrawny, and its four paws are almost black. The creature is simply scurrying along as if it patrols the scrapyard. I've never seen anything like it before. It seems to resemble a fox, but this isn't like any fox I've seen in Nacoma. It makes its way past the car I'm in, not seeing me inside, and continues on its way. After a few moments, the creature has turned a corner and disappeared behind a stack of cars.

After a brief moment of curiosity, I remember that I'm out in the middle of nowhere, all alone, with no idea about what to do.

As I get out the car, I'm confronted by a wave of pain in my abdomen. I'd forgotten about that. My hand flies to my ribs and I grit my teeth, leaning forwards. I can't stand up straight without feeling serious pain. Push through it, my brain says, just push through it. With all my might, I force myself to stand up straight, biting the inside of my mouth so I don't cry out. When will this pain end? Soon, I hope.

I look up at the sky. The sun is pretty much directly above me - it must be about midday. How long did I sleep for? Aside from one cloud, the sky is completely clear.

I look around me. I'm surrounded by scrapped cars. Parked ones, colourful ones, big ones, small ones, piles of them...everywhere I look, there are cars. I can't even remember which direction Nacoma is in from here.

Nacoma. That's what I need to be thinking about. Do I want to go back there? Or, I suppose, do I want to go back there today? I know I need to go back at some point - I have to see Lake again. There's no way in hell that I'm abandoning her. But when? Are the guards still looking for me? Will I be stunned? Vaccinated? Killed? I have no idea what would happen to me if I went back today. But Lake is probably worried sick. She said she'd be "waiting for" me after my vaccines...she probably has no idea that I decided to fuck everything up and run away. As for my parents, I know they're not worried about me. They can't be. I wonder what it's like to have a missing child when you're unable to worry about them.

My thoughts are racing at the speed of light, but the question still remains: what do I do?

Well, why should I go back to Nacoma today? I need to see Lake. Nacoma is my home. I may not survive out here. I know I can get back there in one day because I did it yesterday.

Why shouldn't I go back to Nacoma today? I have no idea what will happen when I get there. Maybe nothing. Or maybe the guards are still looking for me, and when I arrive they'll pacify me and force me to get vaccinated, or maybe even kill me. I don't know. Maybe they'll take me to MisMap...I am an anomaly, after all. All I know is that it would be dangerous to be in Nacoma today.

Too dangerous.

I need to stay out of Nacoma for now. I need to stay here. But what do I do for the day? Think, Violet, think. You're out in the middle of nowhere, and you're all alone. What are the basic things you need to do to survive? Eat and drink. Food and water. Get some food and water.

I need to eat something.

My first thought is that strange little creature scurrying past the car I was sleeping in. Although it wasn't much, it had meat on it. Could I do it? Do I actually have the strength to kill an animal by myself and eat it? Probably not. Besides, I don't have any kind of sharp implement to use. And the poor thing is probably gone now. That leaves me with nothing but the cans of shredded meat that I found last night.