The Anomaly Affliction

Seventeen

When I awake, the truck doors are open, and sunlight almost blinds me. I slowly sit up, wincing in pain, and see that I'm alone in the truck except for the grey-haired man sitting opposite me. He's holding a small knife in his left hand and a sharp stone in his right, which is a slightly unnerving sight to wake up to. He looks at me and grins, flashing unhealthy teeth.

"You're finally awake," he says. I'd almost forgotten how hoarse his voice is. "Everyone's having breakfast outside."

He shoves the knife and the stone in his trouser pockets.

I want to ask for his name, or for answers to questions that I didn't get to ask last night, but he gets up and leaves the truck before I can. I stand up, stretch, and follow him.

I hop out the back of the truck and turn left to see the group sitting in a circle on the dusty floor, munching at pieces of what looks like bread. The bald man tosses a chunk of bread to the grey-haired man, who catches it and joins the circle.

"Violet, catch," says the bald man, holding up another chunk of bread. He throws it at me and I catch it. I then join the circle between the grey-haired man and Vic, who peers over at me briefly as I sit down. I start eating the bread. It tastes bland and feels stale, but it's better than nothing.

"How many are you gonna kill today?" Nova asks the bald man, who's sitting next to her.

He shrugs. "Depends how many there are."

"We're going hunting," the grey-haired man tells me between mouthfuls.

"Hunting what?" I ask.

"The only thing you can hunt out here," says Vic. "Sand foxes."

I frown. "Sand foxes?"

"They're quick little bastards," the grey-haired man chimes in. "Small, skinny. Not much meat on 'em, but they taste pretty good."

That must've been the creature I saw in the scrapyard yesterday. Am I actually going to kill one? Do I have the heart? I guess I don't have a choice.

"Do you know how to use a knife, Violet?" Vic asks me.

I hide my wrists from their view. "Yeah."

"Then you'll be fine."

"I'm just not used to it, I guess," I shrug. "I can't say I've ever killed before. Killing isn't really something people do in Nacoma."

Taking me by surprise, X bows his head and starts to laugh.

A laugh is meant to be a positive thing. When you hear someone laughing you're meant to feel happy or warm inside. But for X, this is not the case. I hear X's laugh and get shivers down my spine. I can't put my finger on why it's so unnerving. Maybe it's because he hasn't made a sound since I've been with him until now. Maybe it's because he's laughing at something I said. Maybe it's because he's laughing at me talking about killing.

Nova and the bald man look at him and chuckle, while the grey-haired man and Vic smirk. I wonder what's so funny.

When everyone has finished eating, we all get up and make our way to the front of the truck, where the driver and passenger seats are. The grey-haired man opens the door to reveal a pile of sharp implements, plus a large rock, on the driver's seat. I presume it's the rock that was used to smash the car window and wake me up last night. Before anyone can get near the pile, X reaches for the rock and holds it close to him like a child hugging a pillow.

"Yeah, that was X's doing last night," says the grey-haired man, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sure he's sorry."

Judging by the way X is looking at me, I doubt that, but it doesn't matter.