When The World Ends

Never Alone

Ethan closed his eyes and lay his head on Maya's shoulder. He knew first hand how hard it was to lose someone you loved. In his family, there was only him left. A tear streaked down his cheek as he tried not to remember the day. He wiped it aside, looking around in case anyone noticed.
He locked eyes with Zander for a split second and felt his heart thumping in his chest.
Too scared to move, he stood there staring as Zander, turning red, tried to hurriedly hide the blade. He was too late. Maya caught on as Ethan let go, and as soon as she saw him, she leapt between Abiona and Sage, tackling him to the ground. The knife went flying as he fell into the mud, Maya holding him down as she called for someone to retrieve the knife.
Zander struggled against her, but could not move. Then, he finally broke.
"Fine." He paused a second as the group stared at him. "I'm sorry."
"You're sorry?"
"Yeah." He gave an embarrassed smile and stared back at her. "Now help me up."
She pulled him to his feet and took his mud-stained coat.
"I'm keeping this, by the way." She glared as Sage handed her the knife.
Zander groaned, but didn't protest.

Half an hour later, the group had left the beach huts. They found nothing. Sage in the lead, they wandered on through to the forest. Zander dragged his feet and he walked solemnly at the back, Maya a few paces in front, looking back every few seconds to check that Zander wasn't trying anything. Abiona walked alongside Ethan, chatting about life outside the asylum.
"So, where did you live?" Abiona asked. "Is it like the asylum? Only nicer?"
"Sometimes. People don't have much money nowadays. You would have to be rich to have a good life. There are places called apartment blocks. It's long corridors with doors on either side that go up in different floors."
"Where else could you live?"
"There are houses, but not many in the city. That's just one building all to yourself, with a kitchen and living room."
"Why would someone need so much room?"
"Because they're rich. Only the richest people would have houses. Government officials, Celebrities-"
"I'm sorry?"
"Oh, they're actors or singers or Tv stars and stuff like that. The really popular ones become celebrities."
"Right."
Zander dragged his feet along the ground. He followed the group at five meters behind and glared as he listened to Maya go on and I'm. "When will you get this stupid idea out of your head?"
"What could I possibly have done with that knife?"
Maya didn't answer.
She had already confiscated two pocket knives, one of which she gave to Abiona, and a small screwdriver.
"There's a clearing up ahead," Sage called out, jogging back through the trees. "We'll stop there for the night. It's about half a mile north." He panted. Maya glanced up at Abiona. "Were you going to say something?"
Her face turned red. "No... No it's fine."

***

T

hey arrived at the clearing with the sun glaring through the trees, low in the sky.
"Hey Abi! You're with me." Maya called, breaking her from her daydream. The tents consisted of two small rooms, Maya scoffed as Sage told her to keep the supplies in the second, insulated room rather than the first and smaller one.
"We have to put it there in case we're attacked. This county is still in danger." Sage told them. Ethan was trying to start a fire outside his tent, while Zander took a nap somewhere in the forest.
Maya searched through the bags for cans of soup and Abiona helped look for firewood.

***

Sage stood guard while the others slept. His brother still hadn't returned and he was starting to get worried. He watched the tent sway slightly by the trees as he stood in the middle of the small clearing, knife in hand. It was nearing midnight and his back was starting to ache. At that moment, he heard something. Behind the tent.
He held his knife up uncertainly. "Zander?" He called out. Nothing. He couldn't hear a single thing anymore, but Zander had been gone for hours. It had to be him.
He looked back uncertainly. "Zander?" A figure emerged from the tent and took off on all fours.

Before Sage could react, he was pushed aside as Zander raced after the creature. The boy grabbed a rock mid-sprint and hurled it at the animal as Sage charged after them.

Zander launched himself at the animal and held it by the throat as he hammered at its skull, its eyes bulging as it swung its claws, tearing through Zander's skin. Sage stood motionless as he watched the event, as Zander reached his hand back towards him, he silently put the blade in his hand.

He had to turn away as his brother hacked away at the creature with the blunt knife, until it finally stopped struggling and lay there on the forest floor, motionless. Blood trickling from his chest, he stood and turned away. "What're you staring at?" He growled as he pushed past and sauntered back to the tents.

"Zander... you-" Sage pointed at Zander's torn and blood-stained shirt. The wounds were deep and covered in mud.

"I've been worse." The boy responded with a smirk.

***

"You idiot, you absolute idiot." Maya muttered as she wrapped bandages around the wounds. Zander had passed out shortly after he arrived back at the clearing, and still hadn't woken two hours later.

"M'kay the match finally lit." Abiona called out.

"What? Why would we need a-"

"Just move." Abiona crept closer as she held the match to his hand. Wasting no time, she closed his hand around the flame and stepped back as he shot up, screaming.

"What the hell, Beckett!" He yelled, shaking his tortured hand.

"I saw this teenager at the asylum do that eight years ago. He said he often pretends to have passed out," Abiona whispered to Maya as she stood silently beside her.

"Good thinking." She narrowed her eyes. "Okay," She called out, "I'll stay out the rest of the night. Zander, you rest; but in the second room of your tent. Everyone else- bed."

Maya started to scrape together her medical supplies, while Sage and Ethan followed Zander into their tent. Abiona unzipped the tent door, then crept around the side as she did it back up. When Maya made her way towards the boys' tent to hand back the first aid kit, Abiona took off into the forest, blade in hand. She ducked a branch as she sprinted further past the trees and skidded to a halt when a breath of smoke arose from the clearing.

"I knew it." She muttered.