Dystopia

April 3rd | T W O

April 3rd | T W O

ALYSSA

      A SHARP PAIN shot through my ankles as my feet hit the ground, knees buckling and sending me back on my bottom. I winced at the ache, but chose to ignore it and focus on more pressing matters.

      I glanced through the window to the kitchen. Trying to sneak in for nonperishables would probably be a horrible idea. Mom could come back downstairs any moment now, and I'd had enough trouble getting away the first time. I pushed myself off the ground, feet throbbing despite how hard I tried to ignore the ache. Stopping wasn't an option, no matter what. A car would be great if I'd learned how to drive, or had Mom's car keys, but I would probably still have a better chance at talking Monster Mom into letting me drive the car than Healthy Mom.

      I pushed forward and rushed as quickly as I could down toward the sidewalk. Chaos ensued around me, people running in and out of houses or speeding in their cars down the streets, struggling to make it to safety. A part of me feared somebody might swerve and hit me, but I had to keep moving.

      My neighbor's front door burst open as Sam stumbled out, car keys in hand. He pressed a button that lit up the lights on the mint colored vehicle and ran to the driver's side door, head lifting for brown eyes to lock with blue ones. He blinked. "What the hell are you waiting for, Alyssa? Get in!"

      I nodded quickly and did as instructed, settling into the cold leather seats and buckling up. It wasn't until the engine started and we were on the road that I let out a the heavy breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "That was horrifying."

      "You're telling me," he muttered, wide eyes shifting back and forth over the road. There was a pause before, "I just knocked my little sister out."

      I turned to him with a start. "What? Sam, she's six!"

      He shot me a sharp glare and I shut my mouth. Sam loved his sister. If he hurt her in any way, it would have been for an outstandingly good reason. "I didn't have a choice. When I came home, she—she was eating my step mom. Like, intestines hanging out of her mouth and everything."

      I shuddered as a chill ran down my spine. Imagining cute little Sarah covered in blood and human body parts was traumatizing to imagine, much less to actually witness. "She was eating her?"

He nodded. "Her eyes were red and she was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog. I mean, I know I didn't like the woman all that much, but I didn't want her dead." His face dropped and his knuckles turned white as his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Sarah came after me next. It took everything in me to leave her there, but I didn't know what else to do. I managed to lock the back and front doors before I left, so she shouldn't be able to go anywhere where anybody could hurt her. At least she'll have—she'll have food for a while."

      I opened my mouth to respond—to say anything that could help ease his pain, but nothing came out. I didn't know how to help because nothing could help me, either. I'd left my mom, completely defenseless and hurting, and broke our number one rule: stick together. I'd just up an abandoned her for my own selfish needs.

      I shook the thought away. Dwelling on it would only make me want to go back more than I already do, and that was dangerous. She would've wanted me to get away. To stay safe.

      Sam jerked the wheel to avoiding hitting a speeding car and the seatbelt tightened around my chest. I coughed and tugged at the band until Sam released the brakes and the belt unlocked, then sent a cautious sidelong glance at my best friend. "What are they?"