Divided We Stand, United We Fall

Chapter 24

Freedom.

Freedom had never tasted so sweet! As they ran out of the hospital, they felt a rush of relief wash over them. They thought that they were going to die in there. Lauren was so happy. She kissed Noah, again and again. He was surprised but went with it.

"We might want to -ohh-carry on walking." He said through a violent kiss.

"Okay." Lauren groaned, defeated, breaking the kiss. She felt humiliated at this so kept quiet for a little. She looked away from him. Lauren walked a little faster.

"Lauren! Look out!" Noah called. Lauren stopped and looked down.

She was on the very edge of a large crater in the ground. She stumbled back and looked in horror at what she saw in the pit. People dressed in dark green were shooting at each other, hiding between large sand bags. People lay dead on the floor. Drowned in their own blood and wrath. Women and children were screaming and crying as they ran for cover. Lauren gasped at the shear destruction that humans were creating. Balls of heat and loud bangs were echoing throughout the round hole.

"What's going on in there?" Lauren asked.

"I don't know but it doesn't look good." He replied.

"Maybe we should walk around it?" Lauren suggested.

"Good idea."

_____

As soon as they were safe, the couple was faced by a large expanse of graves. This was no normal burying site. No stone inscribed with an epitaph, no coffin, no dignity. Passed away men, women, children, elderly even babies were just thrown into a pit in a disarrayed heap. Crows and vultures were pecking out the deceased entrails, eyeballs and ears. Some of the more gruesome bodies, Lauren could see their hearts, black and rotting away yet alive with maggots. The smell was so repulsive that even Noah gagged a little at the stench. The only thing they could hear was the birds' call and their palpitating heart beats.

"These people...they can not be alive." she gasped.

"I know...they're dead." he replied.

"I feel sick." Lauren muttered.

"Me too." Noah grumbled, taking hold of Lauren's hand. They had never seen people in such a state. There were corpses rotting covered in their own blood that had turned brown and black. The decaying face of pure horror and fear.

Noah pulled her so she was walking to the left hand side, away from the corpses. He sighed. What a waste of human life! All he was exposed to after he first left the facility was bad. He just wanted to cry but he knew he couldn't at this moment in time. He was hungry, thirsty and now felt sick.

Lauren looked at the ground. It was cracked and dry nothingness. No plants, life just an endless stretch of desert with some pits dotted here and there. She then looked at Noah. He was quite pale and sleep deprived. His hair was disheveled as was his clothes. He looked similar to how he looked when she had left him. It must've been the norepinephrine he was on. That lead him to become like that. That wasn't going to happen again.

She wondered if her guardian was looking for her. What if they were captured? Would it really be that bad? Don't be stupid, Lauren thought, you would get killed if they found you. She missed her old life before Noah.

"Looks like we've found another house." Noah announced, bringing Lauren back from her daydreaming. He pointed to a small chalet. One of the windows were open but other than that it looked pretty comfortable.

"It looks nice." Lauren whimpered, trembling slightly.

"Lauren, what's wrong?" Noah asked, seeing clearly that something was wrong.

"Nothing." she replied coldly. She furiously wiped a tear away from her eye.

"It's obviously something." he replied.

"Leave it Noah!" Lauren hissed, angrily.

Did he do something wrong? He hoped not.

"But-"

"Just knock on the door." Lauren ordered. Noah felt frustration grow in the pit of his stomach but set it aside. She must be on an off day. Sure, she had: seen dead bodies, been rejected hospitality, drugged, listened to him whine, probably been sexually harassed, she almost died, mistreated and she probably hadn't eaten in ages. Geez, give the woman a break!

A déjà Vu moment came to him then. He shrugged it off. Noah brought his knuckle to the door.

Knock!

Knock!

They could hear mild shouting and as soon as Noah knocked for the final time-

Knock!

-they stopped.

_____

I don't know about this part.

Carpe Diem?

Hoot!

Toot!