AM13 Outbreak Shorts

One Year On - One (Rachael)

Rachael

"I miss the refugee camp," I sigh idly to Olivia. "It was fun there, wasn't it?"

"I don't know." She screws up her nose, disgusted by the idea. "I mean, I'm glad my mom took me there or I never would've met you, but it wasn't all good, was it?"

I tilt my head back and stare up at the sky, recalling my whole experience since this damn virus broke loose. It's been one hell of a rollercoaster with more downs than ups.

"You're just lucky you had your mom to take you there!"

"Why? What happened to yours? I don't think you've ever told me."

"Hmm, that's probably true. I don't like to remember it too much anymore." Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be enough to put Olivia off, so for the first time in a very long time, I speak about the past. "We'd just moved house when the virus broke out. To a new town nearby." I smile to myself as I recall how dumb and naïve my problems were then. "I had this crush on a guy there. Zac his name was. The funny thing is I can barely even remember what he looks like now."

"I miss boys." Olivia pouts. "There aren't any boys around anymore. Not any good ones anyway."

I belly laugh at her. "No, I suppose not. But because I kept trying to sneak out to see him, even through Lockdown, so I missed the signs that my dad had been bitten."

"Oh no...I'm sorry to hear that!"

"Yeah well." I shrug, acting far more blasé than I actually feel. "It is what it is. Everyone dies in this world, don't they?"

"Hmm, that's a bleak way to look at it. But considering where we are, I understand. So, what happened to your mom?"

Urgh, this is the part which actually manages to twist my heart up in knots. "I don't know. I presume she turned. She refused to leave with me, she stayed with her husband."

Don't cry! Keep the damn tears inside.

"Where did you go?"

"Oh, well I went to find Zac, but as it turned out he'd been bitten too. Then I went to my friend, Emma's house, but her parents freaked out and kicked me out. Basically, I ended up in a hospital facility where they were killing everyone, so I was lucky to escape." Wow, saying it now sounds like a movie, not something which happened to me. "Then it was on to the police station until it got overrun. After which, we ended up at the refugee camp."

"That's better than my story." Olivia raises one eyebrow. "We simply went to the camp. No drama crossed our path at all. At least, not until you lot came along. By the sounds of it, drama follows you around."

I smile, acting like I'm taking her comment as a joke but deep down I agree with her. I can't seem to escape action however hard I try.

"Well, let's just hope we get off the road soon and we find somewhere to stay. All this moving around is exhausting."

What I don't say, what I want to say, is that I'm scared how much longer all of us can survive this. Out here, without protection, people die far too often.

It's hell.