Angel Among Roaches

1. Morning Sun

The cold morning air penetrated her thin blanket, her means of warmth, taking her slowly from her deep sleep. The sun was barely above the horizon, giving an unsettling light into her eyes. As morning hunger pierced her stomach, she brought her knees close to her chest, her back hurting from the previous day. Despite all this, the thing that made her open her eyes was the sound of hushed voices outside her room. The door was slid open slightly, enabling her to see an old woman and a little boy interacting.

          She leaned her head back on her pillow as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then got out of her bed. The other three girls in her room were still fast asleep, breathing heavily through the cold, muggy air. She put on her clean boots, then went out of her room.

          The hall she entered was nothing more than a trench with a scrap metal roof with small windows to keep out the rain. The ground was dry like sand, cracked from lack of watering, and wherever she stepped, tiny clouds of dust followed.

          After getting ready, she left where she was with a large backpack, a satchel, and a rusty shotgun. She began stepping across the large dry plane with large strides. Habit seemed to take her where she needed to go without a second thought.

          All the trees were grey and withered, fully showing that they would never bear any fruit or leaves. In fact, all was barren. Everything around her looked like a wasteland.

          Morning drove on, the sun rising, yet not showing in full due to the thick grey clouds, and she finally rested. She glanced at her wrist, which bore a large, cracked watch. She had been walking for about an hour. She stood in the middle of nowhere, next to a withered tree, waiting.

           Time passed, when suddenly, as she had expected, a vehicle entered view from the east. It was a large yellow bus, with a red paddle on each side that could extend on command. Before it stopped in front of her, she heard a few footsteps coming from behind. Nonchalantly she turned her head to see almost ten people she recognized.

          "Morning," said a girl, not much older than herself. "You've come early again. I should learn from you."

          "She likes showing us up," said a young man, several years older. "It makes her feel superior." There was a slight distain in his tone.

"I woke up early," she said dryly. Her voice was low and soft.

           "Leave her alone, Phil. We need to stick together. It's not wise to risk any more enemies."

           "I'm just saying, she's arrogant," he said in a half hushed voice.

           To everyone's content, the bus pulled to a stop, and the door was opened for them. They were greeted by two men, both clothed in black, gas masks, as well as guns in hand. "Papers," said one of them. He sounded relaxed.

           One by one they entered, showing the men pieces of laminated paper. "You think you'd recognize us by now," said Phil.

          "It's just for security," said the man in the gas mask. "Speaking of, if you don't have your rain gear, I would suggest getting off."

"We all have rain gear," said Phil in response. "We're always prepared."

           She was last on, and she handed him her paper. "Morning, Angel," he said cheerfully. "You're out again today? Rest is good for a teenager, you know. My parents told me so as a kid."

           "You know I can't do that," she said ominously. He handed her the papers back before she sat down.