The Taken

27

The blood of the man in front of Ramona would forever stain the concrete that he laid on top of. No city worker would come to clean his brain matter that scattered onto the street. No cop would come and arrest Jacob for second degree murder. No one would have consulted Ramona on what she witnessed. Her parents wouldn't put her in therapeutic counseling. No one would ever comfort them for as long as they lived.

Instead she was left in this hell where man eats child. Where the world waits until every human goes extinct so it can start anew.

Her head throbbed and she felt the veins that ran along her temple pulsate. Blood dripped into her mouth from her nasal cavity, and a stream flooded out of her nostrils. The metallic tang being spit up onto the floor in front. Her lungs and chest flattened, struggling to breathe, her stinging eyes started to tear up from the smoke.

She moaned into the air while Jake tried to stand himself up onto his wobbly legs.

"Ramona?" He called out, worried.

"I'm here," she coughed.

"Get up, right now," he commanded.

"I ca-"

"Yes you can, get off your ass and on your feet," he interrupted her, he was in a hurry and didn't want to fight anymore adults. He grabbed Janice's bat while Ramona struggled to her feet, arms shaking while she tried to support herself.

Jake dragged himself and the bat to Ramona and he offered her a hand. It took her a minute to realize he was there and it was difficult to reach out since she was seeing two of everything.

After she got up and steadied herself Jake asked "How's your head?" He brought the tips of his fingers to the gash on the right side of her head.

She gently swiped his hand away and stepped back.

"I... I'm fine," she mumbled.

Jake's brows furrowed and he chewed on the inside of his cheeks. "It looks pretty bad."

"I said I'm fine," she quickly dismissed, turning her back, "Let's go."

They both stepped into the overgrown grass, passing a traffic light and staring down the road full of houses. To their left was an apartment complex slanted backwards so people could walk onto a personalized balcony. The complex had at least five floors and was seemingly cut in half to resemble a weird layered cake. A bright rainbow sun umbrella sat smack dab in the center balcony, rustling from the shallow winds.

The children shuffled along down the sidewalk, passing the burning building and into a neighborhood of brick dwellings.

"Can we just meet up with V'?" Ramona asked.

"We don't even know if she's alive. And if she is, then what?" Jake was hesitant to respond but made sure not to sound harsh. "It should only take us 20 minutes or so," he said, "Without a hastle," he added.

Ramona sighed and said nothing. She massaged her groaning stomach. She wiped smoky tears from her eyes and she could see slightly clearer.

They walked at a brisk pace, passing houses and another, much much larger housing space. It was far back, providing a vast lawn that carried a few shadowy and non-moving figures.

"I wish Janice were here," Jake said in a hushed whisper.

"Me too," Ramona sighed.

Ramona looked behind her back and saw tens of adults pooling to stare in awe at the blazing flames above them. One man was so covered in boils he looked blind, barely had a face. Another woman was missing both her arms and found it difficult to balance, swaying this way and that.

Idiots Ramona thought, and she smiled to herself.

She looked back ahead and asked, "You took her bat?"

"Um, yeah," Jake gulped with guilt.

Ramona noticed, "No that's okay, she'd be okay with it," she reassured.

"You think so?" Jake asked, sounding like he was asking for permission to keep it.

"Of course!" Ramona smiled, "She really liked you Jake." She smiled and put a hand on his arm.

"Thanks," he smiled back.

***

The two passed lawn after lawn until hitting their second intersection. The fire was a distant memory now, the glow of it slightly piercing through the blossoming leaves of the trees.

"They should be there by now," Jake said. They both stopped in their tracks and stared.

"What do you think's really gonna be there? We don't even know for sure if there's gonna be people there," Ramona asked. She was curious but knew he wouldn't know. All she wanted was the atmosphere to not be exhaustingly awkward.

"Ramona, I don't know. I'm not the Google of survival," he said. He was frustrated, cranky, tired, hungry, thirsty. Wanting to see Veronica again. She was tough, very tough. Tougher than him and Ramona combined. She made things feel safe, her and Janice.

What a stupid death. Of all people, her? She didn't deserve that. World's stupidest death.

"The sooner we get there, sooner we can rest."

***

The last intersection was a few meters ahead before they'd turn to their left and take the last stretch to Trolley Square. They had an encounter with an adult. He was weak and thin from starvation. Not much of a fighter.

The thought of any adults still being alive came across Ramona's mind and she thought about it for a while. Would that be a possibility? They didn't even know if the disease was airborne or not. What had caused it. Where it spread to and from. It's origin. Ramona had been slightly fascinated by diseases and the study of them. Everything from the Black Plague and how vaccines worked.

"Where did you say the disease spread from?" She asked.

It had been a minute since they'd spoke so the question caught Jake off guard.

"Oh um, I think South America," he said, not too sure of himself.

"South America, right," she said, now realizing. "Do you think there's like still some grownups left? Doesn't matter where," she asked.

"Well I wouldn't expect any to be alive, but it would be nice if there were," he said solemnly

"We almost there?" She asked.

They hit the curb.

"We turn here and it's just a straight shot from here." He straightened his fingers and aligned them, pointing down the second street with his whole hand.

"Let's go," he smiled.

A/N

Sorry this chapter is much shorter. It was kind of a filler chapter. I've been having horrible writers block this past week so I've been trying to get over that. Anyways thank you for voting and reading these chapters. It means a lot to me and it keeps me motivated. Anyways, enough rambling. Thanks again.

-Shade