Survival of the Unfit

Chapter 19

April

I slept exactly forty-five minutes. So in school, my brain felt like a ten pound slab of cheese piloting a piece of meat. I thought it was Tuesday until fourth period, and had been writing Tuesday (versus Thursday) on my papers all morning.

Could anyone blame me? The events of last night would be enough to put the faint of heart in a coma. I wasn’t even all that tough, but I witnessed a murder. A brutal, brutal murder.

“What can you do?”

“Nothing, I swear, please. I’m begging you—“

“Please, I’ve killed three others already and they’ve all spewed the same shit. Tell me.”

“I’m nothing, I swear! I c-can’t do…anything. Much of anything. Don’t…don’t kill me, I-I’ll do anything else, I—“

“Christ, guess I’ll have to find out.”

My pencil snapped in half, crack making me jump nearly out of my seat. The classroom fell silent and Mr. Mount looked at me questionably, in the middle of notes. I looked down at my broken pencil and back at him. “Uh, I have another. Sorry.” I sheepishly put the pieces in my bag got out a mechanical one. Collectively the classroom chuckled a little and Mr. Mount went back to grammar, subordinate and main clause functions more specifically.

The whole event had me shaken up pretty bad. The murderer picked up the spear and held it up, and I could only see dark shadows, but the point was over where mass’ heart was, and I screamed at the same time the victim screamed. Not long enough to block out the sticky sound it made going in and coming out, seeing blood shake from the spear as the girl ran with it and left her quick signature—sideways V—on a nearby tree. And I could have just picked my stupid feet up and ran with her, but I was so beaten and sore and out of breath, and generally in shock. How could I be so stupid and weak, I had been working out every week for sixth months and I…I couldn’t get the killer. No one else had died and no was reportedly leaving though, so maybe she’s waiting until the weekend to go. That’d be a touch more inconspicuous. I just had to be alert, so I could hunt her down myself when she slips up.

That’s the fatigue talking. I don’t think I’d actually kill someone, at least I didn’t want to. I really didn’t want to, no matter what they’d have to offer. But this girl has killed the three other people this year. Now four, and has all their best traits. Has anyone ever been so powerful?

And the other peculiar thing I couldn’t quit thinking about was the group of savage girls with their barbaric weapons. I understand the appeal in spears and throwing knives and crossbows and such, because they don’t make near as much sound as a gunshot, but that was like how being chased by the careers in the arena would be. Terrifying, because they were ruthless. They had to be from North, because I didn’t see any familiar faces walking around school. If they were from South, I suppose I’d be exposed by now, wouldn’t I?

Exposure…exposure is becoming more of a problem. Some of these people are getting really close to me, literally, not emotionally. Enough to see my profile, and having such a recognizable eye color doesn’t help. People knew as soon as they saw me that I’m that heroine of the South girl. I couldn’t cover myself up and pretend to be Levi, or anyone else for that matter. Then again, most of the people I’m catching are North students. A couple South, but they haven’t recognized me walking the halls yet. At school, I was another brick in the wall.

I headed to my last period class, chemistry, usual books in tow. But as I rounded the corner I ran into a tall blond girl and dropped a few papers, but she lost everything she was carrying. Chemistry was on the complete opposite side of the building from the math wing, but I wasn’t just going to speed past the girl. I could afford to be late one day.