The World is No More

Chapter Thirteen

Author's Note: I finally finished hand writing this book! Sorry for the long wait guys! Hopefully I will have a better update schedule now. Enjoy!~

~One Month Later~

    It was now winter. My boots crunched the fresh snow and ice as I walked. I was on a personal run to get some winter clothes and supplies. Since it was winter, Jackson normally gives people assignments to do around the inside of camp. Unless, we need to do a supply run. So, after my assignment, I asked Jackson if I can do a quick run and here I am. The bitter cold nipped at my bare hands as I clenched my knife tightly. I sighed. I really need gloves.

    A few more minutes goes by and I'm finally in town. It was very empty and eerily silent. I looked around. There wasn't any seekers around. In fact, I haven't seen any since the end of last month. I wonder if they are hibernating somewhere. I sheathed my knife and shoved my hands in my jacket's pockets, in attempts to warm them. I walked in a clothing and shoe store. I sat my bag down and grabbed a coat and gloves. I put them on. I sighed contently as I began to warm up. I saw fuzzy socks and grabbed them, putting them in my bag. I picked my bag up and walked over to the shoes. I grabbed a couple pairs of boots and put them into my bag.

    After I finished getting supplies, I headed back to the camp. When I got there, it was starting to snow again. "Nice weather, huh?" I asked Zander and Drew as I walked through the gates. "Yeah." Drew chuckled, Zander nodding. "You stay warm, Miss Zoey." Zander said. "You guys, too." I smiled. I walked over to the Mess Hall to get some hot coco. "Hey, Zoey!" Stephany, a new camp member, waved. "Hey!" I waved back, before going inside. When I walked in, I was greeted with nice, warm air. I sighed in content. "Hey, Zoey!" I hear Mrs Sofie yell. I look up and saw her with a tray of hot chocolate. "Hi, Mrs. Sofie." I smiled, sitting down at a table. I took off my bag, coat and gloves and sat them beside me.

    "Come here to get some hot coco?" Mrs. Sofie asked, walking over to me with the tray. "Yes, actually." I answered. She smiled and sat a cup in front of me. "Thank you." I smiled. "You're welcome, dear." Mrs. Sofie smiled back. She walked away and gave the other camp members, who were in the Mess Hall, cups of hot chocolate. I grabbed the cup gently. I sighed as I felt the warmth caress my hands. I fully relaxed. I took a sip of the hot drink and smiled. It tasted amazing! After drinking a bit more, Jackson's voice rang through my walkie-talkie. "Zoey, where are you?" He asked. I got out the talkie. "I'm in the Mess Hall. Drinking hot coco." I answered. "Cool. Be there in a few." Jackson stated. "Gotcha." I said.

~

    Jackson was sitting in front of me, also drinking hot chocolate. "So, have you noticed the absence of Seekers?" He asked. "Yes, I have, actually." I answered, nodding. Jackson remained quiet. His face was concentrated; like he was in deep thought. "Could they be in like a sort of hibernation..?" I asked trailing off. "Hmm...Maybe." Jackson answered, drinking some hot chocolate. "Hypothetically speaking," I began, "What if the cold was dangerous to them?" Jackson perked up. "So, they went somewhere to hibernate until spring." He continued. "Yeah." I said bluntly.

    "Does seem like a good theory." Jackson mumbled. I hummed, finishing my hot chocolate. We both went quiet, lost in thought. "What doesn't make sense is that they all just...Vanished at the end of fall." Jackson states. "Yeah. That's really strange." I agreed. A few moments pass. "Did they just die?" I wondered out loud. "Babe, we would have seen the dust." Jackson states. I shook my head. "Not necessarily." I bluntly say. "True." Jackson mumbled. "What ever happened, it's really strange." I said, "We should mention it at the meeting tomorrow." "We should." Jackson agrees, finishing his hot chocolate.

~The Next Day~

    It was time for the meeting. Everyone was talking quietly to one another. Jackson and I were in front of everyone, chattering quietly to each other. "Alright, silence every one." I called out. Everyone quieted down and looked at me and Jackson. Jackson smiled. "Good evening." He smiled. A chorus of good evenings filled the room. "Firstly tonight, I would like to congratulate Ms. Zoey here as our new co leader." Jackson smiled, stepping beside me. The room broke out in applause, causing me to smile widely.

    When the applause died down, I stepped forward. "Over the last month, Jackson has been training people to see if they were able to be a guard." I said. "Zoey and I whittled down to four people who will now join Zander, Drew Matt and Andy in being a guard." Jackson continued, "Please come up here when Zoey calls your name." "Steve and Shawn. You will be the day guards." I smiled. The walked up. "Jay and Max. You will be the night guards." I said, "Congratulations you four." Jay and Max walked up and stood by Steve and Shawn. Everyone began to clap for them.

    After a few moments, the new guards sat down. "Now, something weird has been going on." I state. A slight tension seemed to fill the air. "You may have noticed the disappearance of Seekers." I continued. A hum of agreeance filled the room. "Do you know why they disappeared?" A young girl asked. "No, we don't, sweety." I said softly. "Well, we can find a body of a Seeker and run some tests on it. To see if the cold has anything to do with it." Rose, a scientist, spoke. "How are we gonna get the body? When they die, they turn to dust." Jackson asked.

    "We can find one that's alive." John, another scientist, states. "But how are we gonna get a Seeker? They are very dangerous." I asked. "It'll put our lives in danger!" Someone protested. "Calm down." Jackson gently ordered. "We can make a tranquilizer to knock them out." Rose explained. "I like that idea. We'll talk about it more in my office after the meeting." Jackson said.

~After the Meeting~

    We were in Jackson's office. "How are we gonna find the Seekers?" Jackson asked. "Well, hypothetically speaking, if the cold is affecting the Seekers, maybe they are somewhere warm." Rose answered. We were all quiet for a moment. "Well, in the city, there is a subway system that my mom and I would take while visiting family." I said, breaking the silence. Everyone looked at me. "It was always warm. Maybe they migrated in there?" I continued.

    Jackson leaned back into his chair, seemingly lost in thought. "That could be where they are at." John states. "But, the city is super dangerous." Jackson states. "Yes, but if we can run tests on Seekers, we'll be able to learn so much about them." Rose explains. I nodded in agreeance. Jackson sighed, rubbing his chin. "I'll send four guards." Jackson finally said after a moment of silence. The atmosphere in the room lightened as Rose and John sighed in relief. Jackson smiled softly as he pulled out a microphone thingy to make an announcement. "Zander, Drew, Matt, and Andy. Please come to my office." He announced.

    Soon, all four guards came into Jackson's office. I explained everything to them. "You guys will be alerted when you need to leave. Rose and John needs time to make the tranqs." Jackson stated. The four guards nodded. "How...How dangerous would this be?" Matt asked. "Pretty dangerous. Not gonna sugar coat it." I answered. "But, that's why I chose you four. You guys were trained for stuff like this." Jackson continues, smiling enthusiastically. Rose smiled and clapped her hands together, "Oh! I can't wait! I am so excited!" I giggled. "I can tell you are." I said, still giggling. "Oh! Zoe, this is gonna be awesome!" Rose said excitedly.

    We all laughed. "Well, I'll let you guys get back to what you were doing." Jackson said. The guards nodded and left. Jackson looked over at me and the two scientists. "Let me and Zoey know when you've finished making the tranquilizers." Jackson ordered gently. Rose and John nodded. I gave them a smile as they left to start the long and hard process.