Breathless

Chapter Three

Milo above
Now wide awake and dressed for the day, Milo and I begin the trek through the woods and into the abandoned city of Raleigh. We plan to stay in an abandoned hotel for the next two days as we rummage the city for supplies and medicine.
"You know, we eventually have to find somewhere to settle down for our lives. Right?" Milo questions, his radiant green eyes stare back up at me, as we walk through the woods, cutting branches, and pushing logs to clear a path as we go.
"It's a big universe out there, Lo. We will find somewhere eventually," I whisper to him, leaves crunching under my boots, and branches scratching my arms as we navigate down the beaten path.
Eventually, the view of a highway is near and the sound of the river behind us has completely disappeared. The smell of alcohol and smoke pierces the calm and we both instantaneously roll behind separate bushes as three big cargo trucks drive by, with men holding joints and booze sit atop the boxes and some dangle guns out the front windows of the truck.
I wave two fingers behind me when the coast is clear and Milo ducks down and runs where he is behind me and we can easily move in sync. Our footsteps are light, and our breaths are shallow as we make our way down the hill that leads to the highway, navigating through trees.
At the shoulder of the highway, we both check to see if the coast is clear before running across and sliding down the small hill that leads to an abandoned city on the other side. The cold nips at my face as we rush across the open field and toward the old crumbling remains of the once lively city.
Our breaths come out in pants as we slow to a jog, nearing the hotel. The big green canopy that shields the front entrance is torn and worn down by weather. If you're looking for it, you can see remains of a Wave victim on the sidewalk, the minuscule pile of bones and dust are just barely there.
"Set up camp on the roof, make sure to put the scope where it can't be seen" I warn Milo, last time he set up camp, someone spotted our scope and we weren't able to make a quick escape without a fight.
"One damn time." He whines in embarrassment, "You fuck up once and it's like you're tainted,"
Weaving my way through furniture and over the counter, I hastily check for any weapons left behind, or batteries for the lamps.
The hotel smells of death and mothballs. The lighting was dim and the whole place gave me eerie vibes, as if I may get jumped out at, but there is nobody but us here.
Out of nowhere, Milo comes rushing down the stairs, footsteps thudding against the hollow wood.
"Scouts," He manages to squeeze out between heaving breaths, and next thing I know, he is falling to the floor, red pooling around his stomach.
Then, they bust in through the windows, guns raised. Yelling for me to get on the ground. I comply and swiftly, there is a bag over my head and I hear Milo whimpering in pain as we get transported to a vehicle of a sort.

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Hey guys, gals, and non-binary pals. I apologize for the wait, I have been struggling to scrape my life back together, I happen to be in the midst of an ongoing crisis since I don't know what part of my life is the middle at this point. Sorry if this is bad, please leave constructive criticism!
Bye!