I've always hated being alone, never did well without somebody by my side. I liked the comfort of knowing you always had someone to fall back on. Even if it were to last only a while. Mother would say it was unhealthy, that I should try to become more independent. "You won't always have somebody to depend on Yessia." Back then I would have shrugged it off, I was a pretty social person, it wasn't hard for me to make friends. So I wasn't really worried about having nobody, now I realize how foolish that was.
"Sissy, I'm done." I hear Cubbie whisper, tearing me from my thoughts. I roll my eyes but gradually began to get up. He knows he doesn't have to whisper, but I think he does it anyway, just to be safe. I swear that kid is more cautious than me.
"Don't forget to zip up your pants."
"Opie, I almost forgot." I watch as my brother tries to zip up his fly while awkwardly walking my way. He's going to trip if he doesn't pay attention. When he finally reaches me, I hand him his knife while picking up my rifle at the same time. My brother frowns at me but accepts the knife anyways. I know he wants the gun because he's a boy and what boy doesn't want a gun, but it's too heavy for him. Plus, I'm afraid he'll accidentally shoot his foot off or something.
"Ready to go?" I ask.
"Yesh."
I sling the leather strap of the rifle around my shoulders and grab Cubbie's hand. It's so small compared to mine, it is frightening. We start walking north where the closest village is or at least what I hope to be a village. Sure, I saw smoke but smoke isn't always a good thing but it's worth the risk. Hopefully, they'll have Tylenol or at least some cough medicine, we are running low.
We carefully tread through the leaf-covered ground, trying not to make too much noise. I look up once more to make sure we are on the right path yes, we are close. Maybe a few minutes more, hard to tell. The sun was slowly setting and the sky was turning a rosy pink.
Suddenly I hear a loud snap behind me. I freeze and place a hand on Cubbie's chest, stopping him in his tracks.
"What's wrong sissy?" Cubbie murmurs, his big blue eyes blinking up at me. I shake my head and place a finger on my lips. He nods and swerves his head around, surveying the area as I taught him. I let go of Cubbie's hand and sling the rifle off my shoulders and position it between my hands, ready to shoot at any moment. I gradually turn my body around, too much movement is a risk. I peer through the thick trees and leaves, trying to catch some type of activity. Nothing. Then I see something flicker in the corner of my eyes, a flash of blue.
You rarely see blue out in the wild.
I grab Cubbie's hand again and start to tug him along, speed walking. Cubbie lets out a little whine but complies. He knows I'm the one in charge. Suddenly I hear several loud snaps behind me, footsteps hitting the ground, then a groan. Damn, I knew it.
"Cubbie run!!!!" I shout at him, screw being quiet. The moans and groan get louder, shit shit shit. I watch as Cubbie sprints in front of me, creating a zig-zag pattern. It's easier to confuse them that way. I know he's going for higher ground because that's what I taught him. I spin around and firmly plant my feet aiming my gun straight ahead. I take a deep breath and try to calm down. No matter how many times I do this, it never gets easier. There's about 2 or 3 of them with their yellow teeth and sharp fingernails. Running their way towards me, tripping over their own feet. Pathetic. I shoot them one by one, pop, pop, pop. Jogging backwards after every shot until their bodies lay at my feet.
I find it hard to feel bad for these monsters. I wish they were zombies or something clique like that. At least I could blame it on their brain chemicals or something. But no, it seems they just like to kill. Something about a virus that increased your survival instincts, didn't really pay attention after the shit hit the fan.
I begin to walk in the general direction of Cubbie. Suddenly a shiver runs through my body, Cubbie was running towards the village, crap. I sprint towards the town, flying through branches and twigs. I feel a stinging against my cheek, but I ignore it. The woman there will surely shoot him if they find out he's male.
"Jade." I scream, "Jade." That's the name I use for Cubbie when I think others are around. It's a safe name, but Cubbie is smart. He's the perfect actor, he'll twirl his hair and giggle. Talk about flowers and the colour pink, just like I taught him. I made him grow his hair out, I know he hates it. Good thing he's still young otherwise, my job would be ten times harder.
"Yessia??" I hear a voice call back. I smile but then falter. There's something strange with his voice, a tremble. Fuck.
Between the tall trees in front of me, I see the silhouette of a small village. The outline of a few houses, even a church. I haven't seen one of those in a while.
I see Cubbie standing by the entrance of the village but there's a woman with him. Older than me, probably in her late 40's. Gripping his tiny shoulders. She smiles at me but it's cold and formal. I jog over to them, leaving a foot of space between us. Up close she looks tough, ropey muscles and scars cover her arms. Actually, she's really scary but I keep my face blank, can't show weakness.
"Why hello there." the woman says, she looks me up and down, sizing me up. Trying to figure out if I'm hostile, calculating whether she'd be able to take me on or not. But I am stronger than I look. You don't spend the last year and a half in the wild while taking care of a child without gaining some muscle.
"Can you please release my sister. We have places to go to." I cross my arms and straighten my back.
"Wouldn't you like to stay for a while, your.......sister was just telling me how yall have run out of supplies." I narrow my eyes at her, creep.
I choose my words carefully, don't want to seem suspicious.
"I guess we can spend a moment." The lady smiles once more.
"Excellent!" she claps her hands together and begins leading us inside the village. I pull Cubbie towards me. This is a bad idea, there will be too many people in a crowded place. Hard to leave if they don't want you to.
We follow her anyways.
As we walk, I push Cubbie behind me, so he doesn't get the butt of the stares. I swear almost every woman in the village has come out just to watch us stroll by. Some look confused, others suspicious. Makes sense, I'd guess they don't get a lot of visitors.
Finally, we reach a small shed. The paint is peeled around the edges and the windows are blocked, not very inviting.
"You can get what you need here." The lady says
"Thanks." I reply. I begin to lead Cubbie into the hut when I am stopped.
"The kid stays outside."
"What, why?"
"Too dangerous for her."
Bullshit, but I comply. I don't need to give her a reason to distrust me.
I nod at Cubbie and he lets go of my hand. I open the door and walk inside. It smells of bleach and something sweet.
The shelves are filled with pill bottles, each labelled in dark blue ink. The supply is low but bigger than others I've come across. I grab what I need and stuff them into my pockets, I must do this quickly. I don't want to leave Cubbie with those weirdos.
I know what will happen if they found out. Either they'd kill him right there or take him away. I know its selfish to keep him for myself. Him still being alive today is a miracle. Where all other men have failed, he was persistent. He could probably be the cure. He could save the male population, but Cubbie is mine and I believe I've earned the right to be selfish.
I open the door again and walk out. A group has gathered around Cubbie, getting all up in his personal bubble. Do these people have no sense of personal space?
"Excuse me creeps, back away from my sister." I snarl and they immediately part, shying away from me like I'm a feral animal. Everyone except for the woman I met earlier.
"You should leave......her here." Crap, she knows.
"Um no thanks, that's for the meds but we need to get going." I glare at her and try to put on my toughest front.
"Please child we know exactly what game you're playing at, it's your duty as a woman to hand him over." I feel my body begin to heat up. I can feel the blood rush to my face, how dare she. Nobody tells me what to do.
My eyes shift back and forth, trying to come up with the best escape plan, I look up at her. She's thinking of the best way to take me down.
I look at Cubbie and give him the nod, he pulls out his knife and plunges it into the women's gut, he twists it around making sure it sticks. Screams of shock fill the square, everyone runs towards the woman now bleeding out. The look of surprise permanently stuck on her face. In all the commotion I grab Cubbie and bolt out of there. Leaving the shrieking woman behind. All this extra drama just for some Tylenol.
