The intense smell of smoke wakes me from my slumber. As my vision clears, I see Papa charge into my room.
"Jerome, get up," he orders, the normal gentle tone gone from his voice.
"What's going on, Papa?" I ask, getting up and wrapping my blanket around me.
Papa tosses things into a backpack frantically, not responding to my question. He hands it to me, as well as my Betty from my shelf.
"Take these and run," he demands. Mama runs into the room and hugs me tightly.
"Run away from the village and don't look back, okay dear?"
"What's going on?" I ask, tears welling in my eyes as fear evades every bone in my body.
"There are bad people here, Jerome. I need you run," Papa says simply. He hugs me and places the axe in my hands.
"I don't want to leave! What about you guys?" I cry.
"Don't worry. We'll find you," Mama insists. "Please, you must leave."
She pushes me out the door and I start sprinting from my village. Fires erupt from houses all around me as humans with torches and weapons raid and burn our homes. Vicious dogs obey their every order, attacking any Bacca they see. Screams of terror and pain rattle my eardrums.
As I run, I see a small bacca girl running away from her house with a bag on her back and Betty in hand.
"Ann!" I yell. There's no way she could have heard me over the commotion, and as I try to run to her a man with a torch comes out of a burning house, followed closely by a snarling dog. Before they notice me, I run in the other direction.
In my head, I vow to find Ann again, no matter what.
I reach the floor of the jungle and start running, all sense of direction or time fading from my mind. Right now, my priority is survival.
When my legs are numb, I stop running. My village has long since disappeared from sight, as well as everything I've ever known.
I reach into my backpack and pull out the food that she packed me. As I eat and rest, the realization and grief hits me like a tidal wave.
Are my parents alive? Is Ann alive? Will I ever meet anyone else in this lonely forest?
I sit at the base of the tree, tears wetting my fur and backpack.
How long am I going to be alone?
YOU ARE READING
Together as One: The Story of the Teams
FanfictionEveryone has lost something. A toy, a family member, maybe a home. For these kids, it's no different. They lost their homes. They've dealt with the pain of losing their families or identities. Now they must team up in order to survive and s...
