Genesis

Day 21 (2)

"Got one." As the sound of a gun shot faded, a young girl's voice could be heard. She smiled to herself, using the scope to aim at another Viral.

"Aren't you just going to attract more, Mills?" a man's voice from behind her asked. The young girl turned her head to look at the man.

"Yes. But they can't get in, can they? As much as we can't get out." With a loud sigh she settled back on the cement roof, resting her weight on her heels and settling her gun on the ground next to her. Her gaze fell on the skyline, watching the setting sun. Her eyes aquired a dreamy, faraway look. The man shrugged and moved to join her, sitting on the ground next to her. He sat with one leg extended, the other pressed up and near his chest; his arm loosely tossed across it. His gaze, too, fell on the skyline, the setting sun making the sky look as if it were on fire.

"Probably," the older of the two finally said after a few moments. He glanced at the girl next to him briefly before staring at the sky once again. They sat in silence for a while before the younger girl finally spoke again.

"Do you think we'll die here?" Mills asked. Her voice rang out above the howls and moans of the undead beneath them. Stunned by such a question from a thirteen-year-old, Sydol remained silent. "I do. I think we'll die here," she added. She glanced at Sydol from the side of her eyes, tilting her head before righting herself and staring at the fiery sky again.

"Why do you say that?" Sydol finally asked. Mills smiled.

"We'll run out of food eventually, won't we? And we're trapped. It's in here or wading through all those Virals." She paused, as if thinking. "We'll die here." When Sydol still didn't reply, still sitting in stunned silence, she added another statement. "But I'm okay with it."

"We'll leave before then," Sydol finally choked out.

"Whatever you say." At that, Sydol stood and offered a hand to the younger girl. She took a moment, continuing to stare at the sky, before accepting the hand and standing. She didn't hesitate once she stood, though, for she immediately began to walk away, leaving her gun and Sydol behind on the roof. She exited through the roof's door, going down the stairwell two steps at a time with a slight hop in her step.

As she left the stairwell, she passed by Chester, who attempted to stop her. Rather than doing so, she flashed him a distant smile. He reached a hand out, an attempt at comfort, but the young girl brushed past him in search of the storage room where she slept.

She entered the cement room, her eyes faraway. Any onlooker could tell the girl was no longer completely there; gone in some distant dreamland.

The other six occupants of the room watched as Mills settled herself on a cushion, legs crossed, and leaned back against the wall.

"Mills?" Alex whispered from his seat near her. Teralynn leaned against him in her staple dirty white tank top and jeans, her eyes closed in sleep. Mills didn't reply. "Mills?" Alex repeated. Mills peeked an eye open and smiled but did not reply. Sydol now entered the room, his expression stoic, but his eyes held worry. He leaned down and whispered something to Alex, glancing back at Mills, before leaving the room again. Alex slowly leaned Teralynn against the wall before he, too, left the room. Hannah soon joined them, and, before long, only Teralynn and Ramona were left in the room.

"It's got her too," Ramona suddenly cried. She launched into full-blown sobbing, stirring Teralynn awake. She glared at the woman.

"Shut up, Ramona. We get it. The world ended. Whatever." Teralynn rolled her eyes and looked over at Mills, who was now staring at the wall in front of her.

"We don't have much left," Mills stated. She turned her head and looked at Teralynn. Teralynn, or Nova as she preferred to go by, looked utterly bored with Mills' statement.