Genesis

Day 24

They were advancing. Slowly, but surely, the Virals were advancing on the camp.

Anamaria was sure of it.

She'd made careful note of their tracks each day--that was her job, after all. A job she was absolutely perfect for. (Who knew her OCD would one day work in her favor?) A job she took very seriously.

But even after Boss had looked over her meticulous notes, he'd said it was nothing.

But even after two days with no deaths, Anamaria could not make herself believe him.

Despite her notes. Despite the fact that two days ago she could visit the brook and yesterday there were two Virals. Despite the fact that she had an awful, awful feeling about it all.

"Everything'll be okay. We have protection, yes?" Boss and Eloise kept telling her before she went out to scope the area. They'd tell her it again after she came back with more evidence of them getting closer and closer.

And today, she didn't even dare to go near the brook. She had a feeling that it wouldn't go well.

And feelings were all you could count on anymore.

When she returned to camp, she reported her findings. That the Virals, as she could tell, were dangerously close. She'd made it only as far as the middle of the forest, maybe a mile away from camp, if even that. When she'd gotten that far, she'd found everything swarmed by Virals. A horde had moved in, just as she'd thought it would.

"You're exaggerating," Boss had told her, a soothing hand placed on her shoulder. "Everything'll be fine, yes?"

And Anamaria believed him. She believed that everything would be just fine; sitting herself on one of the benches near the fire and reading her book.

She found out Boss lied and she was right when the sirens went off and she watched the Virals as they stumbled in through the gate. She watched as the first Viral grabbed Amy by the arm and bit into her neck. She watched as the second grabbed Ellis and bit into his arm.

And then she stood up and she ran, leaving behind the stunned others who had trusted Boss' word so dearly.

Despite her careful notes, they didn't believe her. And now, twenty people were being torn apart while Anamaria ran free.

The forestry was thick on this side of the camp. That's part of the reason why they'd chosen this spot; the natural landscape almost formed a wall itself, another form of protection for the people. But now it made living harder for Anamaria, not easier. It was rather difficult for her to push through the branches and bushes and dodge the sharper bits.

Finally, she pushed through the heaviest part. The trees were much farther apart here, and she could run much more freely. She'd never been one to participate in sports, despite her friends' nagging to play football or tennis. She wished she'd done it now, as it was getting increasingly difficult to run through the pain in her side and chest.

She also wished she'd never come to America.

Her parents had promised her it'd be safer here. They had the highest number of infections, but the best control. They'd told her the government was making everything safe there, and that they'd join her within the year.

What rubbish that was. They hadn't come; france had become overrun and now America had too.

She told herself she had to keep running in honor of her mama and papa.

Finally, with a relieved sigh, the little french girl stopped running and leaned against a tree, catching her breath. She was so far from the camp, she felt it had to be safe. She slowly sank to the ground, her arms wrapping around her red cardigan, the wind picking at the edges of her yellow hat. Filled with such relief to still be alive, she allowed her guard to slip.