Blue Iris

le

nce of danger and uncertainty. And in the

. It was time

place so far as no one who would think of getting pets nowadays. A dog was proba

nket into my backpack, I slipped my feet onto

few days or longer. I had been running from places to places for two weeks now and I hadn't seen o

, and I missed my own voice. Talking to myself would make me crazy an

ad been like this since the unknown deadly virus wiped out the country. My l

find an apothecary. The weak light from the s

y luck, I could find a stash of painkillers or any m

f Hygieia printed in the white wall came to view. I sighed in hope, but it quic

verything I had been through, it taught me many, and on

V. The short curvy woman walked toward the trunk, pushe

o the apothecary door in somewhat in rush. Alerted, the man’s handgun was o

grumbling stomach. When I got into the trunk, it was empty, only a stinky blanket that smelled bloo

h

glass made me stiffen. It was too late for m

trunk and covered myself with the bl

ter, the en

aid an angry male voic

d, Frost. We need to go back right

he man hiss

okay. He

e was in dang

he need

ve was. A silence loomed from t

less than ten minutes. The gravelly road against

nearest pharmacy once he

ith Colt. It’s more dangero

f myself,” she ans

know that? But Daric

in

—the driver seemed to be in a hurry, and my stomach also ached. I closed m

f the time. My plan was to escape before the

xcuses. People killed each other wh

illed to survive. They killed for food. They were paranoid, and trust

hts when the blanket w

ke— oh,

ked me in

harm, but to shield my eyes from the light pointed

ngry man asked in a

rmed.” I raised my

ed us. I could only hear my breathing

od. This is th

voice. “I’m just a survivor

it like this and that,”

ar?” the soft voice asked—the

Now, I need to kill her because she already knows

ed to support my body with my hands to avoid falling. S

as his muscles shifted against the illuminating light from the post. His overwhelming

ime. Talk!” No hint of h

tion many times, but one thing I was sure of before, I knew they would not kill

in tr

ore terrifying about his command th

My throat clogged, and I had ba

creamed that shocked

ond, the darkn

*

hap

r senses, but all I could hear was my own breathing. The comfy feeling against

ide. There were no windows, they must have blocked it for safety—just the kerosene lamp lighting up the entire room. Beds we

ealing a woman—the same

till

pread across the woman’s lips. If my me

ally say i

brought something for you. This isn’

shrooms made my

d. “I know

lized there was something hooked to

it could be due to hunger and dehydration. Well, just like everyone, right? And you look so pale and fragile. How long have you been alone out ther

“I cleaned and changed you up into my clothes. Yo

for my neck. “Wh

. Her brown eyes widened. “Oh, t

oring the pounding of my head, the grumbling of an empty sto

have it back once yo

eaths. I was right, we were in the middle of the forest, and guarded by walls fro

ructural designs and disparate from where I came from. A large fire pit in the center with

came to my sight aligned beside the do

eak. You need s

ake my necklace back,”

middle of the forest. It’s way safer from the looters. By t

d followed her crossing the muddy

n two ni

at her in shock.

t thirty hours. You

ad no

ne, tha

footprints leading to the door. She knocke

nd said, “Gael, she’s awake and

calm and concerned tone of a

wo chairs. Stacks of papers and a single pen atop of it. No guns and no decoration hanging on the wall, but there was a

g hair and bright blue eyes. A medium built, and from where he was

breath. “Sir, I ne

ad to toe. “That must be so importan

s. That’s

,” he dismissed h

.” Slowly, I took a seat at on

ated from your

ere heading North. My group leader thought we could change the route and search

convinced with my stor

and screams from my group. I saw...” My eyes stung and my heart broke every ti

we cared about from the outbreak and killed by dangerou

nd wiped m

u get into

y night, but I stayed for a couple of days at the pet

e cle

have one mission since the virus

We don’t have enough food, medicines, and supply left. We have families and children here, and in a few days, some groups might find this plac

n as I get my necklace back. Than