The next morning
Seungmin and I took the few items of food and headed out of the eerie caravan, I think to myself. I will never see this caravan in my life ever again - thank God!
We make it back to our Honda, Eve and Liam are still nowhere to be seen, we check the pharmacy and still no sign of them. "Di-Did they leave? Would Liam leave?" I question Seungmin. "Liam would leave, only in danger. He would probably have gotten Eve to go back to the camp with him expecting to meet us there..." He answers. "Why did they leave the Honda?" I ask, "Probably, so we could get back. Let's go while we still can, Rina" He suggests. I nod in agreement.
We get into the Honda and drive away. I remember the events of last night and a wave of embarrassment came over me, God I overshared. Seungmin and I will be in the car for a while now, I might as well take this chance to get to know him considering I didn't yesterday.
"So Seungmin, tell me about your family?" "Well, I had two step-siblings. My mum and Dad divorced. My Dad remarried and my step-mum came with two younger kids, a boy named Alec and a girl named Penelope." He answers. "That's cool. What about at school?" I question. "Yeah, school was fun" He replies with a small smile. We keep making conversation casually until I ask "So-So what is going to happen with those cannibals?" I ask. "We keep away from the town, do not under any circumstances go back there, we all have everything we need back at the camp.." I get a shiver down my spine from mentioning those disgusting people.
We get back to the forest and park the Honda back at the ranger's station and make our way downhill to the camp. "I'm nervous, what if they aren't there? What if those crazed cannibals captured them?" I ask Seungmin worriedly. "I don't think they got captured, they'll be fine though. Don't worry" We get back to the main cabin and open the door. We see Olivia on the bed sitting next to her is Sophia, George is sitting on the floor with Sammy. Junsu and Noah are standing up against the wall. "Where's Eve and Liam?!" I yell at them in a panic.
"Chill, chill! They are fishing down at the lake!" Junsu says in a laugh. Sophia and Olivia get up to take me in an embrace, "We were worried about you! What the hell were you doing? Being reckless as usual, Rina?!" Sophia scolds me.
I roll my eyes. "Go and get Liam and Eve, please," I ask Junsu and he nods. I walk over to Sammy and give him a hug also. Eve and Liam have rushed in the door now, I embrace Eve. "Are you okay?" I ask her "Yes I'm fine! I should be asking you! Where did you go off to? we left when the herd came!" Eve asks with concern. "We'll explain but right now we need everyone's attention, there's something major we need to tell you all" I confess to them. "Are you pregnant?" Liam laughs and I give him a glare, "Shut up!" I snap.
"So Seungmin and I went around the prison and we saw a colony of people-" I am cut off my Liam "Really? That's great-" "No, let her finish" Seungmin shakes his head. ".. We saw those people- they, they were murdering other people-" I am cutting off my Olivia's gasps. "That's not all, they were eating them" I saw with horror-struck in my eyes. Everyone is silent. "Are you joking?" Noah asks with an annoyed expression.
"What! How can I be joking, we're in an apocalypse, it's true they were killing people and eating them! They are cannibals!" I yell at Noah frustrated. I suddenly remember why I don't like Noah. "And how the hell do we not know you are just making this up, huh?" He yells stepping closer to me with angered eyes, I suddenly have a flashback of my father and his wicked ways.
Noah holds the same evil in his eyes as my father, and it scares me. I refuse to let it show and be affected by this. "if you don't believe me! Go up there and find out? I can promise you this you won't make it out you dumb" I scream at him. Anger seems to have ignited even more in his eyes and he pushes me to the ground. I hit my back and neck off the floor and pain instantly attacks the affected areas.
"Whoa! What the fuck?!" I hear Seungmin yell and help me up from the floor. Eve bursts into an argument, Sophia and Olivia are helping me and consoling me while everyone else is arguing with Noah. I get up and I'm furious. I launch for Noah and punch him repeatedly right in the jaw. He collapses onto the floor and the room reaches silence again. "Oh fuck you bitch!" I kick Noah in the stomach and Junsu pulls me back gently so I don't hit him again.
"Get out!" I yell at him. "What are you saying?!" Noah yells at me struggling up from the ground. "I said get the hell out of here! Now!" I screech not caring who or what heard.
By now Seungmin and the others have gathered around me. Noah notices this and looks around at them. "This is my camp, you don't tell me what to do!" He tries to get in my face, Liam and Seungmin push him away from me. "Oh, I see? This bitch got you both whipped has she?" Noah laughs. "What the hell are you talking about?" Seungmin growls. "Piss off! I've seen the way you both run after this slut like lost puppies?!" He laughs.
I ran up to him again and kicked him in his balls again. "Don't make me repeat myself, get the fuck out of here! Now!". "Junsu? What the hell do you have to say about this shit?!" He panics slightly noticing the odds are most definitely not in his favor. "Noah. I think you need to chill out now, you can't treat girls like that." Junsu calmly replies. "FINE! I'm leaving! And don't you worry bitch! I'll get you back" He spits and storms out of the cabin slamming the door.
Following Noah's "departure" the room was tense, I couldn't escape from the chilling feeling that left me, I knew somehow Noah meant what he said that he'd get me back in some way. I guess the distinguishing factor is, when? By now he might have taken shelter at the Ranger's station for all we know.
All I want right now is my Mum - even though we weren't close I need her at this moment. "Hey..." A soft sleepy voice speaks. I turn around and see Eve coming to sit next to me. "Everything is going to be okay, I doubt we will see him again." She says while wrapping her arms around me lovingly. "How is your leg, Olivia?" I giggle, recalling all the havoc it causes just to get her medicine. "It's perfect" She chuckles in response.
Morning...
I hear footsteps from behind me and I feel tense up. "Hey," says a deep voice, I turn around as Seungmin sits beside me. "How are you doing?" He asks smiling, "Swell" I roll my eyes and lay back on the dock staring up at the sky.
"I'm sorry" I mutter with my eyes closed. "It's fine, I know it's a lot. In all honesty, I didn't like that guy anyway, plus I don't think he'll come back." Seungmin says with a slight chuckle. I sat up to get a better look at him, "Oh yeah, he insulted you and Liam as well last night" I say, remembering last night's events again. He offers me a shrug in response "Junsu and Liam have gone to look for him, they said they'd check the Ranger's station first and be back for nightfall."
Seungmin and I talk and talk about the most random things, he also helps me fish. In total, we caught three fish. We both stand up to head back to the cabin, "Thanks for helping me" I smile," And how are you going to repay me?" He grins at me, "Well what do you want?" I ask slightly confused as to what he could possibly ask for. "Hmm... I don't know. I guess you are forever in my debt now" Seungmin replies.
As we both walk to the cabin, my hand slightly brushes against his. I can feel my face heating up, "...Sorry" I whisper looking down. Seungmin turns to look at me and places my hand in his, my breathing completely stops. God, why am I so awkward? I think to myself. We both walk hand-in-hand as we enter the cabin. Just like "The swan Illusion" I am freaking out, but trying my best to look calm.
It's been around 3 days following Noah's outburst. I guess you could say harmony has been restored in the groups, currently, I am scoping out the land with Liam, we are trying to find a sustainable food source like a grocery store instead of fishing - which takes up an abundance of time and energy and does not last for long.
"Do you even know where we are Liam?!" I ask. "Not really, I'm sure we'll find our way back..." He half chuckles. "I think we should head back and try again tomorrow" I state.
"God, I never thought living in a zombie apocalypse would be this boring!" Liam jokes. "True, I miss my old less boring life..." "Did you have a boyfriend?" Liam asks me, "haha, no. I never had an interest in that kind of thing, just seemed like a lot of effort and not much in return" I shrug. "Isn't Seungmin your boyfriend?" He questions me, "No!" I giggle "I've seen you both hold hands and mess around" "just because we hold hands doesn't mean we are ... together," I say feeling more and more uncomfortable. I think Liam notices this and we both continue our journey silently home.
"Ugh! Finally, we're back" I sigh as I fall back onto the couch, "Rina are you coming to dinner?" Eve asks with furrowed eyebrows "...no, I-I'm fine" I shakily say, Eve sighs an okay and exits the cabin leaving me alone.
I decided I'll just head to bed after the long day I had. I climb into bed and feel completely lost, tears threaten to prick my eyes and they all come streaming down coating my eyelashes making my vision a wobbling picture of grief. Silently I cry. "Why can't I eat? I-Why do I have to be this way, I'm never satisfied, it's like I'm addicted to starving myself" I think to myself. After wallowing in self-pity for some time I drift away to my dreamland, hoping for some sense of security there.
Night...
I jolt awake to the sound of my own coughing, I look at my surroundings and find the cabin is set ablaze. "Eve... Olivia! Sophia!" I scream and rapidly try to get up from the bed, Sophia is knocked out on the floor and Olivia is coughing beside her, Eve is whimpering trying to get up. I look around for Sammy and start to panic, I hear small meows and find him huddled under the bed, I quickly grab him and place him in my arms. "We need to get out, come on!" I cough, "We need to lift her" Olivia and I lift up Sophia from the shoulders, I look around and find the fire has scorched the door not giving us an exit. "We need to get out through the window!" Eve shouts, I drop one of Sophia's shoulders and grab a desk chair and whack it on the window, after repeatedly whacking the window it breaks, Olivia climbs out of the window and I carry Sophia's body to her through the window, next Eve and I rush out with Sammy in my arms.
Eve is lying on the ground trying to get Sophia to become conscious again, "We need to find the boys!" Olivia coughs, I nod and we both rush to their cabins, one is fully lit and we see the boys standing outside of it, Liam is collapsed on the ground with a blank stare and tears rolling down his cheeks. They all quickly follow us to where Sophia and Eve are situated, "Wait! Where's George?" Olivia asks in a cracked voice. "He didn't make it" Junsu looks down. "How did this start?" I ask, "It looks like somebody set the cabins a light when we were sleeping - they were watching us, trying to kill us - or you in particular," Seungmin says. "What?" I ask puzzled, Seungmin gestures over the side of the cabin, letters are written across the wall dark enough to be visible even in the fire reading, 'You caused this, Rina!'
"It must be Noah!" I yell, "He wouldn't try to kill us, he wouldn't kill George..." Junsu shakes, "I just realized we know nothing about you! You came here and have kept to yourself, hell the first time we saw you were stealing from us!" Junsu seethes running his hand through his hair. I look over at Liam. He is obviously in shock, his eyes continue to stream. He was close to George. I felt his grief from here. "Why did you really come here?" Junsu points at Eve accusingly,
"We came for safety! Eve and Junsu argue back and forth, I take this moment to look around at my surroundings, if somebody had told me a few months ago I would be in the apocalypse with a group of teenagers whilst dealing with someone or multiple trying to kill me and ended up killing a young boy. I would've laughed. Lurking in the woods someone is watching us, I can feel their eyes on me.
I suppose this is the worst form of psychological torture, knowing you are being watched it makes you paranoid. Plays on your trust - destroys your friendships - leaving you isolated alone whilst simultaneously hurting the people you care about.