Page 33 of Hunt Me
‘Where are you staying?’
She does not stop walking but instead turns to look at me whilst she answers.‘Do you seriously expect me to answer that?’
‘Yes.’It’s not like she’s going anywhere without me from now on, so she might as well tell me.‘I’ll find out when we eventually make our way back.’
‘You are notcoming back with me.’
‘Whatever you say, little deer.’I almost singsong – I’m totally fucked.
A Skull that is all happy and cheery? The world's definitely ending.
I look up to check that the sky isn’t falling because that would be more expected than me acting likethis.
‘Stop calling me that,’she snaps.
So sassy about her nickname — I love it.
‘Where are we going anyway? This feels like more than a little walk.’She says, changing the subject back to our current task.
I’ll admit that earlier, I had hoped I’d be able to keep her distracted for enough time before she’d catch on. Technically, it’s a few miles away and in the completely wrong direction towhere we first met yesterday, but who's keeping track? The city isn’t that big so we might as well make the most of the time we have together.
The more time we have to walk around getting to know each other the more time I have to convince her to be mine.
And a little fucked up lonely part of me wants her to see me as hers too.
Were people always this quickly caught off guard before the virus hit? Struck by these odd emotions that have the power to bring them to their knees?
I rub my hand over my chest. My heart is beating so fast I could be having a heart attack.
Or is this something unique to our new world, feelings created by the apocalypse? We live purely in the moment and know what it feels to lose everyone and everything. To be so alone for so long. So now, when we find the right person, we make them our own, our family, and we never let them go.
All in less than twenty-four hours.
Well, at least no one is complaining about efficiency anymore.
We – The Skulls – converted the stadium into a sanctuary to protect ourselves. Somewhere that could keep the evil out. Only we had to become monsters to do it. We became far worse than the nutters that survived the apocalypse, made sure that we were known as an entity to be feared and left alone. And it has worked, but what does that mean Fauna has heard?
What does she think of me?
‘It’s just around the corner,’I nod to the left.
As we round the side of a not-too-crumbly building, we enter the cornered-off street with barriers and cones. Most of them areknocked down and useless, but it is a clear sign of what once was a controlled place.
I notice her steps slow as she takes in the sight, and when I look back, her face is scrunched up, eyes looking around.
‘It’s abandoned,’I say.
‘For how long?’Fauna’s voice wobbles slightly before she clears it with a cough.
‘A couple of years. Why?’
‘Let’s just say I’m not the biggest fan of army camps,’she states, her voice devoid of emotion.
I don’t move as I process what she’s said and fury bubbles up inside of me as I watch her begin to shut herself off from me again. Her shoulders pull back, and her spine straightens as if she is preparing herself for something.
I’d heard stories about how some camps weren’t the best, how they were full of corruption and violence. Some far worse than others. The world was a fucked up place to start with — those closest to you betraying you with violence and deception never mind giving those scum free reign thanks to the absence of enforced laws.
‘Even with that mask on, I can tell you’re driving yourself crazy with all the possibilities.’She laughs, looking around the deserted building.
