Panic jumps out from the corners of the room as the bloody scene outside becomes more and more real. Muffled screams permeate the glass window, barely escaping the pounding music in their backyard and my mind glitches mixing together timelines.

People I don’t know anymore scratch at the surface of my mind.

I need to focus on outside. I need to stay present. I watch as the first man to be attacked no longer moves, his bloody face camouflaged in the darkness, but I can see bits of torn skin hanging off his cheeks. The other man underneath the crazed woman begins to grow weak, but his attacker continues to swipe at his face without fatigue. She looks like she’s on drugs as she attempts to chomp down on him. My blood curls at the familiar violence. The other two men they had been playing against had run long ago and the happy tunes from their speaker continue to play. Shadows and uncanniness dance to the loud beats unaware of the chaos.

I bite down on my lip and force myself to focus on the present.

On the fact that I am Tate Arthur. A college athlete. Someone who will be on varsity.

I steel my stomach as I zone in on the incident outside, ignoring my past that haunts my peripheral. Another person runs full speed into the backyard. They jerk their head around like an owl before they spot the unconscious man on the ground. They jump on him without hesitation, jaws working in overtime as they begin to eat at his face.

I can’t look away. I need to stay present. I need to stay here. My hands shake at my side as the familiar feeling of skin against skin bruises my knuckles. The deranged man uses open hands to swipe at the victim beneath him and I feel it on my own face.

“Tate, don’t look at that.” Teo murmurs softly and warm hands are grabbing my chin pulling my gaze into the house and away from the mess outside. The past melts away as the warm feeling of fingers grazes my jaw. An even warmer gaze looks down at me from behind dirty-blonde strands. I forget to pull away as his full lips pull into a frown. “Are you okay?” He asks and his hands cup my cheek. His eyes search mine and I suddenly realize a man is holding my face. I hate the way it calms me and how natural it feels. I slap his hand away, taking a step back. Being in this weird house is doing things to me.

“Don’t touch me.” I bite at him, hating the warmth that stays behind my cheeks as my eyes stay locked on his plump lips. He doesn’t protest my reaction as he drops his hand to his side. His eyes flicker above my head and I monetarily feel insignificant at how quickly his attention bounces away. He doesn’t have the same stare behind his eyes at Emory.

Teo’s jaw hardens as they stay locked over my shoulder and I can only guess he’s also focused on the scene outside. “Lock the doors right now and don’t let anyone in.” He commands and he turns away from me, marching towards the living room.

Lorenzo jumps from the counter in an instant, his dark messy curls bounce around his face as he wrenches Teo back by the arm. Anger shines on the sharp angles of his handsome face and he furrows his brows. “Why the hell do you look like you’re about to do something stupid?” The man growls, his voice rugged as he stares the blonde man down.

“I’m not. I’m going to help those guys.” Teo asserts, meeting the man’s aggression with his own as he shakes Lorenzo’s hand off of him. Tension thickens the air, choking me as Lorenzo grabs him again, pulling him so close I’m afraid their lips will crash together. Emory and Jett seem oblivious to the stand off as they scroll rapidly through their phones.

“No, you’re staying here where it’s safe. Those guys are goners.” Lorenzo says lowly. Golden eyes burn into hazel crystals, and I realize they won’t be kissing, so I wait for one of them to throw a punch.

“And leave those guys to die? Lorenzo, we know those guys. We played beer pong with them last weekend.” Teo retorts. His deep voice cracks with appallment disrupting the thunder and lightning between the two.

“No. And stay with us to make sure we’re okay and safe.” Lorenzo answers and he moves closer to the man. Their noses brush and I feel my cheeks heat. I feel like I’m intruding on an intimate moment as the possibility of them kissing becomes more apparent. “You are not letting anyone die. You are making sure your friends live.” Lorenzo adds and he presses his forehead against the other man’s. I hold my breath, waiting for confirmation that Teo is also in fact in their weird hook up mess, but the blonde man draws back instantly, as if the touch burned him.

I furrow my eyebrows as he gives Lorenzo a hard look. The other man doesn’t react. No indication of rejection or acceptance or realization crosses his face as he stares at Teo and I’m left confused by the interaction.

Teo peels his eyes away from Lorenzo and they sweep around the room. They don’t land on me initially, first going to Jett, who scrolls vigorously through his phone. His hand is caught in his long hair and he looks about ready to pull it out from the roots. His eyes then flicker to Emory whose breaths are quick and shallow. Then they finally land on me. His hazel eyes sparkle as he stares into me and I can feel my face heat again as I remember his hands holding my chin. I rub at it roughly and Teo’s eyes leave mine to go back to Lorenzo. Despite the fact that they no longer touch each other, they still stand toe to toe.

Lorenzo raises a dark brow at Teo and the man rakes a hand through his sun and soil stained hair.

“We should turn on the news.” Emory suddenly blurts out and my eyes move away from the ambiguous scene to go to him. His blue eyes find mine and I can see the same fright from downstairs sloshing within them. I open my mouth to say something to him, to offer a word of comfort before I realize I’m not supposed to care. Instead, I close my mouth, paying myself in gratitude for my silence as I realize now my actions downstairs would be the last thing on his mind.

Emory’s eyes travel away from me as he licks his dry lips. He looks out of it as he clumsily stumbles out of the kitchen. His shoulder hits the wall on the way out and Teo reacts as if he’s about to catch the man, but Emory quickly regains his balance, disappearing behind the corner. Moments later, I hear the voices of tv coming from the other room. A news woman's voice strains to remain calm as she talks about a sudden uprise in cannibalism.

“Oh my god!” Emory gasps from the other room.

“What? What is it?” Jett asks, his green eyes search Emory’s silence for some kind of answer. When he doesn’t he dashes from the room.

Whatever he’s reacting to must be in the same vein as what happened to those men playing cornhole. I return my attention to the scene outside finding that neither victim no longer fights. Yet, the Cannibals don’t stop their assault. Blood. Skin. Flesh. They all mix together in the darkness. Lorenzo steps in front of me. His broad shoulders block my vision as he lowers the blinds. The outside world is cut off and he turns back to me with a dark look on his face.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference.” He says, and his words are painted with the same darkness as his expression. His golden eyes are above my head, but they soon drop to me. “Trust me, it wouldn’t have made a difference.” He repeats again, but this time in English.

I look at the man whose lazy carefree playboy attitude has been swapped to make room for the shadows that now rest beneath his eyes and that stay trapped between his clenched teeth.

I focus on making my face slack.

“I know.” I respond simply. I know a dead man when I see one.

I turn away from Lorenzo. We are now the only ones in the kitchen. I walk towards the living room where the frantic News woman’s voice seems to pitch. My eyes land on the tv as her face twists in horror. Clips of a city raging with fire shows on the screen. In the background you can see people running around, attacking each other. A man on fire runs full speed at the camera. He seems unaware of his burning flesh as he lunges for the person recording. Emory screams as the video disappears from the screen.

“H-how? He was on fire.” Emory stutters as he curls in on himself on the couch.

“The world is ending.” Jett murmurs under his breath. He chews on the side of his thumb as he stares wide eyed at the tv.

“I think we’ve seen more than enough to know that whatever is happening isn’t normal. An illegal drug that officials say first appeared in Atlanta promised to eliminate the feeling of pain for individuals. A video from a minor whose name we are not allowed to release, shows his friends brutally attacking his parents. However, it was the bite from this teenager that made officials realize that this is more than a drug.” The news lady explains, her words teetering on the edge of hysteria as she clutches the stack of papers in her hands.

“Dammit. Has anyone heard from Nikko? Is he still at practice?” Teo grunts and I watch as he pulls out his phone. He presses it to his ear, a look of distress bruises his features.

“Oh my god, Nikko. He’s out there!” Jett panics, pressing his hands into his face. His brown hair flops over his hands and he lets out a muffled scream.

I ignore them as I return my focus to the tv.

“As you can see symptoms don’t appear on an individual for twenty-four hours. This is why the federal government is issuing a stay in place shelter requirement. We do not know the scale of distribution of the drugs or who has been bitten; however, as you can tell the violence spreads quickly because these individuals are hard to detain. They don’t grow tired, they don’t feel pain, and they’re hungry.” The woman’s words pierce through me like a bullet, reopening old wounds. My mouth goes dry.

They don’t grow tired. They don’t feel pain. They’re hungry.

My mind itches with a forgotten mantra and I have to shut everything out in order to stay me.

“More information will be issued at a later time, but wherever you are, stay there. Begin to ration and quarantine yourself if you have taken the drug or been bitten by someone illustrating these behaviors. We will have more information about military evacuation soon.” The News woman stands up, her attention no longer on the camera as she looks out into the distance. “Okay, okay they’re locking us down now?” The tv cuts off as she runs off screen and the sound of silence spreads throughout the room like a tidal wave. Heavy breathing from one man and the muffled sound of a prayer from another causes the quiet to gravitate towards one end of the room and then the other.

I close my eyes to stare at the darkness behind my eyelids.

I am Tate Arthur. I am a track athlete from Massachusetts.

My mind stills and when I open my eyes I’m staring at Emory who has begun to pace.

“That’s it. Ration? Stay in place?” Lorenzo shouts angrily and the silence evaporates from the room. The curly haired man throws a punch at the wall and it caves around his hand, leaving a hole. “We just watched two people die in our backyard and all they can tell us is to stay where we are?” Lorenzo roars.

Emory nervously runs his hands through his hair, pushing it away from his face. Fear is pressed into every corner of his features.

“Okay-okay. Let’s think about this.” Emory says and his eyes dart around the room. “We-we can--.”

“Teo, did you get ahold of Nikko? He’s not answering any of my calls or texts.” Jett interrupts Emory and he squeezes the back of the couch until his knuckles turn white. “Pick up the phone, dammit. You stupid jock--”

“You die from dehydration before you die from hunger.” Emory blurts out, cutting off Jett. His eyes scan the room looking for approval for his contribution.

“No, I haven’t gotten ahold of him. What we need to do is lay out everything we have in the kitchen so we know how to ration.” Teo answers, ignoring Emory who nods rapidly. The blonde man shoves his phone into his back pocket.

My eyes scan the room of strangers around me.

Lorenzo stands with his eyes shut and fist clenched. Jett squeezes his phone to his ear. Emory continues to pace. His hand now clutches his heaving chest. Teo hardens his face and begins moving towards the kitchen.

I don’t know any of these people.

Common sense fights my shock as I become aware of my situation.

I don’t know where they’ve been or what they do in their free time.

I take a step back as Teo motions for us to go into the kitchen.

I need to leave. Any of them could have been bitten or taken those stupid drugs. I don’t know. I just don’t. And I don’t know them. I’m better off alone.

That’s how you survive.

I make a move for the door.

Hands grab my bicep, spinning me around.

“Tate, where are you going?” Emory asks me, concern eating away the panic in his voice. His dark blue eyes crash with violent currents as he stares at me.

I ignore his long lashes as I shake him off.

“I’m not staying here.” I respond harshly and I move for the door again. My hands grasp the handle.

“Are you stupid? You can’t leave. It’s dangerous outside.” A soft voice throws itself over my shoulder as another pair of hands fall on me, jerking me back. My hand is yanked from the door and I spin around pushing roughly at a hard chest.

“I don’t know you guys. I don’t want to be locked indefinitely in a house with a bunch of strangers.” I spit, glaring at the green eyed man who shakes his head.

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“You saw. Dangerous.” Jett says again, anger staining the edges of his words but leaving the soft tone of his gentle voice. His cell phone is still clutched in his hand and I hear a lady explaining that the voicemail box is full.

“You guys could be dangerous for all I know.” I counter shoving him as he attempts to grab me again. His strong form resists my push and I ball my fists ready to fight the stranger. Jett readies himself in a defensive position, but Lorenzo is stepping in-between us before I can swing. He grabs my fist, shoving me roughly against the back of the door. I attempt to push back, but his strength and size overwhelms me as he pins my hands against my head.

“Don’t fucking do that.” Lorenzo says darkly, a wicked smile eats at his lip. His golden eyes burn as he gazes down at me. I meet his gaze with my own glare. I clench my jaw as I attempt to push back against his strong grip.

“Alright, alright. Everyone, calm down.” Teo says soothingly, coming to stand next to Lorenzo and I. He holds his hand up in a surrender position and his eyes dart between Lorenzo and I.

“Calm down? I’m fucking pinned against a wall.” I scoff. I raise my knee attempting to send it to his stomach or his groin, but the man quickly thwarts my attempt by pressing his body against mine. I feel him press into me, the loose sweatpants he wears leaving little protection as I feel him entirely. It presses into my lower stomach as he keeps me restrained. My face heats as I think of his earlier comments. Is he enjoying this? “Get off me.” I growl, attempting to buck my hips.

He chuckles darkly, his head dropping so that his face looms too close to mine. “No, this is the best option for you. You’re not going to like what I do to you if you hurt any of my people.” He growls, his brown eyes turning to steel.

I turn my face to the side to avoid the proximity of our lips and my eyes meet the hazel gaze of Teo.

“Look, I’ll tell him to let you go, but you have to calm down for me. We’re not letting you go out there. You’ll die out there.” Teo explains and I feel Lorenzo tighten his grips on my wrist.

“You don’t fucking get to decide what I do. You’re not in charge of me. I want out of here. I don’t know you guys or if any of you will turn into Cannibals in the next twenty-four hours…or less.” I bite out, glaring at Teo.

“Your crush is a dick, Emory.” Jett says bitterly.

“He’s obviously just scared. Lorenzo let him go.” Emory defends me and he comes to stand next to Teo. His cinnamon hair is caught between his fingers and he licks his pink lips. “Tate, Lorenzo is not going to let you go unless you calm down.” Emory tells me quietly, his eyes wide as they search mine. “Please, please just calm down. Come sit on the couch with me.” Emory gives me an easy soft smile and I laugh viciously, slamming my head back against the door.

Who the fuck do these people think they are?

Emory protests at the hollow sound the wacking of my head makes and seconds later I feel a hand wedge itself between my head and the door.

“He’s fucking crazy.” I hear Jett curse and I look to see him on the other side of me. He glares at me as the back of his hand cushions my head.

I laugh in disbelief, trying to push against Lorenzo.

Why the hell do they care so much? I’m doing them a favor. I could be bitten or on those drugs for all they know.

“Listen, I’m not going to fucking touch any of you. I just don’t want to be here.” I get out between clenched teeth. Lorenzo and Jett exchange glances and I turn my head back to Teo and Emory. “Look, you can’t keep me here like a prisoner. This is better for you anyways. You have to ration. The less people, the more days you get to live.” I explain, holding Teo with a hard look. The man’s face remains open as his eyes scan my face. Suddenly, he’s leaning forward. He places his hand on the door above my head and leans in close to me. As close as Lorenzo had been.

“Tate, I am not letting you leave.” He says simply, his words are as hard and stern as chains and Lorenzo tightens his grip on my wrist. It’s almost painful.

I clench my jaw, anger biting at my insides.

I will never be a prisoner again. I’d die before I let my freedom be taken.

I snatch my face away from the blonde man and turn it away from him. I’m forced to look at Jett who shakes his head in irritation. His hand still cups the back of my head.

They can’t hold me down forever. They’ll grow tired and I know how to run.

My mind moves quickly in my head as I realize what I’ll have to do. I need to fake them out.

“Fine.” I lie and boy do I know how to lie. “Just let me go. You’re hurting me.” My eyes flicker back to Lorenzo whose face still looms dangerously close to mine. His eyes burn into me, but I don’t move. I keep our gazes locked. He lets out a strangled laugh before he’s releasing me, stepping back from the door. Teo does as well and his eyes go to Lorenzo.

“Are you done hurting yourself?” Jett asks me sarcastically, his soft voice thick with his accent. He still holds my head.

“Yes.” I say through clenched teeth and I move away from the man.

“Tate, I-I’m sorry about that. Lorenzo is just very protective, but you know Teo isn’t going to let someone get hurt on his watch. And-and me either. So nothing would have happened to you. He wouldn’t have hurt you. I wouldn’t have let him. Also, no one is trying to hold you hostage. As soon as they evacuate us or something you’re free to go. We just want you to be safe.” Emory explains, his mouth moving quickly. He finishes and stares at me waiting for a response. His dark blue gaze begs for an apology he doesn’t deserve. They are holding me hostage, but I play the game the way it’s meant to be played. I give the man in front of me a stiff nod.

“I overreacted.” I force myself to say. I hate the way the words taste on my tongue. My eyes go to Lorenzo to see him watching me closely. He raises an eyebrow at me.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have hurt you.” He affirms, giving me a strained smile. “But, don’t try anything else.” He says firmly, the fake smile dropping.

I glare at him and I stop myself from ending him the way I know I could. He’s stronger, but realistically, I know I can take him down, but that means I’d have to fight everyone in the house. So, instead, I keep it altogether. I keep it all down.

“Okay, now let’s ration the food.” Teo says and he exhales heavily.

“We should put the pizza in the fridge. We have a couple days, if a not a week of electricity. Water too. We should-should gather all the containers in the house and put water in it.” Emory says, his panic from earlier starting to calm as he nods to himself. His eyes cut to me briefly, the same pleading look of forgiveness still there before he looks back to Teo.

“Great idea, Emory. Yes, and we’ll drink tap water until it shuts off. Hopefully, we’ll only be here for a couple days. We’ll get information soon, everything will be alright, but we’ll prepare for the worst.” Teo affirms and he disappears into the kitchen. It leaves me with the three men. I glance at the door and the sound of squealing tires and then a large bang sounds, making Emory jump.

Chaos is unraveling outside.

“Do you think this is happening back home?” Jett says and I watch with irritation as he moves to block the door.

They’ll be paranoid for a minute. I need to ease their suspicions, make them think I won’t try to run. Or, I need to distract them. Put their attention on something else entirely.

Emory gives me a soft smile before he reluctantly heads into the kitchen.

I move towards the window.

I peer through the blind and my eyes find the chaos. A girl jumps on the hood of a car as she tries to get away from a half dressed woman. The deformed Cannibal has blood pouring from her side and her arm is bent at a weird angle. My eyes go down the street. It’s dark and hard to see, but I can see the crashed car I heard earlier in the side of a house. Someone else dashes down the street, fumbling with keys before they disappear into another house.

The only Cannibal on the street that I can see is the one preoccupied with the girl. This is the perfect time to make a run for it.

“Oh no. It can’t be. I hope this isn’t global. I’ll check the local news. We should call our families though.” Lorenzo responds, his husky voice finally giving to fear. I glance at him over my shoulder to see him pulling out his phone. His attention zones in on the electronic device and his face begins to grow pale. I look back out the window to see the Cannibal lady begin to climb up on top of the car. She grabs the screaming girl's foot.

“What? What is it?” Jett asks leaving the door to look over Lorenzo's shoulder. My eyes train in on the door handle. A distraction. This is what I needed. I measure the distance between the men and the door. I can make it.

“It’s global.” Lorenzo’s words are nothing more than a ghost of a whisper as I dash for the door. I wrench it open in a second, flying from their front door to the bottom of their porch in one long jump. I spring up just as I hear someone scream.

“Help me! Help me!” My eyes jump to the woman on top of the car across the street. The Cannibal begins to drag her down off the car. Our eyes lock and they plead for help. I look away immediately.

Saving her would be putting my own self at risk.

I dash forward, sprinting out of their yard.

“Tate!” The sound of my name flies through the air and I glance behind me to see Teo running down the porch steps. There’s no way he can catch me, but the attempt only flares my anger and I flip him off.

Those people are crazy. Why do they care so much if I’m safe?

“Tate! Watch out! In the neighbor's yard!” Teo’s voice booms through the air again and I watch as he takes off in a sprint towards me. I roll my eyes as I tear my gaze away, looking forward again. He stands no chance of beating me. I’m someone who should be on varsity.

My eyes land on the open front door of the house next door. I can see bloody walls and a single abandoned shoe lying on the floor through the door.

“Teo! Get back here! Just let him go!” I hear Lorenzo shout and I glance behind me to see him jumping from the porch. My eyebrows jump up as I realize the distance Teo has gained. He’s still nowhere near catching me, but he’s faster than I expected. His dirty blonde hair jumps around his face as he races forward. His hazel eyes stay locked on me in concentration and I can’t help but laugh at the feeble attempt of trying to outrun me.

“Tate! In front of you! Watch out.” Teo screams. I whip my head around just as a group of 5 bloody people run around from the corner of the house. A tall girl with a missing shoe leads the pack as her head whips around wildly. Her famished eyes land on me and I dig my heels into the ground trying to stop myself. My feet skid across the pavement, but I have too much momentum and as I try to slow down, I continue to barrel forwards. They run towards me and I try to back track. I fall over as the girl with the missing shoe reaches me. She jumps on me, but before her hands make their way around my neck she goes flying off.

“Sorry Maren.” Teo says gruffly and he’s heaving me up as he grabs my arm. “Come one, come on, come on.” He yells at me and I struggle to my feet with his help.

Another cannibal dives at us and we both barely miss the attack as we dive on the road. A third Cannibal launches itself at me and I land a kick at the temple under the man’s chin. It knocks his head up and he stumbles back. I push to my feet to see Lorenzo helping Teo up. A Cannibal dives at Lorenzo’s back and Teo shoves the monster off.

The group of five Cannibals begin to form a sem-circle, their jaws snapping as they advance towards us. My eyebrows furrow at the maneuver. It’s like a wolf pack encircling its prey…it’s an intelligent coordinated move. My eyebrows shoot up as my mind works through the information and a shiver runs through me. They don’t grow tired. They don’t feel pain. They’re hungry.

The drugs they’re talking about. They come in pill form. Small triangles.

“Come on!” Someone grabs the back of my collar, yanking me backwards and out of my memories. I turn as Teo pulls me across the street to a house with a driveway full of cars. It’s next to the house with the girl who had called out to me for help. She now lays underneath the bloody woman, unmoving. I don’t let guilt influence me as Lorenzo yanks at one of the car doors. It doesn’t open and I look back to see the five Cannibals begin to charge at us. At this angle, they’d get me, no matter how fast I run, but maybe if they went after Teo or Lorenzo then I’d have a chance.

“Tate! In!”

I jump out of the way as the shoeless girl swipes at me. I look back to see Teo hanging out of the backseat of an open car. I dive into the door without thinking and fly into the backseat, My body collides with Teo’s and Lorenzo’s as I do. Teo slams the door shut and my eyes immediately widen as my heart beats wildly.

“The doors, lock the doors!” I scream on instinct as I dive for the lock button in the front seat just as one of the Cannibals begins to bang their head against the glass.

“Why, they’re like fucking zombies? We need to worry about them breaking the glass.” Lorenzo shouts, his eyes darting around the car as the Cannibals incircle us.

“No. No. They’ll figure it out.” I say, my mouth dry. The shoeless girl near the driver’s seat stops banging her head against the window in a sudden jerky stop. She cranes her neck to the side at a painful 90 degree angle as she stares blankly at the car door. “It takes a minute, but they remember.” I continue, watching as her eye begins to twitch as she stares vacantly at the car door.

“Remember what? What are you talking about? This is your fault by the way, Tate!” Lorenzo yells at me.

“Remember some of the things from before.” I explain quietly, and I watch breathless as the shoeless girl wraps her hand around the door handle. She pulls at it, but the car door doesn’t open. She pulls at it with all her strength, but the door remains locked. “But they’re driven by rage and hunger so those human things from before don’t stick.” I murmur and the Cannibal lets out a disgruntled scream. She throws her head back viciously, causing her neck to bend at the wrong angle and then she’s smashing her head against the window again.

“How the fuck did you know that?” Teo asks breathlessly at my side. My eyes go to the passenger seat where a blanket sits bunched up underneath a box of tissues.

I don’t answer his question as I whisper my own name to myself.

“I am Tate Aruthur. I am Tate Arthur. I am Tate Arthur.” I grab the blanket, leaning back in the back seat.

“We should put this over us, so they don’t see us. They’ll get too hungry and angry and forget we’re here if they can’t see us.” I say, unbunching the pink blanket.

“What? Tate, how do you know?” Teo questions, grabbing my shoulder and forcing me to look into his hazel gaze.

“I read it on my phone. A new station posted about it.” I answer. “How else?” I ask irritation, biting at my words as I hold up the blanket.

Teo’s eyebrows furrow, but he doesn’t question me as he scoots closer. I hold the blanket up over our heads, my eyes going to Lorenzo who shoots me a glare, but he moves in closer.

“I’m going to fucking kill you for this.” He says gruffly.

“Yeah, well do it after we survive this.” I bite back and he clenches his jaw, roughly grabbing my thigh and dragging me onto his lap. “What the fuck?” I spit at him, rearing away from him and practically falling over Teo’s lap.

“This blanket is not big enough for three grown men side by side, you idiot. Get on my lap.” He demands and I hear Teo curse at my side.

“Stop fighting and put the damn blanket over us before they bust through the windows.” Teo hisses.

“Sit on my lap.” I growl back, attempting to throw the cover over us. It’s just as Lorenzo says though and I am the only one fully covered. It won’t be enough to make the Cannibals forget about our presence.

“You’re the smallest.” Lorenzo challenges, a vicious taunt in his words. Anger settles on my skin and it’s only the screams of the Cannibals outside that stop me from tearing Lorenzo apart myself. I slide onto Teo’s lap giving Lorenzo a dirty look.

“I’m lean. Not small.” I clarify and I feel Teo grab my hip as he inches closer to Lorenzo. The cover flops over us and we go quiet. The sounds outside make up all the noise, even the noise in my brain. We all hold our breath waiting for the screaming to stop.

It’s a weird moment as I sit hunched under the blankets in a pitch dark car with two strangers, but it’s almost like our breaths are in sync.

We inhale together.

We wait for silence together.

And then, together, we’re forced to exhale but we find no relief.

How many hits does it take for a window to crack?

I hold my breath to fall out of line with the men. I now inhale when they exhale and exhale when they inhale.

I focus on my own breathing.

Do I have enough room in this car to get away from the two men before the Cannibals try to devour us? I can outrun them, but can I escape in enough time?

Lorenzo balls and un-balls his fist at my side. I can’t tell if it’s from nerves or anger, but he chews on the inside of his cheek the same way I do.

That acquaintance I had ignored in passing many times eats at my heart as Teo nervously fidgets with my belt loop. I feel guilty as I hear my own thoughts.

Lorenzo’s right, it is my fault they’re out here. Whether I like it or not, Teo saved me.

The thoughts stings my mind and I brush off the feeling like I have done many times before.

No one told anyone to try and save me. I wouldn’t have done the same for them and I won’t do it now.

The world is about survival.

It always has been, but now more than ever.

If it comes to it. I’ll do what has to be done