Kimani Laumoli

Good News by Kimani Laumoli

The morning sun shone on my face. I had just woken up, and they failed to catch me. I reached into my school bag and grabbed my watch that was gifted to me from my father. I never really wore it because the leather would always make my wrist sweat, but it always came in handy. It was eight in the morning. I only got 5 hours of sleep last night. I then looked around me. Complete silence. You could hear the second hand ticking on my watch. Ever since the apocalypse, I couldn’t catch a break. This morning was somewhat peaceful. My stomach made a giant yelp. I was starving. All I had for the past few days was canned beans and pudding. I needed something now. I heard a few gentle rustles in the leaves. I stood up, stretched, and checked what was going on. A rabbit! Perfect. I reached in my bag to take out the extra pistol my older brother found and gave to me.

All of the sudden I heard a loud shotgun cock. “Drop the weapon. Put your hands where I can see them.” It was a man. His voice was very raspy and you could tell he’s lived to see a few things. He had a very distinct voice, but I couldn’t put my finger on who it was. “Who is it?” I said. “I don’t want any trouble. I got lost from my group and I just want to meet back up with them. “DROP THE GUN.” He yelled again. You could barely understand what the man said because of the raspiness. I gave up, and dropped my gun. “Okay, can we talk face to face at least?” “Fine.” He replied. I turned around.

I could feel my heart drop to my stomach when I saw who it was. It was Peter, Cliff’s right hand man. I noticed he had a fresh scar on his face, and was bleeding in a few spots on his arms, probably from the thorns nearby. How did he find me out here? And what did he want? And why was he by himself? Where’s Cliff? I had so many questions, but I couldn’t get a single word out. “Wha…uh…how…” I struggled to say. Peter looked at me and asked “Where the hell have you been? What were you planning on doing?” The truth was I escaped the camp and tried to find my old group. They told me that they would be in Akron if I needed anything. I needed their help. Cliff’s camp held me and my entire family captive, and I knew they had fighters. “You were gone for two damn nights! A wolf could’ve killed you out there, and probably would’ve if you stayed one more night alone. We’re going back to the camp now.”

He was right. I barely even survived the first two nights. A lot of running. A lot of hiding. You never know who could turn into a wolf when it hits midnight. And the wolves will do whatever it takes to kill you. I felt dizzy, and I was struggling for air. I was still stunned on how I was caught in the middle of the forest, miles away from the camp. I finally could get something out: “How did you find me?” Peter had a laugh. “See, Sean. We know you’re a smart kid, but we’re always one step ahead of you. While our hostages are drugged, we put trackers on them, so they can’t escape. Come on. Let’s go.” I grabbed my bag, and he brought me to his UTV. On the ride back, Peter asked me “Sean. Me, Cliff, and the rest of the group were discussing. We need more people to run the camp, and we think you’d be the perfect guy. You’re young. Smart. Quick thinker. You could ditch your family and join us. You’ll be fed better. Have clothes. Supplies. A bed. Your family is struggling to get those things, and they’re just dragging you down. What do you say?” “Alright, I’ll do it!” Oh no. Not now. I was having another panic attack, and started to blurt whatever came out of my mouth. I could never leave my family. Not for anything. “Really? Great. You won’t regret this. I’ll be sure to let Cliff know. We all knew you didn’t need that sorry family anyways.” Come on, Sean. Say something! You don’t want this! I was sweating bullets because of the morning sun and the stress. I felt overwhelmed. I needed a plan. I couldn’t gather myself to talk. It’s like my vocal cords were shut. I knew I had to befriend them first, and maybe take over the place. I’ll show them who’s smarter. We got back to the camp, and it seemed kind of quiet, like a calm and peaceful park. There he was, Cliff, waiting for us. “Cliff,” said Peter, in an uplifting, but raggedy tone, “I got some good news for you…”