Annihilate

He kneeled next to the edge of the crystal clear lake, the sun shimmered across its slick surface. He dipped his hands in the water, feeling its cool embrace. The group had been on the move for three days, barely stopping to eat and rest. The lake was a much-needed day off. Noah kept scanning the area, paranoid by the thought of an ambush.

Ryan stripped down to his underwear and dipped a toe into the water, his body shivered but the thought of diving head first into the lake made his brain go crazy with excitement. He grabbed Noah and pulled him out of the sand. It had been awhile since they all had a chance to stop and catch their breath, he missed Noah’s eyes looking into his. He lifted Noah’s shirt, yanking it off and pointing to the water, the two girls sprinting into the still water.

“Wanna go for a swim?” Ryan asked, playfully poking Noah’s stomach.

“I…” Noah looked around, scoping for any signs of mutations. “Only for a few minutes.

Ryan fell back into the water, dragging the pale skinny boy with him. Noah opened his eyes underwater, dark blue surrounding him. He liked it below the surface, the quiet soothed him. He bobbed up above the water and pushed the hair back from his face. Natalie and Sam giggled back and forth, occasionally diving under the water, and coming back up just to splash one another. Noah admired their friendship, he was curious about their past and how they managed to survive, but that was a different conversation for another time.

Ryan pulled him close, his hand caressing Noah’s shoulder, his fingers tracing his bony chest and his collarbone. They stared at each other for what felt like forever. Noah reached his arm around Ryan’s body and grabbed the back of his head, gently pushing it towards his own. Their lips touched, butterflies shot through his stomach. He hadn’t felt like this in a very long time…since the boy near the ocean. He could hear the faint “aww” of the girls in the background. Ryan pulled away, blushing bright red. Noah tried to form words but he couldn’t, the moment left him speechless.

Natalie broke into screams of terror. She quickly ran to the shore with Sam, Noah and Ryan following close behind. She pointed at the water, a bloody body bobbing around, blood seeping into the lake. More bodies appeared, one by one. The bodies didn’t look like they were mutated. One washed against the sand. Natalie kneeled down and examined it; a bullet hole in the back of the head oozed a dark red tar substance. Ryan tapped her shoulder and she stood, her eyes fixated on the thousands of bodies washing into the lake.

“What the hell is going on?” Ryan asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

“Judging by this body.” Natalie swallowed. “It seems like they were executed and thrown into the stream. They’re coming from the city. All these people…killed.”

“Government?” Noah asked, crossing his arms.

“Probably fucking FEMA.” Sam changed quickly and grabbed her rifle. “C’mon, we don’t need to look at dead bodies all day, we might end up one.”

They ventured into the forest and came up with a plan of action. They’d head for the town of Gaia, a place walled off in the beginning stages of the outbreak. They didn’t know if the place would still be standing though. Ryan told stories of the flying mutations destroying the city, Noah couldn’t imagine what they’d do to a small town. As Noah used his gifts to setup a shield around the camp, Ryan gathered firewood, and the others set up the tents. Although Noah could make a fire with no wood at all and make it last for however long he wanted, he found joy and comfort in making a campfire. It brought back good memories and made things feel a little bit more normal. After the fire was set up, Noah reached into the Earth and pulled out some corn and carrots. They feasted that night, relaxed and watched the stars shine in the sky.

They slept calmly for the first time in a long time; they felt safe having Noah around. He lay curled up in Ryan’s arms, his warmth soothing his mind and putting his body to rest, and for the first time since the beginning of all of the madness, he was nightmare free. He dreamed about the ocean, how the breeze made him feel, feeling free once again, a place where nothing mattered and nothing was blown to pieces. Everything was just…normal.

The sun sat high in the sky, shining down on their small campsite, the force field shimmered beautifully as the sun’s rays echoed across it. Noah rolled up his sleeping bag and shoved it inside his rucksack. He filled empty bottles with water and handed them out to the others. He felt happy; he greeted everyone with a smile and potatoes for breakfast. The team headed out once more, deeper into the forest they went.

“This is the only way.” Ryan said, scanning his map as they stood at the edge of the trees.

“The highway just seems too risky.” Noah knew it was no way or the highway, it made him feel uneasy but the choice was already made in his head. “Okay. We’ll be exposed. Everyone okay with that?”

The others nodded and they continued on. The road curved and stretched for miles, tall grass and vines snaked through the cracks, and danced around abandoned cars. They walked until they couldn’t walk anymore. Natalie stopped and leaned against a car. She pulled out a bottle of water and doused her skin with it, then drinking the rest. Ryan held his hand up in the air, his eyes darting around the area. The group went silent as deep gurgling screams came from the patch of forest beside them. They hid behind two different cars, their weapons at the ready. Sam peeked through the window, counting the mutations as they exited the woods. She took a deep breath, looking over at Noah and showing on her fingers “10.” He swallowed hard and gripped his gun tight. Noah could hear them getting closer, their footsteps getting louder. A barrage of bullets came from the tree line behind them, six or seven people shouting at the mutations. Noah eyed the group of mysterious strangers, examining each and every one of them. On the end was someone he knew, someone that was dear to him. A woman.