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Grade
8

Katrina shook me awake as the first pink fingers of dawn where slipping through the holes in the wood that we used to cover up our shelter. It was colder this morning then it was last night, and, unsurprisingly, I didn’t feel any less tired then I did last night.

 

“I think the zombies are finally gone,” Katrina whispered. “Now is the perfect time to get supplies”

 

I groaned as I pulled myself up. I wanted more sleep, but she was right, you could barely hear any zombies and they sounded like they were far away, I was tempted to send Katrina to get supplies by herself, but then I remembered what happened last time that happened, and it was so recent that I threw all my sleepy thoughts away.

 

“Fine,” I mumbled. I wanted more sleep, but I knew we needed to move as quickly as possible. I knew by midday the zombies would invade this place, and we would get eaten alive. I kept reminding myself of this as I looked through the holes to scan the surroundings. When I didn’t see any zombies, I shoved the board out of the way, and climbed out from the ditch. Katrina quickly followed me, scrambling out and nearly slipped and fell.

 

“Careful” I told her, but I could tell that she wasn’t doing well. Her eyes were red and dry, her hair was a mess, her clothes were falling apart, and her wounds still didn’t look to good. I should have taken a longer shift last night. I thought guilty, She really looks bad. I took a deep breath and begin to walk down the alley, my fingers on my knife just in case. I turned into the direction I thought was a store, or someone I could get some supplies from. Katrina limped up beside me, her ankle was still swollen and bruised. “You know Diana,” She said, “I really think we can stay in the shelter for another day or so, we both need the rest and the zombies shouldn’t be to bad. Those troops cleared quite a few out.”

 

I shook my head. “I would love that Katrina,” I said, “But the whole place will be swarming by midday and we can rest somewhere else.” I frowned, studying Katrina “And you are going to the doctor, that ankle and those cuts need to be treated, there’s not much more that I can do to prevent them from getting infected, and you won't be able to make it any longer without getting rest.” Katrina automatically shook her head. “I’m fine,” She responded, but she was limping badly now and breathing heavily “You don't need to waste your money on medical bills.”  

 

“Shut up” I told her. “Your never going to make it without actual medical treatment, and you need rest, look at you now, your pathetic”

 

Katrina opened her mouth to argue with me but then shut it. I had learned that being blunt was the only way to get through to her sometimes.

 

As we reached the town I saw one of the few open shops, it was one of the larger, nicer ones and the sign read:

Selling food until 10:00 am. If you don't know what time it is, then you lose.

 

I rolled my eyes. “Time” didn’t exist anymore. There was no 10:00, because no o̷ne knew when 10:00 was. In fact, I don’t know the day or the month. I’m not even positive on the year.

 

“Wait out here” I told Katrina, who was leaning against the wall. “Yell if you need help”

 

As I stepped inside the store I realized there wasn’t much left of anything, which didn’t come as a surprise. There was enough food, water and supplies in the world, but it was just hard to get it around.

 

I snatched some food, water, a first aid and a new zombie tracker, since mine was almost dead. There was no one in the store so I shrugged and walked out the door with my supplies. I saw that Katrina was now deathly pale and she was breathing even more heavily.

 

“Lets go” I told her

 

The doctor was able to fix Katrina up for a decent price. He looked so thin when I first saw him, that I offered him a banana. He looked so relieved, which almost made me feel better about myself.

 

As Katrina was lying in the hospital bed, her eyes looked far away. They held so many emotions from hope and joy to the most anger and pain that I had ever seen. I wondered how much she had been through before I met her and how much she hadn’t told me.  She was only fourteen, to have her life ruined at such a young age made me feel even more empty inside. The zombie apocalypse ruined any chances of her having a normal life. The teen years were the most delicate years, I had learned that. I wonder how she would turn out as a adult, if she ever made it that far.

 

“Diana?” A voice whispered. It took me a minute to realize that Katrina was speaking to me. She didn’t look at me and she didn’t seem to notice that I was there, sitting in the chair right next to her. For a moment I wondered if she was only speaking to herself and not me at all.

 

“Yes?” I finally responded

 

“When will this be over?” She said, so quickly and full of emotion, something so different from her normal voice that tried to cover up her pain. “Diana, I am sick of running and hiding,” she continued “I’m sick of being in pain, I’m sick of wondering if I will survive another day, and I am sick of trying to be tougher than I actually am. Why do I even try? Why don’t I give up?” Katrina’s lips moved, but the rest of her body stayed still.

 

I was silent for a moment. Why didn’t we just give up? Let us get ripped apart by zombies and just die? What was the point? Did we really think this was going to end? That we would find our loved ones? That Katrina would find her brother and that my mother’s sanity would be restored? Or were we just humans, doing anything to stay alive for as long as possible, to fear death more than anything?

 

We were quiet for a long time. I didn’t know how to respond to Katrina’s question.

 

“I don’t know Katrina,” I finally whispered, “I really don’t know”