"How are you doing?" the boy asked as he sat down next to Cyrus. The fire was growing smaller and smaller. Soon, they'd have nothing but ashes and the clothes on their back to keep them warm.
"Fine," Cyrus replied. "A little hungry but fine." They were always a little hungry.
The boy grabbed the backpack beside him and unzipped it. He took something from within and held it out to Cyrus. "Take my granola bar." He smiled but it looked forced. He was tired. Very tired.
Cyrus waved it away. "You keep it. It's ok."
"We'll find more." he replied optimistically, shoving the granola bar closer. His eyes sparkled in the fire light like the horrors of this world couldn't touch him. Cyrus knew the truth, however- he had lost more than anyone.
"How about you take half and I take half?"
He broke the granola into two halves and handed one to Cyrus. "Deal."
Cyrus took a bite and his stomach growled like a lion. Jonah inched closer and laid his head on Cyrus's shoulder. "We have to move on soon."
"I know." Cyrus replied.
"The snow will make it harder."
Cyrus took Jonah's hand in his. "We'll be ok." They watched as the last flicker of flame was extinguished and their dilapidated cabin grew dark. "We'll be ok."
Today marked two years in the Quarantine Zone and Cyrus couldn't believe it had been so long. It didn't feel like two years. It felt like just yesterday that he walked through those big, black, impenetrable doors to safety.
But was he really safe here? Every day, people were dragged into the medical building never to be seen again. Because his window faced the building, Cyrus could always hear them. "Please!" they would scream. "Please, I'm not sick! I swear! Please, don't do this! I have a family!"
He never let his mind linger on them. To do so would make living in this place more unbearable than it already was. Instead, he would cover his head with one of his pillows and squeeze. It never drowned out the noise completely but it did muffle it. That was all he could hope for.
Fires burned day in and day out in the Quarantine Zone. They get the wood from the forest surrounding the area and light a fire on all four blocks. They were big fires. Bigger than Cyrus had ever seen. Sometimes, the flames would reach halfway up the side of a ten-story building. Sometimes, Cyrus would hang out by them just to feel the heat on his face while he stared. There was something hypnotic about fire. Something calming.
There was a sudden knock on his bedroom door. Cyrus bolted out of bed and ran over to open it and found Andi on the other side. Andi was his best friend in the Quarantine Zone. She was the first person he met when he settled into his room on the first day.
"Cyrus!" she exclaimed. "Bex and I are going to play Uno. You wanna join?" Bex was her older sister. They didn't look much alike but they were extremely close. Cyrus rarely saw one without the other.
"Sure! Just give me a minute and I'll be right over!"
Andi's face lit up. "Ok! Great!" She turned and left down the hallway.
Cyrus watched her go and then closed the door. He walked over to the window and peered out. The street outside was completely deserted. That wasn't totally unusual and Cyrus was thankful for the quiet. He grabbed his sweater from the coat rack next to the door and left for Andi's.
Their apartment was a little bit bigger than his but not by much. He saw clothes thrown about all over the furniture and on the floor. Dirty dishes littered the place.
"Excuse the mess," Andi said as Cryus sat down at the table. She made a gesture toward the kitchen and whispered, "Bex is a bit of a pig."
"Yeah, I'm the pig." Bex appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Wanna check the nametags in that pile of clothes over there."
"I don't know," Andi began immediately. A smile creeping across her face. "Do you?"
Bex looked over at the pile and her resolve vanished. "Oh my god. Those are mine aren't they?" Andi nodded. Bex took a seat at the table and held her head in her hands. "I have a problem."
Andi patted her sisters back. "Shhh. Shh. It's ok. Look! Uno!" Andi gestured to the stack of cards in front of them.
Bex looked like she was about to get sick. "I don't think I can stomach losing to you again."
Andi laughed. "Don't worry. Cyrus is awful at Uno too."
Bex looked at Cyrus. "It's true," he agreed. "I mean, I've only played it a grand total of twice but I've been told you either have the skill or you don't."
Bex laughed. "Who told you that?" Cyrus looked at Andi. "Her? Well, Cyrus, pardon my French but she's full of it." With a devious grin she added, "What do you say we kick her butt?"
"Oh, I'm in." Cyrus gave Bex a high-five.
"Hey! Not fair!" Andi exclaimed with a giggle.
Bex shrugged.
"You had it comin-," Cyrus began when he was suddenly cut off by a loud Pop! "What was-?" Pop Pop Pop!
The three of them sat in silence for what felt like hours when he heard a siren begin to wail and distant voices shouting.
Bex was first out of her seat. "You two get under the table. Now!" They did as she said. She ran over to the window and slightly pulled back the curtain to peer outside.
"What is it? What happened?" Andi asked.
"I don't know. I can't see." Bex crossed the room to the other window and looked outside.
"Anything?" Cyrus asked.
Bex shook her head. "Nothing."
Cyrus could feel his heart beating hard and fast. "Maybe we can see something from my room?" The siren was still droning on. He could hear people starting to come out of their rooms outside the front door- their curiosity getting the better of them.
Bex thought a moment. "No, we're safest here. It'll be over soon. I'm sure it's just a test."
"That didn't sound like a test." Andi said. Cyrus saw that she was shaking slightly.
The murmuring voices outside were suddenly cut short by a commanding voice. "Everyone back in your rooms now. We're on lockdown until further notice."
Bex ran over to the door and listened.
"What's going on?" he heard someone outside ask.
"A situation has developed and security is responding. No need to worry. Please return to your rooms. Everything will be resolved shortly."
One by one he heard doors closing and soon there was nothing but silence again. Bex didn't move from the door.
"What do you think happened?" Asked Cyrus.
Bex was quiet. Suddenly, she walked out of the room toward her bedroom. Cyrus and Andi exchanged concerned looks before Bex returned carrying what appeared to be a gun.
Andi started to get out from under the table. "Bex, why do you have a-,"
"Andi, stay put!" Bex's tone broached no argument. She walked back over to the door and locked it. "This doesn't feel right."
They had gathered what little supplies remained and left the cabin at sunrise. Several inches of snow had fallen while they slept.
"Which way?" Jonah asked as he threw on his backpack.
Cyrus shrugged. "I guess we just pick a direction."
In front of them, there was nothing but white stretching on for miles through the trees.
"How about that way?" Jonah asked, gesturing. "Can't go wrong with left."
"Left it is."
They walked for hours. The sun was high in the sky and Cyrus could feel his stomach begin to growl again. He placed a hand over it to will it to stop but the growling continued. He looked around hoping to spot tracks of any kind. Maybe he could hunt something.
"What's that?" he heard Jonah ask.
"What's what?" Cyrus replied. He was still looking at the ground.
Jonah stopped. "Someone's over there."
Cyrus looked up. "Where?" Jonah pointed. Through a couple of trees about a hundred feet away Cyrus saw a figure standing motionless. It looked like it was staring at them. Cyrus moved his hand closer to the knife hanging from his hip.
"What do we do?" Jonah whispered. Neither one of them took their eyes off the figure.
"We go back to the cabin."
"We're hours away from it and it'll be dark soon. The cabin's not an option." Jonah put his hand on Cyrus's arm and squeezed. "I'm scared."
Cyrus tried to reassure him. "We don't know if he's dangerous."
"He's alone in the woods and staring at us, Cyrus."
The man, if it was a man, had yet to move.
"What do you want?" Cyrus yelled. "We're just kids! We don't mean any harm!"
The man offered no response of any kind. He just stared.
"I don't like this, Cyrus."
Suddenly, the man moved behind a nearby tree and out of sight.
Jonah's hand squeezed tighter. "Where did he go?"
"I don't know." His eyes searched the wood in front of them for any sign of where the figure might have gone.
"Is he just behind that tree?" Jonah asked.
"Where else could he-."
A twig snapped behind them and Cyrus whipped around to find the man standing before them hands reaching for their throats.