Once again received another request. I'm going to try my best at this because I realize how complex a character Abby is, what with being twelve yet having a lot of experience but still viewing it in a childish way. I'm stuck between thinking her thoughts should sound older or not. I'm just going to stay simple enough so my head doesn't explode from trying to analyze such a character. So, forgive me if I don't get it just right but I would like to keep my head intact. Enjoy!
We were on our way to Los Alamos. Our new location away from the devastation we left behind us. I sat next to Thomas, my long-time friend and guardian. We chose to take a rented moving van into Los Alamos with the few possessions we had. I glanced at Thomas who remained quiet since we had started the trip. I looked out the window until we reached our destination. The moving van pulled up at an apartment complex. Thomas got out first to get the trunk full of our things. I got out the passenger side and scanned the surroundings briefly. Thomas waited for me to start forward on the other side of the van. He held the trunk in his arms and looked at me with his usual tired and haggard expression. I moved forward and crossed the complex to our assigned apartment, leaving behind footprints in the snow with my bare feet.
Thomas followed behind me, dragging his feet through the snow and laboring with the trunk. Once we were in, we passed a few doors and stopped in front of one. A creak to my left alerted me to the apartment next to ours but I didn't look to see because Thomas had just gotten our door open. I looked up from staring at the floor. Thomas muttered for me to come in before hefting the trunk and heading inside. I walked in and shut the door behind me. I sat on the floor, lost in thought while Thomas set everything up. I watched him occasionally but for the most part I remained quietly thoughtful. He fell asleep not too long later but I stayed up as usual. I grew tired close to sunrise so I retreated to the bathroom where Thomas had covered the window and filled the tub with blankets.
I burrowed under them and fell into a deep sleep that I knew would never hold any dreams for me. The next time I woke up night had just fallen. I heard Thomas in the kitchen when I left the bathroom to find my many puzzles. They were the only thing that kept me busy even if I already knew how to solve them. Our neighbor's door opened and then closed gently, followed by quick steps. As I listened I looked at the door. I glanced at Thomas who had walked in and stopped to look at me. He only shook his head and then left to his room. I waited a little while longer, wondering if whoever left would come back. I looked around the shabby apartment and then decided to go out. I walked out to sit on the jungle gym outside when a voice carried over to me.
"Are you scared? Are you scared little girl?" the quiet voice questioned. I took a few steps and then froze in curiosity. I had never talked with another person my age in so long. We were always on the move and the only time I ever came in contact with anyone was when I had to take care of myself should Thomas fail, which he did recently on numerous occasions. I was driven back to the present by the boy who had suddenly begun striking the tree with a small knife. My curiosity got the better of me so I climbed the jungle gym to get a better look. He lashed out a few more times and then stopped. Slowly, he turned to look at me. His blue eyes showed slight interest and uncertainty. I tilted my head to look at the lowered knife in his gloved hand.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"Nothing…what are you doing?" he replied, fiddling with the knife. His eyes shifted away and then back to look at me.
"Nothing," I told him evenly.
"You guys just moved in huh? Upstairs," he said. I briefly wondered if he had been watching when we arrived.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I live next door to you. Right there," he answered, lifting a hand to point it out. When I remained quiet, he put his hand down and looked away. I watched his fidgety habits and then stepped off my perch heavily. He may be my neighbor but I knew I could not let him find out anything.
"Just so you know, we can't be friends," I told him just to be clear. He had a hopeful look in his eyes that made me cautious. He frowned, the hopeful look disappearing.
"Why not?" he questioned.
"That's just the way it is," I replied simply. He stared at me and I stared back until I felt it was time to leave. I turned away and started a slow walk back.
"Well, who said I wanted to be your friend?" he called to me. I didn't mind the comment. His hopes were crushed, as I had intended. He whispered the next word but I still caught it through the stillness that made his word echo and carry. I didn't look back and continued. When I reached my apartment, Thomas was heading out. He held his supplies in a bag. We exchanged no words besides him letting me in. He lurched down the hall in his unusual walk I noticed from him as he got older. I turned away and shut the door. I knew he was off to get me something again. I waited as patiently as I could for him to return, listening to the ever present and growing rumble my stomach was making. By the time he came back, I couldn't keep myself under control. My mind slipped into a frame of mind that only craved. I was vaguely aware of pacing through the house. When the door finally opened and Thomas came in I practically jumped him. I dug through his dropped bag to find the jug I knew was waiting inside. I stopped when I got it out. It was barely half full. A growl escaped me. He failed again. I pulled off the cap and downed what was left then I threw it aside and stormed around the house to keep myself from turning on him. He followed and watched me with slight fear, worry, and fatigue. I growled angrily and finally faced him.
"What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to go out there and do it myself? " I demanded in my rapidly changing voice. He sat down tiredly on the mattress and leaned back on the wall.
"Answer me!" I commanded, stomping my foot. My hands clenched tightly, my nails almost digging into my palms but my anger continued unhindered. I stood towering over him, panting. He took a while to answer.
"Maybe I'm getting sloppy. Maybe I want to get caught," he said, looking down. He then looked up at me. I stared into his lackluster eyes waiting for him to come up with something better. He didn't.
"Maybe I'm just tired of this," he confessed. I stomped away, throwing a chair aside and slamming the door on the way out. My stomach tore at my restraint and I could feel the hunger begin to gnaw at me again. I swung out and hit anything my hands came in contact with, trying to get rid of the anger. I fell to my hands and knees when weakness returned and the anger was all worked out. The rest of the night was spent avoiding each other. I was done with Thomas' mistakes. I needed to stop the crazed hunger from taking me into a part of my mind I had a hard time getting back from. In truth, it scared me just as much as I knew it scared him. As much as it scared those who I had wrongfully killed to keep myself going.
When I felt the sun close to rising, I stood to return to the bathroom. Sleep always came to me naturally, but waiting for it while in pain made me wish for it to come faster. When it finally did I was relieved. I woke up and held my stomach, expecting to feel the pangs but they were gone for now. I left the bathroom and passed Thomas on my way out. He barely looked at me. I wanted to be outside, free to be alone and as much in peace as I was allowed so I walked straight for the jungle gym. I wasn't surprised to see the boy from next door sitting on the other side. I quietly climbed up near the top and sat down, waiting for him to notice. My stomach gave a loud rumble and his head turned slightly to show he heard.
"It's you again huh?" I spoke quietly. He ignored me and looked back down at something in his hands. I leaned over a little to see him better.
"You know, I really want to be left alone," I told him.
"Me too," he said.
"So, leave," I responded, putting some force behind the words. He didn't seem to care.
"You leave. I've lived here longer than you," he shot back. His comment reminded me of the long years I had spent in this condition. I looked away, my eyebrows creasing. Shifting clicking sounds brought my attention back to him. I rose to look over his shoulder.
"What is that?" I asked. He stopped and then turned around and I sat down hastily. I clenched my jaw closed tightly and watched his every move as he explained.
"What this? It's a Rubik's Cube. You don't know a Rubik's Cube?" he replied incredulously. I only looked at him questioningly and he turned away.
"Is it a puzzle?" I asked.
"Yeah, you want to try it? You can give it back to me tomorrow," he said, looking back at me and then turning to place the puzzle on the jungle gym. I looked at but didn't pick it up.
"How do you do it?" I questioned. He sighed and got up so that he could sit closer. I tensed slightly but didn't move away. I was uncomfortable with the space between us but with a little concentration I managed. He sat back down and picked up the cube.
"You gotta get each side one color," he said, shifting the cub to demonstrate. I watched him change it around and then he set it back down.
"Like that," he said, looking up at me. I only glanced at him and then back to the cube. I reached out hesitantly to touch it and then picked it up so I could try. I shifted it a few times, feeling the ease of the plastic slide against each other. My mind was already glued to the task at hand so I didn't react to my stomach's sudden lurch and I didn't reply when he commented on how I smelled. I stopped when it rumbled again but picked up where I left off with the puzzle. He shifted but stayed quiet until he looked down.
"Aren't you cold?" he inquired, seeing that I was barefoot.
"I don't really get cold," I told him, still not meeting his critical gaze. I could see he was trying to process what my answer meant.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said, deciding he should go when I didn't answer. I heard him, but the puzzle had all my attention now. He shuffled away and only then did I trust myself to look up. I watched him go and then looked back at the puzzle shifting under my fingers. My stomach stung me with a hunger pain and I flinched, dropping the Rubik's cube to grasp at the pain. I doubled over and knew it was time I do things on my own. I carefully climbed down from the jungle gym and left the complex. I soon found a dark tunnel and ran down to the end where I sat with my legs pulled up. I would have to wait until someone came by. Not too long later I heard someone jogging in my direction.
I silently hoped he would go down the tunnel and pick a different route at the same time. I confessed to myself a thought that always plagued me when I had to kill on my own. I get mad at Thomas when he fails because it means I have to go out and do it. I have him to hide what I am but at the same time he is a safety rope to the only humanity I have left. I have another kill for me so I won't feel that way. The thought made me sick every time. But I knew I couldn't help the way I was even if I wanted to. The thing that I am demands survival and I knew I wasn't strong enough to stop it. The man stopped jogging and walked into the tunnel. My senses branched out and I curled in on myself more, dreading the feeling unraveling inside me. It was then that I knew my trap would work. As much as I wanted the man to get closer, I wanted him to leave too. I didn't want to kill another person but I had to.
"Help me," I gasped out. His steps faltered when he heard me.
"Hello?" he called out hesitantly.
"Please, help me," I repeated, hugging my legs tighter. He finally made it down the tunnel and stood in front of me.
"Hello? Hey there, you ok?" he asked, genuinely concerned. I looked up at him sadly.
"What happened?" he continued, leaning closer with his hands on his thighs.
"I fell," I answered. He kneeled down to be level with me.
"Yeah, well, can't you get up?" he said.
"No," I whimpered.
"How old are you sweet heart? Do you live around here?" he questioned softly. I looked up at him and nodded.
"I live here," I told him. My stomach groaned and I wondered if he took that as proof. I knew the sound as apprehension for what was to come. I wanted the trap to work. I needed it to.
"Can you carry me?" I asked the man in a fragile tone. He hesitated for a second before answering.
"Sure, sure sweet heart," he complied, moving forward to pick me up in his arms. My stomach rumbled louder and a growl slipped from my mouth. I was used to the changes that came with feeding. The hunger swallowed me in a red haze and all I could think about was blood. My face was right by his neck so I wasted no time and sunk my now sharp teeth into his throat.