Act Two: Reckoning
Chapter Six
Six Years Ago
The sound of children filled the school hallways from laughter to chatter to gossip. Meg ignored them all and opened her locker. She stared at a picture of her and her mom. It had always been them against the world.
Meg left her thoughts when a familiar boy shorter than her walked next to her and opened his locker. Her friend Dwight, the boy she had a slight crush on. Unfortunately, she knew he was too shy and nervous to ever approach her.
"Hey, Meg," Dwight said.
"Hey, Dwight. So, are you still coming over after school?" Meg asked.
"Oh..." Dwight began. "I forgot... I got to actually meet someone after school. They wanted to talk to me about something... I wasn't entirely sure. But tomorrow?" He gave her a small smile, hoping she wouldn't be upset.
"Sure... Tomorrow, seeya Dwight." Meg said.
Dwight took his things and walked down the hall. Meg watched him for a bit until she saw him bump into another girl with curly blonde hair. Dwight immediately apologized and the girl just smiled. Meg looked back at the picture and sighed.
Present
The Woods
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Meg asked.
Dwight was walking beside her. Claudette and Jake followed him. Their pet crow flew above them, scouting the area for food as usual.
"You know, I'm never really sure. About anything really." Dwight said. Meg let out a little laugh.
"That's not entirely true. You were sure about the generators and the exit gate. That's how we escape those three killers." Meg said.
"Yeah, but we've been out here for months. It feels like we've walked in every single direction. We don't have enough food. And I'm tired of our little friend trying to get us to eat worms." Dwight said in disgust.
"On the bright side, we're lucky to find cans in these abandoned shacks. It's weird that they're even out here. All fresh. Claudette said she hasn't seen one expired can." Meg said.
"It'll be night soon, we should find a shack or set up a campfire," Dwight suggested.
Behind them, Claudette and Jake walked slowly. Keeping a small distance between the two pairs.
"...and I don't want to hear anymore about it, Jake." Claudette whispered.
"Just think about what I said," Jake said, slightly annoyed.
After an hour of walking, the group heard their pet crow caw repeatedly. They stopped, remembering that as a sign of a warning ahead. For a moment, the group thought they heard a group of people talking. One by one, they slowly walked forward. They found themselves in a small clearing with a campfire in the middle and a group larger than their own around it. Several of them stopped talking.
A group of different people who seemed unrelated like their own group. A young woman with darkened color hair wearing a beanie and tom-boyish clothing. An older man with graying black hair and goatee, as well as a pair of shades. A young girl in a weird blue colored outfit with black hair. A young man who had a rough looking face. A man wearing an outfit similar to a teacher. A taller man with long black hair and beard, wearing a heavy metal inspired outfit. And finally, a woman wearing a business suit, who seemed familiar to Claudette.
"Uh... Hi." Dwight said.
Before any of them could speak, a young woman hidden behind them all sat on a log looking into the fire. She had curly blonde hair and had several tattoos, wearing a black bandana top and jean shorts as well as cowboy boots. She turned her head to Dwight and her eyes widened.
"Dwight!"
She ran from the log to Dwight, wrapping her arms around him. He looked at Meg, Claudette, and Jake unsure of what to say or do. The young woman finally let go of him and was tearfully looking at him with a small smile.
"I'm sorry... I don't remember you... Who are you?" Dwight asked.
"Sorry... Right. My name is Kate. And uh... Well, I'm your girlfriend." Kate said.
