Hi!(: Thanks for stopping by to read another chapter of ZCCM.
At first, I'm truly terrified. The world I had known so well had been distorted into this. The buildings were disintegrated, flames burning all around me. I carry Italy through the long stretch of town homes. It's eerie how no one is outside, but I'm no longer scared. I run without thinking straight into the industrial district. We zigzag through the buildings until we meet the wall. I hear a whistle blow and I turn to see a group of soldiers standing less than thirty yards from me. Thankfully, their eyes weren't on me, but a leaking tank of toxic waste. I let out a sigh of relief but realize I have to be even more careful now. I could either wait for them to leave, which could take hours, or risk it now.
I uncover the hole and carefully slide it away, trying not to draw any attention. It slides smoothly. I smile to myself and begin to crawl through when the board tips forward. I try to turn back to grab it but I'm too late. It falls, hitting the ground as loud as thunder. I stare at it stunned for a moment, but then turn to run as fast as I can out of the tunnel. I hear shuffled footsteps behind me and I fear for my life. I thank god for the tunnel being nearly pitch black so they can't see me. I escape the tunnel and out into the open field, the sky a foggy gray.
I take a sharp turn to the left and dive into a ditch. I watch as the group of soldiers emerge from the tunnel, a confused look on all their faces. Something must have changed, because suddenly they are all turning back and heading into the tunnel. I close my eyes and lean back against the dirt wall that hid me, setting Italy by my side. I let out another sigh.
"Hiding won't do you much good if you're trying to escape a bomb." My eyes shoot open to see a small girl holding a shotgun, pointed right at me.
"Please don't shoot me."
The girl gives me a funny look and sets the gun down. "My name's Darla." She holds out her hand for me to shake it.
"Germany." I shake her hand slowly trying to process this. I look around to see if there's anyone with her. Family maybe or a friend. But she's alone.
"Parents were killed in the explosion. We been livin' outside the wall for awhile now." She says as if reading my mind.
"Well, Darla, would you like to come with me?" I ask.
"Ain't got much else to do." She shrugs. I smile at her and introduce her to Italy. I explain to her how he doesn't talk much. But if she needed I could translate for her.
We walked until the sun began to fade behind the clouds, seeing as it had been very, very early when we left, I assume we've been walking for awhile. We're all tired, legs aching. The only bright side is we hadn't run into anything. Literally nothing but trees and grass and other plants. Zone 7 is in the complete middle of nowhere.
"What's that?" Italy signs to me. I look up to see the silhouette of a building in the distance.
"What's he saying?" Darla asks.
"He's asking what that building is."
"Looks like a barn." She nods decisively.
We reach the barn in about ten minutes. We open the look around for signs of recent residency. No cars or even footsteps are outside, so we go in.
"All clear." I say after checking the entire barn, which consisted of a few stables, a bathroom, and an upper level full of hay and a refrigerator.
I climb up the ladder to the canopy. Darla and Italy following behind me. Darla opens the fridge and closes it, "Empty."
"We could stay here for the night and sleep on the hay. We should be fine." I say as night begins to roll in.
"Good idea." Italy smiles. I toss some of the barrels aside and notice something sticking out of one. It looks like… a hand…?
"Oh god." I whisper to myself, taking a step back. What if it's a body. What if it's a dead body. Maybe they're suffocating?
I take the last barrel and move it to the side, expecting the hand to just fall off. But instead, I'm met with a pair of eyes.
I fall backwards with a screech.
"Don't you know it's rude to wake people during their naps?" The eyes say groggily. Or not really the eyes but the face that they're attached to.
"Who…."
"Doc." He answers simply.
"What?" I ask beyond confused.
"You asked me who I am. And I answered. It's really quite simple." He says. His words have a way of twisting themselves together as if it has multiple meanings, like the statement could be taken three different ways all at once.
"Your name is Doc?" I ask slowly.
"Yes."
"As in doctor?"
"As in the animal." He pauses for a second to add, "That was sarcasm."
"So it is as in doctor." I nod.
"As in someone who is helpful. And yes, I may dabble in the world of human science. But that has nothing to do with my name." He says. It was like he was talking in circles. "What's your name?"
"I'm Darla." The young girl suddenly steps in front of me and stretches her hand out to him, almost whacking me in the face.
"That's Italy. He don't say much." She points to Italy who had fallen asleep against a haystack. "And this here's Ms. Germany."
"Germany. What an odd name." Doc remarks.
"I could say the same for you." I eye him carefully.
There's a long stretch of silence before Doc smiles and says, "Well if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to my nap that I was so enjoying up until you three came along. Do feel free to stay the night. Not my barn, so I'm in no place to claim it. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." I say, once again checking for any weapons. It seemed like it had been days since we left the city, and it had only been a few hours.
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