Famished

by Lauren Hammond

  My gaze shifted between Frankie and the tall, burly cannibal barreling down the hall, headed straight for me. “Go back!” I shrieked. “Frankie, go back!”

  She wasn’t going to move. I knew her too well. But if I moved and ran after her, I would lead the cannibal straight to the women and children. I was torn, unsure of which decision might be the best, so I went with my gut.

  Getting to my feet, I zoomed toward Frankie, clasped my fingers around her wrist and took off running for the old Baker quarters. She was restless, dragging her feet as sobs crept out of her harder and faster. “Where’s mommy?”

  In a bind, I did the best I could and came up with something quickly. “I’m not sure. Don’t worry. We’ll find her later.”

  The cannibal behind us pounded his feet against the concrete walkway. Every time they smacked down against the cement, they reminded me of the slow, soft beating of a drum.

  Racing through the closet, up the corner, and around the ramps, I kept a tight grip on Frankie’s wrist. She couldn’t keep up with me and I was practically dragging her. “You’re hurting me!” she whined, her sobs catching in her throat. I ignored her complaints and kept going.

  Frankie’s life was in my hands. With both of our parents dead, I was her sole guardian. And if all we had left was each other, I wasn’t about to let either one of us be slaughtered.

  At the end of the metal ladder, I helped Frankie up first. The hatch was still open and I kept my hand on Frankie’s back as she climbed. “Are you coming?” she whimpered.

  “I’m right behind you,” I guaranteed.

  May hung her arms down through the opening, gripped both of Frankie’s arms by the wrists and hoisted her up. Once Frankie was safely in the room, and out of the way, May extended her arms a second time. “All right, Georgie, your turn.” I ascended up the ladder as the sound of footsteps closed in on me. May glanced past me and her eyes shot open wide. “Whatever you do, Georgie, don’t look down,” May warned me.

  The cannibal had finally caught up to me. And right before I reached the top of the ladder, I could feel his weight as he followed me. May was starting to panic. Her hands were shaking and her eyes were darting around the room. Stupid. I was so stupid for leading him here. But the only thing I could think of at the time was Frankie and how I had to save her.

  Maybe it would have been smart for both of us to perish, we could join our parents and live happy in the afterlife, if there even was one. But I couldn’t give up. I couldn’t just let her and myself die. In this case, dying was giving up. And giving up was a cowardly thing to do.

  As I climbed faster, so did the cannibal. May had one wrist and I swung my other hand around. She reached for it, fingers inching closer but the cannibal grabbed my ankle and started yanking on it. “Noooo!” I cried, trying to hang on. May tried to get a firm grasp, but my palms were sweaty and her fingers were trembling.

  “Hang on!” she cried.

  Every time I tried to pull myself up, my hands slipped further from hers. I kicked my legs, feeling my foot connect with the cannibal’s jaw. The loud echo of a body slamming into the dirt filled the room. But it was too late. I’d lost my footing and May had lost her grip.

  My last two fingers slipped from her hands. “No!” May cried, desperation in her tone. Then I fell backwards, the full twelve feet, and my back smacked into the hard floor, as I landed right at the cannibals feet.

  The wind was knocked out of my lungs and I gasped for air in huge gulps. “Uhhhh,” I moaned. Every bone in my ribcage throbbed and I struggled to sit up. My attention averted to the cannibal, who was stirring. I felt like a thief thrown into a pit of scorpions—more likely to be stung than escape.

  On my feet, I rushed to the ladder. Frankie peered down from the opening her cheeks bright red, more tears flowing from her eyes. “Behind you!” she wailed. I spun around and the cannibal’s hand swiped at my shins and knocked my feet out from under me. Rolling onto my stomach, I pushed myself up with my arms as the cannibal inched closer.

  Frankie started shrieking and May tried to pull her away from the opening. During that second I made a rash decision. “Close the hatch!” I shouted at May.

  Frankie went berserk. “No, Georgie! No!”

  My eyes centered on the machete that was released from the cannibals grasp when I kicked him in the jaw and he tumbled to the ground. If I could get to that, I could save myself and all of the women and children. But that wasn’t going to work if I could see Frankie.

  I rolled on the floor, lunged for the machete, and felt the jagged edges cutting into my fingers as I swiped it from the floor.

  When I stood, the cannibal’s attention wasn’t on me anymore. He was climbing up the ladder. I stared at May, ferocity in my eyes, and shouted, “Close the fucking hatch!” It wasn’t like me to speak disrespectfully to an adult like that but, seeing that cannibal, inching closer and closer to my sister, the sister I loved, cherished, and would kill to protect, the only family that I had left, twisted the fury in the pit of my stomach and sent it plummeting through every muscle in my body.

  Clenching the knife, I let out my battle cry as May closed the hatch door—while Frankie tried to push her away. “Georgie, don’t leave me!”

  But May shoved her aside. “Your sister knows what’s she’s doing.”

  “Georgie, please don’t leave me!” That was the last thing I heard from Frankie because May had closed the hatch and a clicking sound rang out as she bolted it shut.

  Releasing his grip on the ladder, the cannibal jumped to the ground, landing steadily on both feet. I spun toward him, wielding the machete horizontally, and swiped it across his stomach. He snarled at me, his white glazed over, glossy eyes fueled with anger. He huffed and ran his finger across his bloody abdomen, hopped to his feet, and lunged for me. I ducked and he stumbled forward as I stuck my leg out and tripped him. He went face first into the floor.

  Retreating, I watched in shock as he picked himself up off the ground. He was strong, too strong. I was under the impression that most cannibals were weak; apparently, I had been misinformed.

  He used the wall and steadied himself, then turned to me sneering, as he charged. I ducked again but this time he caught on and slapped the machete out of my hand. The machete cut into his palm and it sprayed all over my face, blinding me.

  Squinting, I turned to my side, blinking several times. The blood that touched my pupils made my eyes sting and tears dripped on to the floor. Before I could react, the cannibal hovered above me, his large, calloused hand outstretched, going straight for my neck.

  I tried moving away but he was quick. He clasped his hand around my neck and choke slammed me into the ground. My arms were flailing, my mid-section squirming, and I kicked my legs upward, hitting him repeatedly in the back. He kept me pinned hard to the ground, and I blanched as some of his spit drizzled on to my face.

  Thrusting my hips, I tried to move him, even the slightest bit, to give myself some leeway, but he was heavy. Way too heavy. He had to be two hundred and fifty pounds at least. The crimson red blood from his palm flowed on to my shirt and it reeked.

  He lifted his arms over his head and reached for the machete. His body odor filled my nostrils and I started gagging. I turned my head to the side and saw the shadow of the machete against the dirt wall. I was going to die. I fought and ultimately lost, and this was the end of the road for me.

  Closing my eyes, I thought about Frankie, my parents, and Owen. I thought about everything I’d done in my life and how I had no regrets. For the first fourteen years of my life, I’d fully lived, and for the last two, I lived restricted. Even living restricted was a gift. There I was living, eating, and breathing, while the rest of the world was plagued by The Great Famine.

  And with those thoughts in mind, I exhaled slowly and prayed for a quick and merciful death.

  Chapter 24: The War Rages On

  It is nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my s
orrow. ~ Lamentations 1:11

  “ARGHHHHH!” Another deep voice bounced off the walls. Then I felt something warm splatter across my face.I shrieked and swiped at the liquid, smearing it in.

  My eyes shot open as Owen, his violet eyes filled with determination, lifted the baseball bat with the nail spikes out of the cannibal’s head. The burly, human flesh eater’s eyes rolled back into his skull, and he fell over to the side of me.

  I gasped, breathless as I scrambled backwards. “Owen.”

  He smiled weakly, eyes gleaming in the dim light. “I told you I’d come back for you.” He tucked the end of the bat under his arm. “Now, come on, we have to go.”

  “Go,” I repeated, once I was on my feet. “Go where?”

  He glanced at me solemnly. “To the untouched place.”

  “Have you been there already? It’s true, then?”

  “No, I haven’t been there yet,” he admitted. “I stopped to come back for you.”

  “Is that where the Bakers are going?”

  Owen eye’s circled the room. “No. Listen, I’ll explain everything on the way but we have to leave, right now!”

  “I’m not going anywhere without my sister! And there are other survivors!” I pointed to the hatch above me. “I can’t just leave them.”

  Owen shook his head and started for me. “I know you’re a thoughtful and caring person, and I admire that about you, but we can’t take the survivors with us. We can take your sister and that’s about it. There are more cannibals headed this way and if we don’t leave right now, we will all die.”

  At that moment, Mr. Vickers, Mr. Martin, and Mr. Edwards stomped up the last ramp. They hunched over, sucking in air. Mr. Vickers lifted his head. “Are the women and children safe?”

  I nodded to the hatch. “They are.” I stared at the three men before me. “Where’s Colin?”

  Seconds later, Colin came sprinting up the ramp. “There are about four more that will be here any minute,”he yelled in between breaths.

  Climbing the ladder quickly, I pounded on the hatch. “Open it! We have survivors!” The hatch door flung open as I climbed down the ladder. Then the remaining surviving men climbed up the ladder and were greeted by their sobbing wives and children. Cries of joy, mixed with cries of pain, rumbled throughout the entire room. Aside from my parents, even more people had died. Dylan Edwards, a boy my age, had met his demise by the same cannibal who tried to kill me. His mother’s shrieks of agony, carried down the ladder and stabbed me right in the heart.

  Owen touched my arm. “We have to go, now!”

  I faced Colin. “Can you get me Frankie please?”

  Colin raced up the ladder and a minute later came back down with Frankie in his arms. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  He released Frankie, and she buried her face in my chest. “To a place that’s supposed to be untouched by The Great Famine.”

  His mouth dropped open. “You’re lying.”

  Owen stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. “No, we’re not.”

  Colin glanced at the open hatch door then back at Owen. “I’m coming with you.”

  “Nobody invited you,” Owen snapped.

  “Invited or not, I’m going,” Colin growled. “So you might as well save yourself the argument.”

  “Me too,” shouted Grace as she climbed down the ladder.Owen slapped his hands to his side, frustrated. “All of you cannot go!”

  “Listen,” I shouted as all eyes centered on me. “We can’t stand around and argue about this anymore! Either we all go or none of us go because if we stand here any longer and debate about it, the cannibals will storm in here, eat us, and the people above!”

  “Fine,” Owen grumbled, defeated. “Let’s grab what we can and get the hell out of here.”

  Colin grabbed Frankie from me, lifted her over hisshoulder, then dashed down the first ramp. Owen followed, shouting at Colin, “We need to search every room for what we can and we have to do it fast!”

  Grace and I stood below the hatch as May came into our view. “Mom,” said Grace. “I love you and I’ll be back!”

  May smiled, tearing up and tossed Grace a bag. “I love you too, honey.” Then she turned to me. “Keep her safe, Georgie,” she sniffled.

  “I’ll do my best,” I promised.

  Then May blew us both kisses and closed the hatch.

  * * * *

  Frantic, Grace and I split up and went to both of our family’s quarters. I ransacked my parents’ room first, tearing through all of their things, taking what I needed and tossing aside what I didn’t. I stopped briefly, staring at a picture of them on their wedding day. My mother was laughing and my father grinned as his lips moved in close to her cheek.

  A lump formed in my throat and I swallowed, fighting the

  tears. I snatched the picture from the dresser, folded it up, and slid it into my back pocket. That’s how I wanted to remember my parents—happy, loving, and devoted to one another. Then I shed a tear, had a moment of silence for them, and kept on moving.

  In the hall, I met up with Grace, Colin, who still had Frankie, and Owen. I salvaged two potato sacks, one full of vegetables and the other full of miscellaneous items.

  Grace had gathered some canteens of water and a pillow case full of medical supplies. Colin and Frankie had some items from my room. And Owen had collected all of the weapons from the deceased cannibals.

  “Let’s go!” Owen shouted.

  While Owen led the group over to the rope ladder, my eyes wandered over to spot where my parents bodies lied and they were gone. At least one or two of the cannibals had to of survived and taken the bodies. I was thankful for that. I still had to tell Frankie what happened to them and now didn’t seem like the best time to do so.

  My cheeks felt warm and tears flowed from my eyes. An empty feeling rested in my stomach and I gasped for air. I was an orphan. Frankie and I were both orphans. When the reality set in, I fell apart. Hitting my knees, I curled up into a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. I closed my eyes and saw my mother. She was standing in front of our house, before the asteroid, watering her tomato plants as I walked down the porch steps. “Bye, Georgie. Have a good day at school.”

  I lingered on the driveway. “Bye mom.”

  She smiled, her white teeth gleaming in the shadow of her hat. She slide her forearm across her head, brushing back her sandy, blonde hair, and wiping a few beads of sweat away. “Love you, sweetheart.”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  Then I thought of my father, with his proud childish smile and the way he used to playfully mess up my hair when I’d done something good. Like getting a good report card. “Good job, kiddo,” he’d say as I stood there giggling.

  I choked on my sobs. I’d never be able to tell either one of them that I loved them ever again. My memories of them that was all I had left. And my memories weren’t good enough.

  I felt like there was a huge gaping hole in my heart. A hole that I knew would never close. An annoying repetitive pain circulated through my lungs and I felt like I was being stung by a hundred bumblebees. I sat up, still sobbing and hugged my chest. “My parents,” I cried, looking at the small blood spots on the concrete.

  Owen’s hands slid over my shoulder and he whispered in my ear, “Georgina, we have to go.”

  “I can’t,” I mumbled. The spots of blood were all I could look at.

  “We have to. The rest of the cannibals will be here any second.

  I peered at Owen, with desperation in my eyes. “But my parents.”

  “Would want you to get out of here and stay alive.”

  Owen helped me up and led me to the ladder. He took both of my sacks out of my hands and I put both of my hands on the rope. One more look, all I wanted was to look at the spot where my parents died one more time.

  I glanced over my shoulder for a moment and made a promise to myself. A promise that my parents wouldn’t be disappointed in what became of me. They’d be proud of what I’d accomplished
. Proud that I watched over Frankie, with motherly intentions and proud that I survived outside of the colony.And lastly, they’d never be dead to me. Because I’d keep them alive forever, in my heart.

  I didn’t know what the future had in store for me and the others. New earth was desolate, terrifying, and barren. A place where surprises lurked around every corner. A place that hated survivors and wasn’t satisfied until their bones lined the covered streets.

  New earth reminded me of a monster we learned about mythology class, the Kraken. A massive beast that wasn’t satisfied until he defeated the Titans, and humanity.

  New earth consumed people, just like the Kraken, but I knew one thing for certain, it would never consume me or anyone I cared about ever again.

  I was strong. I was a survivor. And I would never, no matter how difficult it might have been, go down without a fight.

  Owen placed his hand on my back and urged me up the ladder. “Come on.”

  Then I climbed up the rope ladder, out of the hole, and out into a vast, dangerous world that could literally eat me alive.

  Epilogue: Wasted

  The earthly desert was quiet at night. The only visible light was the blazing fire in front of me. The fire snapped and crackled as it burned the fallen debris Owen gathered to make it.

  The group decided that while everyone else slept, two of us would take turns and keep watch. I volunteered for the night shift. And so did Colin.

  We hadn’t spoken to each other since we left the colony. I liked it that way. I didn’t have anything to say to him nor did I want to say anything to him.

  When we fled the colony, he invited himself to come along on our journey to the untouched place. In the heat of the moment, there was too much going on and it hadn’t fully registered with me, that we’d be stuck together. At the time, I figured that we could use as many strong people as possible. Now I regretted being agreeable to him joining us.

  We sat with our backs facing each other’s staring, out in opposite directions. Frankie laid at my feet and her soft breathing filled my ears. I brushed my fingertips along her forehead. “It’s just me and you, sis,” I whispered. She moaned and rolled over. I didn’t know how much I longer I should have waited to tell her about our parents. It had only been a few hours since their deaths. Tomorrow, I told myself. I’d tell her tomorrow.