Emily

The fire crackles, keeping us warm.

Hero takes care of the fire, poking the embers with a stick. Sparks fly into the sky. It's tough not to watch him and feel grateful for having him around, even though I know I shouldn't get too attached.

Once we've saved my parents, he'll definitely be gone.

"So," Hero says with a soft voice. "What's on your mind?"

"Just... thinking about our next move."

"Thinking about Old York?"

I nod. "Yeah, and... I don't know. It feels like a long shot."

Hero looks at me with calm and comforting eyes. "Don't worry. We'll figure it out."

I have the urge to scoff, but his optimism makes me grin. "Yeah, I guess."

He smiles back, and it warms my heart.

"See? We've got this."

Although I wish to have faith in his words, the fear of disappointment looms large.

"I hope you're right."

When he's about to pat my shoulder, he decides not to. "We'll find them, Emily. I promise."

Maybe we'll get lucky and find my parents.

In a hushed tone, I confess, "I'm feeling scared."

Hero's eyes meet mine. "Me too."

"What are you scared of?"

He hesitates, glancing from left to right.

"I'm scared of losing people. You know... People I love. It felt like a searing knife cutting through me," he says, his voice shaking. "I've already lost too many."

His answer doesn't surprise me, but it still weighs on my heart.

"I fear that as well."

His gentle gaze shows that we understand each other without the need to say anything. "It's tough out here. But hope... hope keeps me going."

I want to dig into his mysterious past, but I'm stuck and can't do it.

The better I know him, the stronger our emotional connection becomes. And that makes me terrified of getting hurt.

"Yeah," I breathe. "Hope is all we have."

I can't get rid of these weird new emotions. I try to ignore them, but they won't leave me alone.

Then, I shut my eyes and let the warm fire wrap around me, hoping sleep will make me feel better.

____

Hero

Never-ending road. Tumbleweeds rolling.

I check out Emily, her profile glowing in the sunset.

"What's the coolest place you've seen around here?" I ask, ending the silence.

Emily's fingers lightly tap on her knee while she thinks. "There was this old amusement park," she says, her voice soft. "The rides were all rusted and falling apart, but you could still see the faded paint, the remnants of laughter."

I can see it in my head—the spooky beauty of a place that was once bustling but is now empty. "Sounds haunting," I reply.

"I guess it does. What about you?"

"For me, it was an old farmhouse with an ancient windmill. It felt like stepping back in time."

Emily's lips curl into a small smile. "I'd love to see that. There's something special about those places. They contain so many stories."

Looking at me, she seems more relaxed with her shoulders down and a little smile.

"What did you do before all this?"

I grip the wheel a little tighter. "My family had a garage. We fixed up old cars and made them run again. My dad taught me everything I know."

Emily nods, a strand of hair falling into her face. She tucks it behind her ear.

I swallow hard.

"I never really had a job," she says. "My favourite thing was drawing. It's one of the few things that kept me happy."

We make eye contact, but she quickly averts her gaze to the horizon. She's got a slight blush on her cheeks, and suddenly, it feels warm in the car.

"Do you still draw?"

"Sometimes," she says. "It's hard, though. Supplies are scarce, and there's always the risk of getting caught while I'm distracted."

A serene silence fills the air between us.

"How about you show me some of your sketches sometime?"

Emily's smile gets bigger, and she nods. "I'd like that. And maybe you can school me on fixing cars."

I laugh. "Deal."

____

The nighttime sky is like a massive, shiny painting—the expanse shimmers with distant light.

I park the car on the roadside, turn off the engine, and get out of the vehicle.

All I hear is the soft breeze.

I lean on the car and stare up, fascinated by the universe.

Emily comes over and stands close to me. She looks up, too, her breath visible in the cool night air. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah... It makes me feel small but in a good way."

"Yeah, it does."

I can't help but daydream and sneak peek as Emily gazes at the sky.

What would she think right now?

After a few minutes, we climb back into the car.

The inside of Falcon feels warmer now than outside.

We drive for a few more hours.

My eyelids grow heavy.

"Shall we rest?" I ask.

"Yeah, no problem."

Emily grabs her bag and takes out a beat-up sketchbook. She opens it up, and I see a few of her drawings.

"Want to check them out?"

"Sure," I say, leaning closer.

She's slowly flipping through the pages. Each shows something old: a crumbling city, a dried-up forest, a rundown farmhouse.

I see a sketch of an old amusement park. It's really detailed. "This place," I say, pointing to the sketch. "It's the amusement park you mentioned, right?"

Emily nods, her eyes lighting up. "Yeah, it is. I spent hours there, just drawing."

I trace a finger over the page. "You have talent," I say. "It's like you bring these places back to life."

She's blushing and playing with the sketchbook's edges. "Thanks."

Emily's eyes meet mine. "What about you? Tell me something about your past."

Should I?

"Nah."

"Please... I showed my sketches, didn't I?"

She's right. What's the harm in telling a little about myself, right?

"Well... Here it goes. Blaze was like a brother to me," I start slowly. "He taught me everything about survival. When my parents weren't around, Blaze took me in. He taught me how to fight, hide, and keep going even when it seemed pointless."

"Tell me more about Blaze," Emily says softly, her eyes reflecting the faint light from the dashboard. "What happened to him?"

I gulp. "He died because of his own revenge," I say, my jaw clenching. "There was this camp... he tried to set it on fire. I tried to stop him... He wouldn't listen." My voice trembles as I continue. "I made it out, but Blaze... he was stubborn. He eventually got out, too, but not before he was badly hurt. When we finally talked, he admitted that revenge couldn't fix things, but it was too late for him."

Emily rests her hand on my arm. "I'm so sorry, Hero," she says. "I'm here for you."

Her words startle her, and she pulls her hand back quickly.

We're both sitting in silence, just staring at each other, not sure what to do next. Emily bites her lower lip, then abruptly gets out of the car.

I watch her for a moment, then follow.

"What's wrong?" I ask, stepping closer to her.

Emily turns to me, a faint smile on her lips.

"Nothing," she says. "I just needed some fresh air. This car stinks."

Her smile may be soft, but there's definitely more going on.

We sit down on the ground, saying nothing.

This girl...

I shake my head.

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing. Just some neck pains."

"Okay."

Silence again.

"I always wonder what's beyond the ocean." Emily stares off into the distance.

"Ocean?"

Emily nods. "I've never been there."

"There's no water there, so what's there to see?"

"I don't know. The world can't be like this everywhere, right?"

I shrug. "My Dad says it ain't like that in the East in Eden."

"Eden."

"Yeah, Eden," I whisper to myself.

Emily shakes her head and chuckles softly, saying, "C'mon, let's go."

We head back to Falcon and settle in for the night.

"Good night, Emily," I say, my voice softer than usual.

"Good night, Hero," she replies before she turns away.

I'm squirming in my seat, unable to stop thinking about what just went down. There's more than just friendship happening. It scares me... But I want to know more.

I'll find out more about her tomorrow.

____

As soon as we reach the hill's peak, the sunlight bounces off my mirrors and blinds me, forcing me to squint and shield my eyes. We go up and down, but a strange darkness covers us as we reach the top again.

What in the world?

And then, BAM! It throws me out of my chair and wakes up Emily.

"What was that? Freaks?" Her voice trembles with rising panic.

I'm getting a major rush as I catch a glimpse of the chaos going down behind us in the rearview mirror. It shows a colossal winch. Its mechanical claw gripped Falcon's trunk, clenching onto each side of its wheels.

"Just like you said, Freaks!"

Emily's mouth hangs open, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Falcon's engines whistle to life as I press the pedal. Nothing happens. There's something holding us back, trapping us in this nightmare.

"What is this? Come on, Falcon! Don't fail me now, old buddy!"

Despite my attempts, our vehicle refuses to move, as if cursed.

I check Falcon's mirrors.

This big truck has a metal claw on a chain that's pulling us in.

The metallic contraption gains traction, and the creaking of my loyal companion's bodywork vibrates my eardrums.

"Hang in there, Falcon," I whisper.

"We're stuck!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" I yell back.

With each passing second, the monstrous truck draws closer, the coiled chain growing in size.

Emily and I lock eyes as the roof above us shakes from the loud footsteps. A silent understanding passes between us.

We're screwed.

Together, we look up, squinting through the sun-resistant glass, and our hearts sink when we see six pairs of shoes and boots.

No way am I giving in. I grab the wheel, trying to get away from our captors. Once again, our efforts prove futile. The car tilts forward and buzzes as the front bumper scratches against the rough road.

"We're being lifted!" Emily's voice trembles.

I reach for the button that controls Falcon's sails, hoping they'll break us out. Nothing happens again.

We make eye contact once more, sharing a knowing glance.

At that moment, we ... we're screwed.

The sun moving from West to East messes with my sense of direction. We have to stay inside Falcon if we want to survive—those Freaks are no joke.

DUNGDUNGDUNG!

The sound of drums in the distance.

This can't be good.

Two massive steel doors slowly open, revealing a chilling sight. While two skeletal figures hang from the gate, their presence casts an eerie, cold aura over everything.

We enter a sprawling camp fortified with makeshift wooden structures and spiked barricades.

I turn to check on Emily. She's still not responding, staring outside.

You can smell the greasy meat, along with the noisy engines and clanging metal.

Curiosity overtakes me, and I glance out my window, only to be confronted with a horrifying sight.

"What the fudge?" I whisper.

A disturbing sight unfolds as a group of Freaks forcefully drag women and children by their hair and clothes towards school buses that are decorated with graffiti, spikes, and massive wheels.

The cannibals snatch kids away from their moms, and you can hear their cries of agony.

"Take them to the USR for parts!" I hear a muffled voice through Falcon's closed windows, a chilling reminder of the fate that awaits these innocent souls.

They will visit Old York or similar destinations where they control their desire for human flesh by trading it for car parts.

A group of children on a school bus goes by; their faces are all wet with tears.

I turn away.

I have to do something.

The Freaks surround us. The're closing.

They give me the creeps with their primal screams and hideous deformities around their faces; misaligned or missing eyes. Another individual has his cheeks cut open all the way from his mouth to his ears. Their cracked lips drip with drool, and their smiles show off their rotten teeth. Messed-up limbs show gross wounds and weird lumps of flesh. Some have just one arm, others have three, and some even have four legs. They have tons of tattoos on their skinny bodies: skulls, barbed wire, dragons, devils, and random phrases, all carved into their skin.

Radiation has transformed them into nightmarish creatures.

I wonder what will happen to the babies of these monsters, if they even have any. Will they inherit these deformities and the never-ending craving for human meat? Or do they get brainwashed and tortured, just accepting whatever crap they're given? Are there any other weird creatures roaming this messed-up planet?

One of them, holding a torch, stumbles towards my door.

His twisted scream jolts me back in my seat, and his saliva splatters against the window.

"We can do this in two ways," the Freak yells, tapping the barrel of his gun against the glass. "Either we'll break you out, or you'll come out alone. Choose!"

The time has come, signalling the end of our lives. Memories of a simpler life flash through my mind — my parents cooking together, tending to our crops, and the warmth of their love as we cuddled on the couch. Even thoughts of Emily enter my final reflections.

Emily's trembling startles me, interrupting my thoughts.

"What do we do now?" she asks.

I'm gathering my courage. "No choice, I'm afraid. Let's go,"

As I'm leaving Falcon, I'm being swarmed by a gross bunch of cannibals. Those grins give me the creeps. "Move," one of them says.

I obey, taking slow, deliberate steps through the camp. The Freaks leer at us with devilish delight, the remnants of their sick parties strewn about, bones picked clean of any remaining morsels of flesh. One repulsive Freak licks his knife, his eyes fixed upon us with a perverse hunger.

Sick bastards.

Even with all the evil around, I'm scanning the camp for escape routes and memorising the layout and landmarks.

Everything becomes a lifeline - fences, barbed wire, Freaks, guard dogs, barrels, and plates.

I see two huge green containers in a tiny square; all lit up by these dim lampposts.

What could be hiding in those containers? Food, water, or essential supplies?

I slow down to get a better look at them, but the Freak pokes me in the back, so I keep moving. "Walk," he snarls.

I quicken my stride.

Emily's eyes meet mine.

"Are you okay?"

I nod.

With my heart pounding, we step away from Falcon, only to witness something stupid.

One Freak with a diagonal scar on his chest loots my vehicle.

When he snatches my crossbow, his carelessness causes him to pull the trigger, and he fires an arrow through his foot.

The other Freaks can't stop laughing as their comrade fights to get the arrow out of his foot.

"We'd better keep moving," Emily suggests, her voice trembling.

I nod.

We step into a circular square, surrounded by stands where Freaks scream, their twisted forms illuminated by harsh spotlights. The drums won't stop pounding; it's overwhelming. The savage cannibals in front, emitting piercing shrieks, encircle us, their grotesque forms blocking my sight of the crowd beyond.

We shuffle toward the ominous centre of the square.

Escape seems impossible.

"They have no flesh, only bones!"

"Look at those frail bodies!"

"Give us the girl!"

"They won't last a few days!"

"What a pathetic sight!" The dirty cannibals mock and taunt.

Sick bastards.

A gigantic metal plate stands before us. The guards toss us onto it, and the plate sinks a little.

In front of us is an overweight man with a light brown beard that reaches his belly button, standing on a precarious stage made of old, decaying wood. His apron, covered in blood, hangs from his huge body, and his bald head shines in the bright light. He's got big rings in his ears, and his nose is all pierced and stapled, with some blood still there, just like his cannibal buddies. The staples don't do a great job of keeping the nose in place.

He stares at a metre attached to the plate beneath us through cracked lenses.

Is this some kind of scale?

With one eye closed, he concentrates and leans in to take the measurement. The disgusting human-stock specialist, just as shaky and drooling as his cannibal friends, tries to control the saliva flowing down his chin. No matter how much he licks and wipes, the slime won't stop flowing, making a mess of his shoes and the ground.

Making throaty, guttural noises and gurgling sounds, he bursts into laughter, exposing his broken teeth for all to see.

He goes from proud to serious real quick, narrowing his eyes and grinning as he turns away from us to face the wild crowd.

"Lector! Come here!" he bellows.

A tiny guy, way smaller than the fat man, waddles over to the expert. His shirt keeps riding up, showing more and more of his skinny belly covered in blood.

"What can I do for you, Boss?" He talks with a voice that sounds like a kid and a grown-up.

"Can you read this on the scale?" The fat man points with his sausage-like fingers.

The little guy stands on his tippy toes, trying hard to read the metre while squishing his head against the fat guy's wet beard.

"BMI 21. That's still on the low side, Boss," the little meat inspector announces as the fat man's slime drips onto his bald head.

BMI 21? What does that mean?

"Hmm, what a pity." The fat man pats his diminutive companion's back.

"Boss, we could put them in the cage with the others and fatten them up. USR would be delighted to receive the girl."

The bearded expert nods.

"Fatten this garbage for trade!" he spews, his words accompanied by spittle. "We'll check on the girl tomorrow."

As the crowd boos, the drums get louder and shut them up.

"Immortality!" a man cries out from the crowd, breaking the silence.

"Give us blood!" The crowd's roar fills the square.

"Blood bag! Blood bag! Blood bag!"

Eternal life? Blood? This is beyond comprehension. They need to...

"SHUT UP!" I scream. "You dumb fools... Let us go!"

Why did I say that? Shut up, Hero!

Once again, the drums resound and silence the crowds again.

"What do you think you're doing?" Emily asks through clenched teeth.

I shrug and gulp, my parched throat tightening up.

Focus, Hero, focus. THINK!

One of our escorts approaches me, a wicked grin on his face.

With a swift swing, he strikes the butt of his rifle into my stomach, causing me to crumple to the ground. The crowd goes wild, but the voice of the person who hit me is the loudest in my head.

"Not so tough now," the sadistic cannibal taunts.

I gather my energy to rise, only to be kicked in the back and sent sprawling.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The Freaks' bloodthirsty chant reverberates through the square.

"Don't you dare touch me again," I hiss at the cannibal who struck me.

I get up, fuming, and prepare for another punch.

"STOP! I like that. You've got some spice in you," the fat expert says. "We have some special treats in store for you, Swifter. Take them away!"

During the chaos, I look at my clenched fist, its trajectory aimed at the cannibal's jaw.

Two guards come at me from both sides, wrapping their arms around mine.

The Freaks guide us out of the square, pushing through the crowd. They scream and yell at us while our escorts take us further into the camp.

We go through tight passages and small squares filled with other wretched souls until we end up in a quiet area where there are cages with sad little ones.

This place is gigantic. It's bigger than anywhere I've stolen from.

Is this the location where they keep their highest-quality meat? The women and children?

We're in this dark cage with crying kids, and the door slams shut with a metallic thud. Two guards depart, leaving us at the mercy of this nightmarish place. I don't see any women here. The young ones, dressed in tattered garments and makeshift sun visors made of scraps to shield their skin from the relentless sun. They're almost waist-high, so they're probably 6 to 8 years old.

As I look around, that same creepy Freak who attacked me before interrupts my thoughts. He looks at Emily with hunger, his lips wet as he sees her.

"Nice soft skin, I can see," the cannibal says. "Like Caramel. Sweet, haha."

"Shut up! I belong to the USR, in case you forgot. I'm no helpless prey. Chew on your tough comrades!" Emily retorts, challenging him.

The Freak's eyes pop out as he jumps at the wooden bars.

"We shall see. The USR wouldn't even notice if we had a little snack, Caramel. It would be wise for you to keep your composure," he pants.

"Once I'm no longer in this cage," Emily warns, "you'll regret it."

"Haha, I can't wait for that moment... I can't wait," he laughs before sauntering away.

Emily leans forward, rests her hands on her knees, takes a deep breath, and stands up. We make eye contact and shrug, recognising the unknown future ahead. We sit in silence, finding peace for a moment.

Is this the end of our journey?

A surge of adrenaline courses through my veins. Fragments of the camp flashing through my mind. Escaping from this terrible place is all I can think about.

Emily is dying to see her parents, and I'm determined to find Eden. This can't be where it all ends.

Someone taps me on the shoulder. I see this kid, his frightened companions cowering behind him. "What's up?" I say.

"What's your name?" the chubby kid asks.

"Hero."

"Hero?" "He's a hero." "Yes... the one to save us." the children say, gazing at me with awe.

"No, no... It's just my name."

The chubby kid lowers his chin, and I see four pairs of hungry eyes craving something beyond a simple clarification.

I get all nervous and sweaty thinking about how much they expect from me.

It's impossible to sneak around the camp and find Falcon, let alone keep these kids safe.

"Emily," I whisper.

"Just talk to them," Emily suggests, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.

With hesitant steps, I approach the child who started the conversation.

"Mister... are you going to save us?" the chubby one asks, his voice trembling.

"They took our parents," another child adds.

"My brother is on the bus," a third child chimes in.

"They transported my dad," a fourth child explains. Their voices intertwine with my thoughts of escape, creating a muddled symphony of desperation.

"Don't worry, I'll save you," I promise.

What have I gotten myself into?

The metallic sound of a key against a lock catches our ears.

"Rise and shine!" the Freak from the other night screams, causing the kids to cry again.

After several failed attempts and grunts of frustration, the cannibal inserts the key, unlocking the cage.

"You there! Come with me," the Freak commands, his finger pointing towards the kids.

The four children point at themselves.

"No, you!" the Freak barks, singling out the roundest and plumpest child among them.

With tears running down his face, the chubby kid runs to me for safety.

I stand before him, giving the approaching Freak a death stare.

"If you want him, come and claim him," I challenge.

To my surprise, the cannibal does not hesitate. He lunges at me with unbridled hunger.

I land a massive right hook on the Freak's jaw, and he crashes to the ground with a loud thud.

Did I do that?

I'm staring at my clenched fist, wide-eyed and amazed by the sudden burst of power.

This is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I'm sorry about Emily's face, but this is different; it's kind of empowering.

The chubby kid pulls on my sleeve and looks at the unmoving body of the Freak.

"Wow," he says.

I see the other three kids staring at me, waiting for me to take charge.

Emily stands beside them, her brown eyes larger than I've ever seen.

My attention shifts to the open door and a bunch of keys within reach.

"Wait here," I whisper.

I sneak towards the entrance and peek outside to see what's going on.

Dread washes over me as I count ten menacing Freaks scattered nearby.

What's the deal? Kids screaming?

I turn to the kids.

"Look out!" they yell and point in my direction, indicating that something's behind me.

A wave of confusion washes over me, followed by a sharp, searing pain in the back of my neck.

Everything turns black.