ARRIVINGS

The light from the outside which suddenly shines into the Van. (Or whatever we are inside.) Is so bright, that I have to blink several times before I am even able to begin to think of what could expect us out there.

''What is that?'' Finn, who is next to me, asks and I glance at him. Nearly squealing loudly, because I can finally see everyone around me.

''You look like ass.'' I laugh and the boy rolls his eyes at me.

''Says you?'' Finn stands up stumbling and holds himself onto the wall, so that he wouldn't fall down again.

''I can't go out there!'' I suddenly hear someone gasp wheezingly and I turn around. Seeing Ethan and Will discussing loudly.

''Yes you can, and you must!'' Will almost shouts but Ethan shakes his head wildly.

I look back to the, now opened, car doors and try to memorize everything I see.

To be honest, there isn't much to see so far and we all are too afraid of going out there into the unknown.

But oh well.

Through the lot of light I can, with a lot of focusing, get a glimpse of something like a clearing and a lot of trees a bit behind that.

Why would someone bring us into the middle of nowhere? That makes no sense.

''You guys are all such pussies.'' Aidan sighs, before jumping outside without another word.

''Aidan!'' Finn yells and runs after him fastly.

Not knowing what to do, and also terrified of what could be out there, I swallow down my fear and lean closer towards the exit. My heart beating heavily against my ribs.

''NO! FUCK OFF!'' I suddenly hear Parker screaming. Who has also followed the others outside.

Alarmed by the scream, me and Caleb hurry out of the Van to the clearing. Where I directly recognize a second Van right next to 'ours'.

''Pleaaaaase!'' A girl shouts and I look at her.

What is Leah doing here?!

''Leave me alone.'' Parker groans and takes a few steps backwards, escaping the girl which is trying to cling onto his arm.

''What-?'' I begin to ask but Finnegan, who is apparently already next to me, speaks up.

''Some girls from our school are also here-.'' Finn says while frowning, but now Parker interrupts him rudely.

''Leah, Kaitlyn, Maddison, Carmen, Amanda, some girl I don't know and Lydia are here.'' He nods into their direction.

''I'm non binary, dumbass.'' Maddison crosses their arms and glares at him with a hateful look in her brown eyes.

Understandable, if you ask me.

''Lydia?!'' Caleb yells while he almost sprints over to her.

''Obviously.'' The girl sighs and shrugs emotionless, not caring at all.

Aren't they siblings? I ask myself but just forget about it the moment both of them start hugging each other.

Yep.

''Ethan I swear to-!'' Will shouts behind me and me, Parker and Finn turn around, watching the weird scene. Which is taking place right in front of us.

''I'M SORRY!'' Ethan pants, because of what Will. groans annoyed.

Ethan is holding his left arm with his right hand nervously, his shoulders pointing more to the ground than straight up how it is normal. The awkward look in his eyes is nearly making everyone around him, who is watching the scene, uncomfortable.

Will to the opposite is standing just a bit leaned forward. His eyebrows worriedly raised while his lips are pressed together in the moments he isn't speaking.

''Stop apologizing!'' Will argues, now more quiet; and Ethan bits his lip nervously.

''Sorry..-!'' It seems like that just kind of slips out of Ethan's mouth, because he immediately slaps his hand over it and Will groans once again.

''I SWEAR, if you apologize for nothing ONE more-!'' He begins to ramble but a girl's voice, Carmen's, shouts loudly over the place..

''Guys!''

We all turn around and look at her.

Carmen has always been the probably most opened and smartest person I know. This situation just proves it. She isn't standing in a fearing way at all. Carmen's back is straight and the shoulders held back and her chin is up.

The look in her eyes shows that she only wants to do good and help the situation, but not many pay attention to that detail.

''I have no idea, where we are or why we are in the middle of nowhere. But here are two different paths and a wood...So, I think we should try to find a way to get away from here!'' Carmen continues and everyone is quiet for a long moment.

''What if we try to drive away again?'' Will asks, but Carmen rolls her eyes and answers in a very annoyed tone.

The discussing is just beginning.

''There are no keys.'' She crosses her arms while saying that, convinced by herself.

''I can make them drive without needing keys.'' Will laughs and also crosses his arms, glancing at her challenging.

''There's no gasoline left.''

''I'm sure we can find some in the ground.''

''That would take too much time.''

''It would be worth it.''

''No.''

''Yes.''

''We need a different way.''

''Mine is goo-.''

''Shut up!'' Carmen suddenly yells and legit everyone at least winces at the sound.

''Bitch.'' Will mutters but the girl luckily isn't hearing it.

''Why don't we split in groups?'' Parker suggests nervously, a shaking in his voice.

''Didn't you watch horror movies?'' I ask him, and he gets silent again.

''We can throw a coin on which way we go.'' Maddison smiles widely, but Kaitlyn basically kills her idea.

''Do you have a coin? No. So shut up.'' The girl hisses and they go quiet, sighing shakily.

''I would say we go each way around 500 metres, and then decide which looks more promising.'' The girl I don't recognise speaks up and Carmen smiles at her.

''Good idea, Diana.'' Carmen nods, and we look at her in confusion.

Carmen, fucking, Sampaguita and taking in a suggestion like that?! Suspicious.

''Let's do that then..?'' Caleb chuckles a little before grabbing a stick from the ground.

''Okay.''

We all start walking to the first path, which is on the right from the place we are standing now.

Even after more than five minutes, we only see trees and the only thing I hear, is a quiet voice talking behind me.

Ethan.

''This is a spruce and that is a birch.'' Ethan tells Will in his boredom, who just sighs and I have to suppress a laugh.

''That's a red maple.'' Ethan carries on talking and I wheeze, but am fastly getting a slap on my arm from Parker who is right next to me. Also holding back a laugh.

That is what happens, when you choose the biological subject over chemistry.

''Here is nothing, let's try the other way.'' Carmen sighs and we all turn around, following our footsteps back to where we came from.

''Stop talking about useless crap like that.'' Kaitlyn rolls her eyes at Ethan, who immediately looks at the ground.

I almost raise my eyebrows when I see how Will l glares at her in some kind of strong anger.

I am not joking. His eyebrows are close and even a wrinkle is seeable.

''He can stop when you stop breathing.'' Will hisses fastly, which is definitely not normal for him, and Ethan looks back up in confusion.

''Pff.'' Kaitlyn turns around and walks back to her other friends.

He'll hate me for what I will do now.

''That was so adorable from you, Will. I noted that in my brain, so that I can always remember that you do have a heart sometimes.'' I tease him and Will punches me on the shoulder. Not hard, but purposely so that I can feel at least a bit of it.

''Oww.'' I laugh and walk back to Parker who joins my stupid laugh.

All of us are following now the path on the left. The trees and plants are not so close anymore, and the sun is shining warmly through the leaf down to is.

it is great to feel that again.

''This is an elm.'' Ethan says and points at some tree, which literally has nothing else than green leaf. Like almost every other tree here.

He probably doesn't even know what he is talking about.

''Wooow.'' Will obviously pretends to be interested, but it is strongly audible, that he is actually bored of it.

''I know, right?''

''Guys? I think we have something!'' Caleb shouts from the front and we all glance at him concentrated.

''It looks like a village or something.'' He continues and we all focus our vision at the place, where Caleb is pointing at.

''Are there any other people?'' Leah asks quietly, but no one answers her.

It is not like no one wants to answer the question. Just, nobody has one either.

''Let's go down there.'' Carmen nods agreeingly and we all follow her in silence.

To be honest, I am more worried about my Parents, than everything else in this moment.

Around ten minutes later, or it just feels like it is ten minutes later, we arrive at the village and look around.

Here are no other people or animals. It is almost like it waited for us to arrive, and just this thought already gives me shivers going down my spine.

''Hello?!'' Eli Jenkins, that is his name I think, screams but no one answers. Obviously.

''It's like some of these lost places, just that everything here looks like it just got build.'' Aidan notices, and we look around, waiting for the bad surprise to happen.

Which indeed happens.

''Welcome subjects. You arrived in good reputation and are now ready to start your new lives. Of course there will be many questions, but we sadly can't answer them... yet. Just a few things for making all of this less confusing and / or complicated.

Firstly, in every house is space for two, up to three people. Please find yourself the roommates.

Secondly, every week will arrive new resources at the South gate with food, clothes, tools and, of course, water and seeds. That is going go be it for today. The next announcement will come when the 'World Burn' takes place.''

The voice disappears again and the panic spreads in everyone.

What the hell is a 'World Burn'?!

Everyone is suddenly talking in a very loud tone. Screams and yells are audible out if every single direction, and the order disappears quite fast, until Carmen speaks up again.

''We should do how we got told. Let's make the households and then decide maybe something like a leader.'' She finishes, her voice not that promising any longer, and we all go quiet again.

Isn't she already something like a leader?

''I have some paper and a pen in my pocket. Looks like they didn't take it, so we can use it.'' She also adds and puts it out, already writing something on it.

''Now make teams.''

''Wanna be my roommate?'' I ask Parker who nods and laughs.

''Together like in 'The last of us'?'' I join the laugh but we get interrupted by Caleb who walks up to us.

''It's no one left, well, except for Ethan and Wil, but we had some kind of-- incident--...So I wanted to ask if I could like, I don't know, join in?''

It's obvious that he feels embarrassed, so I smile at him as kind as possible.

''Of course, three player mode then.'' I laugh and Parker nods slowly, after he stares at Caleb for a bit too long. In my opinion.

''Cool.''

The households are all settled up and Carmen fastly reads them out loud. Making sure she didn't note anything wrong.

''Jaden, Parker and Caleb?''

''Yes.''

''Finnegan,, Aidan and Eli?''

''Yup.''

''Leah and Kaitlyn?''

''Of course.''

''Ethan and Will?''

''Yeah.''

''Amanda, Maddison and Lydia?''

''Yes.''

''And Diana and me.''

''Exactly.''

Looks like that's our life now...shit.