Chapter 2: The meaning of being human.

Those present became tense, the atmosphere became denser. Without a word, they rushed to open the door, their hearts racing, expecting to find someone eavesdropping.

"!Tac!"

With a dull sound, the door of the hut burst open . The wind rushed inside, gently shaking everyone there, as they peeked out, there was nothing and no one. Only an empty and desolate landscape, with the sun, almost completely hidden by black clouds that seemed to swallow the last rays of daylight.

A heavy silence enveloped the cabin, only interrupted by the distant sound of trees rustling under the gentle pressure of the wind.

"I seem to be a bit paranoid..." muttered the leader, as if trying to convince himself more than the others. His eyes swept the surroundings for any sign, but nothing. All was quiet, too quiet.

He glanced again at each of the people with him, beads of sweat glistened faintly on his forehead, his face marked by tension.

"This discussion is over. Tomorrow we will proceed as agreed, we will wait until Samantha has left to explore." The leader's voice sounded grave, and at times there was a slight tinge of guilt. But he quickly returned to his usual sinism.

A young man with slanting eyes and a shrewd look stepped forward. - "But boss, what if she finds out what we're planning? If she finds out what we're trying to do to her brother, she'll go crazy.

The leader stared at him, eerily calm. "It's all right. It doesn't matter. I'll think of something..." he commented in a serene tone, as if the consequences of his decisions were not serious enough to upset him. The darkness in his eyes reflected something else: a chilling certainty that nothing could everything was under control.

Rebecca, the only woman in the group, couldn't help but feel a knot in her stomach. Her face contracted scarred with guilt, but the fear of being next was stronger.

"I don't want to do it... but it's necessary. Rebeca thought, as the knot in her stomach wouldn't let her breathe. "We are running out of food. What else can I do? There was no choice." She tried to justify herself but the guilt was consuming her.

At that moment a passing murmur brought with it a question that shook her heart.

"What if he decides to take revenge on us?" someone in the group asked. His accusation-laden voice echoed in the air with an unsettling tone.

The leader sketched a crooked smile, but his eyes showed no vestige of emotion. "You'll be welcome to try, but.... you'll have to pay the price!" he said, the words spilling from his mouth like poison. Her smile grew longer, but there was something dark and sinister about it, something that gave me goose bumps.

The air thickened even more, as if the shadows themselves were taking over the cabin. No one dared to object. Fear, bewilderment and anticipation of some mingled in the air, as the sun slowly faded, giving way to an even darker and more insidious night.

***

『Samantha』

""!Tac!..." (thump!).

The sound of my forehead colliding with the door was the last thing I wanted to hear.

The leader's voice echoed from inside the hut. At that instant, I turned and ran all the way back, feeling the weight of my heart racing. I ran back to the hut as fast as I could, stumbling over some stones and branches, until I found Adell, my brother, waiting for me in a corner of the room.

'What do I do?' I thought desperately. I need to find a way to escape. The night was impossible for me, necrophages roam around, I couldn't expose my brother like that, I couldn't wait for dawn either, the threat of the next day made it even more urgent. Shit! I'm running out of options.

"Wait what if..." I murmured softly.

A disturbing thought rang clearly in my mind, but I instantly dismissed it.

"No, I can't do that," I said to myself.

"Even if the world has fallen, crossing that line would mean no longer being human." I reminded myself again, I couldn't lose myself in the darkness.

I took a deep breath, trying for strength to calm myself, though I knew there wasn't much time. The silence was overwhelming, but my mind, completely panicked, kept searching for a solution. I was having trouble thinking clearly, tiredness and fear were clouding me. I looked around. The situation was critical. Food was almost exhausted, water was already scarce, and the remaining provisions would not last much longer. At times like this panic threatens to consume me, but suddenly, the image of a pickup truck flashed through my mind and that's when I remembered:

"The leader was hiding a car somewhere in the red zone." I discovered it one day while snooping around, my heart in my throat. I had promised not to say anything in exchange for some medicine. I accepted without thinking, without questioning anything. At the time, my brother was in critical condition, and it was something I couldn't do without. Now, that little deal was becoming vital."

Having set the route of my plans, I approached his bed, my breathing still agitated, almost choking with tension. Watching him sleep soundly a pent-up rage took hold of me. I wasn't going to let anyone touch him, anyone hurt him. I placed my hands on his, feeling the cold that still emanated from his fingers, as if his life was a thin thread, about to be cut. I hugged him roughly, wanting to convey some strength, but perhaps the movement was too much. His eyes opened, confused, startled.

-S... sister? -he asked, his voice full of surprise.

-Yes, it's me," I answered, my voice tight. I pulled back a little to look at him, but I didn't want him to see the fear in my eyes.

-What are you doing? -he asked, now fully awake.

I looked at him for a moment, searching for the right words. He was fifteen years old, he could already understand more than he seemed to, but he was still a child in many ways. I didn't want to scare him, but I couldn't lie to him anymore.

-Nothing, just... -my voice cut off for a moment, as a firm resolution took shape in my chest. I looked him straight in the eyes, trying not to let panic consume me. -Adell... We have to go now.

- What's going on, sister? Why are you acting like this?

Should I tell her the truth? I thought, even if I had mixed feelings, I didn't want him to lose his innocence, his youth... but at this moment everything was crumbling in front of me. I looked into his eyes, and I knew I could no longer hide the truth from him. He was no longer a child.

-The boss... -I began, my voice wavering, trying to formulate the sentence. The boss has lost his mind. He wants to sacrifice us. All of us, Adell. We have to get out of here.