The Lost Ones

My name is Annabelle; it is February 25th, 2299, in Seattle, Washington. It has been almost one hundred years since shit got bad. Global warming has pushed the earth to its breaking point. Since sometime in the early 2000s, the ice caps started melting, causing the waters to rise. We are drowning, slowly. Most of the buildings are submerged several stories under the water if I am to guess. The water causes the city to be damp and chilly most of the time. My mom told stories about her great-grandma living in Seattle. She said it was raining almost always and when the sun did shine, well it didn’t. I dream a lot about what life was like before; we drive around in a car, looking up at the giant skyscrapers, and just being together. Now the only places I see are that of my people struggling to survive. It is not so bad, though; I belong to a small group of young outcasts all in their teens and twenties. We all have the same stories, parents dying, abandoning us, and some of us are still trying to find our way.

I met a lone survivor named Dash he is my best friend. We founded this ragtag group. Our camp houses about 10 of them like us. We give them food and provide them with a place to call their own; we do not see many other people. Most of them fled to the inland to stay away from the rising water a long time ago, not us; we stay because we cannot leave. The waters are not safe enough to travel by boat, and honestly, we do not want to go. This place is our home; it is not so bad. The worst part is trying to find food. Over the last 200 years, the land animals have been slowly dying off or moving to the mountains. We mostly find rats, fish, and birds; hunting the fish is probably the most challenging, and the taste is not ideal. The waters are not what I would call clean. Over time, it has gotten polluted by trash or oils from the buildings, not to mention the monsters that infest the water. The Great White Anacondas are equivalent to sharks and snakes having a baby that evolved into a razer-mouthed monster. They swim fast, and if you get caught in the water, there is an extraordinarily little chance of you surviving. I honestly do not know what they are since everyone who has ever encountered them was drug to the bottom of the waterway and swallowed whole.

Today is a typical day in the neighborhood; We are out hunting to catch food for the camp. So far, we have acquired two giant ass rats and one ridiculously small seagull; Right now, there are many seagulls out flying around. I find the sound they make rather soothing. I try to imagine that I am on a beach somewhere, maybe playing with my family. My little brother Luca and I splashing in the waves; I rub the necklace around my neck for comfort. A locket shaped like a heart I got from my mom. She gave it to me to always remember. I blink away tears as I am brought back to reality by Thomas.

"Hey, you alright?" Thomas asked, somewhat concerned.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just thinking.” I reply.

"Ok, well, things are looking dreary, so we might want to head back," Thomas said in a manner as though he was telling while also asking for permission.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” I grant him the permission he implied he needed. “I’m going to stay out and see if I can catch anything else. “

"Ok good luck. Come on guys, let’s go" Thomas ushered for the others to follow him, to which they obeyed. Thomas is a good kid, about 20 years old, according to Dash. Their mom got sick after giving birth to Thomas and left their dad to take care of them. He did for a while, but after so many years struggling to raise two growing boys on your own, it just got to be too much for him. He knew he could not take care of them, so he left in the middle of the night without even a note to explain himself. That is about all I know. Dash will not talk about it, Thomas does not dare to bring it up, and I don’t ask.

I see the light starting to fade; I manage to catch two fish using my makeshift spear I made using a broken metal pole. As I walk back to camp, I hear some noises behind me; I continue walking while picking up the pace and being careful not to bring any strangers back. When I have only a few blocks left, I hear someone close behind me. It appears they are trying to be sneaky but are failing miserably; I cautiously grab my knife, I call out to them, “Who’s there? Come out!”.

I see shaky hands reach around the corner, their hands up in surrender. They belong to a boy about my age, maybe a few years younger. He looks rough with his slightly torn t-shirt, his shaggy hair, and his ripped jeans. He seems hungry, as though he has not eaten in a few days. “H-Hi.” He sounds nervous and afraid, probably because I am holding a knife at him.

"Who are you, and why are you following me?" I ask them, sounding a little sharper than I probably needed to.

"M-my name is Micah. Please don't stab me?" he responded as if asking me not to stab him, to which I was still considering. I did lower my knife only a little. There something about him I can’t quite place.

"Hi, Micah. You did not answer my question. Why are you following me?" I questioned, never breaking eye contact. Maybe this life has made me a bit rough around the edges, but I haven't survived this long being nice.

“I’m sorry! I just wanted to get some food; I heard about a group of kids living in this area. I saw you, and I thought I would follow you." He explained. His response did not make me feel much better about a random kid who decided to follow me back to camp.

“You know you could have just asked for some food instead of following me." I still feel uneasy about this experience. There is just something about him that makes me nervous. "How about you stay here, and I will bring you some food and warm clothes back for you. Hm?" I offer to him to keep our hideout a secret from strangers.

“O-ok. I’ll wait here then?" He seems disappointed in my answer for him to stay put but ultimately cooperates.

I head back to camp, making sure that Micah followed my orders and stayed behind. Once I was sure he did not follow me, I headed back. Once there, Dash approaches me.

"Hey, you! Did you find anything good out there for us?" I chuckle internally, thinking about the boy I left behind me.

"I caught two more fish for the group. Hopefully, this lasts a little longer. I did find something else, though." I begin to explain. "There was a boy a little younger than us trying to follow me back here. He wanted food and to join the group, I told him to stay back, and we would bring him some supplies.”

I didn't want to let Dash know my hesitation just yet. I want them to meet first.

"Ok, let's talk to him, then we can decide as a group if he should join. Of course, he will have to pass initiation first." Dash seems slightly enthused yet intrigued by this mystery man. We have gained a few ears talking about him.

We set out with some cooked fish and a poorly crafted jacket that should do the trick. When we arrived, Micah was promptly leaning on the wall where I left him waiting. He stood with confidence and a slight familiarity.

"Hi, your back!" Micah sound excited at our return. I wonder if he didn’t think I would come back.

"Micah, this is another member of the camp. We brought you some fish and a jacket to keep you warm." I offer him the fish and jacket, to which he happily accepts.

“So Micah, what’s your story?” Dash chimes in while Micah scarfs down his fish.

Micah elegantly talks while eating, "Well… I have been on my own for a while now; my mom and dad abandoned my sister and me. Eventually, my sister left too, leaving me to fend for myself.”

“Damn, I am sorry to hear that. A lot of us have the same story; we had a family, then we lost them." Dash reassures him.

Micah sputters as though not to be forgotten. "Maybe I could join your group? That way I am not alone?".

Dash and I exchange looks; Over the years we have developed an unspoken communication with each other, we simultaneously nod in agreement.

Dash is the first to speak, "We have decided that you can join our group…".

"Yes!" Micah says almost too enthusiastic.

“But…” I chime in cutting him off, “You need to pass the initiation test first.”.

"Ok! Anything, tell me what I need to do." I cannot quite place it. Maybe he seems familiar since he is like me and he is distant since I do not know him; I subconsciously hold my locket, almost lost in thought.

Dash begins to explain, "In our group, everyone needs to pitch in. We all need to know how to collect and hunt food for the group. For your test, you will travel with this lovely lady on my left. Since she is the one who found you; you two will go on a short hunting trip to the top of the crumbling tower to hunt the rare Snowy Owl. She will be there as a guide, but she is not allowed to kill anything for you; you guys can go from here; she has everything you need.”.

"Ok, let’s go!” Micah replies.

Micah and I start heading to the tower; it is in fact a skyscraper not a tower. After years with no upkeep, we just call it that. It is the most dangerous place we have traveled to, which is why Micah is not going alone, lucky me. We are silent the entire trip; we start to ascend the tower, and so far, so good. Finally, he speaks.

"Why don't you trust me?" Micah asks.

"I don't know you. So how can I trust you." I explain.

"We are all just trying to survive. It helps to have friends." Micah sounds as though he is trying to convince me to be his friend.

I shoot it back. "Exactly, we are all trying to survive. We haven't made it this far trusting every random stranger we come across."

Micah goes quiet as if trying to think. "Well, I will do what it takes to join this group.”

I am left with my thoughts as we cross the ledge to get around the building. A slight movement in the rocks above startles us both, but we continue. The building shifts causing a piece of the building above us to fall; Micah pushes me out of the way. It cracks the ledge, and I begin to fall backward. Micah grabs my hand. I see his eyes fixate on my neck. He sees the locket around my neck. He grabs hold of it as though to examine it. There is something in his eyes. Suddenly he lets go of my hand. The necklace rips off my neck as I begin to fall to the waters below. As I plummet, I see him open the pendant, smile, and walk away. Finally, darkness takes me.