Apocalypsis 03 - Exodus

were out there somewhere, and I had to find someone willing to tell me where. The clinic is as good a starting point as anywhere else. Maybe LaShay will be there. She seems to know everything around here for some reason.
    When I got there, the place was empty. I sat down on a pallet to contemplate my next move, frustrated, trying to figure out how I was going to find anyone when I’d never been anywhere but the clinic, the eating hut, and the pool. My worried thoughts stopped when I heard voices. My head was below the edge of the railing of the hut, which was covered in an elaborately-decorated rug, making me invisible to anyone outside. The first voice I identified was Winky’s.
    “How can you say that, Coli? She’s done nothing but help us.”
    “Please. All she’s done is get everyone all riled up, sent us into a situation that was none of our business, which ended up getting her own boyfriend killed, and then she comes back here telling us how we’re supposed to live, who’s going to live here, and who’s not? Who the hell does she think she is?”
    “It’s not like that and you know it,” said Winky, sounded disgusted.
    “Yeah. It is, Winky. And you’d better start remembering who’s in charge around here, too. Bad things can happen to people who don’t follow the rules.”
    The voices stopped just outside the entrance of the hut. I was two steps away from being discovered, and they were definitely going to think I was eavesdropping, even though it hadn’t been intentional.
    “Are you threatening me, Coli? Get your hand off my arm.” Winky sounded as if she didn’t believe what she was hearing.
    “I’m telling you like it is, that’s all.”
    “What makes you think I take orders or advice from you , anyway?”
    “ I say it and this says it,” she said in a menacing tone.
    Winky sighed. “Coli, put that away. You’re always waving that thing around, and to be honest, we’re all getting pretty tired of it.”
    “We? Who’s we?” Coli’s voice had taken on a paranoid tone. It made a shiver run up my spine, because it sounded like someone who’d lost her grip on reality.
    “Everyone you’ve pulled that knife on in the last few weeks. It’s getting old. So either use it or put it away.”
    “Don’t friggin tempt me, Winky.”
    “I’m not tempting you, nutcase. I’m warning you.”
    I heard some shuffling and then a scream. It was short and wild, followed by the sounds of two people wrestling.
    I jumped to my feet, just in time to see Coli swing her knife in a wide arc and catch Winky in the shoulder with it. Crimson bloomed out across her sleeve.
    “You friggin’ cut me , you lunatic!” yelled Winky, dancing out of the way, putting her hand up to her injured shoulder. Soon it was covered in blood, too.
    Coli was crouched down, looking like a cat ready to pounce. I knew for a fact she was going to make another strike, so I didn’t think about it - I just did it. With three bounding and relatively quiet steps over towards Coli, I jumped on her back, putting one arm around her neck, and with the other, grabbing her head and twisting it forcefully around. I jerked myself back as hard as I could and we both went down, me on my back with her on top of me.
    I gripped my legs around hers to keep her from thrashing and flipping us over, tightening my grip around her neck to choke off her air supply. She reached up with her knife hand, so I was forced to release her neck with one hand to block it, luckily making contact with her wrist instead of the nasty blade that was covered in dark red stains. She strained to bring the knife up close, just inches from my arm. My muscles trembled with the force it took to keep it from slicing me open to the bone. I was fairly certain she wouldn’t be stopping with any superficial wounds if she had a chance. I was going to be filleted like a fish, just as she’d offered to do to me before.
    Winky recovered from her surprise, and ran over, kicking Coli’s hand hard to send the knife flying. As soon as I knew I was safe from that threat, I focused the strength of both my arms into choking her. I used my free hand to cinch up the one still around her neck. She struggled and scratched at the skin of my forearm, but within seconds, I felt her losing energy. I didn’t let go or let up even a millimeter. She was going to kill me if she had the chance, and I didn’t want my last night to go down that like. I just had to immobilize her and get