Apocalypsis 03 - Exodus

stepped back, limping out of the hut but keeping his eyes on me the entire time. It should have probably made me uncomfortable, but I clung to it, hoping at least he didn’t hate me like everyone else did.
    He smiled at my desperate look, and it immediately made me want to look away. I decided it was a bad idea to smile back, just in case anyone would take it as me leading him on, like Coli had accused me of doing before. Plus, the realization that he’d rescued me from the toilet seat was more than a little embarrassing. I wondered who had pulled my pants back up for me, since I couldn’t picture Coli doing it.
    I closed my eyes again so I could focus on getting my world back under control. Everything was in a chaotic mess for me, but everyone else seemed to be fine. Even the kids with horrific injuries were taking things in stride and starting the healing process. The knowledge that I was acting like a baby and feeling sorry for myself made me even more depressed. I felt like I was falling into a dark, dark hole that I couldn’t get out of.
    Coli took it upon herself to answer LaShay’s question. “She attacked me when I was trying to help her, so I had to defend myself. She messed up her stitches.”
    “What’d she do that for?” asked LaShay, judgment in her voice.
    “Because she’s…”
    “Coli! That’s enough!” yelled Trip.
    My eyes flew open at the sound. Coli was fuming, but wisely kept her mouth shut. Even I knew that when Trip was talking like that it would be stupid to say anything at all. He was a nice enough guy, and a cousin to Coli; but he was still the chief - or one of them, anyway.
    Winky appeared from around a corner and came to sit at the side of my bed. Everyone else kind of faded away as she sat there, staring at me. I held her gaze for a few seconds but then I had to look away. I didn’t see any admonishment in her eyes, but I didn’t see pity either. She was just waiting for me to say something.
    After a while I couldn’t take it anymore. “What? Quit looking at me like that.”
    “So, you are fully aware and not catatonic.”
    “Yes, I’m aware,” I said bitterly.
    “Good. I have to take those bandages off and sew you up again. Looks like you did a hell of a job on the good work I did for you before.”
    “You sewed me up?” I felt confused. Why hadn’t I realized that before? How out of it have I been?
    “Yep. I’m in the sewing group with Coli. I used to do a lot of embroidery as a hobby before all the doo-doo hit the fan. Now I just make clothes and shoes. I’ll be pretty busy getting stuff together for these new kids, so I need to get you taken care of and healed as soon as possible.” She reached behind her and her hand came back out with a knife. “No more goofing around with Coli. I don’t want to have to do this again. Your scar’s going to be ugly enough as it is.”
    I looked at her with my mouth hanging open a little. She was being so matter-of-fact about everything - as if we hadn’t just gone into some stranger’s house and blown it all to hell, killing some kids in the process … very possibly one of them being my boyfriend. I couldn’t decide whether to cry or punch someone, and I felt sick over doing either, so I opted instead to do nothing, watching in silence as she sliced the dirty bandages off my arm to reveal the angry red mess underneath. I looked up at her, pissed about the whole ugly world I’d found myself in.
    “Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “Tell me what you’re thinking. I can see you’re freaking out. Normally you would have wiped the ground with Coli’s butt, but it looks like she got the jump on you.”
    “I can’t believe you of all people are asking me what I’m thinking. You were there, Winky. You saw almost everything.”
    “Tell me what I missed. Tell me what happened to you.”
    I swallowed hard, battling tears; but I wanted to tell her. I felt like I was all alone with this nightmare replaying in my mind. Maybe if I can get it out of my mouth, I can get it out of my head. I took a big breath and let it out, trying to calm myself before I started telling her my story.
    “I was in that pool house with Loco … Dave. The leader of the canners. And there was this great kid in there. Julio. He had one leg left, and that was it.” I cleared my throat once to keep the tears at bay. “He was a soccer star and had a cute girlfriend. He told me about her. And then Loco attacked me and I ended up