Echo

The Cage

      I didn't sleep a blink. Instead I sat and prayed, and then would get up and pace around. This cycle seemed to continue until it was about 1 am.

I started writing a letter to everyone and wrote a separate letter for Olli. For a whole hour I struggled to find the words. My heart ached but I knew this was what I needed to do.

I left the letters on my bed, along with the knife my dad gave me. I mentioned in Olli's letter that I wanted him to keep it safe for me.

I tiptoed silently down the hall and out the door clutching my mom's necklace to my heart. I saw Caden walking inside his eyes sleepy, "Uh hey, are you on watch?" I asked.

"Yeah...I was just about to switch with someone."

"I got it," I said trying to sound casual.

He nodded obviously restless. "Thanks,"

"Sure."

I waited till he was out of sight and walked outside. When I got to the parking lot I grabbed some pliers from the toolbox. There were two trucks beside the van; the van that they agreed to have Clover and the kids flee in. Everything was packed away. All they had to do was go.

If I don't give them a choice all of them will squeeze into the van and go find another home. I'm hoping that because of this the bad people will think i'm not close to anyone here. That their not a liability.

Knowing this I loosened all the valves with the pliers on the trucks tire until it let only a small sound of air come out. I did this to all of the tires on both of the trucks but not the van. All of the tires should be completely flat in a few minutes.

I grabbed a screwdriver as my only weapon, showing them i'm not putting up a fight. I also grabbed a glow stick and cracked it alight.

I hopped the fence by climbing onto the watch post and swinging my legs over to climb down the outside of the fence.

I stabbed a walker coming toward me and began running to the cabin. I prayed that my family would be protected no matter what and I trusted that they'd be okay.

I walked past the house they found Olli and I in. I then passed the car we had stayed in. It seemed like forever ago that I met Olli.

Olli. I hate that i've hurt him. That i've hurt all of them. But now days it's pain and living, or dead and dead.

When I got to the main road I was out of breath. A few cars were scattered around and a few walkers were in the distance.

I went to the closest car and miraculously the keys were in it and it started with more than half a tank of gas. I thanked God.

I continued driving until I saw the car I abandoned before I found the cabin. I got out and took a deep breath and ran into the woods the only light on my path was the green glow stick in my clammy hand.

As I got closer my chest felt as though I was falling through the ground.

I saw the cabin and walked to the front of it. As soon as I did, lights shone at my face and soldiers repelled from the trees all armed with ARs and masks covered their face.

They surrounded me,"Get on your knees, drop your weapon!"

I put my hands up, getting to my knees and dropped the screwdriver and glow stick. I knew they would have gotten here way before us.

"It's clear," I heard someone say from behind the ones who surrounded me.

"So they really don't associate with you now do they?" I heard the man in front of me say, he then lifted the butt of his gun up high and I felt it hit me hard and then all I saw was black.