Post Apocalypse

Chapter 1:
Dusty

It’s been about a year since it happened. It was my sixteenth birthday, and we were celebrating at my house. I don’t remember much after that honestly. How could I want to remember something like that? I pulled on my goggles, wary of the debris flying through the air. They were a light shade of blue, kind of like my eyes. Almost translucent, but not quite. There weren’t a lot of people out here, but that was to be expected. They were holed up in refugee camps or in their old houses trying to salvage whatever they could. I thought that they were trying to get something back that just wasn’t there anymore. Most of these people didn’t know how to fend for themselves, and a small part of me felt bad for them. But then, the other part was glad, because there was more for me to take.
The streets were lined with cars that had been abandoned, crashed, or burned out of the fear that something will spread. This only happened due to a mutation with our fuel supply. We couldn’t manufacture anything anymore, couldn’t drive. By the time that people realized what was happening cars were blowing up, getting pushed off bridges or worse. That was sort of what happened to me, but I survived. My parents gave me everything I would’ve needed to get out of the car once it was submerged. I didn’t have time to argue; my mother just shoved a bag into my hands and rolled down my window. Our car landed in the lake with a splash and soon enough water was filling our car faster than I could scream at my parents to get out before it was too late.
They didn’t.
I had to swim several feet before I broke the surface. They lied to me. They said that we were getting out of town before something happened to us. They committed suicide on my birthday. Now it was something I didn’t celebrate, because that would mean I was celebrating their betrayal, and I didn’t want to think about that. I shook my head before I let my thoughts dwell too much. I came out here to get more supplies, not to think about my dead parents. I tucked my necklace inside my shirt, the one that my father had put into the bag before yelling at me to get out of the car. Diamonds didn’t have much value anymore, because no one had any money. We were all scavengers as far as anyone else was concerned. It didn’t matter though; I still felt the need to conceal my past.
I had been born into a well off family, one where I’d never have to worry about paying college tuition or getting a house. They would take care of all of that for me, or they would’ve if they were still alive. I was the only one in my family who was still here on the streets. I had a brother in Colorado I think, but since we were living here he never came to visit. I didn’t blame him. I’d never even met the guy, so why would I care if he came to help me or not? I scoffed at the thought as I adjusted my backpack. I was used to carrying this much weight after a while, but for some reason my shoulders were tense, tired. Everyone here was exhausted, waiting for the right time to end it all. Not me. I wasn’t going to kill myself just because there’re hard times; that wasn’t in my moral code. My life is worth a whole lot more than offing myself because of poor conditions. I was going to get through this.
Pep talks were normal around here I heard them several times a day. They didn’t necessarily have to come from me or be directed towards me, but I could tell when people were trying to be optimistic. They’d often say that it would be alright, that they would make it through this. It’ll blow over soon. That’s all good and well but, they really don’t know how bad this is. We have no way to generate the kind of power we need to sustain ourselves. People are afraid to manufacture it because of the mutation. The gases made a lot of people sick, and when you got sick, the odds weren’t in your favor. Of course people had been talking about a potential apocalypse due to how much fossil fuel we were using up but no one listened. They’re all idiots.
Most people around here have no idea how to live. It’s either take, or be taken from. You won’t get anything by sitting there. Taking handouts was forbidden for me. I wasn’t going to accept charity from other people who were in the same predicament I was. I’d changed in the time I was alone. I was ruthless now, mean almost. I was willing to do anything to get what I wanted, what I needed. There weren’t any rules anymore. Why would there be? I tucked my hair up into my hat and turned into an alley. Rumors were going around that there were guns to be had down here. If anyone was going to get them, it was going to be me. There was a bag laying on the ground right outside the door. I glanced around, there weren’t any people watching. None that I could see anyway.
When I reached for the bag I was tackled from behind. My jaw hit the concrete, making my teeth rattle. I struggled to get onto my back so I could see my assailant. We were both panting, and just as eager to see who the other one was. My eyes met a green and brown set. They were murky, sort of. They reminded me of a swamp, but not like one with unspeakable sludge. I could make sense of it. His brown hair hung in his eyes, like he hadn’t cut it in a while. He didn’t seem to mind one bit though, because he was focused on my face. Or maybe it was the fact that I’d tried to steal his bag just then. “What do you think you’re doing?” He shook my shoulders.
I didn’t say anything for a long time, just glared at him. Instead I kicked him. “Get off me.” He grabbed the rim of my hat as he stumbled back. My hair tumbled all the way down my back, and his eyes widened.
“Oh I didn’t realize you were a—“
“I know, surprise.” I sneered.
“So what do you think you’re doing trying to steal my bag of guns?” He raised his eyebrows. I crossed my arms, kind of knowing that was a lie as the words came out of his mouth. Who did this guy think he was?
I tightened the straps on my backpack. “Who said they were yours? I didn’t see anyone out here claiming them. Does the bag have your name on it? No, so if you’ll excuse me,” I picked up the bag, “I’ll be on my way.” When I turned to leave he grabbed my wrist.
“I think not. Who are you to try and swindle me? You think you’re tough, huh? Well if you’re so strong,” The guy yanked the bag out of my hands, “then come here and take them from me.” He taunted. When he had turned far enough around I let my foot connect with the middle of his back. He hit the ground with a thud, and the bag of guns went sailing across the pavement.
“I’ll take those,” I scooped the duffel bag up, but thought better of just leaving him with nothing. I took out a rifle and laid it next to his face. “A thank you present.”
He grabbed my hand before I could straighten back up. “Who are you?” He asked.
I tried to smile. “Dusty.”
“I’m Max.”
“Ok, Max. I have to go now so…have a good life.” I tucked my knife back into my boot, going back the way I had come. I didn’t stop when I heard footsteps behind me. All I had to do was keep going and if that didn’t work, I’d run. I’d run as fast as I could back to the compound. That was it. “Quit following me!” I yelled without looking back. Despite my order, I heard footsteps behind me anyway. I tied back my hair due to the fact that Max had stolen my hat in our altercation. It didn’t bother me to have my hair down, it was just very inconvenient. I used to not go a day without my hair down but, that just wasn’t the world we lived in anymore. We were trying to heal, but I sincerely doubted that any kind of recovery was going to happen for another few years.
Max finally caught up to me. He was out of breath from running after me. I could walk fast if I needed to, and that’s exactly what I did. I sped up a little, and he noticed. “Are you trying to get somewhere?”
“Go away.”
“I could help you out if you want—“
“Leave me alone.”
“I’m just saying—“
“Would you shut up?” I stopped walking to face him. “What’s your deal, huh? That’s the only gun you’re getting, so can it. I don’t need your help, because I can handle myself just fine. Judging by the way I handled you, I’d say I’m doing pretty well.” He held out my hat without saying anything. I snatched it from his hands and placed it on my head.
Max sighed. “I don’t want any more guns, even though that would be nice. I was just wondering who taught you how to be so ruthless. Where can I learn that? I’ve never seen a girl so hostile before.” He exclaimed in awe. He was astounded by the fact that I had him on the ground in two seconds flat? He was a lot bigger than me, more built, but that didn’t mean anything to me. It seemed like he was way more clumsy, and probably hadn’t had to fight anyone as of yet. I’d had my fair share of brawls out here to get what I wanted. Sometimes I wasn’t proud of that but, what could you do?
“I taught myself.” That wasn’t entirely true. My father had taught me self-defense a few years back but, I developed my own style. I had my own method of fighting people, and I taught the younger kids whenever I could. They needed to learn it too because you never know what could happen out here. Other people might think that just because they’re kids that they can’t fight but with me around, that wasn’t going to be the case.
“So where are you going? Do you have business to attend to?” He was really starting to annoy me. A small part of me wanted to make him eat the dirt again. I could take him down easy, but I decided not to. That seemed a little rude at this point.
I rubbed my eyes after adjusting my goggles. “Why can’t you just go away? If you’re going to be here, please stop talking.” Usually I wasn’t this much of a jerk to people, but for some reason I had this strange urge to punch him in the face. He nodded at me and shut his mouth. We walked for another twenty minutes to get to the compound.
“This is where you live?” Max surveyed the place. It was a tall brick building, nothing special. The windows were covered from the inside, but the skylight from above provided enough light for us to see. It wasn’t much, but it was home to me now. When we got inside I waved to everyone but made sure that they didn’t ask too much about Max. I climbed several sets of stairs to get to the roof. This was where I came after I got back from my travels. Usually they weren’t out of town but on foot they took hours. The old me used to complain about working out on a daily basis but now, I didn’t even notice it anymore. Running ten miles is usually an everyday thing.
I set all my things down and rolled my shoulders. “For the time being, yes.”
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? You’re not going to stay in a place like this? I don’t see anything wrong with it. It’s way better than where I’m at.” Max made himself at home by stretching out on the ground with his hands behind his head.
I shrugged and sat down beside him, my muscles aching. “There’s nothing wrong with it, you’re right about that. I just don’t want to be in this town anymore. I have no family here anymore, but I have a brother down in Colorado.” I took off my goggles and my hat and tossed them by my bag. By the end of the day I always had a headache from wearing them. Usually I’d take medicine for it but now, things like that were considered valuable. If I was caught with anything, especially painkillers, I’d be beaten within an inch of my life for sure. After this whole thing happened the junkies were looking for new things to abuse, and painkillers were at the top of the list. There was no way that I’d ever have any on me with odds like that.
“I don’t know though…why would you take a chance on that? He might not even be there anymore. Where are your parents?” Max glanced over at me when I cringed.
“They died. They drove their car off the bridge with me in it. They told me to get out, so I did. They killed themselves on my birthday.” There was no inflection in my voice, not even a flicker. I didn’t care anymore. They could rot at the bottom of the lake and it wouldn’t change my mind. They’re liars, they betrayed my trust.
“So I guess that’s why you’re so bitter, hmm? Well not to worry, Dusty. Max is here to save the day.” His smile was bright, but I didn’t return it. My gaze went over to the setting sun, and all the colors streaked across the sky.
“I don’t need you here,” I finally said, “I’m just fine on my own. I’ve told you that already, ok? Go back to wherever it is that you live and leave me alone. I gave you wanted so just go…”
Max stood up, a little hesitant. He started to walk away, but turned at the last second. “Maybe I’ll see you again, Dusty. I’ll be looking out for you if you’re going to be looking out for me ok?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure.” He left with a big smile on his face, but I wasn’t nearly as excited as he was. He seemed so intrigued by me, but I didn’t understand why. Oh well, it wasn’t like I was ever going to see that kid again. What did it matter? I gathered up my things and headed back downstairs. Something told me that it was going to be pretty easy to forget Max.






Chapter 2:
Max

What was her deal anyway? First she tries to steal my Dad’s bag of guns, then she makes me eat dirt, then she treats me like I’m a jerk. Maybe I am a jerk, or I was to her. She clearly wanted to be left alone, but I just found her so interesting. Actually, I really didn’t think she was a girl until I took her hat off her head. From behind she certainly looked like a dude. She was a lot stronger than I expected too. I’d never lost a fight, but I was bested by a girl. A very ruthless girl. Did that make her any more attractive than she already was? Not really. She was special, but I had no idea why. I’d have to run into her again to figure it out.
I was surprised when she told me that her parents kicked the bucket on her birthday. She had to have some emotional scarring from that. Maybe that was why she was so mean all the time. All the time? I’d only talked to her for, what, an hour? I hadn’t found out much either. My dad had said that there was a person who knew something more about the mutation, but I didn’t think it was her. Maybe it had been her father, and if he was dead, that certainly didn’t help me. He’d sent me to go get the guns so that maybe, I’d run into whoever could lead me to the person who had more information. And I’d run into Dusty.
I zipped up my camouflage jacket to keep the breeze out. Once it got dark the heat left this place. That’s the only part I hated about living here. Well that, and the fact that our country was in shambles. I shifted the rifle that Dusty had given me on my shoulder. If the stragglers out here could see it, they’d know not to mess with me. I had a mission out here, but for now, I was at a dead end. Once I found Dusty again, I could ask her more about it. Maybe she knew something I didn’t; something that could benefit me. But on the other hand, did I want to use her like that? She didn’t seem like the type to be too thrilled to discover that she was in fact a pawn the whole time. I sighed in defeat. Girls were so complicated.
It took me a good twenty minutes to get back to my compound on the other side of town. It felt good to run everywhere, so that’s usually what I did. Running meant feeling free, and that was all anyone wanted, right? People’s hobbies weren’t really all that important anymore; everything was either destroyed or stolen when the mutation happened. People just existed now, they weren’t enjoying life. But being here, now, who would enjoy this? I can honestly say I don’t know. Running just made me forget about that stuff.
I climbed a fire escape ladder, my muscles contracting as I did so. I climbed a few sets of stairs to get to the roof door. I knocked on the metal and waited for a long time before anyone answered. I told them the password and they let me in. My friend, Kristoff, nodded at me. “Anything?” He asked. I showed him the rifle and he patted me on the back. Anything like this was considered very well for us, and we’d celebrate. If I’d gotten that whole bag of guns we’d be partying all night.
Kristoff and I went down the dark hallways and into the loft space, or what used to be a loft. These were very expensive when people had the money to pay for them. The five of us all lived in one though; my father said that we didn’t want to attract too much attention by living on two or more floors. He was a thrifty guy, even now. Sometimes I hated that about him, and how that’s the one trait I inherited. My mother touched my shoulder, seeing the scrape on my jaw from where I’d hit the ground. “What happened to you?”
I shrugged. “Well, I was going to get the bag of guns right? Anyway, there was this dude, or I thought it was a dude that tried to get the guns before I could. I tackled him, then realized that he was in fact a she. She gave me one gun after kicking me to the ground. Her name was Dusty.” I smiled at the memory of that awfully rude girl.
Kristoff tried to hold in a laugh. “You let a girl beat you up for a bag of guns? How strong was she?” He said through fits of laughter.
“She’s one of those people who will attack you when you’re not looking and kick you when you’re down. That’s not the point. I didn’t find out anything important but I’m thinking that maybe Dusty will be able to point me to some other people.” I explained.
My father came in and handed me a bottle of water. “So, Dusty…as in Dusty Indyk? Isn’t that the daughter of the CEO who was responsible for the mutation? What was his name?” He scratched his chin.
“Charlie Indyk.” My mother sat down beside him.
“It won’t do any good now guys,” I put the cap on my water, “He killed himself a little while ago. Dusty told me herself. They drove their car into the lake. All their secrets are gone, and I doubt they told her anything.” If they were even thinking about making me go out there to get information about her parents, I wasn’t going to do it. She didn’t deserve that. Sure, I barely knew the girl, but I’m sure any person would feel the same way. But for the sake of trying to unravel this mystery, I highly suspected that these people around me didn’t agree with me.
My Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. “If we’re going to get this country back on its feet we have to figure something out. I think getting to know that girl is the only way to do it.”
“But Dad that’s not fair—“
“I don’t care. This place is in ruins because of him and all anyone wants to do is to fix it. If we have to pry info out of her then so be it.” His tone was sharp, like tiny knives stabbing my skin. I didn’t want to do that to her, but something told me I didn’t have a choice.
I went to bed without another word. It had been decided; I was going to convince Dusty to tell me things that I’d rather not know about her father. About what he did to our country. It wasn’t ethical, not in the slightest. What about her feelings? I wanted to get to know her on a personal level because she seemed like an interesting person. I didn’t want to use her for my own personal gain, for everyone’s personal gain. She was essentially the key to everything. For a moment I thought about leaving the whole thing alone. But that would mean letting everyone down, and I didn’t want that either. I was so torn I didn’t know what to do. What could I say to her?
Kristoff elbowed me so I would scoot over. We each had a cot, one next to the other in case someone broke in. We would be ready if that happened. We had this whole place rigged for that sort of thing. You could definitely spring a trap and not know it around here. It’s happened many times. “You seem at odds with yourself, huh? Is she at least a pretty girl?” He nudged me again. I rolled my eyes.
“Sure, but that’s not the point. It’s not right, Kristoff. I don’t want to be the one to do that to her. She sounded so…bitter when she was telling me about it.” I shivered when I thought back to that moment. Her tone was flat, and her expression was dead. It made me worry how much it had actually damaged her. “Do you think it’s worth it to do that to another person if it was going to help millions of other people?” I asked.
He wringed his hands as he thought about it. That was a habit from when we were kids. He always did that when he got nervous around a girl or something stupid. I thought it was funny, and pointed it out to every girl he’d ever liked. It wasn’t something I did anymore, our situation was too depressing. We were more serious now, because this made us grow up real fast. I was only seventeen, but I felt like I was the grown-up sometimes. I had a lot more to carry on my shoulders, a ton of responsibility. Sometimes I wish I didn’t. “Yes and no. I mean you’ll probably never speak to her again but it makes conditions better for the rest of us, right? I know that sounds selfish but you have to see it from a different perspective.” He explained.
I nodded, but I wasn’t sure I agreed. I let my back hit the cot, a little frustrated with myself. “I know all of that is true, but I have values. I don’t want to sacrifice one for a thousand. It’s not right!” I hissed as my father came over to the cot next to mine. Kristoff and I didn’t say anything until my father left. “If you were me, would you do it?”
He shrugged, and his head hit the pillow. “I can’t even say that I know. I’m not you, so I don’t have a tough decision ahead of me, do I? Tell you what,” He turned on his side to face me, “I’ll come with you to meet this girl, and then I’ll tell you what I think you should do.” His idea seemed solid, but looks were deceiving. How could I know that he was using his best judgment? When the time came to make a choice, how would I know that I was making the right one? Kristoff was always the one to take more chances than me, because that’s just who he was. He might make a rash decision, and I don’t know how well that would hold up.
After our conversation was over we all went to bed. I tried to sleep, but it wasn’t working too well. My mind was still in overdrive. I was going to betray her, or so it seemed. I didn’t know her all that well, so why did I care? Why was I choosing to be indecisive now? Maybe it was because she was different than everyone else. She could have just left me with nothing, but she chose to give me a rifle. Dusty acted like she hated me, but maybe that was just it: an act. I’d have to find her and see for myself.








Chapter 3:
Dusty

I stashed the guns in one of the lockers they kept here, knowing that they had the potential to be stolen if I wasn’t looking. It had happened a few times before, but I’d always caught whoever had done it. I kept one of the guns tucked in my waistband just in case something happened, or I ended up somewhere I didn’t want to be. People always assumed that just because I was a girl that I didn’t fight back, but they were really wrong. Judging by my performance yesterday, I thought I was doing pretty well. Taking Max to the ground had been easy, but that was only because he wasn’t expecting it.
Why was I still thinking about that guy anyway? It’s not like I was ever going to see him again anyway. He was pretty annoying, so why would I want him around? But the way he looked at me yesterday, it didn’t seem like he hated me at all. He actually thought I was interesting. I scoffed at that. I didn’t need to love anyone, let alone like them. I was just fine on my own, and I didn’t have a problem keeping it that way. I wasn’t carrying as much with me today, because I’d put most of it in the locker. I had my gun and a small backpack on. That was going to be it for today. The place I was going was about eight miles away, which wasn’t too bad of a run.
When I got outside the breeze almost knocked me over. How had I not noticed how strong the wind was before? I started to run, and forgot all about the wind. I let my hair out of my hat and strapped my goggles around my belt loop. I’d run about a mile before I started to see people outside. They were watching me as I sprinted past them, but I didn’t care. Running made me feel free, like I didn’t have to care about anything. I ran past the same alley I was at yesterday, and noticed a familiar figure. Max was in the alley talking to someone I didn’t recognize. I tried to run past quickly but he ran after me. “Hey, Dusty! Wait up!” He called.
I stopped running, heaving a sigh. “What now?”
“Where are you running off to? There’s someone I want you to meet.” A guy with blonde hair stepped out from behind Max. He was slightly taller, maybe about an inch. His eyes were blue like mine, but darker. I’d seen him somewhere before, but I didn’t remember where. “This is—“
“Kristoff. Hi.” He interrupted Max and shook my hand. I was still trying to catch my breath so I didn’t say anything back for a minute. Some pieces of my hair had gotten loose, and were hanging in my face. I tried to fix it as well as I could while they were both looking at me.
“I really gotta be somewhere but…it was nice meeting you I guess.” When I tried to get away Max grabbed my wrist. I recoiled, and my foot connected with his rib cage. It knocked him off his feet, and he was wheezing on the ground. “It’s best not to grab me like that…for future reference.”
Kristoff nearly keeled over laughing. “You weren’t lying when you said she was a good fighter, Max. She had you on the ground in two seconds.” He snapped his fingers.
I leaned closer. “You were talking about me? Why?”
“Oh well he was actually going to ask you about—“
“Nothing!” Max stood up abruptly and covered his mouth as he was still talking. “I wasn’t going to say anything…at least not yet. Uh, so you said you had to be somewhere right? Well, go, be on your way. I can hold down the fort here.” He laughed nervously. His smile was pulled tight across his face. He was lying to me, but what did it matter? I barely knew the guy anyway.
“Ok, bye.” I turned on my heel and started to run the other way.
“Wait! How did you get here anyway?” He yelled.
“I ran!” I answered without looking back. I still had seven miles to go, and then eight miles to get back. I wasn’t going to waste my time talking to him about how I got there. I had stuff to do. With no car everything was more difficult. If I did everything myself before with a car, I could do it without one, right? I was more in shape than I’d ever been, so that meant running everywhere was standard.
I got what I needed from my old house, old files and stuff, and ran back to the alley a few hours later. I stopped to take rest against the wall, and I was relieved to find out that Max wasn’t out there, and neither was his friend Kristoff. It seemed like he knew something I didn’t, and I wanted to find out what it was. There was something suspicious going on with the two of them, something that they were trying to hide from me. The way Max had interrupted Kristoff, it was weird. I shook my head. Why was I infatuated with something that didn’t even matter? I pushed off the brick wall and as I was doing that, I sliced the middle of my palm open.
I sucked in a breath as I surveyed the damage. It stretched all the way down the middle of my palm. There was no way I’d be able to do anything with it until it healed. I was stupid for being so careless. My blood dripped onto the ground, painting the dirt a darker shade of brown. I didn’t care. I was just going to go back to the compound and forget about this whole thing. When I heard footsteps approach I tensed. Whoever that was better have a good reason for coming down here. “Are you ok?” Max’s voice reached my ears, and a permanent grimace settled on my face. Out of all the people left, he was the one that had to show up? My luck was clearly beginning to run out.
“I’m fine.” I said through clenched teeth.
He came closer despite my protest. When I tried to cover up my hand he took it and stretched out my fingers. I tried not to cry out in pain. He shook his head knowingly at me. “I have something to wrap this up. You should follow me.” I didn’t want to, but this needed to be cleaned and covered before it got infected. I wasn’t going to take a chance of a disease taking my life from me. People needed me around, so I couldn’t drop dead now. He led me to a fire escape ladder, and I had to climb up with one arm. He lifted me up the rest of the way when he got onto the roof.
“I am so against you doing this for me,” I said as he put me down.
“You know what? I couldn’t care less about what you’re against, Dusty. I’m trying to help you so shut up and stop being so modest ok?” Max knocked on a door rhythmically. It opened a few seconds later, and I saw Kristoff wave us in. I followed Max down a dark hallway and down a few flights of stairs. My skin was crawling. I didn’t know what was down here, but I wanted to turn around and flee.
“Hey, Dusty.” Kristoff tapped my shoulder.
“Hey,” I waved as best I could with an injured palm. It looked like I was going to have to learn how to be left handed for a few weeks. “Where are we going?” I asked. Max didn’t answer me, just kept walking down the dark hallway. I kept bumping into things but he seemed to know how to do this blind. I was impressed, but I was never going to say that out loud. I wasn’t going to say something so nice to him, because he might take it the wrong way, and I didn’t want that.
We arrived at another door. When it swung open I saw a big open space. This was the place where the expensive lofts were before the mutation. They were holed up in one of these? A pang of jealousy bit at me, gnawing at my skin. I wanted to smack Max for taking advantage of the space. “This is home…pretty much. Now come over here, I have something for you. He grabbed two bottles of water and led me over to the sink. He opened the first one and poured its contents over my palm. It stung, but I didn’t say anything. He patted it dry and wrapped gauze around my palm carefully. He was really gentle, which was weird because since this whole thing happened, everyone was rough around the edges.
“Did you want to be a doctor…before this?” I quietly asked.
He gave me a sidelong glance, then smiled. “Yeah, how did you know?”
I shrugged as he finished wrapping my hand. “It just seems like you know what you’re doing I guess.” He stared at me, and his hand lingered a little longer than I would’ve wanted it to. I pulled back, and whatever just happened there, it was gone now. “I’m gonna go now…um thanks.” I nodded.
“No wait,” Kristoff stepped in front of me. “Stay a while. Have dinner with us.” He motioned towards some people I hadn’t noticed before. The man looked like an older version of Max, and I assumed it was his father. The woman next to him was probably his mother, and there was a boy that looked about fifteen beside them. That was his family, and then Kristoff was just there. Where was his family? Had they died too? I doubt it was in the same way mine had perished, if that indeed was the case.
Max went over to talk to his family, and I was sure they were asking questions about me. I didn’t really mind, because I know I would do the same thing. I knew that most people had trust issues nowadays.