“No, I’m glad to be away from that. No one really wanted to listen to you. Especially Connor.”
“The thing is this Sarah, you and I have worked hard to gather, hunt and take care of ourselves. Those people have no clue and they are used to using up resources fast without thought or care. They think they are entitled to other’s foods, because there is food. If we stuck around, they’d feel entitled to our food, even though we were the ones who busted our asses for it. They’d expect us to feed them. It is going to be hard for us to survive with just the two of us. But if we are smart and careful Sarah, I think we can.”
“Do you think we can help them at some point? Maybe show them how to hunt? What plants to eat?”
“Maybe, but it won’t be anytime soon, they are in panic mode right now. When we go back in four days, we’ll see how everyone is acting. We can bring some sample plants, but we’ll tell them to go in a different direction and to spread out, otherwise, they will chew through their resources and there will be nothing left.”
For the rest of the evening, they ate their meal in silence, each in their own thoughts. He was right she knew. It had taken them hours to find food just for the two of them. There was no way they could feed twenty-one people. That thought was so overwhelming, it was inconceivable.
She was sure that Connor and Matt would want it that way, for them to do the work, while they kicked back and ate the fruit of their labor. To be their slaves. That wasn’t how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. Trying to feed people who had no desire to learn how to feed themselves.
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His mind was spinning in circles. Shit had erupted so quickly. He knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, but he had been. He’d been right about Connor. What an asshat. The man was going to be trouble, he had no doubt about that. He’d have to watch over Sarah, she was his main priority. That and finding a safe place and secure place. Far the hell away from all that drama.
He’d not been exaggerating about the hell that was going to break loose. People went crazy without food. These people were supposed to be survivalist. Most weren’t. He felt sure Leo would be, and Diana. The rest, he was dubious. Christ, a fucking EMP. What were the odds?
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Marla sat in her camp chair and watched the mayhem. Diana had cleaned her hand; Marla had cut it on a rock when Matt had shoved her down. It had shaken her to her very core, the rush of ferocity within a split second. William, Henry, Gabe, Leo and Hunter stood around her as well as Christian and the cameramen.
They were silent as they watched the rest of the group lose their minds and were now plundering all the boxes. Marla knew without a doubt that if any of them stepped in now, they’d be killed. She shook her head as she watched many running off with an armload of whatever they could get their hands on, their eyes were wild and rolling around, like animals.
There had been fist fights between Matt and Connor, then Connor and Joey, and Abby even got into the fighting. Carol was bloody, and her eyes were wild, but she was clutching three MREs and Vana was clutching two, her arm around Carol.
Marla shook her head in amazement and also fear. Her whole body was still trembling and she could feel the quivering in Diana, as the woman worked on her hand. If someone would have told her this would happen, she’d have called them a liar, no one would go crazy like this in a matter of minutes. And yet, within seconds of them learning what had happen, these people had reverted to animals, primitive beings.
She’d never in her life seen anything like it, except perhaps on Black Friday. Those fools were completely nuts, and she looked at these people in front of her with distain and fear. Her dark eyes went from face to face and slowly they began to disappear into the woods with their prizes, like craven animals, feral and mindless.
“I’ve never seen anything so horrible.” She said softly to no one in particular, her voice shaking badly.
“It’s only going to get worse, if we can’t get out of here in four days, we are screwed. Every one of them will be a serious threat.” Leo said softly, his dark eyes watching Marla’s face.
“You truly think what Aiden said is true? You think there was an EMP?” Christian asked Leo, his face a sickly white.
Leo nodded, “yeah, it makes sense, you said you lost the power to your tablets at the same time and you guys lost the power to your cameras?”
The three cameramen nodded. Leo shrugged and turned away.
“Where are you going Leo?” Marla asked, fear lacing her voice, causing it to go higher.
“I’m going to go get my shit and disappear into the woods. I really don’t want to be around for what’s coming next. When they eat all their food, and they will tonight, there will be nothing left. They will come looking for you and Christian and they’re going to blame you two.” Leo explained.
“Why on earth would they blame us? We’re stuck here too.” Marla said, now very frightened.
“They have no clue how to survive, and they are going to be afraid. Fearful people are stupid, and they do stupid things as you just saw. Stupid people are very dangerous. When they come back down here looking for more food, they aren’t going to find it, but they will find
