It’s been three years since “the end.” I’m not sure what else to call it other than “the end.” Passing through towns I occasionally come across some survivors, but no one can ever give a concrete explanation of what truly happened. One day we were in a state of emergency worldwide because of a deadly virus, then the government fell apart, then the power went out and people started to get the disease faster than I could have ever imagined. Some people were immune to the virus, like me, and I’m still trying to decide if being immune is a blessing or a curse. One thing I am confident of in this changing world is that day marked the end of most of the population, the end of a normal life, the end of everyone in my family but me…but most importantly, the end of any hope I had.

Now, three years later I have been wandering the country, foraging and never staying too long in one place. Even though there are survivors, the trauma has changed many people, which makes trusting people a thing of the past. I’ve learned the second you put your trust in someone, they show their true intentions. I heard too many stories over the years of people who trusted others only to be brutally murdered, robbed, or held captive. This new world only had one rule: trust no one.

There was talk of a safe place a couple years ago, though. People said there’s a brick mansion still standing along the east coast somewhere that offers refuge to survivors. Ever since I heard the rumors I have been looking for it, not expecting to find anything, however. So far I have not found anything.

Today my backpack, that has seen better days, feels especially heavy. Granted, I did put some extra cans of food in there from the last town I was at because I knew I’d be on unknown roads for a while. I was considering getting off to the side of the road to rest and have a small lunch when I heard a vehicle coming down the dirt road behind me. Vehicles hadn’t been able to be used in years, which made me uneasy to hear one. I jumped off to the side of the road and ran a good distance into the woods to hide. I was far enough from the road that I wouldn’t be seen, but close enough to get a look at the vehicle.

A black armored vehicle rolled past, and in it I could see multiple people. Most had sunglasses on, so I could not make out their faces. As quickly as they went past, they were gone. I got up, looked around, and decided to follow the tire tracks from a safe distance to see where they were going. I followed them for a while before a dozen other tire tracks covered up the ones I had been following. I was busy inspecting the ground and did not hear someone come up behind me.

“Put your hands where I can see them,” a voice commanded from behind me.

Slowly, I put my hands in the air, turning slightly to see who was talking. I turned to find a boy my age standing there, with fear in his eyes, holding out a makeshift weapon. I then saw more movement in the brush and realized the armored vehicle was parked a little ways into the woods.

Within a couple minutes I had zip-ties around both my hands and feet and was being loaded into the back of the vehicle. “Where are you taking me?” I demanded. The only answer I got was the door being shut in my face and the start of a bumpy ride.

The ride felt like it would never end, and I was sure I had bruises all over from the amount of bumps we hit. Just when I thought the ride would never end, the vehicle made a sharp turn and abruptly stopped. The door banged open and light poured in, making me squint. Rough hands pulled me out of the vehicle and I was dropped onto the ground.

“Found this one trying to follow us,” a male voice said to someone standing above me.

“She was alone?” A female voice asked.

“Yes, ma’am. We checked all around the area. I can confirm she was alone.”

“Good.” After a pause the woman continued. “Bring her inside so we can be…properly introduced.”

I looked up to find a woman with dark brown hair pulled into a tight bun staring at me. Her green eyes were both intimidating and captivating. She was dressed in black cargo pants and an army green t-shirt. Everything about her pointed to her being the one in charge. My eyes wandered from the woman to a massive building I was being dragged towards. Before me stood a huge brick mansion, with ivy growing along the walls.

I couldn’t decide if I should feel relief or fear. I had found the house…but the question was: is it really a safe house? Or did I just seal a terrible fate for myself?