I woke up to the sound of my alarm in the morning. It was 6:00 am and I checked my notifications on my phone for any messages from Reina or Peter.

  Reina was my best friend who had moved to Waterfront when we were 5 years old. We attended the same kindergarten school and on the first day she appeared, she was always quiet and never really spoke. She would always play by herself and spend lunchtime secluded from the rest. When I finally approached her the next day, I asked if she wanted to be my friend.

  Her face brightened up with a smile. Like she was happy someone had finally reached out to her. We ended up becoming best friends then and attended the same schools and the same classes. Our parents got to know each other more as we continued to hang out and do homework either in her place or mine.

  She really cared for me and so did I. Sometimes we would talk about moving out of Waterfront someday and into the big city. But we can only dream for now. We're only high school juniors. Plus, I have Peter in my life now.

  I met Peter this year in school. I had a few classes with him in the previous year, but I never really took notice of him. He was always quiet, and he would always only hang out with his small group of friends. They always hung out to play card games and board games. I thought it was sweet and every time I hung out with them, they always seemed to have fun.

  He approached me after school randomly one day and told me to meet him on the basketball court. He stood in front of me and looked nervous then asked me out. It surprised me. I didn't say or move for a second. I just stared at his nervous face, and I could tell his glasses were about to fall off from all the sweat he was beginning to accumulate.

  I didn't know what I was really getting into back then when he confessed. But he seemed like a really nice guy, so I gave him a chance. If my parents ever found out, they would definitely kill me. So, we kept this relationship a secret since then.

  I stared into the brightness of my screen but there were no messages from either of them. I guess they were still asleep. Today our class will be going on an annual camping trip to Mt. Boulder for a week. I decided I'd wake up earlier than usual so that I would have enough time to double-check everything I packed the night before.

  This camping trip occurred every year only for juniors at Pinewood High. It was supposed to be a learning experience for survival. An important skill to have wherever you go. That's at least what Mr. Flounders always told us. He was a survival enthusiast and my teacher. Sometimes during class, he would teach us a thing or two about surviving alone.

  If communications were obstructed and you were on your own in the middle of the woods or on an unfamiliar base, he reminded us to stay calm and to give ourselves time to think and plan ahead. He told us to figure out the situation first. Find any useful resources nearby and utilize them.

  I paid attention most of the time but sometimes I thought about when something like this will even happen. Plus, when I graduate high school, I do plan to move with Reina and Peter to the big city. Communication shouldn't be a problem for high-tech places, and we wouldn't be lost in the middle of nowhere since there will be a lot of buildings and people everywhere to support you. There will also be a greater chance of survival if there are that many people in a community.

  I sat up from my bed and began to tidy up my sheets. It was the fall season of October, and I could feel the cold spread out across my room. Where I live, we don't typically get a lot of electricity. My parents can barely afford to provide just enough for our small cabin out in the woods, so we make do by wearing layers and blankets or putting up candles in every room.

  I looked over at my window and could tell that it was still dark outside and planned to head out by the time the sun began to rise. I opened my duffle bag, checked for the necessary amount of clothes I needed for a week-long trip, and then stuffed Mr. Brown inside. I took my childhood bear with me wherever I went. Somehow, he always made me feel safe.

  My parents had always talked me into giving it away to my 3-year-old baby brother, Jason because I let him borrow it for a day that one time. Now he just wouldn't stop crying unless I gave him this bear specifically, although my parents had bought him another one.

  I don't care if I'm 16. I can't help but keep Mr. Brown to myself even if it's my baby brother. Ever since then, I kept him hidden so that my parents wouldn't find him.

  It was a bit hard to see everything with the dim lighting in my room. I looked for my backpack where I would keep the rest of my necessities — toothbrush, toothpaste, charger, my inhaler, etc.

  I heard a quiet knock on my door. My mother opened it and walked inside. She coughed and then proceeded to walk towards my bed.

  "You ready for today?" she asked as she sat on my bed arms folded to keep herself warm from the morning cold. Her voice sounded a bit weak and raspy.

  "Yeah. I was just double-checking that I packed everything I needed," I responded while digging my hands inside and looking to make sure I took what I needed with me.

  "If you ever need anything, call us, okay? Make sure you stay with your group and if anything, ever happens, let your teachers know, okay?" She looked at me with a bit of worry on her face and placed her palms on my cheeks. They were cold so I held them and blew them with the warmth from my mouth.

  "Yuri," she smiled. Then hugged me.

  My mother, Sarah, is a beautiful, caring, and kind woman. She was a cashier register and worked hard every day to earn money so that she could provide me with all the essentials I needed for school but when she met my stepdad, Ernie, and after she gave birth to my baby brother, she became a stay-at-home mom. My stepdad decided he would work instead so that my mom could stay in the cabin to take care of me and my brother.

  "Mom, I'll be alright. I promise," I hugged her tightly then let go.

  "Did Ernie leave for work already?" I asked.

  "Yes, he left at around 5:00 am. He said he needed to—," she coughed again but this time followed by multiple coughs.

  "Mom, sit down," I grabbed her arms and sat her back down on my bed. My mother has been sick for the last 3 days. We weren't sure what exactly had caused her to fall ill. Ernie told me that it could just be the fall season breezing though. But I think it's more than that. It was rare to see my mother this sick. She was strong and healthy. It was hard to believe she would ever look this tired and frail.

  My instincts tell me that something is polluting our waters in our small town of Waterfront. And since our cabin resides near a river, we were going to be more likely victims of this disease. Whatever it may be.

  Thankfully, I didn't feel sick, nor did Jason have any signs of being sick at the moment. Ernie mentioned that he was feeling a bit of a headache and a slight loss of vision yesterday during dinner but that it was probably just from overstressing and overworking himself at the police station.

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  "I prepared you some breakfast on the table. Don't forget to eat before you head out, okay?" My mother walked out and headed back into the kitchen.

  "Thanks, Mom," I continued to pack the rest of the items I thought I would need for the camping trip. After about an hour the sun had finally risen. I checked my phone and it read 7:02 am which meant that I needed to start heading to school. It was typical for me to walk to school since I didn't have anyone to take me.

  My mother had to stay home to take care of my baby brother. And Ernie had an early shift. Plus, I was more than capable of walking the 40 mins to school and I haven't had any issues getting there alone. My mother would always remind me to stay alert and keep my guard up in case anything or anyone tried to hurt me.

  I walked out wearing my cap and carrying my backpack and my duffle bag. My mother walked me out the door and waved goodbye as I proceeded to follow the path that led me out of the woods and into the middle of town.

  I was finally out of the woods and was walking the side roads to get to town. As I proceeded to walk my heart pounded from the sudden sound of an ambulance rushing in the opposite direction of where I was heading. I stood there and watched as the vehicle disappeared in sight then proceeded to continue walking. Something serious must have happened but I didn't dwell too much into it.

  I finally reached the street that led me to the front of my school. As I walked, I stared at the utility pole where a poster of a missing kid, Riley, had been taped. It has been up there for a couple of weeks now. His parents had been very worried so some people in our town volunteered to go on and scout the woods and everywhere they would think Riley would be. But we had no luck in finding the kid. I felt bad for Mr. and Mrs. Bennington. They never gave up and continued their search despite the discouragement they received from the police station and some folks in town. Most agreed to conclude that he was already dead.

  I disagree. I'd like to think Riley was kidnapped and taken to a lab and experimented on and turned into a flesh-eating monster. Of course, it's only fun to imagine the stuff you watch in movies and the things you read in books come to reality.

  My phone went off and I pulled it out of my pocket. Reina was calling me, and I answered.

  "Yuri? Hello? What took you so long to answer? Are you almost here?" Reina sounded concerned.

  "Y-yeah. I'm at the front of the school. What's up?" I responded.

  "Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure you didn't oversleep today. I know you don't really get excited to go on school field trips like I do but this will be fun! I promise! And guess what? We're in the same group too! So don't worry. I'll stick with you throughout the rest of the week!" That's right. Reina had been excited about this trip ever since last year when we were Sophomores. She thought about how this could be our chance to get to know more people from different classes and possibly make more friends along the way.

  I didn't think too much about it. After all, getting to know more people didn't interest me in the slightest.

  I could feel the wind beginning to grow as I walked past the sign that said Pinewood High. This school was the only high school in town. Our town is small enough that we even share this school with middle schoolers. After all, we're only a population under 2,000. And every year I speculate it will continue to decrease. It's in the waters, I tell you. No, it's in the air. Yeah, I should stop delving too deep into this although it's only for my own amusement.

  "I'll see you soon, Reina," I reached the steps that lead to the door.

  "Okay, see ya," Reina hung up.

  I walked into the hallway full of lockers and students passing by. When I got to my locker, Peter was standing there waiting for me.

  "Peter?" I poked his forehead. He had been staring down at the floor holding a tissue that covered his nose.

  "Oh, hey Yuri," he looked up and smiled.

  "What's wrong? Are you having a nosebleed?" I asked.

  "Oh, this. Yeah. I woke up this morning and my nose started to bleed. It cleared away before I got to school but it's bleeding again," he brought his head up and then shook his head.

  "What are you doing?" That's not how to treat a nosebleed. Let me take you to Mrs. Carriwood. I grabbed Peter's hand and guided him over to the nurse's office. I could feel his hands had been sweating. I held my hands up to his forehand with the other hand on my forehead to compare our body temperatures and he felt too warm. I don't think he's well.

  "It's fine. I'm feeling okay. I think it should stop soon," Peter has insisted we don't go. But I stayed stubborn. How could he be okay like this? We finally got to the nurse's office, but no one was around. I checked my surroundings to see if there was anyone nearby who could tell me where Mrs. Carriwood had gone. But there was no one around.

  I dropped Peter on the only bed inside the nurse's office so that he could lie down to stop the bleeding from falling.

  "Stay here. Let me go grab the nurse," I left the office and headed down the hallway and toward the principal's office.

  I could hear voices talking and I saw Mrs. Carriwood arguing with the principal.

  "Mr. Wilbert, I don't think you heard me clearly. I have been getting dozens of students in the infirmary in the last week or so. I do not have enough medical supplies to keep everyone treated. We need to request more funding in the medical department," Mrs. Carriwood was serious. It was unusual to witness her arguing with anyone. She was soft, sweet, and kind. You wouldn't think this was actually her.

  "Mrs. Carriwood, would you please keep it down? I understand that there is a lack of medical supplies in the infirmary, however, our school has just been funded by the Forbs family through their generous donation for our county improvement plan," Mr. Wilbert stood up from his chair.

  "Please, I will schedule a meeting with the rest of the staff some other time about this plan. I am due for a meeting with the Forbs in a few minutes," he gestured his hand towards the door waiting for Mrs. Carriwood to leave the office.

  Mrs. Carriwood headed outside of the office and stood still when she saw me in confusion.

  "Yuri. What brings you here my dear?" She continued to walk back with me to the infirmary.

  "Peter's nose is bleeding and his body temperature doesn't seem normal. Can you please check on him?" I was concerned. I hoped Peter would be okay. It's like everyone around me was getting sick and it was beginning to worry me.

  Peter was lying down, and he was beginning to look drowsy. I shook his hands to wake him up and he slowly opened his eyes. This nose was still bleeding but it seemed like the flow was lessening.

  "Alright, let me take it from here," Mrs. Carriwood grabbed some painkillers and some liquids for him to consume. She told Peter that he would need to stay until his body temperature went back to normal.

  I held Peter's hand tightly and told him that he had time to rest before the field trip and that I needed to head to class for roll call. I told him to make sure he didn't forget all his stuff because this was going to be a week-long trip.

  "You too. I'll see you in a bit," he smiled then proceeded to lay his head back down on the pillow.

  I walked out of the nurse's office and proceeded in the direction of the stairs that would lead me to my classroom on the second floor. As I headed in that direction, I noticed a couple was heading in the direction of the principal's office.

  Mr. and Mrs. Forbs were on their way to meet with Mr. Wilbert. They walked past me, and I waved and smiled, but was ignored. I felt kind of awkward standing there. I wanted to think they didn't see me but it's hard to tell if they chose to ignore me because they had pride.

  Anyway, it was getting close to roll call time, and I began to run up the stairs when suddenly I bumped into a stern figure. I looked up to see that it was Cain Forbs. My classmate who everyone wanted to be friends with because of his parent's reputation in a small town like Waterfront.

  Cain moved to Waterfront last year with his parents. They came from the big city but only moved here because of work-related reasons. I heard he was an only child. That's probably why he doesn't get along with a lot of students, even though they have approached him serval times, but he often ignores them. He was the only top student in the school. I'm sure that's because he had a future to hold.

  "Oh, sorry!" I reacted after bumping into him.

  Cain stood there and glared at me for a second without saying anything. Then ignored my apology and proceeded to head down the stairs.

  What do I think of Cain? Well, he's hard to approach that's for sure. He gives off such a cold personality. He doesn't seem to like anyone in town. Does he think he's better than all of us because he's rich? Maybe that's what differentiates people like me who grew up here versus those who grew up in a big city. They often look down on us.

  I entered the classroom and saw Reina sitting on her desk double checking that she had all her stuff for the trip.

  "Yuri. Oh good, you're here! Mr. Flounder said that he'll be back in a few minutes, and we'll start roll call," Reina hugged me and continued to check that she had all her tools like a flashlight and a pepper spray inside her backpack.

  "Alright, everyone please sit at your desk. I will begin roll call now," Mr. Flounder was back earlier than I had expected. It seemed like everyone was here except for Cain. But Mr. Flounder had already marked him present. I guess Cain had talked with Mr. Flounders initially and was excused because his parents were here to visit. Rich privilege, I'd say.

  After half an hour had passed it was finally time for the departure. Every junior student began to head over to the front of the school and lined up in their class's designated school bus. There were only two Junior classes each containing about 20 students in Pinewood High, so we were only taking two buses for this field trip. Reina and I saw Peter lined up with his classmates on the other bus and waved. It seemed like Peter was doing fine now.

  Reina and I sat next to each other on the bus. She looked super excited once we sat down. I smiled at her slightly envious of that feeling. I looked to my right and noticed that Cain was sitting on the other end with Kyle, a shy timid kid.

  Once all the school buses were loaded, it was finally time to head over to Mt. Boulder which was about an hour or so from Waterfront. Why couldn't we just do the trip here in Waterfront? It's surrounded by trees anyways. But I guess Mt. Boulder was higher up the mountains and our school had a history of visiting Mt. Boulder every year for stuff like this.

  I looked out the window of the moving bus and could smell the trees as we cruised past them. I put on my earbuds and turned on some music to help me relax during this long trip. But didn't realize I would fall asleep easily. Everything went dark and I could hear my music trailing away until everything around me went completely silent.

  "Yuri?" Someone was calling me, but I couldn't figure out whose voice it was. Was I in a dream? I turned around and when I looked into the distance, I could see a tall dark figure standing still.

  My body moved on its own and walked in the direction of the figure until suddenly it started running towards my direction. I needed to gain control of my body, but something wouldn't let me, so I stood still. My eyes were in tears as I attempted to pinch and bite myself. I bit my arms and I began to see a trail of blood running down and parts of my skin had been ripped off.

  No! Stupid body! Just move! But it was too late. The figure had already reached my body which had been standing still. It grabbed me and started to bite me. I could feel the scorching pain all over as I screamed for help, and then suddenly I heard a voice again.