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.

"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.