Chapter 3 The Good and Dead
It wasnt long until I decided that home was no longer safe and I needed to move in order to stay alive. I have been moving ever since from place to place, never staying longer than I needed to. Sometimes I would run into the occasional survivor or unbitten. People really have changed since the S.o.D. I keep thinking to myself that maybe when this is all over, if that ever happens, that things would return to normal. I might be able to have a family and not fear that in the middle of the night the screams of my children being eaten alive will scare me. I guess all I can do is have some hope.
I think in the last few years I have traveled hundreds of miles only to keep seeing the same thing over and over again. Dead walking the streets and those that are still alive to afraid to even let a stranger in. Cant blame them; I would be the same way.
Sometimes my luck kicks in and I find a vehicle of some sorts that has gas in it and I dont have to hot wire it. I had to teach myself to drive and I finally got the hang of it after two or three wrecks. Ive been pretty much making my way towards the north east towards what was once New York. Every few people I see in my travels have heard the same thing over and over again that Long Island has been turned into a safe haven for the living. No one has actually seen it or talked to anyone from there but like any good rumor, there is some truth in there. So I figured I would make the journey to see for myself. If anything I might find some place along the way that is safe enough to call home.
Chapter 4 Not Dead Yet
It dark now; or I think its dark now. Cant tell with this damn sky these days. The woods are never really a place you want to stay for to long, lurkers love to hide in the shadows and take a bite out of your ass when you least expect it. I think this use to be a camp ground or something. I can see old bbq grills all over the place. This is going to have to do for the night I guess. God I hate the woodswait a minute, what the hell is that. Sounds like footsteps. Cant see anything yetwait a secondsomething is moving over by some bushes
Got youyou dead sonofa, I yelled as I ran towards the noise only to realize it wasnt what I thought it was.
What the hell are you doing?
Please dont hurt me, Im unarmed!
Puzzled for a second I just stood there staring at this young girl. She had to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old.
What the hell are you doing sneaking around in the dark? I could have killed you, sounding frustrated as I placed my knife back in its sheath.
I didnt mean to scare you, she spoke. I just saw the light and I knew it was someone alive. I couldnt resist.
I stood there for a few moments just staring at this girl and kept thinking to myself that I was just about to kill her. I forgot what it was like in these last couple of months what a human voice sounded like. Her voice was soft, yet trembled as she spoke. Hinting at something more, but words themselves would bring out nightmares that she seemed to hide with her softness.
Please, can I just sit here for a few minutes to warm up.
I almost quickly responded with a No but something about her made me say, Yeah sure, why not. Knowing that in the back of my mind something just wasnt right about this.
She sat there on the other side of the fire, not saying much other than the occasional Thank you. I would have offered her a can of food to eat, but she seemed more interested getting warm than anything else.
So who are you? I asked.
Huh? Oh. Umm, Jenny. She responded.
Ok Jenny, what the hell are you doing out here alone?
She just looked at me puzzle for a second like I was asking her a question from a calculus book or something.
I live..use to live a few miles from here. She started. That was until those things showed up. Its like they came out of nowhere. Almost like wolves in packs. They seemed to know just what to do. My pa and grand daddy tried to fend them off as long as they could, but those things we unstoppable, I ran and hid in the attic till I thought it was over she paused, as if she was fighting back the memory of what she saw next.
They were everywhere She said as tears starting appearing in her eyes. They gone, my whole familyjust gone like that.
I sat there watching this girl shed tears in same way I did when I was about her age. I would tell her that she is lucky that she didnt have to do the things I did, that she was fortunate to have survived, but I knew that nothing I would say was going change what happened to her.
I just sat there, feeling like an ass for not saying a word or trying to comfort her. I thought to myself why should I console here on her loss. I didnt have anyone there to help meI am such a dick.
Lookumm you can stay here tonight next to the fire so get I spoke just as she started to fall asleep with tears on her face. some.rest.
I stayed a wake most of the night keeping an eye out for anything that might come around. It felt different seeing another person sleeping near me. Especially someone so youngthat brought back memories of what I went through at her age. But in a way it was comforting not being alone for once. For once in along time I felt a little bit happy that I wasnt dead yet.