(Unedited) Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Sketches and Cages

I had moved off the mainstreet and down the side way before I found what I was looking for. Arrows, they had a few different types, ranging from homemade wood arrows to ones made before the world broke. I was eyeing some when a woman popped up from behind the counter.

"Need something?" She eyed me cautiously. I wrote on my pad of paper, arrows.

"Well obviously, you would be here if you weren't. I meant what kind." Her eyes hit on my bow, I could see them light up.

"That is a beauty, where did you manage to find a compound bow like that?" I could hear the awe in her voice, woman must really love her bows.

Around. I showed her my words. She snorted with laughter.

"Yeah I bet." she paused and looked around, "I got just the thing." She reached under the counter and pulled them out. I had to stop myself from drooling. Carbon shafts, with carbon fiber fletching (the end where the feathers went), and custom serrated tips.

No way could I afford these. On the counter were the arrows, they had been made custom pre-apocalypse. I wanted them. The woman behind the counter was watching me, she kept her hand on the arrows.

"What do you have to trade?" I knew it wouldn't be enough but couldn't stop my hands from trying, animal pelts. I flashed her the page. She laughed,

"Yeah not gonna happen lady. Not for these, it will get you something else though." I tried not to sigh in disappointment. I knew that would happen. I grabbed the edges of my notebook and started to flip it closed.

"Wait!" she reached for the book and had it out of my hands before I could react, she started to flip through the pages quickly. "You draw?" I nodded and reached for my book. She handed it back reluctantly.

"If I were to describe someone to you could you draw them?" Once again I nodded. The woman seemed to make up her mind about something,

"Alright, I'll give you the arrows but in trade I want a picture. I want you to draw my husband." I straightened my back from shock, I was going to get the arrows!! I smiled at the woman and reopened my notebook. Pencil at the ready.

The woman went into detail, showing me every line of her husband's face. My fingers raced across the page. When I was done I tore out the page and handed it to her. I could see tears forming in her eyes,

"Thank you, I lost all the pictures I had when we had to leave our home at the beginning of all this mess. When my husband died I thought I would never be able to look at him again. Thank you stranger, the arrows are all yours." I smiled before grabbing the arrows and shoving all twenty of them into my quiver. I gave the woman a wave as I walked away. It felt good to bring a peace of happiness back to that woman.

Now that my business here was done there was no reason to stick around anymore. I made quick steps through the town, when we got to the edge I untied Hannibal. Long strides took me back into the forest. Trees swayed in the wind. I couldn't hear the birds anymore. Birds scare easily, someone must have spooked them. Hide, stay out of sight. Hannibal slipped through the trees. I knew that no matter what he would stay close, he always did.

The shuffle of feet alerted me to their presence before four men materialized out of the trees. I recognized the shop owner that I had gotten the coat from, I knew that guy was sketchy. Why didn't I ever listen to my instincts?

"Hey there little missy, we meet again." His mouth gaped open in a sadistic smile, the men with him chuckled. I had an arrow trained on him before he could blink.

"Hah looks like this one is a fighter boys!" creepy said, one of the others chimed in,

"I like it when they struggle." He punctuated this by rushing me. I loosed my arrow, it caught him in the neck. I didn't have time to grab another arrow before I felt arms wrap around me. They had all rushed me, I just hadn't noticed. I struggled, kicked and bit at them. I could hear grunts and moans of pain whenever I lashed out.

"Damn it! Enough of this!" it was all the warning I got before something heavy caught me in the back of the head. The last thing I heard before I fell unconscious was a growl, and a shot.

~~~

The smell is what woke me, not the stench of death either. I was used to that. It smelled like filth, clean humans. Sweat and other bodily fluids, and solids. I pushed myself off the cold stone. Forcing my body into a sitting position. I was in a cell. No bed. No toilet. Just a bucket and bars closing me in. I could hear people, some crying others talking softly to each other. Slave traders. It made little sense to me why people wanted to buy and sell people during an apocalypse. Of course the Rippers also made no sense so I suppose this wasn't that crazy. The world had been torn apart, some people just lost their minds to it. People like Him.

I tried to focus, where had I been before they caught me.The town..the arrow store... the forest..Hannibal! I remembered the shot. They had shot him. My good boy was gone. My teeth clenched, they will pay for this. First I have to get out of here. I patted down my clothes, I hide bobby pins in weird places in case of a situation like this. My backpack was gone, go figure. They might be crazy but they weren't stupid. Aha! I grabbed a bobby pin I had secured to the inside of my bra.

The lock was easy to pick. They had been oiled recently. I pulled the gate open carefully, it made no sound. There was a door at the end of the row of cells. I moved to it. The only other cell that was occupied seemed to be one at the end. Five people sat huddled together, when they saw me they started to get up,

"Let us out! please let us out,' I held my finger to my lips. If they weren't quiet we would get caught. Their cell door was as easy to open as mine.

A big man clapped me on the shoulder, "thank you" Don't thank me yet, we still have to get out of this place. I nodded and held up my finger again, they needed to be quiet. I opened the door. Another hall sat behind it. There was a door about midway down the hall, light was spewing from its open door.

I crouched, slow and steady. I moved down the hall. When I got to the door I could hear them.

"Useless, trash, oh that's nice!" They had my stuff in there. I needed it back. A quick peek told me that all four guys were in there. Time for a little payback. I rushed them, pulling my knife off the table in the process. I want their leader. The man from the shop. He was in the corner.

I flung myself at him with wild abandon.

"Shit!!" He grabbed my arms before I could stab him. I twisted, getting myself loose. This time my knife found its mark. I pulled hard, until I could feel the hilt hit his chest. The life in his eyes fled. Good riddance. The others had taken out the other three. I grabbed my backpack off the table along with my bow and quiver. I had all my stuff back. Except Hannibal. I held back sobs.

The place they had held us was small, an old sheriff station. It wasn't hard to find the way out. I stepped out the front door, we were at the edge of the woods. I glimpse a flash through the trees, black. Out of the woods not twenty feet from me emerges a black wolf. Hannibal!! My feet take me to him at a sprint. I throw my arms around him, he's alive!!