When I close my eyes, all that exists is darkness and quiet. Not even the sound of my breathing breaks the silence. All I can hear are distant sounds—the wind howling against old wood, the rain falling somewhere nearby, and the rustle of leaves underfoot. It is almost like something else to this forest.
"You see anything?" Zane asks. His voice is light but his tone is tense.
He doesn't seem to be as comfortable here as I am. Maybe he thinks I'm crazy for living here alone after what happened with my family.
I shake my head. There has been no sign of any other people since we arrived.
There is a loud bang behind us and Zane turns around immediately. We both look towards the noise. I hold out a hand to stop him from running off while I listen for more movement. Nothing else happens though. After some time passes, Zane looks at me again and shakes his head.
"It was probably just a tree branch hitting another," He says unconvincingly before looking back down the road. "Let's keep moving."
We continue to walk in silence as the dark, cold night finally gives way to morning. The sounds of the forest slowly fade away as the temperature drops. I pull my jacket tighter around myself, trying not to think about how it's getting colder with every step I take.
"Feels like summer is about over," Zane whispers to me as he takes in the fresh mountain air blowing across our path.
I nod my head in agreement and try hard to ignore all that is going through my mind right now. My family... I can't believe they are gone. That terrible creature killed them and then turned on me. At least if I had died too, I wouldn't have to live with this feeling of guilt and shame. But instead, I survived, somehow managing to escape.
"Do you know where we are going?" Zane asks as he looks around. We've been walking for hours without any sign of civilization. Only mountains and trees dot the landscape for miles ahead. If it weren't for the road, I'm sure I would be lost entirely.
"There has to be a town or something up ahead somewhere," I say as I continue to trudge along the trail. "I used to play hide-and-seek here with my friends when I was little..."
My voice trails off into the distance as the cold wind blows between the two of us. It feels like it's trying to push me further away from life. Everything is so dark and gloomy. The sun seems to barely rise above the horizon every morning. Night falls just as quickly and there is no way to tell what time of day it might be.
A storm comes rolling through in the evening and stays with us throughout the night. Rain pounds against the ground, soaking my clothes. All I can do now is keep moving forward and hope I find some shelter before nightfall. The only thing that keeps me going is the memories I have left of being a kid. Like playing on our treehouse, the cool summer evenings under the stars, all the amazing adventures we had together, even the terrible things that happened later. Those memories help to fight the darkness within.
"I think I hear something."
I hear Zane speak up as he leans over towards the sound as he shouts, "Hey!"
It sounds like someone else shouting back, but it's impossible to make out anything with the constant rain and how far away the other person could be.
Another bang echoes through the air. It sounds much closer this time. I can barely see a few feet ahead of me now. The cold rain is getting stronger. It almost feels like it's attacking us. The trees around us bend in the wind, their branches swaying wildly. They look wild and dangerous.
Zane grabs his rifle off his shoulder and stands up straight again. The weapon looks tiny in his hands as he readies himself for whatever might come next.
YOU ARE READING
Life After
Sci-fi**This is a work in progress. There will be revisions and deletions as seen for. More parts coming soon!** The world has been destroyed. What would you do How would you live You've read all the books, seen all the movies and shows - what is it like...
