Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Hermits (Annabelle)

I whistled again, the sound penetrating my ears like a scream. Every sound these days seemed too loud, they came when they heard things. The thick growth of trees dulled the sound so it never traveled far, my mind couldn't help but flinch at the sound disrupting the silence. I stared into that sea of green, an ocean of peace. The growth of the forest had a soul, an essence that was as unique as any sentient being. It is said that it whispered to those with a pure heart. Guess that was why I couldn't hear anything except the rustling of the wind through the leaves.

A twig snapped off to my left, my head locking in on the direction it had come from. A large black form moved through the brush. Furry snout and large yellow amber eyes emerge from the undergrowth. A large wolf stood before me in all his glory. I smiled. There you are, silly boy. I crouched and held my hand out to him. Hannibal trotted over swiftly and placed our prize in my outstretched hand. The pheasant was large for its species, but it would only feed me. Hannibal had eaten our first kills. He always got first dibs on anything we hunted. I patted him on the head as a silent thanks for his effort before straightening to my full height once more. I wrapped the feet of the pheasant with twine and secured it to my belt. Hannibal might be able to eat them right now but it would have to be thoroughly cleaned before it would be good for me to eat. A smile found its way to my lips as I remembered Hannibal when he was little. I had been the one to teach him to do everything, even hunt for his own food. Thinking about the past though could be bad. My mind always went back to things that were better off not remembered. Things like that day. The day that the world went to shit.

~~~~

Shit, they were right behind me. Those things had not given up the chase yet. Damn why were they still coming after me?! My entire body was filled with nothing but the thought of survival. My body was in pain, my legs burning with the fire of a thousand suns. With each step they threatened to fail me, to dump me on my ass and leave me nothing more than a momentary snack for my undead friends. Damn my heart was breaking, and not from the ungodly pace my legs had set. I had left her. I had tried to push my way back, to crawl, kick, shove and struggle my way back to the car but it had all been in vain. Those things had pulled her down. She was gone. By now I had seen the effects of a bite from one of those things. A bite meant the death of rational thought and only the pursuit of the next meal was priority. And they seemed to have a favorite meal. Human flesh.

My mind raced through thoughts with the speed of a rocket engine in space. This was impossible, since the undead had started their chase they had shown not even a single sign of fatigue. If this came down to it they could just chase me until I tired out, then it would be all over. The lake. The lake should be close, Could they swim? No time to think about that. It would either work or it wouldn't. No time to second guess myself. If it didn't work I would still be in the same position as I was now so there was no reason not to at least try.

I make a sharp turn. Mind made up on my destination. The lake. Clawed fingers catch my sleeve, the fabric tears. I push my feet even faster. I catch a shimmer through the trees. The light of the moon reflects off the water. I break through the trees. The water is below. The trees end in a cliff, about a twenty foot drop. I reach the edge and jump without hesitation. The impact against the water slams into me, shocking my system. Water floods my airway, I fight my way to the surface through the burning of my lungs. as my head pops above the water I cough violently and then gulp big breaths of air. I see the things plunging off the cliff after me, I feel the force of the waves push me further away from them as they hit the water. Clumsy clawed limbs reach for me. They shook and splashed through the water. They started to sink to the bottom, their efforts to get me only quickening their descent into the depths of the shining black water.