Dead Men Walking

8: Decisions

This past week I couldn't get Landon and Alek out of my head. Especially their words about their community.

Serenity. A community full of people. Normalcy, just like before. And a cure for the corpses.

"We'll come back in a week. We promise."

"Ember, you're not eating your food." Mom calls from across the table. I snap out of my thoughts and look up at my family. Dad and Mom watch me in confusion and Ace just eats his baked beans not even looking up. I can see it on his face how he's sick of eating this for the past week. I am too.

We haven't had any luck this past week finding food. We looked everywhere. The stores, the mall, the gas stations, the woods when I go hunting, it's like all the food and the animals have disappeared out of nowhere. Gone without a trace.

When I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom when I woke up this morning, I can see my bones peaking through my skin. How skinny I have gotten over these past five years. My cheeks look hollow, the dark circles under my eyes are prominent, my ribcage is in almost full view, and my boney fingers and arms look like twigs. Landon's right, I do look malnourished. I look like a dead man.

Those baked beans are all that's been going in and out of my system. I've gotten tired of the taste and saltiness of it. Sick of eating it for two weeks now.

"I'm going to look for food." I said and get up from my seat.

"Ember, there's nothing out there," Mom says. I don't respond and grab my coat from the coat hanger. "Em-"

"Let her go, Bella." Dad says. I turn to look at him. He just gives me an emotionless look. We haven't spoken much since this past week. I can see it on his face every time I look at him that they won't be back. I don't believe him. I still believe they will come back.

They promised me.

I turn away from them, put my coat on and open the door. "I'll be back on time." I said before walking out. I close the door behind me and head to where I last left my pistol. I've been practicing my aim on my rifle and I have gotten quite good at it. Aiming the bullets straight center of the targets.

I walk over to my guns, putting my pistol in the holster around my waist and I swing the rifle over onto my back. I look up at the sun's position and give myself a mental note that I have exactly three hour before it gets dark. I head over to Raven that's propped up against the gate door. "Oh, how I have missed you." I say to it. I have ridden it just yesterday, but it feels like an eternity. Just like how this week has felt.

Once I get the gate door open, I throw my leg over my bike and drive up before I get off and close it again, making sure it's securely locked before I ride off. "Let's go." I say to myself before putting on my helmet and riding off down the dirt path.

~~~

Silence.

That's all I hear in the woods. Silence. Not even a single tree branch moves from the slightest breeze.

I wait to hear a small little rustle on the trees for a squirrel or even a bird, but nothing. "What the fuck?" I mumble to myself. Have the dead men come for the animals too? Have they mutated to start eating them? When have-

What was that? I aim my pistol to the right where I heard a rusting sound over by a huge ass rock. I wait to hear it again.

*Snap* *Crunch*

Food! Is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear it. It sounds big like a deer. My stomach rumbles with the thought of hot cooked meat being served on the dinner table. I put my pistol in my hollister and grab my rifle from my back. I aim my rifle forward and slowly make my way over to the rock. I hide behind the tree trunks and take quick peaks to find my target.