Life in the Dark

How long has it been?

Day 28:

Its been a while since I've written in this journal. To be honest, I almost forgot about it. Nothing note worthy has happened in a while; well except that weird stranger. I haven't seen him since that day  I ran away from the villagers but I can't shake the feeling that he's there; that he's watching me. Makes me shiver.

Besides that, nothing to note. The wolf man has visited a few times. Claiming he's "Only making sure the house isn't up for sale." But I think that he is actually checking up on me (wishful thinking, I know). He offers me food every once in while.

Thanks to wolf (as he has requested to be called) and the trader, I have completely healed. I've also learned how to hunt and scavenge. And the nights haven't been that bad, I still let my guard down a little too easy though. Too many times for my liking have I woken up to the sun shining through cracks in my barricade... and a few extra bullet holes in the side of the house.

"Another day to work the woods." I close the journal and set it on the bed stand. In the past month Ive made this hide out into a bit of a home. A small cot made of hide, A few tables, and I repaired the two chairs. Those along with the front door. I've even got the semblance of a kitchen started.

Speaking of that kitchen, I have found something out. The mushrooms of this place are edible. And dont taste half bad. Roasting them doesn't work though. They turn into straight liquid. I grab a piece of bread and my axe, taking a bite as I walk out the door. Then turn around and grab the map and stone off the table next to it, shoving the stone into my pocket 

"Okay, where to today?" soft rain pelts my skin as I start to wander to the north. Sometimes I forget that I'm living in a plague filled forest when I walk. It turns into a peaceful setting quickly; 'A charade of a mask.' I think as I make my way through the trees.

Thats when I hear it. A soft shuffle over the hill to my right. I drop to the ground and ready my axe, sit there and listening for a bit. Then slowly make my way forward, watching the ground for anything that could give me away. When I cross over the hill my eyes widen. 

"Savages..."

This is nothing new, the savages are the most abundant of any creature I've seen.  from what I have gathered from the trader they were people who fell to natural selection. They do not speak and only aimlessly wander.

 'No one told me they became hoards.' I've only ever seen one or two next to the house. Maybe a line of them if i'm unlucky; but what i'm seeing before my eyes is at least fifty of them. I watch them from atop the hill as they walk. Slow shuffling movements that would make them seem weak if not for the sheer number of them. Of the savages, one catches my eyes. A tall and lanky one that seems to have antlers. Hanging amongst those antlers was a shining stone. 'Well if thats not familiar...', I pulled my stone from my pocket and admired how similar the two look. 'then i dont know what is'

I shove my stone back into my pants and slowly follow the hoard.  I follow them though the woods for what seems like hours, hoping that they wouldn't smell me or that I wouldn't snag my leg on a root and fall. Until they stop in a clearing, 'no scratch that, this is a meadow'. All at once they fall; like their legs just gave out. Every single one of them lay on the ground, motionless... the sudden quiet was a hard thing to process, but what came after was so much worse. Snoring. a soft, subtle, sound with a slight raspiness.

Realization hits like lead when it wants to. Snoring means sleeping; and sleeping means its dark. The only time its dark is at night.

I'm outside....