Faith In The Wild •BOOK I•

|2| Fresh Start

My face had a look of disgust on it after remembering how selfish everyone in this place was, they were willing to kill every single person in the prison if they didn't leave. But if they did leave, they'd practically be dead by dawn with how many biters roamed outside their gates on a daily basis.
We scoped them out for months, however I never got to see any of them, besides the ones who worked on the gates.

I turned my head, sliding down the brick wall. The moment my boots hit the ground, I felt free.

Finally, a fresh start. It wasn't over just yet, though.

The sun was just barely creeping over the horizon, giving everything an early morning hue. It was eerie and damp outside, yet even the bone chilling gust of wind was refreshing after how cooped up I've been for the last couple months.

"Okay.. that was easy." I whispered to myself. "Now you've just gotta get past the guards at the gate, I guess.." I sighed, dreading the risk of being caught.

It was muddy and gloomy after last night's rain, just like the day I woke up extra early, all to pick my outfit and make sure I looked pretty for the last day of school. Or, rather, pretty for the blue eyes that would soon find me during second period.
Even then, I thought I'd see Carl over the summer. I was wrong.

I weaved my way around over grown weeds and dewy puddles, dodging them like I did the memories of that day.
After a few minutes, I found myself behind a pile of tires. Woodbury's people used them for reinforcement, but personally, I think it was to keep people in-- not out.

I perched behind the mountain of old rubber and jagged wires, watching the guards through a sliver of opening between the tires.

"There has to be another way to get their attention, come on.." I mumbled under my breath, ransacking my brain for a plausible idea to temporarily snag their focus.
Then, my eyes landed on a grey and deformed rock, although it was the perfect distraction.

I smirked. "There we go."

I grabbed the rock and lazily threw it over the gate, hitting one of the abandoned cars before I crouched back behind the tires.
I watched as their heads snapped in the direction, rifles aiming with quick reflex at the sudden noise.
It was just long enough for me to slip under the gate, so I shrugged my backpack off and reluctantly got on my knees, the mud immediately soaking into the fabric of my jeans.

Straining to push my bag underneath the blank, silver walls, I lay on my back that I might fit quietly without getting overly dirty.

I really should've dug this a little deeper...
I mentally scolded.

I did what I could to cover my tracks, reaching under the gate to search for a tire.
My fingers patted the wet ground, finding the rough rubber of the tire and wrapping around the rim as I pulled it back against the fence.
Before I could retrieve my hand, I tugged it backwards, feeling a sharp pinch as something warm trickled down my wrist.

Letting out a pained hiss, I looked down at my hand, now resting in my lap, I began to wrap it around my dirty hoodie sleeve.
Even if I had mud all over me from going under the gate, I needed to keep it covered at least, or it was likely to get infected.

This cut was a stark reminder; there was no going back now. I had no other choice but to off into the forest, trying to get as far from Woodbury as I could before they realized I was missing.

I ran however far I could before stopping by a fairly large tree to catch my breath. By now the sun was up and I could feel the heat shining on my face, the beads of sweat glistening in the warm light.
Yet the cool air remained, as thick grey clouds took over what little sunlight was left. My body temperature was fluctuating at an increasing pace, especially since I was sweating.
A cold sweat, hot-headed fever soon washing over me, draining my remaining energy.

My hand felt colder than anywhere else, so I let my bag down and tried to calm my heaping chest from rising and falling with shallow breaths.

Though my heavy breathing was reduced, my heart still pounded in my chest.
I had to see how bad my cut was, if it was bleeding this much.. it couldn't be nothing.
I slid my right hand out of my sleeve to see how bad it actually was, revealing a dirtied cut across my palm.
I winced at the sight, the stench of blood receiving a downturn of my lips in an attempt to keep from losing my breakfast.

I got out my water bottle and poured some of it on my hand, feeling the flesh numbing at the exposure to the freezing water.

My cut didn't look as bad after being cleaned, but it still needed to be covered to decrease the chance of infection.
Not all of Woodbury was bad. I learned some medical experience in my time of patching people up if they got injured out on runs, which was useful whenever it actually happened to me, for once.
I had a pair of knee-high socks stuffed into my backpack, and I used one as a makeshift bandage.

As I wrapped my hand, pulling the ripped cotton with my teeth to tie it securely, I heard a stick crack behind me and I snapped my head in the direction of the sudden interruption,, but saw nothing. This spiked my nerves, my eyes going wide with uncertainty while they searched the open forest.

What are you thinking, Isabella? You're a child! Just go back home.

I thought about going back to Woodbury.

Conflicted between the prison of false trust and forced slavery to The Governor, or being stuck in the woods, all alone, with literal zombies.
The chances were slim, either way, if I'm being completely transparent.
I pursed my lips in a flat line of deep thought, shaking my head.

"Nope," I said aloud, "Whatever is out here, has to be better than what they'd do to me if I went back."

That is not my home.
Maybe I don't know where to call home right now, but Woodbury is definitely not it. Not anymore.

I swallowed my fear and decided to keep going deeper in the woods, each step filled with the weight of both my body and my thoughts.
I knew the moment they found out I was gone, they'd be looking for me.
I couldn't stick to the road, and I had to act fast.

If I got lost, I was good for nothing, though. My best shot for not getting seen or lost, was to stay far enough from the road that I could barely see it, meaning anyone looking for me, most likely couldn't see me either.

I had been walking about an hour by now and I felt a drop of something hit my head, then a few seconds later another drop. Rain softly pelted the dying trees, hitting the leaves speckled across the ground.
I could see the flicker of lightening in the distance, the air thick with electricity that lingered in the wind.

I tried walking faster as I earnestly sought out shelter, a slight panic arising in my chest.

My eager gaze settled onto a small building through the trees, and I bolted after it.
The once soft sprinkle of rain, turned into a raging fit of warm showers, pouring down all around me in my pursuit of the unknown source of refuge.

Keep going. Keep going. Keep going.
Was all I could tell myself.

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Not much commentary on this one, however, I do wanna tell everyone that later on I will be adding in a gif/photo to every chapter and/or page whenever I have them all.
So definitely be looking forward to that!

As always: comment, vote, "ℜ𝔢𝔞𝔡, 𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔦𝔫𝔰𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔢!"

God bless you, all my readers!!!

-Author🤍