Forgetting the Apocalypse

57. Leaving White Pass

Fredi's Pov*

Things I hope never to forget: My first kiss, the feeling when I bought my first car, the feeling when I bought my first house, going to my first football game, the look on everyone's face especially Mara when I ate the cans of wet dog food. It was all priceless. I honestly valued those memories just as much if not more than the new knowledge of the plant life here in the Yukon wilderness. It was a bittersweet discovery because while we were pushing our luck being stranded out here, there were two major miracles. Correction, three major miracles. 

The first being is that the entire time we had taken God knows how many detours trying to find the right way to go, we hadn't encountered any zombies. Sure one could argue that this was the wild and it already had a limited population so the expected encounters should be minimal. However, this is us we're talking about. Our luck usually tipped to the other end of the spectrum.

Our second miracle was a two in one as it came in the form of Miss Kailee who pointed out two life saving plants known as Stinging Nettle and Bearberry. The few weeks we were lost cost us big time and put a dent in our rations but finding those two couldn't have come at a better time. Personally, bearberry tasted a lot better than the nettle but maybe because the nettle was more for use of teas than actual eating but that's beside the point. The real point is that these plants had some serious healing properties.

For instance, the bearberry helped Mara and Riva who were beginning to show signs of getting sick. Whether it was just allergies or an actual cold, they were hit hard with a cough. So much so that Riva couldn't even crack a joke without going into a fit. The benefit of the plant and its fruit was seen on the first day. For the first time in three days, those two were able to sleep soundly without waking up every two seconds to cough. Also, it helped me with some stomach issues. As funny and priceless it was to eat that dog food, it gave me some bad bubble guts. I was just waiting for the "I told you so" from any one of them but mercifully it never came.

Now the stinging nettles was something that Mara, Kailee and myself desperately needed. According to Kailee, this plant, especially its leaves helped reduce a variety of things. Inflammation, ease joint pain, improve circulation as well as blood pressure and sugar levels. It also contained a lot of minerals and vitamins which was an added bonus. So you best believe we were making loads of tea from its leaves and downing them like shots on spring break. By the end of the first week, our injuries were healing beautifully. We were finally past the risk of infection.

Our third and final miracle was that we were in this wilderness just as spring was in full swing. That meant that not only did our luck increase to find such plants and many more but also our chances of general survival. There was still some chill in the air, night time in particular but the heat from the sun for once was welcomed. If we had been here in middle of winter I know we wouldn't have made it one night.

Having said that, part of me is going to miss it here. Despite hitting our record with close calls, there was a level or serene and calmness that called to me. I've always loved camping and this place was once on my bucket list to do so. Now I can say that I have. I know that there was no way in hell I would actually stay here in this place in particular but it reminded me of why I chose Alaska in the first place. I just hope it didn't disappoint me.

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Roone's Pov*

"Girl if you don't hold still I will tell Saphira to sit on you!" I nearly spoke in full to Kailee.

She would not sit still. I really can't believe I'm going to say this, but she might be worst than my Mara at this point. At least once Mara stopped arguing with me would she sit still long enough to let me do what I had to do so we can be done with it. No, not Kailee. In the beginning, she was fine. She didn't really argue with me, she sat still and she let me do what I had to. On occasion she asked a question or two but that was to be expected as she wanted to know what to do or not do so she wouldn't hurt herself.

But now, she's worst than trying to bathe a cat who's tripping on catnip. Every minute this girl was shuffling in her seat and I haven't even finished unwrapping the gauze yet.

"Roone I told you already that the Nettles helped keep any infection at bay and that I felt fine. No more itching or redness, now can we go? I like nature and all but I really would like to see some buildings instead of trees." she whines.

The urge to face palm, roll my eyes and grab her by the shoulders and shake her like a little doll all at once is almost impossible to ignore. Why can't these women just let me do my job?

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to reason with her. "Look, the faster I can confirm that your arm is ok then we can leave. I've already looked over Mara and Fredi's feet. My brother is no longer coughing up his lungs and the dogs are all ok so that just leaves you. You wanna stay here another day?"

That got her to sit still for at least ten minutes. Just enough time to actually verify if she was telling me the truth. There was a slight smirk on her face when I saw how well that plant had done for her. I know I saw their potency with Mara and Fredi's feet but I guess I didn't think it would work this much on her. I guess that was the former medical student in me that was being petty at mother nature for helping when science couldn't.

Setting aside my pettiness, I feel like I can finally breathe. Yes were going hungry but we found a food source when we needed it most and now we can get back on track with heading to Alaska. I thought we were nearly there when we had crossed over into Montana but now it feels like it's just beyond the reach of our finger tips. That's when I find myself secretly praying nothing snatches it away from us.

When I'm done with Kailee she goes over to her things and looks over them one last time the same way I see everyone else doing Well, almost everyone else. Fredi was the first to finish packing up everything. Now he was just absent mindly petting Blackie and looking out towards, I don't know what. But there's something in his eyes. It's like a mixture of peace and longing. Following his lead, I look out into the woods and try to take it all in.

I guess if you can ignore the possiblity of stavation and hypothermia, this place is really beautiful. We weren't lucky enough to catch any caribou but we came at the right time during spring to get those plants that Kailee told us about. She saved a majority of the seeds from the many found, including some mushrooms. Another huge plus was that these weeks that we were lost here, we didn't see or hear any zombies.

So yeah, it's no wonder Fredi is basking in the last moments here.

Hello my lovelies! Gonna be honest here... We're getting really close to the end and I hope you guys have been enjoying this story. Have any of you picked up on the twist? or do you have nay theories?
I know I'm kinda spacing out on the time frame of chapter updates but on the subject of being honest, I'm procrastinating a little. It's not that I'm getting writer's block or anything like that, it's just that it's almost time for me to say good bye to these characters. So I'm getting a little emotional. All my stories are my babies, but this one is the one that I've always wanted to write.

All I ask is that if you have enjoyed this story, please leave a comment or a like. Happy reading!