End of the Suburbs

Chpt 4: State Lines

Riding down the road I pass buildings and neighborhoods that look a lot like the ones in the township.
Houses where people used to live.
Now all that's left is rubble and ruins.
Everything is either on fire, partly demolished, or both.
I finally reach the sign.
Now Leaving Ohio
The next move is crucial.
According to the map there's a lake with a filtering dam a couple days north.
I take of my bag.
I packed two containers of water.
One is already a quarter gone.
I can go up to get more fresh water but it'll add at least 4 days to my journey and I'll lose the trail.
I'll have to ration.
I keep pedaling south.
Casper runs nearby making sure there are no surprises.
I follow the same trail the scavengers would have.
There's still no sign of them but I can tell they had come this way.
The road is cleared for passage.
A full day of riding, I come to another supply depot.
I walk hop off my bike and go inside.
I'm careful.
I keep a grip on the water pistol, just in case.
The building is clear.
I do manage to find a couple of cans under one of the shelves.
Anchovies, soup, and mixed fruit.
I put them in my bag.
This adds another few days to my rations.
Outside I notice there's a couple hours left in day light.
This seems like a good enough spot to rest. Nice, quiet, no infected nearby.
I climb to the roof just in case.
Besides for safety reasons, I enjoy sleeping under the stars.
I drift off to sleep.
Most nights it's a different variation of the same dream with the same girl with bright blue eyes.
She's a stranger but somehow I feel like I know her.
It's like I'm closer to her than anyone else in the world.
Casper wakes me up.
It's just before dawn.
I grab a quick meal consisting of my rations that I packed.
A couple of apples.
I open a can of dog food for Casper.
I check the ground to make sure everything is clear before climbing down.
This is the 3rd day I've been away.
That means it's the 4th for Donnie and two full weeks since the scavengers left.
I'm starting to fear what I'd find when I do catch up to them.
I continue down the road.
I hear the sound of rushing water ahead.
This is both good and bad.
Water keeps the infected away.
It also means I have to figure out a way across.
I check the map and notice a bridge nearby.
It's only about an hour away.
I pass through a city on fire.
The place is filled with fallen debris and broken glass.
The smoke clouds even my mask.
Casper and I separate.
He can find a safer way around.
I can't waste time.
I push forward.
I eventually make it past the flames and reach the bridge.
The bridge is half a mile long.
I whistle to Casper.
I wait a minute.
A head of white fur comes poking through the bush.
I head across the bridge.
It's mostly in tact.
There are cars up and down the road.
Broken down.
When the virus happened, cities like this were the first to fall.
This wasn't done by the infected.
This was the healthy people who took the time of crisis as an excuse for anarchy.
I look at the decayed corpses left in the road.
Maybe the infection doesn't turn us into monsters, it just brings that side out of us.
I keep pushing.
I make it halfway and recognize the car that the search team used.
I move closer.
The back window is shattered.
There's arrows sticking out of the back two tires.
Casper runs to the trunk and starts to scratch.
I'm hesitant.
I slowly open the trunk and find....
nothing.
All that's there is a tank of gas.
It's likely that Donnie was back there.
I hope he got out safe.
Stories of Skulkers were known in the township. Most of us believed it was just rumors.
They warn kids during survival training.
We believed it was just a story to make us train harder.
Casper makes a sound.
I walk around to the side of the car where he is.
There's a body on the ground a couple yards down.
It's laying in a pool of dried blood.
The drops lead towards where I'm standing.
I take off my mask to get a better look.
On the door of the car is the symbol of the Skulkers.
It starts at the top and curves like a backwards 6 with extra swirls.
The sight of it gives me an eerie.
There's a knot in my stomach.
I take a deep breath.
That wasn't a good idea.
I start to cough because of the smoke.
I hurry to put my mask back on.
I gather whats I can from the wreck.
Half the search team is dead.
Hopefully Donnie is with the half that are just missing.
Further down I see one of their dirt bikes.
I grab the fuel tank from the trunk and stuff my bike inside.
The dirt bike is covered in dried blood but it still has fuel.
It's loud. Draws attention.
It's worth it if it means I can move faster.
I put Casper onto the front and sit behind making sure he doesn't fall off.
I speed off.
Hopefully I find the scavengers before the Skulkers.
I just have to keep going.