A Thousand Ways to Run

Prolouge

Drip, drip, drip. That's the only sound I can hear. Drip, drip, drip. Sometimes I think that I could just stay down here and nobody will miss me, yet there is no one who will miss me. Hell there's no one at all. I stand up and make my way down the tunnel holding my breathe. The air is thick and muggy, and smells like rotten fish. I pass by under a man hole, shadows pass by over top. I quickly back up against the cold, damp wall. I lay my hands flat against it. I wait just a couple of seconds to make sure they couldn't smell me. The deadheads is what I'm talking about. There just like your normal brain dead, I wanna eat your brain zombies but this isn't a movie. The disease was just considered to be Ebola, but it was much worse than that. People started to think other wise when the infected began taking bites out of people. It's pretty gruesome actually. Some say that their human side is still in them, but I think once you have a craving for human flesh, you're to far gone. I've learned my way around them though. They can't see anything, but there smelling and hearing is exceptional. That's one of the reasons I travel trough the sewers, it covers up my human smell. Well that and not having a shower in eight months. I push myself off the wall and start walking again. I stop dead in my tracks. I look down and see the water rippling , like someone's walking. I quickly run towards the corner, and throw myself against it. I hold my breathe, not wanting my make a sound. I hear the water splash and clench my eyes shut, and hope that whatever it is, it doesn't find me. Every second feels like forever. I hear a bark. I flintch, but then take a sigh of relief. It's just my dog, Anubis.

"Hey there boy." I reach down and scratch behind his ear. Anubis has been my dog even before the apocalypses. He's a German Shepherd mix, and is the only thing I have for a family. In fact I think he's the one that keeps me sane. If its wasn't for him, I would be dead. We keep walking for another hour, in the quiet darkness, it's the dark that makes me feel safe. I see the light of another manhole. I swing my rifle over my shoulder and set it down, and I roll my bag off of my other shoulder. I find the metal bars and climb up. I hoist the cover off and slide it to the right. I look up and make sure there's no deadheads walking around. The air hits me with the fresh smell of flowers and trees. I feel happier now, now that we're out of the city. I clear my head.

"Keep it together you have a job to do." I warn myself and get focused. I suddenly smell the sewer. I grab my gear and take it up.

"Here comes the hard part." I jump down and tell Anubis to jump. He climbs into my arms and I gently toss him up. When he gets up, I then climb up the bars again. I pull myself onto the pavement. I lay there for a few seconds, and wonder whats gonna be next. Then I snap out of my dase. I stand up and brush myself off. I push the cover back over the hole and grab my stuff. I take a deep breathe and smell the cool, crisp, clean air. I call for Anubis and see him coming out of the golden field.

"This is it boy," I say to Anubis. I start walking, not knowing if I'll make it Florida alive. All I can do is try.