Vernex

Glimpse of Tree of death

                           I looked down at my shoes that were covered in dried mud, the smell of the salty ocean air hit my nose. Finally I could breath something other than blood and rotten flesh. "We are getting close guys, soon enough we will be at the docks and we can leave, hopefully my parents boat is untouched if not we are going to have to steal one" I snickered. Honestly I couldn't tell myself that I was stealing a boat seeing that 3/4 of the population was already wiped out. The owner of the "highjacked boat" was likely dead. "I see the ocean!" Said Taylor; her long golden brown hair swayed in the wind. We walked down to the beach and looked out into a vast land of water. " I never thought we would make it this far guys" Alessia smiled. I smiled back knowing the hard times we had been through together. It seemed as though we had been friends for a lifetime; I could feel her eyes on me as I looked out at the continuous water, having everything we had gone through I couldn't of left Alessia in the storage house to die two days ago. As much as I wanted to save Jacob, Alessia was more important plus Jacob would've slowed us - "Oh Shit!" Taylor gasped. She stumbled to get us to run to the sand dunes and hide. "There are verns everywhere" Alessia whispered. At this time we were close to the marina, hundreds of verns were sunbathing on the docks and in the boats. "How are we going to do this" I questioned as we sprinkled bleach on our clothes. We needed to make a plan quick, the verns were looking at the few seagulls flying above waiting for one to settle on the dock so they could pounce on it and have their dinner. They look skinnier than usual, they must be hungry. "We can make a run for it" Taylor said. She knows how fast they run, it would be a miracle if we could make it there in time. "Do you see your boat, Jessie?", Alessia asked. I pulled my binoculars out and looked around the dune trying not to be spotted. "No..but there is a stranded boat, I don't think there are any verns on it" I whispered. I tried to think of a idea, something that would work. "We are about a fourth of a mile away, if I set a flare it could be a great distraction". " Should we go with you?" Taylor said. "No, I'll meet you by the abandoned condos" I smiled. I thought about hilarious it was blowing that place up, it was raining Vern parts everywhere. The only time we could make a bonfire and actually enjoy ourselves. "Isn't that a little far, I mean its about 7 miles from here?" Taylor whined quietly. "Not if you start heading over there now, I'll leave y'all enough canned meat and water for the trip, it shouldn't take you but about an hour and a half of walking". I quietly regret saying I'll go alone, but it's the only choice I'm quicker and I'm way more quiet I felt bad for thinking they wouldn't have a chance. "Okay, give me a flare." I said creeping to the end of the sand dune. "What if you never come..? " Alessia crackled. I could tell she was about to cry, she had tears forming in her eyes. "I will, if I don't find a stranded boat and head north, if I don't show up in tree hours I'm probably gone." They looked up at me with blank faces, we had already lost so much it didn't really effect us when we heard that sentence. "Okay hand me a flare and my backpack." Taylor grabbed a flare out of her sack and wrapped my bag around me, they both hugged me and I was ready to hop into action. "I will see ya'll soon, don't wait up." My heart stood still, as soon as I lite the flare I could feel my adrenaline kicking in.  I nodded my head and pointed the flare out behind me. The sunset sky lite up from the huge firecracker and I could hear the verns screaming and Rowling to grab the flare and rip it apart.

"Run!" I yelled. Alessia and Taylor darted off away from the flare. I ran directly at them and scurried off behind the marinas main store. They all ran pass me with there bony backs pointing outward. I quickly got an arrow out and got ready to shoot. I started walking down the marina looking for the vacant boat. I felt like something was still there watching, I looked like one of those scizos listening for the FBI that they believed followed them. I found the stray boat luckily, it wasn't damaged and looked fairly decent. I opened the gate to make a loud noise and placed my bow up against my face. Nothing came out;  I sighed with relief. I hopped onto the boat to check for supplies I looked in the seats, nothing. I thought to myself we can scavenge when I picked them up. I got in front of the steering wheel and my luck the keys where in the ignition along with a hand that had been rotting for days. "So much for sea air." I grumbled, pulling the finger apart from the key. I started and the engine turned and rumbled to life. "Yes!" I grinned and pulled out.

           The sea air hit my face and I could actually feel pleasant. I haven't felt this way sense I was back at the camp with Charles. I thought about the night we danced in the moonlight and had some liquor, it was like one of those cheesy hallmark movies. It also made me think about the horrors of what Ive been going through;  how I would wake up and throw up everything I ate and missing the period. I wouldn't be able to bring a kid in this world, I looked down at the backpack and knew there was a test waiting for me to urinate on it. I couldn't live with myself if I brought a kid in this destroyed world. I shook my mind of it and looked out into the blue glistening water, I was only a few minutes away from the girls,then I would just sit and wait. I wonder how long I should wait, what if they didn't come back.
          I was almost there I could see the huge yellow sign that now looks like burnt rubble from when it use to say "Beach Bum's Condo". Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder. I grabbed an arrow to stab whatever was behind me, it screeched and fell beside me and brought me down to my knees. It was a Vern, I felt its venom running through me like morphine. It gave my body a warming sensation and my vision went blurry. I was a mile out until shore and I knew there was no one to rescue me, this was it everything that I have worked for was gone. I laid down beside the whimpering Vern still gnashing its teeth at me to get a second taste. I laughed at it and screamed how stupid and desperate it was. I looked down and the hand on the Vern was missing, it must of been a person hiding in the boat waiting for the verns to leave, they never did.

I looked up at the clouds and the sunshine, it was so beautiful. I could feel myself getting high, I reached for my bag. I only had two hours to spare and I knew what I wanted to do. I grabbed the pregnancy test and stumbled up to the chair and sat down. Swaying with the boat I pulled down my pants and peed, I could feel the warm liquid hitting my legs and rushed to get the test soaked. "Come on" I cried. Waiting for the results was like waiting for someone to come save me, it couldn't come any slower. The Vern had screeched one more time and finally died, as I looked at its bony body I couldn't help but think of someone who was anorexic. I felt so sorry for the people that were lost, including me. I looked at the pregnancy test and of course it was two marks, " I'm pregnant!" I cried. Filling with joy, but also grief and sorrow. I had to think of a plan B I'm not going to let this baby die. I looked across the water knowing that the antidote was on land with the girls. I frantically rummaged through my bag and there it was a flare that had been soaked with the bleach that had leaked out of my container. "It's my only hope" I whispered.