Silent Age

Chapter 2- Otis

The storm passed over eventually. It was hard to tell day and night apart, there was no sun and it was always cold. I think it was about 3 nights before i was able to walk around again. I put on 3 jumpers and topped it with my only water-proof coat. I manage to get Otis into my jumper and he could still see. It was lightly snowing but staying in that train was driving me insane. My destination was centrum. I wanted to stay in a building close by and see how bad things were. If it really was overrun there might be food left. I headed out pulling my scarf up to my nose. After hours of walking I decided I need a break. I let Otis go for run while I sat at a bus stop reading the map. I needed to head out east towards the city. Centrum was on the east side of the city. The city was the first to fall, the population was too dense. No food was left in the city and every corner was full of zombies. I planned to go around the city, along a highway. I would have to go very close to the city but if I was quiet we would be safe.

As we neared the city Otis became more and more alert he could sense the zombies around. I saw the turnoff to the highway. I picked up Otis in-case he decided to run off. The city had also been claimed by nature. Nature always wins. It was mostly vine that were considered weeds that defeated the temperatures and grew up the walls. The branches fell inside of windows and wrapt around corners, the snow covered them giving them a glow. Across the city buildings were covered in them, some still growing
I stared at the buildings try to picture the modern age. Thinking of all the feet that walked exactly were i stood. Business men thinking of their family. Tourists looking at the large city, then I guess zombies have walked where I was too. Marching into the city to harm unprepared office workers. Attracted to the screams of fear, the flee of uncertainty. Now I stood here in this spot, maybe later in life other people will be here too, maybe I'll come back here, maybe more zombies will walk past. I was certain no office workers with families or tourists will stand here. We followed the highway. A massive traffic jam was still there. The entire population of this town had gotten into cars and driven away, in the frenzy and panic many cars were crashed. This caused traffic jams and with everyone in their cars they were sitting ducks. Some tried to run to centrum but this would mean leaving their dying families in their cars. This was a graveyard i was walking through. The cars had been mostly picked cleaned, I couldn't even think of taking anything. I walked in-between cars ignoring the corpses and blood stains. Luckily the snow had covered some of the damage, I didn't look into any cars just kept walking. Otis hid inside my jacket and I wanted to do the same. I took deep breaths and wish myself away from here.

Traffic got heavier towards the end but more people had evidently escaped. I gained some courage to look in a ute. The family had packed for a sort of camping holiday. A lot of rotten food, except in the front seat.  There was salt and vinegar chips and sour snakes. Obviously out of date but it was a treat for me. There was a blunt pocket knife covered in blood in the driver seat and I tried not to think of that story. It was starting to get dark, it had taken we all day to walk along the highway. It wasn't safe at night, their skin didn't like heat, so the light kept some of them away. The zombies were hard to see at night and it was unpredictable. I got stuck one time and had to stand completely still for the whole night while it was snowing. This relatively clean truck was my best option. I put the seat all the way back and snuggled into my blanket.
I woke up stiff and my instinct told me something was wrong. Otis was not next to me. Maybe he went for a walk, either way  I wanted to find him. I stood on top of the ute and whistled looking for movement. Back along the highway movement stirred, the snow was light so I could see. I grabbed my bag and dodged my way through the cars. Towards the movement. As I came closer I heard whimpering. I panicked and ran into the gap between two cars.  Otis was stuck under a car, a bit of metal had pierced into his back.