August 10th, 2013
Journal,
We had to leave, and quickly. The horde we were preparing for and praying wouldn't come, overran our home.
They came late in the night, while Kara, Carrie and myself were on watch.
I sat, half asleep at my post, staring out the window through bleary eyes. A deep yawn split my face and I shook myself, trying to stay awake. My watch was almost up so I stood and stretched, ready to go wake Bre.
I took one last glimpse out the window and cursed.
"Oh shit."
A dark mass flooded the road, slowly turning toward the property. I stood a moment, staring, mouth agape before I ran out of the room, pounding on each door, shouting to the others to get up. No need to dress, we've all taken up sleeping fully clothed.
"Get up!" I screamed, to no one in particular. "It's time!"
Kara and Carrie ran into the hall, eyes wide in terror.
"I've never seen a horde this big." Kara's voice was shaking.
"Get the boy to the wagon, before they get any closer." Boyd shouted to Bre. "Everyone else, get to your posts."
We all nodded and shot in opposite directions. I went back to the window to take out the closer stragglers, as did Jayda and Kara. Carrie ran to grab the last few bags we had left to load and Boyd headed for the gas we'd been collecting from our more frequent trips into town.
I prayed, shot, and prayed some more. Sweat covered my brow and dripped into my eyes, burning them, making them water. I wiped my face and took out a few more of the shufflers before Boyd burst into the room, dousing it in gas.
"Out, now, I've already got the girls to the wagon."
"Are you sure you want to do this Boyd?" I asked. "There's no promise you're getting out of here."
"Go!" He yelled to me. I turned tail like a coward and ran from the house.
Down the stairs and through the kitchen I flew. Rotted, scaled hands swiped at me the whole way, they were getting too close. Teeth snapped and moans escaped as I brushed past, threatening to overtake me.
I swung my machete wildly, lobbing off body parts as I went. I somehow managed to make it to the wagon and shouted at Bre to speed up, all the while kicking the terrors from the back of the cart and into the rapidly moving ground below.
Glancing back to the house I spotted Boyd, diving from a second story window and into a pile of loose hay below. A loud explosion rocked the world around us, bringing forth horrified shouts and tear filled cries as he flew through the air from the force.
"Keep moving." I yelled to Bre as she started to turn around and head back for him. "We wait at the camp!"
She nodded at me, wiping the unspilled tears from her eyes.
"How long?" She asked. "How long do we wait?"
"Till morning, if he isn't in before then, we leave."
"But Bruce-" Kara began.
" No buts." I snapped at her. It's him or us."
Bre snapped the reigns and we shot ahead, every face turned towards our home, our life force, crying as it burned to the ground but happy that most all of the horde was inside before Boyd threw out the match.
We bounced up the path for what seemed like hours before pulling off the path and into a tightly knit copse of trees. We'd only recently charted out this area and quickly saw the potential. The trees toward the outside were almost like a wall, they were so close together. You could hardly see in from any side so the chance of any stragglers spotting us were next to none.
