2037

This chapter's pretty short

June 17th 2037

We had been on the move for a month; we hadn't stayed in one place longer than a week. We were still relatively healthy with the exception of multiple wounds from precarious debris, broken windows and encounters with them. We had scoured several neighbourhoods and found negligible supplies and no survivors. Not to sound cliché but every building we passed or ventured into was wrecked down to the foundations, I don't know how but they looked like they would collapse if you were to breathe on the wall.

We came across two different variations of those things, let's call them type A and type B. The most obvious way you could tell they were different was their skin, type A's flesh essentially falls from their bones while type B's skin is desiccated, so dry it is stretched across their flesh so much it splits, and where it splits a chartreuse liquid oozes out. Those are just the indicative signs that distinguish the difference between them. Type A aren't so bad, relatively easy to kill and don't pose much threat unless they see you, type B however can trace your scent and though type A are relatively fast type B can move in extraordinarily ways, I don't know how they do it but I have seen them (several times) crawling up brick walls like a demented beetle.

It was just before dusk which was the best time to be exposed in the open, if any time at all. My father and I were making the relatively short journey to the nearest series of stores in the neighbourhood we were currently in. We had reached a small grocery store next to an apartment building, every window was shattered to smithereens and cracks were crawling relentlessly up the walls. This store had been near emptied we found several tins of beans and tuna, which had been our soul source of nutrition for the majority of the month we had been wandering various towns like itinerants. We unzipped our bags and stuffed the few cans in which wasn't as problematic as it was at the beginning as at this point we had very few provisions. I took a flash light out of the front pocket of my bag and flicked it on, illuminating a few feet in front of me. My father shuffled along behind me holding his rifle on his shoulder and being 6'11'' and me only being 5'2'' the barrel floated above my cinnamon braided hair. I could feel the air move as his fingers trembled slightly, not because he was nervous but because he generally had rickety hands, which is peculiar considering his remarkable aim. I rubbed my cognac eyes as a profuse dust blustered over us as we forced open a hefty door; we presumed lead to a stock room of sorts. The artificial white light from my torch could not penetrate the unbelievably abundant dust. I couldn't see further than three inches in front of me. I scuffled forward cautiously. I knew there could be anything in here with us. I pulled out the knife and held it in my left hand with my torch and my blood stained bat in my right. I held it up above my head ready to swing. I was on edge; my heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to break through my ribs. I glanced back every few seconds to check it was my dad hovering over my shoulder. A swift silhouette skimmed our gaze. I readied my bat I slipped the knife back, dropped the flash light and clutched the bat with both hands. AHHRRRGGGG!

I turned around he was gone. I shuffled around in a circle looking for any movement. I widened my eyes, it was almost completely obsidian. If it wasn't for the dim light of my flash light beside my feet I wouldn't have been able to see anything at all. I heard a sinister scuttle nearby. I twisted my head frantically in attempt to identify where the thing was. Tap. Tap. Tap. A sinister claw was tapping on the chalky concrete, it was... It was above my head! I gradually tilted my head up to see the creature. I could hear my heavy, shuddering breaths. Glowing eyes and an onyx outline of one of those things. It dropped from the ceiling and within a second it was on me. I swung the bat and I heard it break a bone, which... I didn't know. I was fighting blind. I felt that disgusting slime slide down my forearm; I held my breath as to not throw up. I swung again. I missed! I was panicking; I didn't know how I could get out alive. I felt it dig its talons into my stomach. Blood exuded from the gashes and seeped over my body and onto the floor. I writhed in pain, desperately trying to calm myself enough to get out. It grazed its claws up me until they rest on my chest, it was taunting me... I raised the baseball bat and began to swing. It thrust its talons from my chest and onto my wrists. It forced it claws into my flesh, I yelled in pain and dropped the bat. I heard it clatter on the tiled floor. I reached my arms across the floor searching frantically for the bat. Reluctantly, I bridged my hips and snatched the knife from behind me. I thrust my shoulders forward and forced the blade into whatever flesh it touched. I felt it pierce the stretched skin and I dragged the knife across to create a deep laceration. A jarring screech echoed around the room. I felt it release weight from me as it tilted back so I pushed it further off balance and scrambled to my feet. Blood was tricking from my wrists and blood was gushing from my stomach, I winced in pain as I got up. I heard it dash forward and I began to run, blood coating my hands as I clutched it. It grabbed my shirt and pulled me back. I spun around and span the knife round my hand and forced it through into its skeletal hand and tore it from me. I could see it now, the light from the opening in the door illuminated it. I had split its stomach open and thick blood that was almost black was leaking from the gouge like oil. I couldn't let it go I stepped up to the creature and adjusted the knife in my hand. I sliced its throat and kept hacking at it until the head was completely removed. Oil like blood flooded across the floor, pooling around the corpse. I caught sight of the indistinct light of my torch behind the thing and picked it up. Holding the torch at arm's length and grasping the knife, with a fist clutched tight, beside my face, I tiptoed across the cracked tiles. I searched for my bat and soon found it next to two pools of blood, one crimson and the other black, gently mixing. I flashed the light at each wall, trying to find my father. I hastily crept around the room while holding the bat above my head ready to strike anyone of those things I spot. As I reached the back of the unexpectedly dark room, I stepped on something.... CRRUUUNNNCCCHHH... I pointed the flash light at my foot and slowly moved it to reveal what it was. It was... it was a skull! I stumbled back in horror and I flashed the spot of light across the wall. I can't even begin to describe the ghastly scene at the back of the room.