A Fresh Start

Chapter 20

I awoke to the sound of cicadas. Those things could always be heard. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. The fire had died out. Luckily, there was nothing up in smoke. I was relieved. I unwrapped myself from the bed sheet and stood up. I reached for my jeans. Although they were still a little damp, I slid them on. My socks had fully dried, I noticed as I put them on. Daryl's shirt was as dry as it was going to get. The blood stains not as visible anymore just as I'd predicted. I took off my tank top and put it on. I tied up my hair once again and started packing up my things. Ready for the day ahead. I took a sip of water from my water bottle and ate a can of peaches. I checked to see if there were any walkers around through the windows. Once the coast was clear, I headed out. The air was crisp. I probably should have packed a sweater. I crossed my arms and held myself tightly while I continued on my way. I was shivering after about an hour of walking. I needed to stop somewhere to find a sweater. I wasn't going to make it like this. It didn't take me long to find a small neighborhood. I went into the very first house close by, crossing my fingers in hopes of finding something that could keep me warm. My knife in hand, I slowly made my way inside the house. I whistled and waited before going further into the house. No walkers in sight or heard nearby. I headed upstairs with my knife still at the ready. I knocked on the first door I came across. No movement to be heard. I reached for the knob and turned it, thankful that it wasn't locked. I closed it behind me before I looked around the room. I headed into the closet. Most of the clothes still intact. No sign of a sweater however.

"You've got to be shitting me. Damn it," I said.

I went out and searched in another room. Still no sweaters. I reached the last door on the second floor hoping that this would be the last place I had to look. I knocked and waited. Nothing. I opened to door and knew, once I saw it, that I had reached the master bedroom. Straight to the closet I went.

"YES!" I shouted once I was finally able to get a hold of a thick sweater.

I decided to get a drier pair of jeans. I changed and placed my damp jeans on the bed. Taking off the Raphael key chain and clipping it on to my new pair. I packed a few more shirts and headed back downstairs. I searched the kitchen to see if there was any food or water that I could take with me. A few cans of food and just one bottle of water. That would have to do for now. Once I was satisfied with what I had, I headed back out and continued. The air was a little warmer but I was still glad I had scavenged the sweater I was currently wearing. I made my way out of the neighborhood and was able to find a road again. As the day went on, it got warmer. Pretty soon it was another scorcher. I went and stopped by a tree and took off the sweater. I stashed it away and went on. There was some rustling that made me stop abruptly. I pulled out my knife and looked around for something. As if out of nowhere a walker came at me. It knocked me down. I shoved it off of me and stomped on its head twice. It was done. I inhaled and exhaled deeply. I put my knife away and slung my backpack that had come off and began running again. There was loud moaning coming from behind me. I turned around and saw a couple dozen walkers heading my way. I ran into the trees once again. I kept running. Didn't know exactly how long I had been running but I didn't dare stop. I then came across a few houses and ran into the one closest to me. I closed the door and took some time to catch my breath. I looked around and noticed the place was nearly empty. Someone must have looted it. I went to the kitchen to see if there was something worth taking to wait for the walkers to find another path. The cabinets were all empty. I searched every corner of the house. There was nothing valuable. I was getting ready to take off again but checked the window to see if there were any walkers in sight. Unfortunately I ended up seeing something much worse. Across the street, there were five rugged looking men. There was no way I was going out to let them see me. They started heading to the house I was in. 

"Damn it," I whispered.

I went upstairs to find a hiding place. In one of the bedrooms, I found a string that obviously led up to an attic. I didn't have time to contemplate. I pulled the string revealing a ladder and made my way up. Closing the door once I was up, I removed my backpack and became very silent and still.

"Claimed," I heard one of them say.

They were in the room that I was in. But by the looks of them, I don't think they'd be smart enough to check the attic. I still had my knife in my hand just to be sure.

"Hey asshole. We didn't come here to get shut eye. We're looking for that other asshole," another man said.

"We can stay here for the night and take off tomorrow," the first man said.

"Joe said we aren't staying here. Now come on. Find what you can and then we're off," the second man said.

I heard a pair of footsteps fade away.

"Damn, jerkoff," the first man said.

After a few minutes, his footsteps disappeared. There was some distant banging coming from downstairs. They were still here. There was nothing else to do but wait. And so that was what I did. I knew that there was not a chance in hell that I was going to let those assholes get a hold of me. The mere thought of what they would do, sent shivers down my spine.