Decimation | Aarmau AU

P I L O T

My feet pound against the ground, one after the other as I ran.

Everything I had on was making sound of some sort - including the very cracked and damaged device I use to listen to music when I know I'm safe.

I had been listening to it minutes before, so I suppose I'm not so good at "safe." The music was quietly thrumming through the ear-pieces that had fallen out of my ears and now lay half falling out of my pocket.

I painted heavily, aware of the fact that I hadn't eaten in at least a day or two and was dehydrated from lack of clean water. My lungs ached, my forehead was so warm I felt it throb.

Nevertheless, I kept running.

I couldn't let them catch me.

A horde of maybe two hundred walkers were scampering, limping, crawling and jogging after me. Surprisingly, they're hard to escape from. Especially with their speed.

Ahead of me, I saw a fence - maybe a hundred feet further. It was probably around eight feet high — I'd have to climb, but to do so I need distance between me and them.

On the other side seemed to be a very old and very abandoned construction site - of course with the telltale signs of looting. Nobody would base there - too much danger and risk.

Shit!

More walkers emerged from side alleys constantly, and I quickened my pace before the fence.

Once I reached it, I took a small jump to get my hands to the top and succeeded - except that my feet had no grip for a minute.

There were walkers on the opposite side of the fence. It was only 2, maybe 5 if they were hiding but they noticed me pretty fast and began limping over.

A cacophony of moans reached my ears as I climbed, eventually getting high enough to be above their heads but essentially trapping myself as they tried to grab at me.

Very suddenly, a grotesque hand clawed at my calf and I squealed at the pain. Jagged fingernails left a noticeable mark that soon joined to my health's instability. I climbed higher to escape it, and felt the sting from the dirty air around me hit my skin.

At the click of a button on my wrist, my handy "foldable" pistol forged itself into my palm and I shot at the fewer walkers toward my exit.

I wasn't good with guns, so I probably wasted at least half as much ammo as I needed to.

It got the job done regardless, and I kept it armed as I jumped down to the other side.
Good thing I had knee pads, because they took the brunt of the fall after my feet.

Hastily getting up, I kept running to what I knew I would find not too far from here - I was on the edge of town where an automated railroad was still kept running.

Some people say it's automated, keeping it going to transfer supplies or help others come to them. Some say it's because of a surviving city nobody knows of - one without government soldiers to rule over them all.

Personally, I don't care. I just need to be far from here.

A loud whistle went off.

Just on time.

I had planned my escape earlier so I could be here just as the train was. Just hadn't counted on a horde tracking me first.

A few walkers managed their way over the fence or through holes, and others came out from hiding to chase me.

I didn't look back - I knew from experience that it would only kill me.

So, I kept moving to the tracks.

The few walkers following me got too close for comfort so I climbed one of the bulldozers with a shattered window.

On the hood, one walker was already trying to reach me so I shot her. Then I shot the next few and wasted no time in running back to my original target.

Opposite the tracks was a field of tall grass - easy for them to hide so I had to tread carefully.

Cursing to myself, I realized the horde had slowed me down. I was a few seconds off and if I didn't run fast enough, I wouldn't make it. I also need a cargo car with a door.

The train passed by and I ran around it closest to the grass, when I saw an opening. A single car, closest to the back save for two without doors. These were closed, but I'd take that challenge over the grass or the city.

I sprinted the hardest I had today, my fatigue making it hard but my determination keeping me going even if by only a straw.

I reached for the handle and missed, tripping over shrapnel debris but catching myself. I was ready to try again, when I heard the moan of a walker nearby.

The tracks were so loud though, that I couldn't tell if it was behind me, in the grass, in or even under the train. So I just kept running.

Finally, my hand grabbed the door and I jumped up onto it. Tanking it open, I shot a straggler — that had jumped out behind me and had almost grabbed my leg — multiple times before hitting his skull.

Once I was clear, I shut the door and leaned my head against it, gasping for a moment before locking it and sitting down. As I did so, my pistol retracted.

My leg throbbed from the injury, so I reached into my bag and found that I was out of medical thread.

Cursing again, I breathed out, and laid on my back for a moment of solitude before I had to scavenge the car.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard it.

"Hey."