Cascade

My, You're An Angry Cat

Those grizzly cat things were everywhere. My parents and I had barely made it to the truck. Those things had been right on our tail and one had even left a deep gouge in the side the truck when it tried to attack my mother.

It had been two days since that night and we were parked out on the side of the road. We'd finally run out of gas and the next town was probably a three-day's hike through the woods.

We had tried to get gas at the other towns, but none of the pumps were working. The rain had eaten through all the power lines, either leaving them in sizzling piles on the pavement or hanging limply from the poles in a manner that made them resemble overcooked pasta. There wasn't a spark of electricity anywhere.

We hadn't seen much of people either, all we found were clothes floating in bloody pools or bones that looked to have been severely gnawed on. But, the worst sight was the bleeding remains of the various mutants. Their warped forms varied greatly, there were things that looked reptilian, creatures that looked like mixes between animals, and then there were the human-like things.

Maybe everyone who survived skipped town? We certainly didn't stay long either, considering the creatures that were lurking around.

Then there was the howling. It wasn't there in the day, but once the sun set it didn't stop. The growls and groans of the rain creatures echoed in the distance all through the night. My parents and I could hardly sleep the few times we dared to pull off the road to get some rest. We kept expecting something to come by and find us, but nothing did. We were lucky I guess.

So here we were, sitting in the truck and considering our options. The only choice we really had though was to get out and walk.

My mother was nervously wringing her hands as she glanced between my father and I. "Should we go?" she asked.

My father, who was looking at a map, heaved a sigh and nodded. "Doesn't look like we have much choice. We won't be able to carry everything though. We'll have to sort through the bags and figure out what's most important to keep." He turned to me. "You ready to go?"

I nodded numbly. "Sure." I wasn't sure what else to say. I hadn't had much sleep and we were about to run around in the woods with a bunch of monsters.

We reluctantly left the relative safety of the truck's cab and began rifling through our belongings. We packed what we could carry of our valuables and crammed as much food and water as we could into each of our chosen bags.

When we were done we turned and stared into the dark trees that loomed over the roadway. The fastest way to the next town was through the woods; maybe we could find some help there.

We cautiously made our way into the shifting darkness below the gently rustling leaves of the canopy. A deep rumble of thunder filled the air just as we passed the tree line, and then rain was pouring down on us. We didn't think as the dye started to ooze from our clothes, we just ran.

~ ~ ~

I shifted in my sleep; I could feel my fingers twitching as my consciousness slowly returned. It was warm in the greenhouse, but every now and then a cold breeze would rush past. Must have been from the broken panes of glass in the walls.

I opened my eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight that poured in through the clear ceiling. I slowly sat up and looked around. I was met by the sight of nothing, but the lion fountain and the surrounding greenery. The cannibal was still gone.

After it had fallen asleep next to me, I had gone through my bag in hopes of finding something to do. The only things I had that were halfway interesting were my revolver, a pack of crayons, and the coloring book that Cyber had given me to carry back for some lucky kiddies.