After The Fall

A Night In The Woods

Cry stands in the living room, in front of the group, "Is everyone ready to go?"

Dan and Phil exchange glances then both nod at Cry. Entoan, Dave, and Signe also nod and Ohm and Minx agree as well. Cry nods, "Good. Then let's get going while the sun's still up."

The group leaves the farm house and they follow Cry's lead towards the north, which seems to lead back into the woods. While not really happy about having to pass through the woods again, no one complains as they walk. Their trek is silent, all they hear is the roaring wind and the faint sounds of the infected somewhere nearby.

The sky is bland with pale gray clouds hanging overhead, the smell of rain in the air. The impending weather doesn't help the situation seem any better. Everyone is alert and angry. The farm house was safe, until it wouldn't have been. They didn't want to leave, they don't really like the idea of having to survive out in the open.

Not too long after they left the house, they enter the woods again. The group continues through the woods until it gets dark. Cry stops, looking around, "Everyone stop and listen for a moment."

The others do as he asks, and they only hear the rustle of the tree leaves in the wind.

"It's quiet," Minx states.

Cry nods, "We're gonna set up camp here for the night."

He turns to the others, "Ohm and I will get some firewood while the rest of you get the camp set up. Everyone stay together, no one goes off on their own, okay?"

Everyone agrees and Ohm and Cry walk off further into the woods while Minx, Signe, and Dave start setting up their tents. Entoan stands near the back of where they're making their camp, gun in hand, keeping watch for Infected. Dan and Phil set up their tents then set aside a few cans of food for the groups' dinner once Cry and Ohm return with the firewood.

Once the camp is set, tents out and a small fire pit has been dug, Minx sits down in front of her tent. Signe and Dave sit with her as well. Dan and Phil are sitting opposite them and Entoan patrols the camp. Signe sighs, keeping her voice down, "Honestly, this scares the heck out of me. I've never had to be out in the open since this thing started, so this makes me on edge.."

Minx smiles lightly at her, "That's why Entoan is patrolling. We haven't camped out in the open yet, either, but we know what to do. We just need to keep quiet and sleep in shifts. And keep our fire low so it's not too easy to see."

Signe nods, "That makes sense."

Dave smiles, "You're gonna be okay."

Phil sighs, "I know we can eat the food cold, but I don't really want to, so.. I hope it doesn't rain until after we get to eat.."

Dan nods, "I'm sure Ohm and Cry will be back soon and then we'll eat."

The group falls into silence and a few minutes later, Ohm and Cry return. Ohm sets up his tent while Cry gets the fir started. It doesn't take long, and the soft orange glow seems to ease everyone's fear just a little bit. Cry takes a pan he took from the house out of his bag and he and Phil cook the food they had set aside.

The group eats and talks, and it feels like a nice camping trip with friends. Ohm takes over guarding the camp once he eats so Entoan can eat. After everyone eats Minx puts out their fire and they all get in their tents to sleep. Ohm is the guard of the night, so he patrols the camp. He switches with Cry once he gets too tired.

The night is surprisingly calm. Cry can hear some Infected somewhere out there, but he doesn't see any nearby. He sighs, taking a seat in the dirt at the south end of the camp. A gun in hand, he looks around as he tries to relax. At dawn he goes and wakes Minx to guard so he can sleep a little more before they get going again.

Minx puts up no fight, seemingly haply to take his place. She patrols the camp in the early morning light. The sounds of the Infected sound closer than a few hours earlier, but they're still not close enough to be seen just yet. Minx yawns, shaking her head. They'll be fine here for a few hours at least. Just long enough to give Cry some sleep before they get going again.

The best bet is to find another farm house but that's highly unlikely. They could settle a house in a small town, maybe. But that could still be dangerous, they would have to clear out and fortify the whole town. A farm definitely appeals to her the most for a permanent housing solution. We'll figure it out. She continues her rounds.

She smiles at Dave as he's the first to leave his tent. He smiles back at her, standing and stretching. He yawns, taking down his tent and packing it up. One by one, the others awaken and start packing up. As expected, Cry is the last one awake. They finish packing everything up and they all share some granola bars for breakfast.

Once everyone is ready, they continue their trek through the woods in search of another home. They all talk quietly amongst themselves as they walk, trying to distract themselves a little bit from their existing predicament. The world is dreary and terrible and deadly, but a little entertainment goes a long way.

They were lucky through the night, no Infected had wandered into their camp, but no one can guarantee the next night will go the same way. So they have to be prepared, just in case. Because they have to remember that the world is deadly, and being out in the open is the most dangerous place to let themselves be vulnerable.