The sun swept across my eyes waking me from my light sleep. I looked around it was probably about 5 in the morning. I untied the rope around my waist and started to climb down the tree in which I had slept in. This was my camp, 1 large tree coming out of the cliff behind and a small patch of land surrounding, fenced off by a rope with tins hanging off it to alert me if any of them come through. Even though zombies can't climb I would still like to know if there is one below me constantly wanting to eat my flesh. Even since patient zero and the beginning of all the terror I have not been able to get a proper night’s sleep because of the constant fear. Although over time I guess I have learnt to live with it.
As I jump down, the cool air surrounding me gives me the shivers. It is about late autumn here in Eldorado National Forest about 180 miles outside of San Francisco. I won't be able to stay here much longer before it starts to get to cold, I'd freeze to death and become one of them anyway. Even though I have a tarp over where I sleep to protect against wind and rain, it has no insulation. I will need to find a building I could hold up in for the winter.
My feet land on the soft soil making a thud sound. I reach for my backpack and sling it over one shoulder. I bend down to the gap in the roots of the tree where I stock my food. The gap is about 1m wide and 50cm deep. I see only a few cans of baked beans and cat food. I tend not to eat cat food but I keep it as a last resort just in case. There is about a few days’ worth of food but I need to start thinking of stocking up for winter so I do not need to do many runs in the winter.
I cover my stash with leaves and rocks and I start for the gas station not far from here, where I get most of my supplies. I grab my trustee bow and head out for more supplies. Before this all happened I used to do archery in school with one of my closest friends. I am no Olympic archer but I can generally hit a target if I take my time to aim. Although if a zombie is charging and I do not have time to aim I use my Swiss army knife. But out here in the forest I usually do not see many zombies. They tend to stick to the big cities and main highways. Every so often you do get a straggler but they are easy to kill. The real problem is when you get like 10 of them moving together like a heard. The best thing to do there is run.
I start on the familiar path to the gas station I take every other day. I know it like the back of my hand. 2 months I have been camping here and I have not seen a single person since. I used to be in a group, back then I thought of it as safety in numbers but I was wrong. The more people you have the better they can smell you. That was how I lost my family. Ever since I have tried not to make the same mistake by writing it down inside my journal. My journal has everything I know about zombies in it. Every day I try to add something new because the more I understand them the easier it is to survive.
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I look across the horizon and see the sun high up in the middle of the sky. I shift my attention back to the road in which I walk. My steps stride to a steady pace. When I see the gas station up ahead I smile because I have not yet run into a zombie meaning it will be a quiet day with no death. Even though the zombies are already dead, when I kill one a hint of guilt travels through my veins. I always think that there is still a part of them inside trapped and unable to escape. And when I kill them I feel like a murder and it adds to my list of guilty thoughts every night. Who was that person before all of this? Were they loved when they turned or lost like I will be when I turn? So many unanswered questions just makes me wonder who they really were.
As I step into the gas station I start to whistle. I would rather have a zombie come charging around a corner than If I went in quietly and the zombie gives a surprise attack and I get bit. No reply. I walk in cautiously because one might be trapped. I head to the freezer room where I generally get my supplies. When the freezer room is in sight i see the door is open a little bit. There is something in there, because I usually I close the door before I leave.
I slowly open the door while holding my knife in the other hand ready for whatever it is behind this door. Pitch blackness surrounds my face as I peer through the door. I back out and take my flash light from my backpack and turn it on. I shine the light into the darkness in front of me and I start to head inside. I turn left and see a dead body on the ground and I nearly puke because of the stench. I see a hole through his head and a gun in hand. He must have been bit and did not want to turn. People generally take 2-3 hours to turn meaning there must be some zombies close by and a gunshot would have drawn more to this area. I put my knife in my pocket and drag the body outside the freezer.
I go back inside to collect some supplies quickly before any zombies come I see a box of unopened cans and grab some that I think are tinned fruit. I take about 4 because I do not want to weigh down my bag in case I get in trouble with some zombies. Normally I can outrun them but with a heavy bag I have no chance. I start out the door and head back to my camp at a fast jog.
Thankyou for reading, next chapter will be out soon and I hoped you enjoyed and if you did please follow and comment below
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SarahWasHere22301
