Blood Bound

i.

"sometimes being oblivious to the truth is safer than knowing it."

Lightning ripped the sky apart, thunder shaking the ground as rain pelted the people below.

They had seeked refuge in the forest, hoping to get some cover from the rain. The thunder made it hard to hear what was going on around them, making the whole journey even more dangerous. They knew they had to find somewhere to hide and quick.

Little did they know, the forest had much more dangerous things lurking in it than the storm.

"Lets go!" I yelled over the rain, seeing people begin to slow down as they grew tired.

      A flash of lightning broke the darkness, the brief light allowed me to see the small group in front of me. They all looked worn out and cold, but I knew that if we didn't find cover soon then many wouldn't live.

      "Danny, what are we looking at?" I shout over the rain, brushing my hair back from my eyes.

      "I don't see shit for miles, this storm won't let me see anything." Daniel calls out, slowly making his way down from the tree.

      The small group of people that I've become accustomed to were very dysfunctional, but that's why we work so well together.

     There's Daniel, or Danny as many call them, he's a bigger chap but it's mostly muscle. He's our fighter and usually the first to find things since he has this weird sense over this land. It's actually kind of weird, but he says it's just because he's grown up with it and they have this relationship going on. I take that back, he's just weird himself.

      Then there's Elise, the woman that Danny takes care of. She's a very quiet woman, but she has a fiery temper that comes out some times. Elise is our scout, she is good at finding edible food or things that would be useful to us. They have both grown off the land, that's why they have this weird attraction.

      X, yes weird name, but he demands to be called by it, is our healer. He was with his family before they were taken by the plague, we had happened to find him holed up in a small hut and he was severely thin. X is a naturally thin guy, but his brains make up for the lack of brawn.

       Then there's Lisa, Jacob, and Jason back at our stationary camp. We had gotten separated a while back due to a horde cutting us off. I know that they can make it by themselves, but it still worries me. Lisa was just a little under 10, but she was the bravest little shit. Jacob and Carl, her older twin brothers, were both 24 and I knew I could rely on them to take care of her.

        "Ace, I think I found something!" Danny shouts, just as thunder shook the sky.

         "Let's hurry then!" I yell, hiking my bag further onto my shoulder as I scanned our surroundings.

        We continue through the dense forest for a couple minutes, the rain only getting worse.

        "You said you found something!" I yelled, rain pelting my skin and making it numb.

       Danny glances back at me, nodding ahead of him. I quickly jog up to him, passing both X and Elise.

       The was an opening in front of us, overgrown with wildlife. The gates surrounding the building were high but had crumbled over the years and vines took over them.