Sigh, what did I say about expecting the worst?

That philosophy is always right, every damn time.

My “luck” ended when I manage to steal from them and run back to the building using the board, hearing shouting and shuffling behind me and committing the mistake of looking back when I take the wooden plank off the fence.

Which led me to stare the Scavengers dead in the eye.

I quickly notice two things; one, they were not the good type of camp, and two, that the chief took some rather annoying liking to my face as he stared it down and made his colleague lower his gun.

There was about 12 of them, all looking like punk-gangsters with leather jackets, piercings, big silver rings, heavy chain necklaces, some even had the time to paint their hairs in the apocalypse!

Though that was something that could be easily found I bet.

Beyond the look, the bats and the half-shaved hairstyle, was the aura that the group had, looking at me with hungry predatory eyes as a wolf would do to a lamb.

Especially that chief.

They chuckle at my terrified expression, the leader smirking and staring me down, showing his perfect teeth and trimmed beard that covered his chin, shoulder ledge brown hair, plus an eye patch and a big scar going all the way from his nose to his cheeks, his badass look ending with some leather boots and jacked, both filled with metal spikes and unnecessary belts.

He calmly takes a drag from his cigarette, unfazed by the hoard of zombies mere feet away held by a plain metal old gate, nor even when I stood up and took Kira off the ground, fighting against his intense gaze and knowing that I had somehow fucked up with the wrong type of group.

“The one who gets him first can fuck him.”

I pale at his words, even more when some of the brutes start to scratch their cocks over their pants, licking their lips with a hungry and wild look to them, some even howling in a mocking way as I shudder in disgust.

It hasn’t been long since the apocalypse started, yet it didn’t take long for the bad part of human nature to show up, even more when they were bad from the beginning.

I did not need to see anything anymore, that much being incentive enough for me to book it and run as fast as I could right back to the woods, too aware that they could easily spot me in a road, and that they could move faster there with their truck.

But of course, lady luck wasn’t on my side today.

I could hear the uproar from the zombies behind me as they start the truck, but once I look back from the other gas truck that I had used to go up I can see that some of the more thirsty of the group were simply jumping up the fence!

Are they crazy? They must be out of their minds! They can get bitten but the dozen of zombies around!

I was getting down the ladder with Kira in one arm so I had to pay attention to my movements, but before I was down on the other side of the truck and out of sight I had the frightening image of them bashing the zombies heads like they were nothing, opening up a path in the crowd like it was a walk in the park, moving faster than I was comfortable with.

Fuck!

I put Kira on the ground quickly as I dash forward, grateful that most zombies were attracted towards them and were scarce here, giving me enough space in between to zigzag, nevertheless close enough to have a cold sweat on my back as I dodge their sticky fingers by curving my body sideways, close enough for the smell to hit me face first and to see a sticky substance dripping off the tip of their fingers as ghastly eyes follow my every move.

Ugh, I’m gonna throw up, but that would be disgusting too, double ugh.

One had the skin so white and murky that looked like melted wax, and the other who had been partially eaten, the side of the mouth chewed out leaving the rows of back teeth exposed.

Oh God stop looking and just run!

Thankfully the city wasn’t big to begin with, and I had memorized the streets for an escape plan before going inside so in no time I was out of it and into the wilderness, not trusting the roads right about now.

And yet, even after passing the concrete jungle, and going deeper and deeper into the woods, now in a safe and familiar heaven, I could not shake off the nervous feeling bubbling up in my core that something seemed amiss…

So I wasn’t surprised when I heard the motor of the truck somewhere up the road and sets of voices calling me out from behind, probably those who here crazy enough to jump up the fence.

“Come on baby boy! The longer it takes for us to get you the harder will be for you later!”

“Here, kitty kitty, we don’t bite…hard.”

“Baby boy! Y ou don’t want to get further in out bad side! Come here and I promise to be gentle… at first.”

Rows of laughter roll about after taunting and disgusting words, as if they were not worried about attracting unwanted attention to themselves.

“We promise to feed you too! A roof, warm bed – warm bodies” someone adds, chuckling. “You just have to, you know, serve us a little, you won’t have to deal with the outside ever again!”

That sounded like a prison to me, and as if I would stop and give myself away, pigs. With my breath making smoke rise from my dry lips I stealth away in the woods, my boots crunching the snow underneath them as it got harder and harder to keep running as I have for a long time now, even more with a backpack full of lot and the snow in my way.

I shiver when the wind speeds up, making snowflakes stuck in my hair and eyelashes. Hugging myself I curse for my constant lack of luck, but at least I got the food I was looking for.

But damn, fucking psychopaths, why don’t they just leave me alone?! It has been what, hours already? I don’t even know anymore, the clouds and trees don’t help me to keep track of time. Just give up goddamnit!

I could hear them calling, bashing their bats on the bushes, searching for me. Shit, how I’m supposed to run on this weather, with so much snow, with the night coming?

Kira was my guide by now, making us walk away from them all the time, even when I could not hear or see them anymore, bringing us further and further in the woods that surrounded the city, in the safety of the wildness where, by nightfall, none of them would be able to track me down.

The problem is the creatures that can.

But no point in dwelling into that as they could find me and there was nothing I could do to stop them, some animals yeah, but not the high raking zombies.

I wonder if there was anything at all that could stop them.

I can hear the fuckers screaming at me again, and by their tone of voice death was a way better end for me in this situation.

“Come out baby boy, we not gonna hurt ya – much” I hear someone completing lower, earning a slap from the other. “ We just want, you know, a friendly chat, we always have space for a cute boy like you in our group, you must be hungry right?”

Cute my ass, I thought, but the mere thought of their hands on me made me shudder in disgust, in far more ways than one.

I would rather die, and not saying it just to say it, I meant it.

I gulp down the nervousness that wanted to overtake me, and try not to focus on what would happen if they catch me, taking a deep breath and narrowing my eyes to the woods surrounding me and to the clear trail that I left behind in the snow.

That wouldn’t do, but the only place that I would not leave any trace behind would be the river, as even the road had snow on it, but I would freeze before I could go any far.

As I was thinking, moving in an almost automatic way, Kira raises her lips silently, a paw up in a hunting motion as she pointed to the side.

A Hoard.

I never understood how they came to be, especially since most slow zombies tended to stay in the cities, but sometimes they forme groups and roamed about, like a hunting pack or migrating birds, unknown for me if they went out with a reason or just followed the group because they were attracted by the movement.

Not that it matters, understanding wouldn’t make them stop trying to bite me, and with Kira I could easily avoid them.

But now, I could use them, more than just covering my tracks, they would be a great distraction, and getting farther away from them before sunset was a must, plus I was starving at this point, needed a break for walking and running all day without consuming anything.

I take Kira off the ground, thankful yet saddened for her lightweight, for her paws would make a clear path on the snow even with the zombies stomping around, I assert as I get closer to the group.

It had considerable size, even with some Runners in the middle, their head held higher than the other as they stood more alert, their heads moving like a bird, nonstop to one side back to the other, attentive for any prey.

I grab some stones laying around with the tip of my fingers, marking the place where they made contact in my mind so I could clean my glove later I start throwing them at some trees, making enough sound to catch the Runner’s attention so the group stirred sideways towards the path that I had walked on moments before.

If we are lucky enough they will think that the group got me.

But being realistic…

There was always a possibility that they would mark me as wanted on their camp; which by the looks of it didn’t seem like the friendly type; even worst that my features were so unique was the fact that they were searching me now for more than just the stolen items, but because they found a rather disturbing use for me.

Overall nothing changed, I think, I was not part of any camp, and was bound to move from areas faster than the Campers could find me, after all I had all the woods to hide and run from them.

I just needed to get them off my back, like, right now!

After what seems like forever, when my arms start to get numb and all their sounds were left behind I finally put Kira down, taking a hoodie and a skiing mask off my bag for the wind has picked up strength and now carried the snowflakes like leaves over my face, obscuring my view.

With only the howling wind and the shuffling of branches as noises on this vast forest I start to realize another predicament; that it was almost night, there was a snowstorm coming, and we did not have a shelter.

This would be a long night, I bet. It has already started as such.

Sigh.

I’m hungry, Kira must be too… we should eat first.

And no sleep tonight I guess...

***

ML, ML, where are you??…hehe

See ya next Friday!! ~~