Post by Miri Rose Haber on Jan 13, 2016 12:53:56 GMT -5
The fire was roaring and crackling beside her; contained within the old woodstove that still stood in what was now her house. She was lounging deep in her chair reading an old book by the light coming through the grate. The book was old and worn and tattered and read many times before the end of the world even started.
At her feet lightly panting in his sleep was her great mastiff. The blue shone like threads of silver on his short course fur from the dancing hues of oranges, yellows and reds. She looked up from her book and slowly closed it.
The entire apocalypse, as she thought of it, was spent in her grandparents old house. At first it was with her grandparents and her twin sister, brother in law, and four nephews. But as the hardships and the years went by she watched each one of them die. The hardest had been the children who had no defenses for the way the world was now. All it took was pneumonia that simple antibiotics would have cured to take the youngest.
She pinched the bridge of her knows and screwed her eyes tightly shut until it caused her pain. No, she didn't want to think of it now. Instead she stood up and stepped over her sleeping beast and continued to pack.
A month or so ago when the weather seemed to be the worst for winter she had heard-and smelled- a horde coming her way. She had already been prepared for the inevitability of this happening and had been packing for herself as soon as she laid her sisters body in the ground in the backyard. For years she had siphoned gas, gone on runs, canned meat and fruits and vegetables. Made clothes and blankets mostly out of animal furs. Outside she had a large pickup truck with a cover on the back, likely enough gas to get to the other side of the country, as well as all the food and other supplies she had amassed and grown and prepared. Hitched to the back of the truck was a camper which was also fortified as best she could fortify it with scrap metal...and it was entirely packed with supplies like the bed of the truck was.
She didn't want to leave in the middle of winter. Lord knows the roads were severe enough when plows went down the road every ten minutes. Now years of monsters walking them, no one maintaining them....She was sure she wasn't goign to get very damn far even in the middle of summer. However she had no more choice and couldn't put it off any longer. She hoisted the last two duffel bags and plopped them by the door. Sighing, she then laid on the couch in front of the fire, and closed her eyes to sleep until the sun decided to come back out.
The next morning after breakfast for her and Brutus, they both went outside to make one final preparation. She hooked up a pilfered old plow blade to the front of the truck.
"This is it, buddy. We won't ever see this place again."
The smell in the air was absolutely wretched. The monsters couldn't be heard or seen yet-but they were close enough.
She opened the door to let Brutus lumber in to the truck before climbing in the drivers seat. With great care she started the truck and went down the road, plowing the snow as she went, in the opposite direction of the smell of the horde. Where she would end up or who she would meet along the way she didn't know. She had no map and no real destination in mind. Go until she couldn't go anymore...
At her feet lightly panting in his sleep was her great mastiff. The blue shone like threads of silver on his short course fur from the dancing hues of oranges, yellows and reds. She looked up from her book and slowly closed it.
The entire apocalypse, as she thought of it, was spent in her grandparents old house. At first it was with her grandparents and her twin sister, brother in law, and four nephews. But as the hardships and the years went by she watched each one of them die. The hardest had been the children who had no defenses for the way the world was now. All it took was pneumonia that simple antibiotics would have cured to take the youngest.
She pinched the bridge of her knows and screwed her eyes tightly shut until it caused her pain. No, she didn't want to think of it now. Instead she stood up and stepped over her sleeping beast and continued to pack.
A month or so ago when the weather seemed to be the worst for winter she had heard-and smelled- a horde coming her way. She had already been prepared for the inevitability of this happening and had been packing for herself as soon as she laid her sisters body in the ground in the backyard. For years she had siphoned gas, gone on runs, canned meat and fruits and vegetables. Made clothes and blankets mostly out of animal furs. Outside she had a large pickup truck with a cover on the back, likely enough gas to get to the other side of the country, as well as all the food and other supplies she had amassed and grown and prepared. Hitched to the back of the truck was a camper which was also fortified as best she could fortify it with scrap metal...and it was entirely packed with supplies like the bed of the truck was.
She didn't want to leave in the middle of winter. Lord knows the roads were severe enough when plows went down the road every ten minutes. Now years of monsters walking them, no one maintaining them....She was sure she wasn't goign to get very damn far even in the middle of summer. However she had no more choice and couldn't put it off any longer. She hoisted the last two duffel bags and plopped them by the door. Sighing, she then laid on the couch in front of the fire, and closed her eyes to sleep until the sun decided to come back out.
The next morning after breakfast for her and Brutus, they both went outside to make one final preparation. She hooked up a pilfered old plow blade to the front of the truck.
"This is it, buddy. We won't ever see this place again."
The smell in the air was absolutely wretched. The monsters couldn't be heard or seen yet-but they were close enough.
She opened the door to let Brutus lumber in to the truck before climbing in the drivers seat. With great care she started the truck and went down the road, plowing the snow as she went, in the opposite direction of the smell of the horde. Where she would end up or who she would meet along the way she didn't know. She had no map and no real destination in mind. Go until she couldn't go anymore...