Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2015 14:51:51 GMT -5
Survival. The word was simple but the connotation of it, all the meaning that came with it, that was a lot more complex. It meant different things to different people who were all in different contexts. For some it was the most important thing, the most base human instinct that we fight for. To others it was their burden, that they kept on surviving despite what surrounded them. For many their own personal definition of survival had morphed significantly over the past two years since the outbreak began. For Calvin the meaning and it’s context in his life had barely changed at all.
“AHHHHHHHHH,”
The scream filled the Tennessee woods as a skinny man dressed in a T-Shirt and Jeans laid on the ground rolling in pain. Blood was quickly running down his leg staining the entirety of his jeans. The man didn’t look older than 20 and boy might have been a more fitting descriptor.
“Damn it Shiloh, shut up!”
Cal’s voice was direct and to the point as the body of a walker fell down in front of him a knife-sized hole through its decaying skull. Cal quickly made his way over to Shiloh kneeling besides him. The two hadn’t been traveling together long, maybe a couple weeks, there had been three of them briefly but an encounter with some other less than gracious survivors saw it that the two of them were the only ones left.
“AHHH!”
“You have got to be quiet, you do not have a choice, Did you fall or were you bit?”
Shiloh managed to quiet himself. His whole body was shaking, his lips quivering, as his eyes looked at Calvin almost pleading. The answer to the question was clear.
“Ther…there has to be another way. Please Cal please, save me. You don’t have to…you don..”
“I’m sorry.”
“CAL..”
The cry was cut off quickly as Calvin finished his companion. Survival was the code; there was not time for sentimentalism anymore. Shiloh was a good guy, Calvin had no doubt he was probably a better man than himself. Once you were bit though, there was no turning back. A few more minutes of survival for Shiloh only meant more suffering and a decreased chance of survival for Calvin.
Still, a somber look covered Calvin’s face. Calvin was Shiloh’s only chance of survival in a world like this and in that way he had let him down. Shiloh had panicked when they were ambushed by a group of walkers and the rest of the scene went as you would have expected. Calvin could hear the familiar sounds of a herd in the distance, no doubt attracted by the screams of his fallen companion. Calvin quickly grabbed what supplies Shiloh had been carrying and hurriedly made his way as far away as possible.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The herd had been larger than expected which meant Calvin had to abandon most thought as far as to WHERE he was actually heading. Instead he just had to move and keep on moving. It was entering evening time now and he was beginning to worry about where he could even hunker down for the night. He had spent most of his time since the apocalypse started by himself but it was definitely a lot easier when there were people taking shifts. Granted his trust was limited so he often ended watching the whole night anyways.
Still, he hadn’t scouted out this area and turning back was not an option. This was not a good situation to be in and he knew it. He kept moving, a sense of desperation starting to fill the man who had been able to keep strangely calm throughout most of his screwed up life. His preoccupation with everything going on had almost caused him to miss the sight of walls in the distance. When he saw them though, he came to halt.
He had heard stories of supposed “strongholds” before but had never actually seen one. He was always inherently skeptical and the appeal to him was limited. The safety seemed nice but the idea of authority and remaking society, that was hard to sell to someone who had been screwed by both authority and society his entire life. In unfamiliar territory, knowing that walkers were what stood behind if he tried to back track meant his options were limited. Besides a place that big meant it would be hard to avoid.
Calvin continued to make his war forward beginning to see more of the structure coming into view. His crappy vision meant this took a little longer but the place was impressive, definitely more impressive than anything he had seen to this point. As he got closer, it was only becoming more and clearer to him how limited his options were. He needed somewhere to stay, at least for the night. He needed to gather intel and his supplies were not going to last him much longer anyways. He was smart and strong, he knew how to handle himself especially in close quarters. Going up to strangers was risky but so was everything else.
Calvin pushed forward briskly but cautiously his hand over the pistol he had tucked in his pants. He did not want to yell if he could avoid it so as he reached the gate he did was seemed like the next best option, he knocked as hard as he could.
“AHHHHHHHHH,”
The scream filled the Tennessee woods as a skinny man dressed in a T-Shirt and Jeans laid on the ground rolling in pain. Blood was quickly running down his leg staining the entirety of his jeans. The man didn’t look older than 20 and boy might have been a more fitting descriptor.
“Damn it Shiloh, shut up!”
Cal’s voice was direct and to the point as the body of a walker fell down in front of him a knife-sized hole through its decaying skull. Cal quickly made his way over to Shiloh kneeling besides him. The two hadn’t been traveling together long, maybe a couple weeks, there had been three of them briefly but an encounter with some other less than gracious survivors saw it that the two of them were the only ones left.
“AHHH!”
“You have got to be quiet, you do not have a choice, Did you fall or were you bit?”
Shiloh managed to quiet himself. His whole body was shaking, his lips quivering, as his eyes looked at Calvin almost pleading. The answer to the question was clear.
“Ther…there has to be another way. Please Cal please, save me. You don’t have to…you don..”
“I’m sorry.”
“CAL..”
The cry was cut off quickly as Calvin finished his companion. Survival was the code; there was not time for sentimentalism anymore. Shiloh was a good guy, Calvin had no doubt he was probably a better man than himself. Once you were bit though, there was no turning back. A few more minutes of survival for Shiloh only meant more suffering and a decreased chance of survival for Calvin.
Still, a somber look covered Calvin’s face. Calvin was Shiloh’s only chance of survival in a world like this and in that way he had let him down. Shiloh had panicked when they were ambushed by a group of walkers and the rest of the scene went as you would have expected. Calvin could hear the familiar sounds of a herd in the distance, no doubt attracted by the screams of his fallen companion. Calvin quickly grabbed what supplies Shiloh had been carrying and hurriedly made his way as far away as possible.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The herd had been larger than expected which meant Calvin had to abandon most thought as far as to WHERE he was actually heading. Instead he just had to move and keep on moving. It was entering evening time now and he was beginning to worry about where he could even hunker down for the night. He had spent most of his time since the apocalypse started by himself but it was definitely a lot easier when there were people taking shifts. Granted his trust was limited so he often ended watching the whole night anyways.
Still, he hadn’t scouted out this area and turning back was not an option. This was not a good situation to be in and he knew it. He kept moving, a sense of desperation starting to fill the man who had been able to keep strangely calm throughout most of his screwed up life. His preoccupation with everything going on had almost caused him to miss the sight of walls in the distance. When he saw them though, he came to halt.
He had heard stories of supposed “strongholds” before but had never actually seen one. He was always inherently skeptical and the appeal to him was limited. The safety seemed nice but the idea of authority and remaking society, that was hard to sell to someone who had been screwed by both authority and society his entire life. In unfamiliar territory, knowing that walkers were what stood behind if he tried to back track meant his options were limited. Besides a place that big meant it would be hard to avoid.
Calvin continued to make his war forward beginning to see more of the structure coming into view. His crappy vision meant this took a little longer but the place was impressive, definitely more impressive than anything he had seen to this point. As he got closer, it was only becoming more and clearer to him how limited his options were. He needed somewhere to stay, at least for the night. He needed to gather intel and his supplies were not going to last him much longer anyways. He was smart and strong, he knew how to handle himself especially in close quarters. Going up to strangers was risky but so was everything else.
Calvin pushed forward briskly but cautiously his hand over the pistol he had tucked in his pants. He did not want to yell if he could avoid it so as he reached the gate he did was seemed like the next best option, he knocked as hard as he could.