Already he could hear Leslie's gentle breathing underneath Stevie's snoring and Ollie's muttering. Cedric scanned with alert eyes the mist-enshrouded forest in front of him. The small party had camped with a reasonably-sized river behind them so the rotating guard could hear any splash if someone attempted to get across. With the thick mist, even hostile survivors with guns would be hard-pressed to identify the group let even kill them from afar. Cedric, despite having more or less perfect eyesight, could not pierce the veil that nature granted him and the infected.
Cedric breathed in sharply at the thought of the infected. Four months saw the end to civilization after the first outbreak. Those few who did not catch the initial disease succumbed to it's victims, madness and fear. A loner by living and nature, Cedric had no love for outsiders and his own faith in humanity went crashing down during those terrible months. Cedric felt a pang as his thoughts shifted to his neighbors, Mrs. Johnson and her daughter Annie. He got them into his house to keep them safe from the disease and looters. Looters were the least of their worries. The disease got them first. Cedric had been saved by looters of all people from the woman who regularly brought him little cakes and the sweet little girl who he occasionally looked after.
Then the looters turned on him.
Through rage and adrenaline, Cedric killed all four of them.
He looted them instead, and took off for the countryside, where he felt he should be safer. He joined a larger group of survivors who had the same idea. Almost forty strong, everyone thought safety in numbers would get them to the countryside quickly. It only made them a target by infected, looters and military. Sadly, most of the survivors were killed by uninfected humans, something which tore at Cedric everyday at how humanity had turned out.
The splash was what alerted the weary survivor.
Gun raised and already two steps closer to the tent and the river, Cedric peered into the unsettling mist, trying to make out what caused the disturbance in the calm of the forest. He did not call a challenge or wake the rest of the party. He waited for the intruder to reveal themselves. Cedric waited. And waited still. But nothing emerged from the mist. Not a gunshot, the swish of an arrow or rock. Not another splash or footsteps. Nothing. Cedric did not let down his guard. The splash he heard was definitely not normal. Someone was out there.
He'll find the intruder later. Infected or not, the intruder could hardly see the survivors. Cedric turned and woke Stevie. He curled up in his bedroll and tried to sleep.
Cedric woke up again. He spied the silhouette of Ollie with his beloved hunting rifle. That would mean it was almost dawn. With slow and steady movements so the rest would not hear him, Cedric packed his personal supplies and quietly left the tent. The bedroll he left in the tent. Cedric did not want for human company, even if the other three were suitably good people. He would rather stay a loner.
Carefully he crossed the river with the makeshift platform he painstakingly built when he found the spot. He drew his gun and scanned his surroundings more carefully now. He was on the side of the river where the intruder apparently was. He moved very slowly, but was sure he made a fair distance from the camp by now. Cedric felt a small pang for leaving the others behind. He shook his head and asserted himself that he was a loner. He was not fit for society no matter how wrecked it is now. So absorbed in his thoughts the hardened survivor was caught off guard by the two sleeping children he nearly stepped on.
With a startled cry by all three, the survivors leapt to a side. Cedric's eyes widened. Two children alive in this world. At a young age to boot! The older one, a boy seemed only nine while the girl was about six. They looked frightened, starved and dirty, similar to most of the survivors roaming the world nowadays. Cedric crouched to their eye level and said as gently as he could muster, "You two alone?' The boy nodded shakily. "You need help?" The boy just stared at him. The girl held tight to his arm. Cedric smiled and said, "Hey, I got a group of friends down the river, we got some extra food. We're handy with the infected. Wanna stay with us? We can keep you safe." The boy shook his head vigorously. Cedric held his patience and said "Hey come on, even squeakers like you should know that this world is dangerous, especially for unarmed kids. We can help you." Then the boy said in a surprisingly strong voice, "I never said I was unarmed." Too late, Cedric realized the boy had a hand in his jacket, and was pulling it out with startlingly speed.
The shot cut through the mist and the silence of the dawn.
The boy sifted through the dead man's pockets while his sister rummaged the rucksack. Sarah piped up, "Gabe, we can;t carry such a big rucksack. Should we still grab the food in here?" The boy, Gabriel, shook his head and said, "Take what we can carry and need. Forget his gun. It's too heavy for me. Hurry, his 'friends' should be here soon. No one is trustworthy in this world." Stuffing Cedric's food in their pockets and schoolbags, the two siblings disappeared into the mist.
A figure emerged from the mist and stood over Cedric's body. Growling, the infected howled and bent over the body. From out of the mist lumbered out five more infected. They had not feasted for days.
Then the looters turned on him.
Through rage and adrenaline, Cedric killed all four of them.
He looted them instead, and took off for the countryside, where he felt he should be safer. He joined a larger group of survivors who had the same idea. Almost forty strong, everyone thought safety in numbers would get them to the countryside quickly. It only made them a target by infected, looters and military. Sadly, most of the survivors were killed by uninfected humans, something which tore at Cedric everyday at how humanity had turned out.
The splash was what alerted the weary survivor.
Gun raised and already two steps closer to the tent and the river, Cedric peered into the unsettling mist, trying to make out what caused the disturbance in the calm of the forest. He did not call a challenge or wake the rest of the party. He waited for the intruder to reveal themselves. Cedric waited. And waited still. But nothing emerged from the mist. Not a gunshot, the swish of an arrow or rock. Not another splash or footsteps. Nothing. Cedric did not let down his guard. The splash he heard was definitely not normal. Someone was out there.
He'll find the intruder later. Infected or not, the intruder could hardly see the survivors. Cedric turned and woke Stevie. He curled up in his bedroll and tried to sleep.
Cedric woke up again. He spied the silhouette of Ollie with his beloved hunting rifle. That would mean it was almost dawn. With slow and steady movements so the rest would not hear him, Cedric packed his personal supplies and quietly left the tent. The bedroll he left in the tent. Cedric did not want for human company, even if the other three were suitably good people. He would rather stay a loner.
Carefully he crossed the river with the makeshift platform he painstakingly built when he found the spot. He drew his gun and scanned his surroundings more carefully now. He was on the side of the river where the intruder apparently was. He moved very slowly, but was sure he made a fair distance from the camp by now. Cedric felt a small pang for leaving the others behind. He shook his head and asserted himself that he was a loner. He was not fit for society no matter how wrecked it is now. So absorbed in his thoughts the hardened survivor was caught off guard by the two sleeping children he nearly stepped on.
With a startled cry by all three, the survivors leapt to a side. Cedric's eyes widened. Two children alive in this world. At a young age to boot! The older one, a boy seemed only nine while the girl was about six. They looked frightened, starved and dirty, similar to most of the survivors roaming the world nowadays. Cedric crouched to their eye level and said as gently as he could muster, "You two alone?' The boy nodded shakily. "You need help?" The boy just stared at him. The girl held tight to his arm. Cedric smiled and said, "Hey, I got a group of friends down the river, we got some extra food. We're handy with the infected. Wanna stay with us? We can keep you safe." The boy shook his head vigorously. Cedric held his patience and said "Hey come on, even squeakers like you should know that this world is dangerous, especially for unarmed kids. We can help you." Then the boy said in a surprisingly strong voice, "I never said I was unarmed." Too late, Cedric realized the boy had a hand in his jacket, and was pulling it out with startlingly speed.
The shot cut through the mist and the silence of the dawn.
The boy sifted through the dead man's pockets while his sister rummaged the rucksack. Sarah piped up, "Gabe, we can;t carry such a big rucksack. Should we still grab the food in here?" The boy, Gabriel, shook his head and said, "Take what we can carry and need. Forget his gun. It's too heavy for me. Hurry, his 'friends' should be here soon. No one is trustworthy in this world." Stuffing Cedric's food in their pockets and schoolbags, the two siblings disappeared into the mist.
A figure emerged from the mist and stood over Cedric's body. Growling, the infected howled and bent over the body. From out of the mist lumbered out five more infected. They had not feasted for days.
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