Autumn Flowers

Chapter One / Wasting Away

“Fuck, my stomach is eating my spine!” It was almost all she could think about. How long had it been since she had eaten? Two days? Three?

All alone, she had been pushing herself. Little encouragement here, a little there. The only thing letting her continue was the mercifully chilled weather.

In a fit of frustration a while back she had thrown away her calendar. Stupid. However, the changing leaves and cool temperature felt amazing. She couldn’t remember what month it was, but she knew it had to be early autumn.

Just a little farther.

Ava pulled at her backpack. The sack bit into her shoulder even more than before. The other strap had broken over a week ago, but she still hadn’t replaced it. Now, the only items she owned in the world were held by frayed black cloth and aged leather. Oh, she missed the days when she could just go to a nearby store for a new one.

She was in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. At least, that was what it felt like. Ava had been walking for days through the countryside. Her feet were blistered and her stomach empty. She didn’t even want to think about what she looked like to a passerby. And what did she have to show for the few farmhouses she had dared to enter?

Nothing. Na-da. Except for a single diary that she had taken with her for reasons she didn’t even know herself and a few new scratches.

What was she doing?

Now she was lost; slogging through the mud so to speak. Err, train tracks, really. The rails stretched far ahead of her, the metal her compass. To somewhere. Maybe.

Damn it.

Her feet felt so heavy, but she wouldn’t stop here. Couldn’t. Ava just had to concentrate, and not think about what was bothering her. Mind over matter, right? That’s what everyone used to say.

Sights and smells, Ava. Sights and smells.

The smell of pine and molding leaves assailed her and she tried to concentrate on the light filtering through the colorful leaves. The rays bounced and danced, but in the distance she heard the groans. The ravenous moans of the undead. Always following, always starving.

Wow. Could you be even more morbid, Ava?

Her eyes stayed downcast as she walked, trying to concentrate on the task at hand. Beneath her feet dandelions dotted the grass and the tracks stayed at her right side. She was almost so intent on her task that she missed the whimpering moans drawing ever closer. It wasn’t until one of the festering corpses passed the treeline that she realized her mistake.

The corpse shambled from forest, most likely drawn by every small sound she made. The poor soul’s body was decrepit, almost falling apart. It was the stuff of nightmares, or at least many of her nightmares. It might have been a woman once upon a time, but now only hunks of hanging hair distinguished her as such.

Almost all of her face had been feasted on. All that was left of it was tendon and chunks of flesh.

Well, at least there was only one. That, Ava could handle no problem. All she had to do was dodge the slow fucker…

She tried to go over the tracks to the other side. The zombies had a harder time traversing any kind of obstacle, and the metal would be just the thing. Unfortunately, Ava also didn’t consider her own weakened state. Hunger seemed to make her short-sighted.

Usually, she was fast and agile. Her small stature helped her be such, and as an athlete she was light on her feet. She leapt onto the track and tried to take another step forward. It took her by surprise when she became dizzy just as she landed. All it took was for that one misstep, and her ankle to twisted underneath her.

She let out a squeak as she went down, her eyebrows drawing in surprise. Then pain flashed through her. Ava was the one left fallen on the tracks, her gray eyes watering from the injury. Behind her, she could hear the walker growing closer. Each hesitant step it took brought it towards the train tracks.

Damn it!

Why did it have to happen now? Was this how she was going to die? A weak ass sprain?! Oh fuck that!

Ava struggled to get up, or to crawl away. Panic clawed at her throat as she pulled herself off the tracks, but she was far too weak to stand. Hunger and malnourishment clawed at her, punishing her body and mind. Was her ticket finally up? Like hell she would let this end without so much as a fight.

More growls joined the one that was right behind her, and she dared to glance back. A few feet behind her was the corpse, but more were falling free of the treeline. As one fell, the other clambered over it to make it to the grass. The undead would trample each other to get to their prey. They had spotted their meal, and she was a course big enough to last them a while.

Not like it mattered, though. The dead ate anything they could get their rotted claws on.

Anxiety gripped her, and she knew she was on the cusp of a full-blown panic attack. Ava scrambled, clawing at the ground as she tried to slink away. Dirt filled the beds of her nails, but she still couldn’t make it to her feet. Her blood pounded in her ears as one of them grabbed her right foot.

“NO!” She kicked as much as she was able, albeit that was weakly. The zombie lurched, taking her leather shoe with it. It recovered quickly enough, scrambling to grab at her once more.

It’s skeletal fingers tightened around her calf even as she brought her injured foot up to kick at it’s rotten visage. She was no match for the starving ghoul. A scream left her lips as she was wrenched back, the smell of rot filling her nostrils as the thing drew her closer. It was almost on top of her now. The dirt cut at her fists as she hit the dirt when she flailed. Sweat beaded her brow, and her heart felt as if it would burst in her chest.

Someone. Anyone! She didn’t want to die here.