DEAD.

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I pant heavily as I continue running from the large group of zombies, Comet running beside me, the buckles on her harness clicking quietly while my pounding footsteps echo in the abandoned town, I’ll be back at my tree house soon, just gotta find some food and get rid of the dead that are following me. “Comet, jump!” I stop momentarily and open my arms, catching my dog quickly and shoving her into my shirt, my belt tightly done up around my dirty black coloured jeans and the bottom of my shirt, it helps stop her from falling out as I run. I look around me as I round the corner, seeing the same old broken down truck is still where it usually is and I make a beeline for it, climbing into the already open boot and shutting it, then using my tatted scarf to keep it tied shut. Comet growls low in her throat when she hears the zombies start banging on the metal, trying to figure out how to get to us.

“Shh!” I shush her, grabbing my mostly empty bag from my back, grabbing the small plastic bottle filled with my urine from in the bag and opening it, “sorry girl, you hate this just as much as I do but it will trick them for the most part.” I whisper to my best friend before pouring the foul liquid over the both of us, cringing at the strong smell of it, I really didn’t think I would of needed to do this, this soon. Comet shows her displeasure of being drenched with pee by nipping me, “you bitch, you always do that to me!” I hiss at her with a fond smirk, rolling my eyes when she lols out her tongue and wags her tail.

Goofy dog.

Within a few minutes the things moved away slowly but unfortunately I could still hear maybe one or two shuffling around out there, I reach for my machete that is attached to my belt by its sheath and when I have a good grip on it I slowly and carefully untied my scarf, I let the trunk of the car open with a loud squeak and sit up after I see one of them slowly walking away and another one ambling the way I need to go. I look at the ground to make sure there aren’t any crawlers before I stalk toward the one that is heading into the town, swinging my blade and killing it instantly, the walker drops to the ground with a soft thud.

I wrap my scarf back around my neck and mouth, looking down my shirt to see my little ankle biter napping happily in there. Lazy shit. I shrug before beginning to jog the rest of the way to the old buildings with my machete in hand, “find food, something, anything!” I mumble to myself desperately as I slow to a stop in front of a store, the windows smashed, the door creaking slightly while it dangles from one of its hinges.

I reach down to grab a big piece of rubble and throw it into the store, hearing it break something in there. I hide to the side and just listen for anything that might be in the shop, when I hear nothing I go in cautiously, waking up Comet and putting her on the ground “Girl, stand guard while I try find anything. Guard!” I instruct and she sits just out of view of the doorway, keeping her eyes locked to it. I quickly start to look around the broken shelving that have been scavenged bare, I sigh in relief when I find a small can of creamed corn, at least it’s a start of something. By the time Comet and I leave the small store, I found a can with no label, two squished chocolate bars, some beef jerky and a tin of cat food along with that small tin of creamed corn from before. I turn in the direction of the other buildings to check to see if they are safe when Comet suddenly runs into a chemist, which makes me curse lowly and chase after her, blade ready to swing. I freeze when I hear a voice, an actual, human, voice, coo at my dog, a male voice “aww well hello there puppy! Nate there’s a dog!” Oh for fuck sake, there’s two!? “David leave her be, look she has that thing on her chest and she doesn’t seem at all feral so she still belongs to someone.” Smart boy, very observant. I wonder what he looks like?

“How do you know it’s a girl?” That first guy is obviously an idiot. A young idiot from the sound of things.

“Well if you look at the lower end of the dogs body you would see that she doesn’t have a dick!” Subtle, not.

I decided to let them know I am indeed here and listening to them by letting out a sharp whistle to call Comet back to me, making the men go quiet and I know they are now looking around for me. “Comet run off on me one more time and you won’t leave my shirt for a while.” I huff, picking her up by the handle on her harness. “Okay boys, I’m not here to harm you, I just came to get my wayward dog. I’m going now.” I say loud enough for them to hear me. “Shit, you’re a lady?” I hear a slap. “David shut up! Okay, we don’t mean any trouble either, we are here looking for something to eat for our group. Are there others with you?” I hold in my amusement while I stay where I am.

“No.” I reply a few moments later.

“Oh, really? Well is everything okay? Do you need help? I have a little medical training so I can help if you need it! We could maybe trade too. We’re coming out, just to talk!” Before they have the chance to walk in the direction of the building wall I’m hiding behind, I turn and run with Comet stuffed in my shirt safely as I make our get away into the thick bush, I guess the food I have will have to last me and Comet the next few days, maybe I can try go fishing tomorrow if that part of the lake has cleared from that little group of zombies, they must be coming down from the cities due to lack of food now. I was knocked out of my thoughts when I hear a familiar gargled groan of a walker and from the sounds of it, it’s close. I don’t waste anytime and sprint the rest of the way to my home up in the trees, climbing to the thick branch that I use to hide my rope ladder from anyone or anything when I’m out scavenging I untie it quickly and watch as it tumbles to the leaf littered ground.

I quickly get to climbing the ladder, used to the small amount of extra weight in the front of my shirt from Comet, speaking of her, she pops her head out of my top and starts to pant, a typical sign of her wanting to play after a drink. I need to get more water in the next three to four days too, I’m starting to running low.

Once I reach the platform I rest for a few seconds on my back, panting. Comet slides out of the neck of my shirt and trotting inside the old dark shack. I get up and set about pulling the ladder up to the platform that I’m on, it leads straight to the small doorway and into the ragged cabin. It took me a long time to fix this place, it’s hard to find things to patch up holes these days, ya know? I tie the rope ladder off to the side, away from the ground, before getting up and walking inside, finding Comet chewing on the goat bone I got her a few weeks back, I smirk at the memory, I was tracking that animal for months and I had enough meat to last me a while! I smoked most of its meat and still have some but not enough. I need to make a mental list of things I need.

I go over to the pile of dirt encrusted blankets and flop down with a loud sigh, I hear Comet drop her chew toy and patter her way over to me, whining in my ear, “okay girl, I’ll get the water.” I get up again and grab her dry metal bowl, taking the dish over the the large plastic jug of water. I pour a good amount in the bowl with the slightly deformed plastic cup and place it on the ground, watching my only friend lap at the water happily, a slow wag to her brown and white tail. I smirk while I take my bag off my back, emptying what little content I have in it into a black plastic bucket where I store my tinned goods, “well girl, what do you want, corn or cat food?” I show her the cans, knowing that we have to share half of whichever. Comet tilts her head and huffs, as if telling me “I don’t care.” With a small frown I open the cat food, leaving the better stuff for last, I grimace at the fishy odour that comes from it while Comet licks her lips, I grab her other bowl and dump a little over half the goop into it with a sour look to my face and place it in front of her, Comet wastes no time in starting to eat and drives straight in with a excited butt wiggle. I look at the can and sigh yet again before holding my breath and scarfing down the cat food, trying not to gag at the taste and slimy texture but still cringing as it goes down my oesophagus and into my stomach slowly.

Gotta keep my strength up. I remind myself mentally, grabbing my half empty water bottle and chugging most of it down in a two mouth fulls, trying to rid the taste that I think just murdered the last of my living taste buds. Hearing Comet cough I glare at her, seeing her staring right at me, “you’re laughing at me aren’t you?” I question her blankly.

Another cough.

Bitch.