After the End

Chapter 1

I scrape a small clump of beans from the bottom of a can, wishing I had taken the time to warm them over a fire.

It's been a few days now since I reached the outskirts of Atlanta. I knew materials would be scarce but this can of beans being the only food I've found since arriving is alarming.

I open my backpack and shove the empty can in, I've been meaning to try hooking up a noise trap next time I settle down for the night, guess I gotta start somewhere.

A clattering noise in a building nearby makes me jump. I sling my backpack over my shoulder and half-walk/half-run to a car overgrown with plants that sits nearby.

I peek over the top of the car, please don't be bandits, please don't be bandits.

A shadow moves across the storefront, cloaked in darkness. It approaches the windows, then a few seconds later it bursts through the glass with a loud shatter, sending the companies logo splattering onto the ground.

Relief washes over me, it's not a bandit.

Its a four legged creature, about as tall as the average person. Created by one of the last countries during the great war. I'm sure they have an official name, but I call them Lurkers. Because- well, they lurk.

The encounters I've had with them have been mostly peaceful, except for a time in Washington D.C when a swarm of them chased me up a skyscraper. I made sure to add a note in my journal after that about them being aggressive in packs. Really aggressive.

This one seems to be alone though, so I back away from the car, then continue down the street while keeping my eye on the creature.

I hear it sniffing the air behind me. The urge to turn around hits me but ultimately goes ignored. Maybe looking it in the eyes would make it see me as its alpha.

...Maybe that only works with canines.

Then I hear a set of footsteps behind me, and another...then another.

I run.

The footsteps grow louder, and closer. I don't risk a look back, all the cracks in the road make a trip up too likely. Theirs a bank to my right, but it looks like the doors are chained shut. Ahead of me at the end of the road is a hotel, perfect.

I speed up, at a full sprint now. My backpack bumping against my back, the empty can tinging against some other metallic object. A few moments later I reach the hotel doors and bash into them, expecting them to swing open freely.

Ow.

I shake the doors, locked tight. Crap.

The Lurkers close in behind me, this time I glance back. They look a lot scarier in chase mode. The creatures eyes glow with a yellow color, long claws scraping along the road with every step, probably meant to stir up hysteria among soldiers back in the war.

I back away from the doors, take a deep breath, then ram into them shoulder first. They move slightly, but don't open. I do it again, nothing.

The Lurkers are almost on me now, at least 6 of them. They growl with a deep rumble like what I imagine a dinosaur would sound like. Great, now it feels like a pack of raptors are chasing me.

I bash into the door one last time, nothing. I stumble backwards, my shoulder filled with searing pain. Leaning against the door awards me with one last look at my attackers before they reach me.

Suddenly a series of loud cracks erupts from down the street, my ears start ringing after the second one.

A liquid splashes onto my face, covering my eyes and turning the world dark. I fold up into a ball and bury my face between my knees. The gunshots continue.