(Unedited) Stage One: Hope in Darkness

Defending Home (Annabelle)

Staying inside for a few days would probably drive me nuts, not to mention poor Hannibal. He hated eating the dried jerky. He preferred his meat red and bloody. After I had managed to get my heart rate back down and stop the panicked adrenaline running through my veins I could finally think clearly. They were in the city, the ripper walkers preferred them. More fresh meat (and not so fresh meat) for them to play with.

They would probably not come to my neck of the woods, no need to cower inside for days using up all my supplies. I wasn't that scared girl any more. I had gotten stronger. Learned how to take care of myself. I held back shivers as a flash of a memory appeared in my mind. Dark, cold, a girl curled up in the corner trying to shut out the screams. My hand reached instinctively for my neck, as it always did when I thought of them. I breathed deep, forcing the bad away. That was the past. I have to look to the future now. The rippers would stay in the city.

That however did not mean that I should not be cautious. I would have to hunt on the other side of my home. Farther from the city, and I couldn't stray far from home. Stealth was an integral part of my survival. I had no allies to rely on, well beside Hannibal. He would die to protect me, but I could not bear to lose him.

When hunting I would have to use my compound bow, no rifle. That was alright though. I preferred the bow. The rifle made too much noise, it tended to attract things. It was useful though, especially when dealing with walkers who strayed into my territory. The further away from me they died, the better. They smelled, and the walkers had no issues eating one of the fallen. Corpses tended to get swarmed.

I went over my plan again in my head. Stay away from the city, stay close to home, no rifle, barricade the doors. And if the worst happened and they did come I always had the emergency exit. A zipline I had put in. The basket would take us quickly down and away from the tree, about one hundred feet away. A good head start from anything chasing us.

I still had things to take care of today, I couldn't let my fear get the best of me. No point in hiding up here till I die of starvation or dehydration. I had to keep moving, keep surviving. "Alright Hannibal, what do you say to a little hunting?" I hated my voice. What had once been something beautifully clear and loud now sounded like the whisper of a strangled chicken. I tried not to wince at the sound. I sighed no point in mourning the past.

The midnight black wolf's eye shone with happiness, Hannibal loved to hunt. His amber eyes practically glowed in the midday light. I smiled down at him. Once again on the treacherous ground I pulled the basket back up into the tree and hid the rope. Winding it around a tree and concealing it in the bushes. The rope ladder I grabbed and threw it back up so it rested at the top. I would have to use the basket to get myself and Hannibal back up but it was necessary to keep the house safe. Well safer at least, never hurt to be cautious especially with rippers about.

Hannibal and I tended to hunt only the smaller prey rabbits, birds, the occasional fox. I never hunted more than we could eat, or cure and turn into jerky. Just because it was the apocalypse didn't mean we needed to be wasteful. I could still see the house when I heard a twig snap. It was a small one, which meant a small animal, not a ripper or walker. I stopped, becoming completely silent. I pulled my bow from around me and signaled to Hannibal to circle around.

A low whistle and he dashed quickly ahead, sending the rabbit fleaing. My arrow found it swiftly killing it. I gave Hannibal a pat, good boy. I smiled and gave him the signal to eat. Our first kills were always his.

I kept watch while he tore into the rabbit. I tried not to watch him, I was used to the blood and gore but that didn't mean I liked it.

*snap* That was definitely not a small snap. I gave three short whistles. Hannibal stopped eating and went into full wolf mode. Crouched low, prepared to attack at any movement. I moved slowly, careful not to make a sound. I notched an arrow into my bow. That's when I heard it, a low growling, gurgling sound.