Make it Till You Don't

Encounter

"Damn it!" I cursed to myself as I jumped over another root, attempting to pick up speed. Unfortunately, being in the woods isn't the best place to run with the terrain being so unpredictable.

Breathing heavily, I took a sharp turn and ran down a hill, leaning up behind one of the big trees to catch my breath. I glanced down at the gun in my hand, bringing it closer to check the chamber, only to find I had a single bullet left.

I chuckled dryly as I closed the chamber, dropping my hands down beside me, leaning my head back against the tree. "Lucky that..." I closed my eyes at my misfortune, debating my next move.

As I thought of any possible solution, my eyes snapped open in alert as I heard growling. I peeked my head around the tree, seeing the source of the noise drawing closer to where I was. Letting out a frustrated groan, I took off running once more.

The sudden movement caused me to wince, bringing a hand up to my side as I kept running. I took  a moment to glance down to my side, seeing a spot of blood appearing on my already blood stained shirt.

"This day just keeps getting better and better don't it?" I gumbled, trailing my eyes back in front of me. The moment I do, I let out a gasp, stopping in my tracks as I heard a growl coming from in front of me.

I brought my hand up and aimed the gun, not wasting a second to pull the trigger. With my only bullet gone, I threw the gun to the ground, wiping the blood from my face. Hearing another growl from behind me, I bent down and grabbed a rock off the ground. I hefted the weight in my hand as I turned around, watching the figure stumbling closer. Once it got close enough, I used what strength I had and swung my arm, bashing it's head with the rock.

As it fell to the ground, I didn't waste a second before I climbed on top of it, smashing it with the rock repeatedly until it stopped moving. Taking a quick glance around my surroundings, I saw there was no immediate danger and threw the rock to the ground, sighing in relief.

I took a moment to stare at the figure below me, from its bloody mouth and rotting skin to its dead eyes that stared right back up at me. I stood back up, never removing my gaze from the body as I placed my hand back onto my side. If you would've told me the dead would be walking the earth a few months ago, I would've said you were insane or watched too many movies. Who would've thought they were right... It's a never ending nightmare we're living in.

When I pictured my future, I thought about being surrounded by family and friends. Going out and having fun, meeting someone to spend the rest of my life with, hell, even working some shitty job just like everyone else in life. Not running from the dead and killing them in order to survive with the constant fear of being bit just to end up with the same fate most of humanity did. Now, all that matters is surviving, and I'll be damned if I turn into one of those things.

As soon as I caught my breath, I began to search the two corpses, looking for anything that could be of use. Finding a knife tucked away in one of their waistbands, I stood up and glanced around as I contemplated which direction I should go, when I noticed the sun beginning to go down.

"Guess I better find a tree to climb for the night."

—

Two days.

Two days of running, killing the dead, and climbing trees to stay alive at night. To say it was taking its toll on me was an understatement. I barely had any sleep, hadn't had a bite to eat, and my wound was getting worse.

I let out a pained groan as I knelt down beside a creek, lifting my shirt up. I cupped some water into my hand, splashing it onto my side, wincing at the sting. As I wiped some of the dirt away, I glanced at the wound seeing how red it was becoming. The pain is manageable, but the puss was beginning to worry me, and I know it won't be long before I get worse. I let out a sigh, letting my shift fall back down, knowing there is nothing I could do about it now.

Standing back up, I placed my hand over the wound and headed towards the left. I began to notice that my pace had slowed significantly and it was becoming more difficult to move. I need to find a car or building soon. Hopefully there, I can find some gauze or pain meds to help. I heard a snap a few feet away, causing panic to rise in my chest. With the condition I was in, I won't be able to defend myself with only a knife.

I began to jog away, hoping the lamebrain didn't see me, at least that's what I've heard someone call these bastards. I noticed a good bit of daylight a few feet away from me and headed in that direction before I could make out a road.

I felt relief flood through my body at the perfect timing. The sun will be going down soon... I can hold up in one of the cars for the night, maybe even get one to work. If I'm lucky, maybe I can find a first aid kit.

I started to slow my pace as I saw a group on the road. I grew hesitant, not knowing who these people are or what they were capable of, but realized I really don't have much options. Deep down I knew I wouldn't last much longer on my own in the condition I was in, and if there was a chance these people could help, I might as well take the risk.

With that in mind, I began making my way in their direction. Glancing around the group, I noticed a woman standing by the railing as she glanced in my direction. "Walker!" She shouted, looking over her shoulder to the others. I furrowed my brows, when I figured that must be what they call the lamebrains and quickly glanced behind me expecting to see one. When I didn't, I grew even more confused.

I watched as the others snapped their heads in my direction, causing my eyes to widen. I watched as a man stalked towards me, a weapon in hand, causing me to freeze in my tracks. Once he got close enough, I saw the look of confusion cross his features as he stopped in front of me. I relaxed a little when I didn't see any hostility on his face, stumbling slightly. I felt my body begin to weaken as black spots dotted my vision. "Help me..."

———
Published: 02/13/2024

***Edit*** I am revamping the story I had thus far, so if you've read this story, its completely up to you if you want to reread for any changes I may have made.

Hey, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I wanted to do things a little different with how the reader meets the group. I don't think I've seen a story where they met on the highway, so I figured, why not? :p

Anywho, feel free to give any feedback you feel necessary, like grammatical errors, as I tend to miss stuff here and there. Every vote/feedback helps me keep in mind of what is working and what I need to change up as I publish more chapters or even going back to update any changes.

I hope you enjoy the story from here on out!