The Fog (HIATUS)

Chapter 15

If I thought that surviving here alone would be easier, I was severely mistaken.
With Cooper around I could relax more as he was way more vigilant than me, but now? I almost got a heart attack yesterday from a hedgehog and got chased around by a beaver the day before. I fear what could happen if I stray too close to a fort where most animals are. The worst-case scenario is death most likely.

I was lucky when I found that farmhouse three days ago, ever since then I was sleeping on trees. The feeling of getting lost also wasn't the most calming right now but walking straight and hoping to find any kind of city or town showed surprisingly rewarding.

Yesterday I spotted the buildings from a small hill and the walk there should be rewarding. If people didn't go inside the building, I might find just what I need. I was hoping for a map and some supplies, preferably food.
Eating the leftover smoked meat and mushrooms all the time made me sick to the stomach whenever I stopped to eat.

As I got closer, I tried to find any street sign that would reveal the city name to me. Who knows I might know it and the feeling of being lost would go away, it would solve some of my worries, not that I had many in the first place. I guess my carefree nature will be the end of me someday.

I spot an airport, perfect way to find out what city it is. I walk along the highway to town and stop when I find what I was looking for.

,,Minot aero center." Staring at the big letters glued to the building I scoff in disbelief. ,,Minot?" And here I was thinking that I visited every corner of North America.
Now I know what city this is but I'm still pretty much lost.
Well, no one said it will be easy.

I continue to walk in the city in hopes to find the supplies and a safe spot to camp, as well as to avoid bandits. Looking at the broken glass under several buildings I can confidently say that there were people here after the outbreak. But if they stood outside and looted, I might be able to find something inside. Ever since this started and we left the tree house I was once inside a building.

Not daring to enter apartments as the fog could be in the poorly lit staircases I focused on the smaller buildings with large windows and gas stations that could also make a good camp spot this night. It was safer to find a good spot now rather than stress later with limited time.

One of the gas stations had a white van parked right next to it, if I'm lucky I might be able to climb on top of the van and then on the roof.
Scanning the street, I note the awful smell in the city, like something was rotting here and it wasn't just the garbage. Crossing the road, I take note of how the upper windows of apartments are intact, the survivors couldn't get to them, but I doubt that the infected would not jump at the possibility of supplies.

I walk over to the white van and look around for anything I could use as a stepping stool, yet there's nothing like that around.
Well, it looks like I will need to do this myself. Placing one foot on the left tire and supporting myself on the mirror I pull myself up until I'm standing on the hood. At this point I just hope that the windshield won't break. Once I'm sure that I won't fall I jump on the vans roof and then jump on top of the gas station. It takes some struggle to pull myself up as I never was one to exercise.

Once there I shrug my bag off and take only the necessities for looting, that means my pocketknife and two plastic bags I found on the road. With that I leave my bag on the roof and get down the same way I got up.

I might have another three to four hours of daylight left so I shouldn't go far. I doubt that the airport would have anything that would be useful, so I won't backtrack there.
My attention is caught by a small building, so I go investigate.

The small, one-story brick building looked like one of those shops but after looking in through the untouched windows I realized why nobody looted it. It was a flower shop. Guess there's nothing interesting inside, so I continued forward. It seems like this part of the city didn't have a lot of big houses, mostly simple family houses and big block shops.

I walked straight and looked inside every house, even if the windows were broken, in hopes of finding anything the other people didn't take. Some houses had the 'beware dog' signs in the windows as the houses didn't have fences. If not for the overgrown grass and broken windows this would be a very nice neighborhood. One house was even for sale, guess nobody will move in for the time being, for obvious reasons.

I stop at an intersection, I can either go right and look at more of those houses or I can go left and try my luck on the other side of the park. With one look at the houses on my right I walk towards the park. The fence wasn't tall so jumping over wouldn't be a problem, but the gate was missing so I just walked in. Why do parks even need fences?

Following the river I make my way deeper inside the park, and to my surprise I find a... parking lot? Behind the parking lot there seem to be a waterslide. Was there a swimming pool?
I slowly walk closer and there in fact is a pool with one big slide, I was rather surprised as I have never really seen a swimming pool in a place like this, but maybe it's because I never looked for things like that.

Continuing in my search I cross a bridge over the river and find another neighborhood. Small houses closely together and the same thing across the street. To my surprise and maybe even luck some houses windows were intact.

I walked to the closest building with intact windows and looked inside. Big room with a couch and a TV, it's a pity that it wouldn't work. It would be much easier with electricity around. Upon closer look there I notice that the door is open and in the other room is what looks like a dinner table with some pots laying around. A pot would be useful to me, it will be a hassle to carry around but at least I won't have to boil water in a tin can. Mentally noting which house holds the pots I carry on. I will come back for them later.

As I step away from the window a sharp pain on my ankle makes me jump. Looking down I try to get the small white attacker off my pants, but the murderous squirrel does not want to let go. I Didn't even notice that thing coming, luckily it isn't something bigger.

,,Come here you little-" I grab the squirrel and hold it by its tail as it wiggles around and tries to bite me. ,,Stop or you will end up in a stew."
The squirrel does not stop, of course. If I let it go it will just come at me again and I don't want to kill it. I don't even have a knife that would do the job. All I have is my pocketknife and it is not sharp enough.

Hoping that one of the doors is open I try each one until I find an open door. As gently as possible I throw the white furry creature inside before closing the door. I then proceed to check my leg, but the wound wasn't that worrying. It will heal on its own. Just to be sure though I will clean it with some of my water once I get back to the camp.

Continuing with my search I notice that the houses that had fences would sometimes have also bones of their house pets. Some dogs were left alone and those that could not jump the fence ended up starving, or maybe even killed by the stronger ones. Now I know where that horrible smell was from.

After some time searching, I came up empty handed. I found no map, but I did find some dried strawberries, which I instantly hid in my pocket. Well, since it will be getting dark soon I might as well head back.
I rounded a corner and stopped in my tracks as a human stood on the sidewalk, several feet in front of me.

She was infected and apparently alone, so I slowly started approaching. ,,Hello?" I call out quietly, so I won't spook her. She must have heard me as she started looking around.

She hasn't seen me as her back was turned towards me. The woman's long white hair glistens in the sunlight as she breathes heavily and looks around and then focuses on something on the ground. I notice the white and red streaks of dried blood on her pale hands and pants as I get closer. Suddenly I'm uncertain about asking her for directions or even getting close, something about her made the hair rise on my neck.

I ready myself to call out again, even though every inch of my body tells me not to, but then she whips around and her colorless eyes stare into my own, an injury that looked infected as it had some green ooze under her right eye. It felt like she was staring right through me with her wide eyes.