The Fog (HIATUS)

Chapter 16

I couldn't sleep the entire night.
The feeling of being watched and sometimes imagining the shriek of the woman chased any idea of sleep away from me. Before I know it, the sun is rising, casting the warm light on anything it reaches.

The tiredness felt heavy, and even if this wasn't my first sleepless night it surely felt the worst. I was tired, hungry and with a growing migraine, but I know that staying here is a bad idea. It felt like I couldn't trust anyone.

I got up and grabbed my bag, ready to leave, but when I stood up the slight uncomfortable pain on my ankle made me look down. Right, the squirrel bit me yesterday. It would be better if I took care of it right away, since I forgot about it during the stressful night.

Slightly rolling down my sock I expose the small bite, it was a small wound that will heal by itself as it didn't even hurt but I rather be safe and clean it. I only had two bottles of water on me, and one was halfway empty. I will need to get more when I come across another river, but it's better to do it outside the town. Since it was a scab, I see no need to clean it actually.

Getting back up I scan the streets below me with careful gaze. Nothing seemed out of place, there were two small rodents fighting each other. With how fiercely those fight I can't really tell what those are, maybe rats.

I carefully get down from the gas station and look around once more, deciding that going in the direction of the park is a wrong idea I make my way down the street. A slight bang on my left made me jump in fright and my breath to quicken. The two fighting rats knocked over some trash. I can't be this paranoid, can I?

Taking a deep breath, I continue to walk listening to every sound and looking for any movement. I don't want to meet that woman again. Why did she behave differently than the rest of the infected I met?

Her behavior resembled more of the animal. The only difference was that she wasn't trying to bite me, rather choke me.

The womans face flashed through my mind and my heart skipped a beat at the memory. I could feel the hairs on my arms standing up.

,,Don't think about this. Don't think about this." Whispering to myself I anxiously look over a corner.

Clear. I round the corner and with the pocketknife in hand walk forward. The feeling of not being alone is not pleasant at all.

I know that there are rats and other animals around. The faint sounds I heard ever so often made me jump every time. Be it a tin can knocked over by a rat or the wind suddenly picking up paper.

My feet stopped when I caught a glimpse of a cooking pot inside one of the houses. The inside of the house looked ransacked but whoever looked there, left the pot.

I checked my surroundings before going over to the broken window and glancing inside through it. The carpet looked like someone took a knife to it and the cupboards were open.
The pot itself was on the stove and with how close I am, I could see that the contents inside were covered in thick layer of mold. Great.

Since there was one pot, there could be another. I tried the door and the other side of the house, but it was closed, window it is.

I get closer to look inside mostly below the window to check for the Fog. I jump back with a gasp when my eyes land on the bones inside.

Human bones.

I Crouch down, holding my stomach as an intense wave of chills rolls over my spine. It was the feeling of the stomach-turning upside down.
It scared me. It scared me so much that I felt like crying.

I don't even want to know why that person was dead or what killed them.
I shakily stand up and slowly walk towards the window, looking inside once more.