Ollie and I were doing pretty well. The rest of the week went pretty smoothly. I taught him how to start a fire and to always keep it small so no one can see it unless they're close. I taught him how to tell if plants or bugs are poisonous. I taught him what plants he can use to repel bugs. I taught him to track a little bit and I also taught him how a gun and knife work. Eventually, i'll show him how to use them correctly.
He was currently sitting on the hood of the truck, his fingers covered in peanut butter.
The sun was up and shining through the tree's where we were sanctioned. The breeze was cooling and the leaves were starting to fall.
He finished eating so I poured some water on his hands and gave him a rag to wipe them, "We should probably start driving here soon, then we can find somewhere else before dark."
"Okay."
I packed up everything in the truck and buckled Ollie and his teddy bear in the passenger seat. We started to drive and rolled down the windows since it was such a beautiful day. We both set our arm out the window to feel the breeze.
The car battery suddenly decided to die, ruining our relaxing driving montage. I pulled to the side of the road, "Why are we stopping?"
"The battery died we're going to have to walk." I grabbed my bag from under his feet.
He opened the door and waited for me to let him down since it was so high up that even I had a hard time getting out without falling.
I set him on the ground and we went into the woods and followed the road from a distance, "When your not in a car, stay off the roads because your easy to see on the road."
"Okay," he nodded. This kid is the fastest learner ever, he soaks up all the knowledge like a sponge.
After walking for a while we found an abandoned car with moss all over it. The sun was setting and the timing couldn't be more perfect.
"Let's get some rest, we have a long day of walking tomorrow."
I yanked the rusted car door open and let him into the back seat and sat with him. I drank some water and gave him some.
"My mommy used to sing me a song and rub my head when I wasn't tired, can you?" The last time I sang was "Can't touch this" and it was to distract walkers away from a grocery store. But i'll give it a shot.
"What song?"
"Any song," he took off his jacket and set it on my lap like a pillow, laying his head down. I pet his head like I saw his mom do a lot in the short span of meeting her.
"Okay," I took a deep breath and sang bright lights softly to him; a song i used to sing with my mom. His eyes closed and by the end of the song his breathing was heavy and he was sleeping soundlessly.
It got dark and I sat in silence, thinking to myself.
Maybe someday we could find a permanent home, a safe one, just like my dad said. He can grow up and I can teach everything I can. We could grow crops and have fences.
It scares me when I start to dream.
The next day
My eyes opened as soon as the sun was dawning. I opened the door quietly and gently lifted his head off my lap and set him back down softly. He stirred in his sleep and got comfortable again.
At least I slept for about an hour or two. Could be worse, could be better.
I sat on the ground and started to sharpen my knife when I saw a squirrel climbing up a tree slowly. I got on one knee quietly and threw my knife slightly above it as it ran and it was a straight bulls eye. I fist pumped the air in victory.
Although I didn't think of how to get the knife down from that high. I climbed the tree to the best of my ability, scratching up my hands in the process. I got the knife and the squirrel successfully and climbed back down.
I started a small fire and skinned it quickly before Olli wakes up to see a squirrel crime scene. I tossed the evidence an put the meat on a stick and made sure to cook it all the way.
If my 18 year old self saw what I had just done, she would have vengeance for the squirrel. But now squirrel seems to be one of the freshest foods you'll find. It honestly just taste like chicken so i'll tell Olli that's what it is.
As if on cue he stepped out of the car and rubbed his eyes looking at the fire, "What's that?"
"Chicken."
He sat beside me and I broke up the meat off the bone and put it in a rag since we don't have the superiority of plates. "Thank you for this food and this day, bless it in Jesus name amen." I said before handing it to him.
He took a bite, "It's good." He said giving me a nod of approval.
I ate what was left, put the fire out, and started to pack up.
"And what do you want me to do about it?!" I heard a man's voice in the distance, Olli and I's eyes got big at the sound.
I went around to the drivers side and popped the trunk. I pried the trunk open and set Olli and his teddy in it. "Come in with me." he said nervously before I started to shut it,
"I'll be okay, I need to stay out here to protect you. Trust me okay?"
"Okay.." he nodded, and I closed the trunk softly and hid behind the car.
I could see the people start to appear in the distance, getting closer to the car. If these are like the guys at the cabin you can't just run, you have to fight.
So I got ready, I had my gun and my knife in each hand. Their voices got closer, "Let's go search that car and then get back, we have a lot of explaining to do."
My hands were slightly shaking at the fact that I have to get out of this alive no matter what. I'm scared to die now for one reason and one reason only; that reason, is Olli.
I stood up and aimed my gun at them, they of course had to be the same people from the cabin.
They took no time to start shooting so I ducked. I looked around the front of the car and shot one of the guys I swore, was the one I threw at a walker. Lucky duck. It only nicked his shoulder as he took cover behind a tree.
"You fucking bitch!" I heard the man yell.
They kept shooting until I heard one of their rifles runout. So as soon as I heard the first mag hit the ground I shot my last bullets at the guy reloading; one in the chest and one in the head.
Two more.
I held my knife up and charged in their direction.
I slid on the ground and slashed the man across his achilles and he feel over in pain.
Someone jumped on me from behind and smashed my head into a tree. I fell backwards and kicked his rifle to the side right as the shot fired, then kicked him in the ribs as hard as I could.
My ears began to ring as the other man I slashed held me down and hit me repeatedly. I reached for my knife that was one inch too far away and instead grabbed a rock and hit him over and over until he's was on the ground covered in blood.
I heard a shot fire and a burning sensation graze over my side. I grabbed the dead guys gun and held it up at the man holding his ribs in pain. His gun clicked and he ran away in fear before I could even pull the trigger.
I fell to the ground and laid there waiting for the adrenaline to calm down. I looked to my left and saw the two people sprawled lifelessly on the ground.
I got up and winced at the pain. I looked down at my side, thankfully it was just a graze but It was still bleeding immensely.
I dragged the body's behind a bush trying to suck up the pain. I was getting dizzy so I went to the trunk and opened it to see a crying Olli. He looked at me worried and hugged me.
"Careful, careful.." I winced. He pulled back and looked at the blood all over me,
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah.. I just have to stitch myself up and i'll be just fine." I assured him.
I helped him out of the trunk, "Where'd they go?" he asked.
"Um-- I scared them away," I said limping towards my bag. I poured some alcohol and then some water on the wound and refrained from cussing. Olli sat in front of me looking worried.
"Im fine buddy, I promise."
"You don't look fine," he said looking me up and down.
I laughed making him seem less worried, "It hurts but i'll still be okay."
I threaded the needle and started to stitch myself up, the adrenaline was wearing off more and more and the pain was getting worse and worse.
I closed my eyes and pulled the last stitch through tightly. I tied it, put some gauze and wrapped it with the last of the medical tape. I better not get shot again.
I poured some water on a rag and looked at myself in the side mirror. My eye was puffy and had a gash underneath it, my lip was split open, and a huge bruise was spreading across my jaw.
I wiped the blood that was dripping down my face and looked at the gash under my eye.
I'm not stitching near my eye, no thank you.
I just held the cloth on my eye hoping it'd stop bleeding so much. I drank some water, and sloshed it around in my mouth, it tasting of blood.
I grabbed the Tylenol out of my bag that we had found in the truck and tossed four in my mouth.
I threw my bag over my shoulders, "We can't stay here, cmon."
He got up and held my hand as we started walking. The more I walked- or limped; I started to think my ribs were broken too. I lifted my shirt and looked at my ribs, a huge bruise was forming and that pissed me off all the more. Pain makes me angry.
"We should find..medicine.. and a place to sleep." Olli suggested heartily.
"Good idea, look at the brain on you." I smiled and patted his head and he smiled back.
I started to feel faint so I stopped by a tree and sat down, "Let's take a breather, yeah?"
He sat beside me, and I took some water out and poured it into my mouth. I gave him another bottle since my mouth was still bleeding. We sat there sipping water in silence.
Every breath was excruciating to every part of my body. I felt like someone ran me over with a tractor.
I got up slowly and painfully, and put the water back in the bag.
"Let's find somewhere safe to rest."
We walked slowly for what seemed like forever when we came across a dirt road, with a sign that read: Senoia police department 4 1/2 miles.
There was a small house past the sign, and I limped my way to the front of it, "Stay right here and keep watch while I make sure nothings in the house. Call my name if you see anything and crouch down so you can't be seen." He nodded and sat on the corner of the steps looking around intently.
I tapped the glass, and heard nothing. I tried the door but it didn't budge. So, I elbowed the small window on the door, and reached in to unlock it.
I opened the door, alert. The house was small and cozy, all the pictures were off the walls and it was filled with dust, which is a good sign. I checked the bathroom, the kitchen, and the living room, which were clear.
I made my way down the hall and opened the bedroom door, it was vacant so I moved to the next room. I opened it slowly and a walker pounced on me, slamming me into the wall. I groaned in pain and used the little strength I had to stab him through his chin and into his brain.
I slid down the wall and sat down wincing in pain. Olli ran in and looked at the body sprawled on the floor, "Are you okay?" I nodded and forced a small smile as I got up.
"Go close and lock the front and back door for me?" he nodded and got right to it.
I dragged the body back into its designated room and shut the door. I sat on the couch with a painful sigh and propped my legs up on the coffee table.
Olli came and sat by me,"Is there something I can do? To help."
I ruffled his hair making him smile, "You wanna search the kitchen for food and the bathroom for medicine?" he nodded like it was his mission and made his way to the kitchen, "Be careful, don't touch anything sharp."
"Okay," I heard him say from the kitchen.
I got up and closed the curtains, then sat back down sprawling out on the sofa in anguish.
I've been seeing more an more people lately it seems. For a while I thought almost everyone was dead. But I heard them talking about a group or a place where they live. There's more people that survived this than I thought.
I tried to focus on the intricate ceiling fan that was shaped like vines and leaves, but my mind kept going back to how much pain I was in.
"I found..two cans of alphabet soup... a toy car and some medicine..I don't know what is." I heard Ollie say.
He handed me two bottles of pills, I squinted at the label and saw the first one was lactaid. I looked at the other and saw that it was prescription pain pills, "Score!" I said with a smile and high-fived him.
He sat down with his new toy car proudly. I grabbed some water from my bag and took two pain pills. "We'll stay here for a few until I get a little better, then we can get back on the road, yeah?"
He nodded as he drove his car around on the arm of the lazy boy chair. I looked back at the ceiling,
God, please help us to stay safe, please let me live long enough to prepare Olli to survive in this world. I love you mom, dad, and Alan. I miss you more and more each day. Please help me to stay strong, Amen.