ISABELLÁ
IT WAS HOTTER THAN HELL, but what did I expect? It was the middle of summer in Georgia. I was so grateful that I was able to find some shorts because with trousers on in this heat, I wouldn't last. Sweat beaded up on my face as I stalked slowly through the woods, taking care with every step ensuring that I didn't snap a twig and notify ever Rotter of my whereabouts.
My thick brown hair stuck against the back of my neck and down my back. My sweat turning it into some damp hot mess. I was beyond tempted to just hack it all off. It was a liability, always getting in the way. It made me ten times hotter in the summer and I'm sure it would be the death of me one day.
But I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was too pretty. It reminded me of the old world. Back when it mattered how you're hair looked, back when I'd actually have contact with other people.
I crouched down, examining the tracks in-front of me. A deer, I think.
I'd been teaching myself to hunt and track since the beginning. I knew I had to get away from city because it was becoming over run.
When the outbreak happened I was living in the city. I wasn't alone exactly when the world happened. For the first week or so I was in a group. I wouldn't necessarily have called them my friends from before the outbreak but they were something like that.
But they were dangerous, not in the way you'd expect, they were wreck less and clueless. Groups don't work, you've got to trust the people in the group, protect them. And shockingly, I have trust issues. I'd always been better off alone.
After I split off from the group I headed towards woods and farmland. There were too many rotters in the city, if I stayed there a day longer I'd be dead. For sure. I knew my old group were dead for sure, honestly this didn't bother me too much. Once I moved out the city, I had to learn to hunt because out here there would be no way to survive otherwise.
I carried small revolver which was in a holster above my right hip, two Glock 17s which were strapped to my outer thighs, 6 throwing knifes all hidden in sheaths strapped to my body; one at the base of my spine, one pressed again each of my shoulder blades, one in my boot, another on my inner thigh and the last one pressed obviously against my hip, a XM16E1 rifle strapped across my back. I also had a dozen more knives stashed in my rucksack along with a few grenades and a shit ton of bullets.
I liked to carry light....
I managed to snatch the weapons from an abandoned army aid camp about a month after shit hit the fan. Before that, I had a two kitchen knifes and my pistol.
When I raided the camp, luckily for me, it wasn't over run by walkers but there were plenty for me to battle through to get to the weapons.
I'd noticed that their were multiple piles of burnt bodies. This was probably the best way to handle it. mean it was sad don't get me wrong but it was getting to the point were you become disconnected from reality. I now don't see a rotter and think about the person it once was, I see it as a threat that needed eliminating. I was losing my humanity and it scared me.
The smell of the burning flesh still hung in my nose. It's something that I knew was going to stick with me for at least another few months, it's a smell that I could never forget.
I stood from the squat looking in the direction the tracks were heading, I seemed to be on the outskirts of the woods on the border of some farm. There was a beautiful white farm house on the right of me, I really hoped nobody lived there. It would be a nice place to crash for a couple of nights.
I took the knife from the sheath at my hip and held it tight in my hand. I continued to follow the tracks from the deer.
I heard the rustle of some leaves and the snap of a twig and then I saw it. It was the most beautiful deer I had seen. It's eyes glistened in the sunlight as it looked around sensing it was been watched.
I dropped back to a crouch and hid behind a tree not taking my eyes of it.
It was huge. My eyes became wide and my stomach began to grumble louder. This could feed me for a good few days.
I took a deep steading breath raising my knife up behind my head ready to throw it. I closed one eye focusing on my target, as the deer looked around unknowingly.
I was just about to release the knife went I heard a twig snap next to me.
"Drop it"
My heart began to thump against my ribs as I knew that I could be seconds away from death. But the dear. It was right there. I had to kill it. I continued what I was doing but just tried to speed up the process. I couldn't just let this deer go. I released the knife watching it plummet towards the deer and piece it's eye.
Bingo!
Now it was time to deal with this shithead next to me. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was holding a crossbow to my head and he was a reasonably muscular guy. I knew he was definitely stronger than me so I'd have to use skill.
But, without thinking I quickly took off sprinting towards the deer. I was hungry and couldn't thinking straight. I pulled out both of my Glock 17s once I got next to the deers side ready to protect myself from the asshole trying to kill me. But before I could raise them to eye level the man was already behind me with a crossbow to my head.
I slowly turned around to face him, I gripped the guns tighter ready to attack.
"Drop 'em" he grumbled.
I continued to look between him and the deer. I could easily take him out but I had no idea how many of his people were out there and I didn't really fancy beating the shit out of a whole community, especially not on an empty stomach.
"Are you deaf?" He growled edging towards me.
I glared back at him deciding not to speak.
"Are you a mute or some shit?" He spat getting more annoyed.
"Yo no hablo ingles (I don't speak English)" I said back frowning raising my hands in defence as my guns swung in my fingers. I bit back a smirk as he frowned studying my face.
"Drop. The. Guns." He said slowly, yet annoyed, pronouncing ever syllable as best as he could through his southern accent.
I continued to fight a smirk as I knew this was really getting him under his skin making him more annoyed. I just simply deepened my frown.
"No comprendo (I don't understand)" I shrugged.
He then looked down to my guns pointing at them aggressively.
I complied, except I only holstering them away. I wasn't handing my weapons over and I'm pretty certain I'd now confused him enough to get away with just putting them away.
"Little bitch" he grunted.
I stared at him blankly holding back the urge to rip his nuts off and ram them down his throat.
"Move away from the deer" he grunted pointing towards it.
"No me estoy alejando de el maldito ciervo (I'm not moving away from the fucking deer)" I yelled moving closer to it.
He moved in closer to me with his crossbow still raised and aiming at my head. He continued to glare at me through the structure of his crossbow. I knew he wasn't going to give this up.
Well shit. Looks like I'm beating the fuck out him on an empty stomach.
I quickly brought up my right leg kicking him hard in the stomach, I ducked at the same time knowing he would try and shoot me.
He did. I heard the sound of an arrow fly over my head.
I turned to see him laid on the floor trying to reload.
I moved in on him not giving him chance to reload his crossbow. I put my gun away in its holster before reaching down trying to grab the crossbow from him.
He was much stronger than me, I had no idea why I thought that was going to work. Inevitably all I did was help pull him up off the floor.
I kicked him again this time with my left knee in his groin still holding the crossbow with my right hand
He grunted doubling over loosing his grip slightly on the crossbow. I ripped it out of his fingers throwing across the forest floor. He was still doubled over holding his crotch. I put a hand on each of his shoulders pushing him back to the floor. I follow him down to the floor, straddling his waist knowing that I had zip ties in my rucksack and it would be easier to detain him this way.
But little did I know when he was nursing his crotch he was also grabbing a knife. Fuck knows where from.
I felt the sting of the knife against my side just beneath my ribs. I winced in pain feeling the blood soak through my top. He continued to thrash around under my grasp.
I grabbed his arm which he was holding the knife in forcing it toward the floor. My arm trembled as he tried to push against my strength. But I had the upper hand though as I was on top. I continued to push his arm towards the floor, he grunted in pain as he knew he had been defeated.
Once his arm was on the floor I brought up my left foot pinning his wrist down with it applying pressure so that he would let go of the knife. My right knee was grounded at the other side of him as I still straddled him sitting across his waist, using my weight to help pin him down.
I was in no way a big girl, I was very small in fact but it was obvious I went the the gym a lot before the end of the world. My thighs were killers, they were built with muscle and they are how I knew I could keep him down with them.
I wouldn't usually get myself into situations where I was straddling a stranger in the middle of the woods, however I was to hungry.
I bent down towards his face as he continued to thrash around under my grasp. I leaned to his ear and whispered seductively, "Yo gano (I win)"
Suddenly I heard guns been loaded behind me.
Shit shit shit.
"Get off him and step aside with you hands in the air"
Shitting hell.