Chapter 7

The seventh, and final, chapter.

Paul’s legs carried him through town and into the less populated area of the county. He had lost his rifle, his food, his water, his extra ammunition, and now he stumbled through a thin forest toward nowhere. The large Raging Bull revolver hung in its holster, moving with Paul’s right leg. Sweat stung his eyes and darkened his shirt. His jacket was once again tied around his waist, allowing the persistent breeze to cool his overheated skin. The blisters and cuts on his feet burned under the pressure of his weight, his stomach growling as if one of the hungering creatures he had not long ago evaded.

He walked into the thicker part of the woods. The trees curled high into the air, reaching for the clouds that stepped back from the encroaching branches. Leaves jumped toward the ground, the bleeding sun showering the thicket with light that sifted through the heads of the trees. Paul slowly walked toward a tree with two knots like bullet holes, one just above Paul’s head, the other lining up with the dead center of his forehead. He smiled at the tree and at the tranquility around him. Turning around, his back to the nostalgic tree, he slid down its rough, wrinkled trunk. The ancient bark tore holes in his shirt and skin as his back skidded down the tree. He ended in a sitting motion atop the soft, leafed forest floor beneath him, his back against the loving tree, perfection posing in front of him. Paul’s vision weakened, the picture in front of him meshing together, the vibrant green of the leaves and the soothing brown of the trees fusing into the most serene dream he had ever experienced. His cracked lips peeled apart from each other, opening into a smile. A small leaf fell from the tree above him, floating downward in a smooth back-and-forth pattern, landing on Paul’s dirty hair, just as his eyes shut, his mind closed, his ears sealed, and his lips froze in peace.

Reviews

[Flame DM]

*claps* Well written, i cant say it enough. I wish Paul had a happier ending, but this was a tale taking us through Paul's journey of the undead walking around. If you ever decide to pick up your pen again and continue Paul's tale, or the Undeads, I am dying to know if it was humans that created these undead monsters or God sending his wrath for what mankind has become.

Over all I loved this piece and i'm adding the book to my Reading List! Worth reading through in one day. Congrats, again i loved it!

-Flame