Chapter 2: Found

This is chapter two, you should read it:P

Chapter 2:

I've been walking for three hours now. I've got no destination, no particular direction in mind, and it feels like the sun is burning a hole in my shoulder. I should have planned better. Leaving in the middle of the day was not the smartest idea. Why am I always so impulsive? I've got my knapsack filled with my personal belongings which consists of an old patchwork quilt that's coming apart at the seems, a long sleeved shirt, and a metal cylinder container which I use to hold water. My bow is strapped across my chest and my knife belt rests tightly against my hips. So far I’ve seen no sign of mouth breathers, but I must remain vigilant. That is the key to surviving this world. You must always stay vigilant. The path I’ve chosen to follow leads along the edge of the forest for as far as the eye can see. I stop for a moment and turn in a slow circle. I never really noticed it before. The beauty. The forest stretches on in endless shades of greens and browns. There's life in that forest. If you listen close enough you can hear the scampering of little squirrel feet as they run up tree trunks, the occasional bird landing on a nearby branch, and even the snorting of a frightened doe. On the other side of the path lies the endless fields of grass. There's something mysterious about those fields. It's impossible to know what truly lies beneath the surface. The wind caresses each individual blade creating a soothing sound like rain on a tin roof. It's almost relaxing. I let out a long sigh and continue walking. Nothing this beautiful can last in this world for long. It's only a matter of time before all of this beauty is destroyed.

My thoughts are interrupted by a grumbling in my stomach. I can't remember the last time I’ve eaten. I think it was last night? Or was it two nights ago? When did I catch that squirrel? I glance at the sun and notice its fairly high in the sky. It will be dark soon. If I’m going to find some food I need to find it fast. I decide my best option is to take my chances in the forest. If it gets dark I could get lost in there and never find my way out. It's a risk, but it's a risk I’ve got to take. I pull my bow off my back and grab an arrow from the quiver. Then I make my way into the forest.

The deeper I go the darker it gets. The thick canopy of trees overhead is doing a fantastic job of blotting out the sun. I can barely see my feet in front of me. I give me eyes several minutes to adjust to the dim lighting and then I crouch behind a bush to wait. Not long after, I hear the sound of crunching leaves and twigs as something walks across the forest floor. I slowly peek around the tiny bush and see a medium sized rabbit sitting about five yards away. D****t. I think to myself. Of course it's a rabbit. Rabbits have proven to be notoriously hard to kill. I've only taken down three or four in the eleven years I’ve been on my own. As quietly as possible I notch my arrow and shift into position. The rabbits ears twitch and he lifts his nose, smelling the air. Well. No time like the present. I think as I pull back on the arrow and release it in the direction of the rabbit. There's a sharp squeal and a thrashing for a moment and then there's nothing but silence. Hell yeah! I got him! I hurry over to the spot where the rabbit is and see him lying on the ground, a small pool of blood forming by his shoulder. But he's still breathing. He's still alive and he's young. There's barely any meat on his bones. I'm momentarily mesmerized by the look in his big brown eyes. I can see the emotions crossing his face. The fear and the sadness one feels right before death. It's unnerving and it pains me to see such human emotions in this creature. I see myself abandoned at the age of seven. Alone and afraid. I've suddenly got the urge to let him go. But it's getting dark and I have to set up camp soon. I don’t have time to hunt for anything else. Without looking I slice the rabbits throat and tie his feet to my belt. It's kill or be killed in this world. There is no room for the sympathies of a teenage girl. Despite everything I’ve been through, that's sometimes hard to remember.

After a half hour of walking in the forest I realize that I’ve passed the same tree three times. Oh no. No. No. No. I cannot be lost. I think frantically to myself. This is not happening. I start to panic and quicken my pace until I’m jogging through the forest at a brisk clip. I don't remember coming this far into the forest. S**t. Why oh why am I cursed with no sense of direction? I have to get out of here. I'm so lost in my thoughts that I don't see the giant log in the path until its too late. Before I can catch myself I’m tumbling down a steep slope into a ditch. I land on something soft and squishy. Well at least this thing broke my fall. I think as I pull the object out from underneath me. A scream so loud that all birds within a three mile radius take flight erupts from deep within me. What I hold in my hand is a human arm. Human. And it's still fresh. I look around me in horror as I realize that I’ve landed in the middle of a massacre. There's no way to know for sure with the mess of bones and muscle and body parts all intertwined but I think I see five bodies in all. And then it all makes sense. The Mouth breather at my door, his bloated stomach and bloody face. He must have done this. But he wasn't alone. This is the work of at least three mouth breathers. They could still be close. I've got to get out of here.

I race as fast as I can out of the ditch, forgetting all pretenses of being quiet, and crash through the forest at a frightening pace. Suddenly I see a dim light about ten yards ahead of me. I follow it until I break free of the forest and once again see the fields of grass. Immediately I bend over and throw up the entire contents of my stomach. Painful dry heaving wracks my body as I shake uncontrollably. Once I catch my breath I have a moment to think. I've seen dead people before, this shouldn't affect me so severely. But there was something so gruesome about that scene. There is no way I’m stopping to set up camp with possibly two mouth breathers around. So I keep walking until my legs give out and I can walk no more.

After a long night of fitful sleep under the bright stars I finally rouse. My bones ache and there's a pain so severe in the depths of my stomach I know I’ve got to make a fire soon so I can eat this rabbit. I pull out my water container only to discover that it's empty. Things are not looking food for me. After about another hour or so of walking my lips are cracked and my throat is so dry that it hurts to swallow. But I force myself to keep going because I want to put as much distance between me and that massacre as possible. I nearly jump out of my skin as a loud crash reverberates throughout the forest. What the hell was that?? I wonder. That's got to be a mouth breather, it's way too loud for a rabbit or deer. I cautiously continue forward, giving the mysterious noise as much girth as possible. I creep along the edge of the forest until the sound is far behind me. I use the back of my hand to wipe the beads of sweat from my forehead. Okay that was close. I breath a heavy sigh of relief. However, five minutes later there it is again. Only closer this time. I quickly remove Lola from my knife belt and duck behind a tree.

What emerges from the forest is something more terrifying than the mouth breathers. More frightening than those five dead bodies. What I see from my vantage point behind this tree is a human boy. Except he's not a boy, he's a man. He looks to be a couple years older than me, maybe 20. It's been so long since I’ve seen another person. So long since I’ve talked to someone other than myself or my knives. I want to touch him. I take a slow step out from behind the tree before I realize what I’m doing. You idiot! You're going to get yourself killed! He could be a member of those gangs dad was always talking about. According to my father there are gangs of teenagers who go around stealing from people and killing anyone who get in there way. I retreat back behind the tree to watch the strange boy some more. He looks frustrated, like he's looking for something and can't seem to find it. I can tell by the deep lines in his brow that he's worried. He's very tall, about two heads taller than me with dark brown hair that falls just above his eyes. It's hard to tell what color his eyes are from here but I can see that he has a strong square jaw and a muscular build. His clothes aren't much better than my patched up rags but he has a certain air about him. He seems confident and sure of himself. Like his mind is set on a task. A task that he knows he can complete.

I find myself enthralled by this human. What is he doing out here all alone? Where is he going? What is he looking for? Before I have time to ponder these questions further he disappears back into the forest. Without giving it a second thought I slink after him, keeping to the shadows. I'm not ready to lose him yet. I've only just found him. I follow him for what seems like hours through the forest which is now bright with the mid morning light breaking through the canopy above. I notice that the forest is becoming less dense as we continue forward. The trees are becoming more sparse and the vegetation is turning into long stretches of dirt.

I stop about a fifty yards back when I realize that I’ve got nowhere else to hide. I watch him for a long time until he disappears down a steep slope. Once I’m sure he won't see me I sprint across the open ground as light as a bird and as quiet as a doe. I lay on my belly and crawl up to the edge of the slope and peek over. I can barely believe my eyes because what I see in the valley below cannot be easily described. It is by far the biggest building I’ve ever seen since leaving the city. It appears to be a big square but I can tell that it branches off at different angles and goes on forever towards the back. It looks so out of place, in this valley in the middle of a forest. Almost like it was deliberately built here. Most importantly, I realize that it's in good condition. This must have been where he boy went! My excitement quickly passes as I try to decipher the situation. I can't go down there, who knows what could be waiting for me. But I can't stay here either. I see no activity around the strange building but I think I hear the muffled voices of several people below. Just as I’m about to make a decisions I hear several sets of footsteps behind me. Before I have a chance to think something cold and hard hits the side of my face and my world is shrouded in darkness. 

Author's Note

Still pretty rough, but it;s just for fun(: I'd still love your feedback!

Reviews

[SweetNutmeg]

Wow, what happens next???? I will definitely be reading the next chapter. So far your protagonist is wonderful, quirky, three dimensional, real. I hope our young man with square jaw and muscular build is unique as well. I personally don't have a thing for muscular builds, but I'm willing to overlook that. ;)

[bekahf2014]

ya know i havent really thought about him much haha I havent even given him a name yet. I've got the basic outline for the story but most of this i'm making up as i go along haha I'm glad you've enjoyed it, it's just starting to get interesting. Unfortunately school is ruining my writing schedule so it will probably be about a week before i post more: