HOME | DD

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

  It's been a few weeks ever since that day. Damien and Jack filled me in on most of the details that they knew about. The sickness had appeared to have developed another symptom - reanimation of the dead, or parasitic reanimation to be more precise. The sickness was caused by a parasite found in infected wheat products such as flour and bread, although no one knows where it really originated from. It would explain how I never got infected and my entire family was wiped out, but it still bothered me to a huge extent. I had eaten the same food as them and yet I didn't "turn", as Jack and Damien put it.

  "You might be one of the luckier ones then," was Jack's answer when I brought it up. I wanted to press more, but I guess it would be hard to explain since they were complete strangers to me not too long ago. I brought them over to my little den and let them stay over. All three of us agreed to use up as many supplies as I had left for as long as they would last us, and begin moving on when we ran out. Damien had calmed down around me, even going so far as to praising how I handled the situation he and Jack had put me in. We've been getting along since then, which helped out when I explained to them how I had been surviving for so long in a cave filled with stolen supplies from my own home. Did I mention that they were rather shocked when they found out that I had been stealing from my own home?

  "Well, I don't really know what to tell you, kid. That's just cruel," Damien had said. Jack just remained silent when I told them about me and how I came about to live in a cave. I guess, in hindsight, I was lucky to be shunned from my town. Otherwise, I might have become one of those... "things" that we would encounter. Now that I'm aware of them, I've picked up the tendency to always have one hand hovering over one of my knives that I carry with me. Jack says it's a more healthier habit nowadays, but I guess in this kind of situation, he's right. For about three months we were able to survive off of the supplies I already had and the successful hunts that I managed to bring back every now and then. Eventually we made it to a point where we only had minimal supplies that were just big enough to sate for about a week more per person, which was when Jack made the call to start moving. Damien began packing right away, and I didn't say much about it either; I just went on packing some things that I would need to travel. I took up a travel pack and was in the middle of placing my supplies in when Jack interrupted me. He took out a military knife from his pack and handed it to me.

"This thing here is a US Bayonet. I rarely use it since I don't got a gun on me," Jack explained. "But since you're more skilled in close-quarters from what me and Damien have seen, I think this thing'll suit you more." I didn't know what to say; all I could do was take the knife and look at it. It was a bayonet alright, a sharp blade curving to the point with a handle that fit perfectly in my hands. I nodded my thanks, and searched my pack for something. Jack looked at me curiously as I took out a pair of finger-less gloves. They were completely black with no design, and after noticing that Jack was still there, I decided to explain.

"These are the gloves I use whenever I go hunting," I told him. "It doesn't help with grip or anything like that, but it gives me the ability to switch the way I hold my blade a little better. Like this." I switched from having the blade pointed at him to holding the tip of the bayonet towards him. I switched positions multiple times to prove what use my gloves had for it, and he silently nodded his intrigue. Damien got curious and came around to check on the two of us and noticed the bayonet I held in my hand, smirking at Jack.

"Decided that she was more suited for your prized find, eh Jack?" Damien turned to me. "The guy found that thing a while back when we raided an abandoned military base. Said that it could be useful for something when I said that we already had too much. Didn't wanna let it go for some reason. And now it's with you. Jack must really think you're gonna go far with it," Damien said to me. I looked over to Jack to see if it was true and he merely nodded. I smiled; this gesture meant that the two of them trusted me enough to watch their backs despite only knowing me for a couple months. After packing everything we needed to, we headed out of my cave with our gear and went back towards my town. Every time I go there I constantly feel waves of sadness engulf me due to the pain of happier times when I was still apart of it. Damien apparently noticed and placed a hand on my shoulder. "For all it's worth, kid, just think of it this way; they're all in a better place now," he said. I nodded. There was no time for me to be shedding tears for what had been in the past for so long; I had to move on. We kept moving on the road heading north from where my town was and I noticed a sign on the right side of the road. It read "Thanks for staying in --------------!" From all of the destruction and chaos that now permeated the place, I guess even the town name didn't stick around. What made it worse was that even I forgot what this town was called, even though I was born and raised in it.

We stayed on the road from my town for a good two days when Jack had us stop. Damien took out his pistol at the signal, ready to fight at a moments notice. I followed suit just a moment later, bayonet in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other. Jack motioned for us to look a little bit east of our current position and I noticed smoke billowing above the forest tree-line. Jack began to slowly move in that direction with me and Damien following closely. We kept sneaking closer and closer to the source of the smoke and I began to see a red object in the distance. It wasn't blood, but it looked more like...
"A tent. Someone or some people have set up camp here," Jack muttered loud enough for me and Damien to catch.
"What should we do?" Damien asked silently. Jack went quiet for a bit, contemplating our next move. After a few moments, he turned around.
"Let's try this: Damien, keep your gun on her head," Jack began, looking at me. I honestly didn't like where this was going. He continued," I know it's a bit uncomfortable, but trust me. Damien, make sure your gun is on safety lock for this; we're only gonna make them think that you thought she was with them. If they're nice, they may try to save her regardless. If not, let her go and switch your gun to fire. I'll be hidden nearby to make sure they don't do anything funny. Anyway, if they try to help her, demand for food and supplies. She can try to reason with them not to to make them feel guilty about the whole thing. If it all works out, we can take over their camp and their supplies. Sound good?" Damien nodded in approval, but I shook my head.
"Why don't we just leave them be? Everyone's gotta survive, and I could just hunt if we needed more food," I objected. Jack looked over to me in shock, but then chuckled silently. Damien couldn't help but smile either.
"So what do you suggest we do?" Damien asked me. This time I went deep into thought. I looked over towards the red tent and back at them. Suddenly, I got an idea.

"You two wait here, armed and ready," I told them. "I got an idea."