Judy opened her eyes slightly, waking up from yet another restless night. The repeating hellish dreams that she's been having haven't been treating her kindly lately, but she has gotten used to the lack of sleep by now: she's had to. Getting a full night of sleep isn't something that happens often anymore. As she lied there, she did nothing but stare up at the ceiling with a blank expression for the first few minutes she was awake, going over in great detail everything she had planned for the day; it wasn't anything fun, but it is a necessity to be done if she had any intentions of surviving.
The rabbit swung her legs over the edge of the bed and hopped down, landing with a soft thud. She slowly walked over towards her window, while stretching her stiff muscles, and peeked between the boards she had nailed to her walls. She didn't see anything; everything was peaceful this morning… for now. Judy backed away from the window and walked out her bedroom door, grabbing her backpack on the way out. She stopped for a second and looked over at the room to her left; she went to take a step towards it out of habit, but stopped herself. Not yet, she told herself, I don't want to wake him. She stood still for a moment with her eyes closed as she composed herself; nothing ever has been the same since IT happened. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts, she needed to get going and thinking of the past wasn't doing her any favors. What's done is done, and now all she can do is hope she'll make it through alive.
She walked from her room to the kitchen and grabbed herself a few granola bars for breakfast, then packed her bag with some water bottles. She planned for this to be another long day of scavenging and looting for necessary supplies that would help them survive this nightmare. And, as always, she hoped to find some answers, and maybe any others out there who are in the same boat as her.
Walking over to her door, she got herself ready to leave. She slung her backpack across her shoulders and synched the straps on tightly. When she got to the door it took her a couple seconds to undo all the locks- you can't be too safe in this world- before she opened the door and peeked into the halls. Being cautious is the only way to survive long out here. As she looked both ways she grabbed her tranque gun from the table next to the door, then advanced out of the apartment when she saw the coast was clear. This was a rare day where everything was calm and quiet, she hasn't always been so lucky.
Judy hustled her way out of the building, needing to get going to be able to do all she wanted for the day. She walked out of the building and onto the street, quickly scanning the area while raising her ears listening for any sounds that could mean danger. Her ear twitched and Judy whipped her head to the right; it was subtle, but she definitely heard something from over there. She bit her lip in annoyance, that's the way she had planned on going today. Now, she could risk it by going that way and hope she'd be lucky enough to avoid whatever was over there, but risks usually equal death. She'd just have to improvise by going the other way, there were other places she could find what she needed. Judy turned left and started running down the street. There was a grocery store this way that would hopefully have some food. After that she'd have to figure out where else to go. The second half of her plans for the day could only be done if she went right; instead now she would have to wait for another day to get there. Sure she could try and get there from this way, but it would be night long before she got back to the apartment.
It was always weird to her, running down the streets, and them being completely barren of any activity. Cars were abandoned, shops deserted, and homes vacant. It was saddening to see Zootopia like this: a place where life used to thrive, where animals lived ordinary lives, and where everything was so much more simple. Now they were forced to live in this shithole.
After running for nearly an hour, Judy came upon a store that she hadn't yet scavenged from. Hopefully no one else had been here yet either. That had happened a time or two before, and she hadn't been the happiest about it. It was an absolute waste of time, and time is everything.
She ran across the parking lot, keeping her head on a swivel to make sure nothing was around stalking her or going to attack her. Judy was so focused on her other surroundings that she didn't notice what was on the ground right in front of her. She tripped over something and fell hard to the ground, skidding forward a few feet. She seethed and looked down at her arms and paws, silently cursing seeing the road rash she got. She glance back over towards what she tripped over and immediately she turned pale, instinctively grabbing her tranquilizer.
The bunny picked herself up and slowly walked over to reason she tripped, coming upon the corpse of an antelope. The worst thing about it is that it looks like a fresh kill. Had she not worked on the force for so many years, seeing this kind of stuff on a regular basis, she would have thrown up. The chest and stomach areas were torn open and his insides eaten. She'd seen others like this, but never this fresh. It got her fur to stand up and her hear rate increase. Alright, don't panic, she told himself, just get the supplies and get out. Judy turned from the body and did a quick scan of the area, listening and looking for anything that could be a threat. After feeling safe enough, she took off towards the store.
The bunny quietly slipped into the store through the main entrance, which funnily enough was the only thing not broken. All the windows on the storefront had been shattered by looters. Judy kept low to the ground and treaded lightly, not wanting to alert anything that might be potentially lurking in the building. It wasn't that big, only a small market, but that didn't necessarily matter. All she needed was some food and water, and perhaps something else that could prove useful in the future. She was on high alert, swiftly and carefully moving up and down the aisles wanting to get out of there as fast as possible, the knowledge of something being nearby driving her. So far she wasn't having any luck with food, but she wasn't planning on leaving without getting something.
She was searching through some shelves, climbing up and down them to be as thorough as possible not wanting to miss any potential scrap of food. That's when she heard the sound of claws scratching on tile a few aisles down. Judy immediately froze with fear, holding her breath and trying to stay as calm as possible. She had no idea what it was, so it's possible she could outrun it if she had to; hopefully it wouldn't come down to that. Apart of her wanted to stay there and wait it out hoping that it would just leave, but she had already wasted enough time. She wanted to get to at least one more store before heading back home, so waiting wasn't an option. Taking a deep breath, the bunny started walking again, this time being a little slower so she didn't alert whatever was in here with her. Stepping cautiously through each aisle, she started looking a little faster and more frantically when the sounds of the claws tapping on the floor grew more frequent.
Judy knew she was getting closer to whatever was in here as the sound grew louder, and she also started hearing the heavy breathing of the predator. She peeked down the next aisle and sucked in her breath. Down in the middle of the aisle, tearing into some bags of food, was a tiger. She whipped back around the corner to avoid being detected. The bunny doesn't ever think she'll get used to feral look in their eyes. It terrified her back all those years ago, and it still does today. Though, it wasn't really the eyes that were scaring her right now, it was the blood covering its muzzle that really made her blood run cold. Guess I found out what got that antelope. She would have left it alone and been on here way; however, the place where the tiger decided to place itself is the only place she's seen food in this entire place and it was devouring all the food over there. Judy instantly knew what she had to do, but she didn't like the plan. She quickly looked around trying to find something to throw and distract the beast. It only took a few seconds for her to see an empty can lying a few feet away. She reached out and grabbed it, took a short look to see the tiger again, then chucked the can to the other side of the store. She peeked around the corner with hopes it would take the bait, and much to her pleasure the sound of the can bouncing around on the floor caught the attention of the tiger. It turned away from her and began walking over towards the sound. Judy waited until he was completely out of sight before sprinting over towards the food and stuffing all the food into her backpack that was untouched; which honestly wasn't all that much. The bunny kept gazing up to make sure the tiger wasn't coming back yet, and luckily it seemed to be too preoccupied with the can she threw.
After packing all the food, she hurried and zipped up her backpack then proceeded to make a quick exit. She didn't want to be in there with that feral predator any longer than she had to be. It was still a risk, because now there was a chance it would have her scent. Her problems would come from the tiger later if he started tracking and stalking her. It was a real problem considering she still had at least one more place she wanted to raid. Fortunately, there was another store only a few minutes from here. She'd get all she could from there, then head back home for the day.
She only stopped for a moment, slowing down to walk as she passed by the corpse lying in the parking lot. This is what life is now in Zootopia, and it sucks. Judy gave one last look back at the antelope before taking off down the street. She now needed to be even more careful out in the open, because where there is one predator there is bound to be more around, especially with a bloody corpse nearby. There are sure to be scavengers around.
Going at an even quicker pace than before, Judy raced towards the next store. This would be her last stop for the day, then she would be heading home and restocking with what she's found today. She didn't really stop to check what she grabbed back from the other store, but she's sure it was a bunch a bags of chips and other snack items. A few months ago she wouldn't even thought of touching the unhealthy things, but now you have to take what you can get and not complain.
It wasn't as far from her as the first store from her apartment, so it took a lot less time to reach it. In only about ten minutes she was already walking in through the doors. This was a lot less like a supermarket, and more of a pharmacy; but there's a possibility that food is in here so it was good enough. Luckily, she didn't hear anything walking through the store this time, so her searching was a lot more peaceful and extensive. The bunny felt like she had hit the jack-pot with this place; it had hardly been touched. The place must have gotten a large shipment before everything happened because it was stock-full of everything. The most important things she got was a ton of water and canned food. "Praise the lord," she whispered to herself, smiling fondly as she stuffed her pack full of food, drinks, and a some medical supplies.
Judy packed as much as she could carry, happy with her current takeaway. Feeling fulfilled with her day, she slung the bag over her back and exited the store. It was going to be a bit slower on her way back, all the extra weight would be slowing her down slightly. The worse thing that could happen to her in this situation would be if a predator saw her…
Judy came to a hard stop and frantically looked around at the sudden sound of vicious growling and snarling. Son of a… Coming right towards her in the direction she was heading is the same tiger she had encountered back from the first store she raided; she could tell from the blood covering its maw. She knew getting that food was a risky move, she knew there was a chance the tiger would catch a whiff of her scent, and she knew there was a chance that this exact thing would happen.
Fortunately, this seemed to be the only predator around which made it a little easier to form an escape plan in her mind; however, it was still going to be very difficult getting around the beast, especially with all the food on her back. If she got rid of that, it would make this a hundred percent easier to deal with. But this was necessary supplies for her survival, and there was no way she was just going to set it aside, at least not until it was absolutely necessary.
Judy tested the reactions of the tiger, walking from side to side seeing how it would react. It followed her every move; where she went it went. She could use this. If she could get the tiger to overcommit in perusing her, she could juke out of the way and take off down the street. Starting from one side of the street, she dashed over towards the other getting the beast to snarl and Sprint towards her. The bunny gave a sly grin, perfect!
Just at the moment the tiger lunged for it's afternoon snack, Judy planted her foot and jumped back in the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding the large claws intended to tear her to pieces. As soon as she made contact with the ground again she sprinted down the street, needing to get back to the apartment as soon as possible. However, now she has a bit of an obstacle to overcome. The tiger wasn't going to be shaken off that easily. Releasing an annoyed growl, he turned around to see the bunny running down the road. He followed Judy with his eyes for a second, before starting to chase after her.
Judy gave a quick glance behind her to see where her pursuer was, her heart sinking slightly as she saw how much ground he had already made up on her. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to outrun the predator, so she was going to have to try and outsmart it somehow. The fortunate thing about animals going savage is that they may have enhanced physical abilities, but they lose most of their intelligence; having nothing left but primal instincts.
Judy scanned around, trying to look for anything that might give her the upperpaw against the tiger. For a split second she thought to the gun clipped to her side, but she didn't think this would be the right time to use it. She only has a limited supplies of darts with her, so she has to be sparing with them. Judy would definitely use it if she thought there was no way to escape, but she's confident enough with herself and her abilities that she'll be able to get away.
Time for thinking was running short as the tiger gained even more ground on the bunny, starting to set a panic for her. Judy wasn't seeing anything to aid in her escape and the beast was nearing pouncing distance. She was running out of options and had to make a last second decision that she wasn't really happy about; she was taking a gamble hoping that it would pay off. She quickly redirected her path to where she was going down an alleyway, but this did not detour the predator from his chase.
Upon entering the alley, Judy immediately looked up hoping for there to be a fire escape, or at least some sort of ledge she could jump up to. Fortunately, she saw exactly what she was looking for; about fifty feet away from her was a fire escape with a dumpster nearby below it that she could use to jump up. Pushing one last burst of speed, Judy sprinted over to the dumpster, jumped onto the lid and used that to propel herself up to the fire escape. It wasn't until she was halfway through her jump that she realized that she had greatly miscalculated the height of the fire escape, and also forgot to factor in the extra weight she was carrying on her back. She extended her paws high into the air and was just able to grab onto the edge. Judy looked down to see where the tiger was, only to see it looking up at her as it circled below. The bunny quickly pulled herself up, not wanting to risk staying in that position for too long.
When she thought she was safe, she gazed back down at what wanted to eat her. The tiger only stared up at her with hunger in its eyes. He let out a frustrated growl before turning around and walking out and away from the alley. Once she saw that it was gone, Judy collapsed onto the hard metal, panting heavily from the chase. She wasn't going to lie, that was the closet she had come to becoming a snack. A feeling of frustration starting to build in her chest, soon replaced with helplessness. She wanted to cry, to let out all her emotions, but there was no time for that. She shoved her feelings to the back of her mind, bottling them up just as she has with most things since the outbreak.
Judy waited for about half an hour before she climbed down from the fire escape, feeling it would be safe enough to travel again. She made her way down the alley to the main road and took a look around to see if there was anything waiting for her. She didn't see or hear anything near her which was a good sign. All she could see was an abandoned street. Taking a few more looks both ways, making sure there was nothing, she walked onto the street and began running back towards her apartment.
Everything was going fine on her way back, nothing jumping out at her. It was mostly uneventful which was fine with her considering what she just went through. It wasn't until she was only five minutes from home that a noise caught her attention. Her first instinct was to start to run faster, but something caused her to stop. She looked down a side street where she heard the noise come from to see a pleasant surprise. About 200 feet away from her was another animal, but it wasn't a predator this time. It was a prey, more specifically a horse. He seemed to also notice the bunny in front of him and stopped. Their eyes met and it was like a spark of hope lit up in the two. The horse took a few steps forward, and Judy almost took a step to meet him halfway, but that wasn't going to happen.
Only a few steps in, from out of seemingly nowhere, a pack of six wolves jumped to the street and surrounded the horse. He let out a terrified screech and immediately looked for a way out, but there was no escape. In a matter of seconds the wolves began pouncing on the horse, biting at his neck, throat, and arms and legs; taking him to the ground and started eating him before he was even dead. Judy could still hear his screams as they tore into his stomachs and began devouring his insides. She looked on with terror as the first non-savage animal she's seen in weeks was being eaten. As she stared, one of the wolves looked up at her and cocked his head. Judy took that as a sign to leave.
What are the odds, Judy wondered to herself as she walked into her building. Fortuently, nothing had followed her here, so she was able to walk to her room in peace. I find another non-savage after weeks of not seeing anyone, and within seconds he's ripped to shreds. She sighed to herself as she got to her door, taking out a key and opening up her room. She closed the door softly and put on all the locks. She then set her pistol back on the small table and walked over into the kitchen. "It's like life's mocking me," Judy whispered frustratingly to herself as she unpacked her bag, putting all the food and drinks away, then taking all the medical supplies she picked up and putting it into a closet near her bathroom.
It was nearly five in the afternoon by the time she had done everything. Feeling exhausted, she plopped down onto her couch. She took a few deep breaths, trying to compose herself from everything that happened today. It has definitely been one of the worse days she's had out here. She could start to feel herself slipping away, not being able to take it anymore. Life out here was starting to take it's toll and she needed to get out. Too bad it's not as easy as jumping on a train anymore.
Judy shook her head and snapped out of it. She needed to keep strong because she didn't know how much longer she would be out here. It could range anywhere from days to months. Hopefully they'll figure everything out before it's too late.
The bunny didn't stay seated for long, still having one more responsibility she was going to have to take care of before she goes to bed. It pained her every time she did this. She sighed as she grabbed a can of beans from the kitchen, opening it before walking towards the bedroom down from hers. It was always a gamble going in, never knowing which one she was going to get. She stopped at the door for a moment and prepared herself; it took her a few moments of deep breathing before she was ready. Judy raised her paw up and knocked on the door, waiting for a response. What she got was a low groan, followed by a few grumbled words. A wave of relief hit her and she opened the door up to the room.
What was in from of her was always hard to look at, mostly because it was her that put him there. At the far side of the room propped up on the bed was Nick; however he didn't look like his normal self. His clothes had been torn, his fur stained and matted making it seem as though he hasn't showered in a long time. Then there was the thing that always pained Judy to see: the fox was cuffed to the bed frame by each paw, which restricted any type of movement with his arms.
Nick eyes had been closed when she first opened the door, he was lying like he was in some kind of stasis; however, the sounds of Judy walking in got him to look up and smile softly at the bunny.
"Back from your run already? It seems earlier than usual," Nick pointed out.
"Yah, I wasn't able to do all that I wanted," she said, sitting in the chair next to the bed. Judy started feeding Nick the beans which was always awkward, but it needed to be done. Nick noticed that Judy was avoiding eye contact with him, which really could mean only one thing. Every time it happens, she acts like this.
Nick pressed his ears to his head, "It happened again yesterday, didn't it?" He said in a hushed voice as he looked solemnly down. The lack of an answer was enough to confirm his suspicions. His body sagged to the bed, getting the cuffs to pull tightly at his wrists, but he'd gotten used to that feeling; besides, that pain couldn't compare to how he was feeling.
"I'm sorry," he whispered somberly.
"You know it's not your fault, Nick. You can't help it when it happens." Judy defended, not wanting Nick to blame himself, because she knows the path he'll go down if he wallows too much in self pity.
"I know, but still!" he clenched his fists in frustration, "going savage and having no recollection of what happens, it's terrifying. What happens if I wake up and I'm not in the bed and you're nowhere in sight? I hate it," he sighed.
"I know," Judy placed on paw on the foxes chest, which was rare these days. She's not going to lie, she's been afraid of going bear Nick ever since the outbreak. He is an odd case not always being in a savage state of mind, but that made him all the more terrifying. Judy never knew when she would get Nick, or a feral fox chained to a bed. Yesterday was one of the days Nick was not Nick.
"That's why I won't stop until I find answers and hopefully a cure," she declared.
"I really hope you do," Nick said, "I really hope you do."
Good day everyone, bet some of you are a bit surprised to see me already up with a new story, considering I just finished my last. I've actually had this story in the works for about a month, working on it as I wrote my other story. I'm realising this chapter with no promises of another one, it all depends on the feedback I get, so I hope you like it.
Thanks to everyone who has read. I really appreciate comments in letting me know what you think. I'll take most forms of advice, and I love knowing how I can improve.
Keep On Keeping on
Peace Out