*Hello, hello, hello everyone! I haven't published anything on here for many years but this one has been nagging at me and I just couldn't help it. I couldn't let 35 pages be wasted on just me, so I decided to share them with the wonderful people of FanFiction! Really this is just a silly idea that popped into my head and I just figured I throw it on FanFic, nothing serious here, and its raw. I didn't have a beta reader, although I have looked over it myself a few times, I apologize for any errors you might find, I can't catch them all. But anyway, I shall not keep you any longer, enjoy! Lots of love, AdeleTheBarnBum*
Alone, that was what I was in a sense. I mean, I wasn't alone but it wasn't a human presence that was with me. Just me and Hera, like it's been for so long now and if it wasn't for her, well I would easily be dead. I stepped from the creeks refreshing cool water and slipped on my socks, it was so nice to get a little relief from the scorching sun, even just for a moment. I slipped my feet into my worn dark brown leather boots; they were good, sturdy work boots that had served me so well all the way to now. I tucked my pants into them then stood, grabbing my shirt from where it was dripping dry on a tree branch. I slipped it over my head, enjoying the way the cool fabric clung to my warm skin, of course it wouldn't stay cool for long but I couldn't help that. I ran my fingers briskly through the sun bleached blond hair, then with effortless muscle memory I secured it behind me in a tight braid.
"Well Hera, we should get moving on I guess," I said to the dun mare who was happily grazing at the lush long grass by the creek. She shook her head, giving a loud snort but I doubted it was meant for me, just chasing the flies off her most likely. I took a moment to stop and study the mare, her thick, strong legs, lean well-muscled body, and perfect broad Quarter Horse face with her kind eyes. She gave another shake of her head, sending her red tipped, black mane soaring for a moment. Maybe if we weren't in this hole I could have been able to do so much more with her, she had such pure Quarter Horse lines and the ancient and prized dun color. She was the perfect example her wild dun ancestors, with her black tipped ears, the cob webbing on her face, her shoulder stripes, leg stripes, dorsal stripe, and the frosting at the dock of her tail. She was so perfect, so sound, never a problem.
She was completely unbound, no ropes, no halter, no nothing and yet she stayed. I didn't think I would ever understand that exactly. I mean, I loved her more than anything but I just never had imagined that I would ever be so lucky as to have her express such friendship and trust to me that she would stay with me. I was honored; I was beyond honored that she would do such a thing.
"Alright girl, let's try to cover some ground before the sun gets at its worst." I said to her and picked up my things from the ground. She slowly walked over and I held out my hand to her, she lipped at it wistfully, I had given her my last mint so long ago but she was still hopeful. I gave her forehead a gentle scratch for a moment before I started to get her saddled up. Saddle pad then the light western saddle, good for long distance travel in hot weather too. I attached my saddle bags, stuffed with clothes, a little food, and other supplies then tied my little sleeping bag behind the saddle. I made sure the girth was tight and then slipped her bridle on, talking to her the whole time with my usual pointless chatter, used mostly to fill the silence for me more than her.
Feeling satisfied she was ready I scanned my little camp site one last time before hoping up into the saddle, she took a step forward in anticipation but I held her back at the sound of a stick breaking not far away. We waited, still as stone, listening to the sound growing closer, my heart raced and Hera feeling my excitement could hardly keep still.
"Not much longer," I whispered as the sound was moments away from revealing itself and I took a deep breath to calm myself. The branched parted suddenly and in stumbled a walker, as I heard it called once. It started at me with its cloudy, stupid eyes and then growled hungrily, driven primarily by animal-like instincts. My hand jumped to the butt of my hand gun in its holster on my hip but it wouldn't be worth it. Not to risk drawing the attention of other walkers or wasting a bullet, I could easily hit it with my bow too but that was still a waste because I didn't feel like retrieving the arrow.
"You're lucky you filthy scum," I spat in its direction before urging Hera forward and leaving the moaning, stumbling creature attempting a pathetic pursuit in our dust. As we raced from the forest, back to the road we were on the day before I got thinking. The rhythmic sound of her hooves thudding on the dirt and powerful surging of her body took me to a happy place, the last of my happy places. Hera was the only thing that brought me joy anymore; it all had been taken away from me, from the world. I tried not to think about it much, about losing my family and friends, about the world going crazy and now, only the strong were surviving. They were fewer out in the woods, the cities were where they mostly were, the more heavily populated areas which is why Hera and I were going this way, less people, less of the walkers. But they still came and could still kill, you couldn't take anything for granted, because in packs they were just about unstoppable and alone, your best bet is escaping.
It only broke out a little ago, although after so long by myself, striving to survive it was almost impossible to keep track of what time it was, but it hadn't started too long ago. People got sick, they died, and then they came back. A bite or scratch from one would send you into a horrible fever which always ended in the death of that person and then, the resurrection of that person. And only one thing could kill them, a wound to the head, bullet, arrow, stone, as long as you could damage their brain you could kill it. It was hard, very hard for many but you had to stay strong, I stayed strong and here I was. I didn't know what the point was, word was there was no cure, the refuge centers were all overrun, there was no point and yet, I pushed on.
As we reached the road I let Hera slow to a walk to let her catch her breath, at least I still had her, my companion and best friend, she kept me going. It was still early morning, the sun only rising maybe half an hour ago but that sun was pretty hot, thankfully we were past the worst of summer, it was soon time for fall to come around. I could see it was growing close in how the nights were getting cooler and cooler, which was a relief from the heat of day. I wondered how a winter like this would go, I would have to make sure we stayed warm and dry, I half hoped it would be a mild winter.
Every now and then I would run into others like me, still striving to stay alive. Sometimes they were friendly and would give me shelter for a night, other times I was lucky to escape with my life. This, it changed people, for some it made them stronger and for others it brought out their inner animal, fighting only for themselves, willing to cut down anyone else who might interfere.
I liked to follow the back roads as I went, so that I could open pasture gates and freeing the poor animals that might be trapped inside, give them a fighting chance if they would take it, or if they weren't already dead. Not all that long ago we came across a field full of horses, they ran around in their small enclosure and I wondered how they had survived so long, the grass was down to the dirt and their water buckets empty. At the sight of me they began to panic, running faster and kicking up. I quickly jumped from Hera and opened up the pasture gate then ran back to my horse. It took them a little to see it was open but it took but a second for them to charge through once they did see it. I wandered around the property looking to see if there might be more but they were all the animals left. I checked the barn first, grabbing the supplies I might need, along with a bale of hay which I let Hera munch at while I searched. The hay was a treat she happily accepted, chewing quickly and I could just imagine her smiling at me.
Next was the house, sometimes I would find things in houses that I could use and other times I would find things I wished I could forget, I always felt nervous going in. I left my gun in my holster at my hip hoping I wouldn't need to use it because it was sound that attracted the walkers and if there was a herd around and I let my gun sing its powerful song, I just might be done for. I put my hand on the hilt of my large hunting knife in its sheath hanging from my belt; that I could use silently. From Hera's saddle I pulled down my bow and arrows; it was also silent and good at long range, although I had limited arrows and I would need to get them back.
Notching an arrow on the string, I slowly stepped up the porch steps and kicked the door open. The crash was loud enough to alert anyone in the house to my presence, which could be good or bad. But since no one came running I decided it must be empty or they could possibly just be hiding but I cleared my mind and focused on the task ahead. I crept from room to room, it was an older house and the furniture was antique but that was about all I was seeing. The back door stood open and leaves had already blown down the hall, gathering at the sides. I slipped into the kitchen, pushing open the swinging door with my foot and leading with my arrow. It was empty, it looked messy, like someone had rushed through and grabbed a few things, it made me wonder where the owners of the house had gone but it also gave me an idea that there were no humans here. The whole downstairs was empty so that left the upstairs.
A couple times the floor creaked under my feet but other than that it was the only sounds I heard. I found the upstairs much like the downstairs, closet doors stood open; drawers were pulled out and spilled onto the ground, valuables gone. They hadn't had much time to pack and that could be the difference between life and death, I knew that. So I started my search, I found a few shirts that would fit, some warmer clothing for when it got cold, I stole a bed sheet and from the bathroom I took tooth paste and soap. That would come in handy when I would stop and bathe in creeks. I started to leave the last bedroom when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, something I didn't do much anymore.
I stared long and hard at the person who looked back at me, her straggly blond hair was crudely tied back in a braid, blue eyes were hard, bags hung under them, and her frown told of her troubles. A bow in her hand, knife and gun at her hips, her sleeveless shirt revealed strong, muscular arms, but it was her eyes, my eyes, that I couldn't stop staring at. They were so... I couldn't explain it and I had to look away. I took a deep breath to bring myself back and then trudged down the steps to drop the goods off at the porch then back in for the kitchen. I still brought my bow, it helped me feel more secure even if I looked through the house and found it empty. I was able to retrieve a couple canned goods that were still okay, there wasn't much but it was enough.
I was just about to leave when I heard a thud; I froze and spun to see where it came from. It seemed to be under the floor, down in the cellar, I slowly walked over, rolling my feet so I made no sound at all. There sat a closed door which must have led to the basement, I grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly only to find it locked. But there, it came again and I pressed my ear to the side of the door. I could hear them then, shuffling around in the basement, groaning softly every now and then, I couldn't tell how many though and if I alerted them to my presence up here who knew if the door would hold. So as quietly as I could I started to back away from the door, focused so much on getting away silently I missed the sounds from behind until I got closer and heard the heavy breathing over my shoulder.
It was all a blur as I flew around, seeing a walker staring me down from the front door, he gave an excited groan and then jumped forward but I was too fast for him. My arrow protruded from his forehead in a matter of seconds and down he went with a thud, a loud thud. I heard them climbing the stairs, aware of me up here now and I cursed myself for being so stupid. I jerked the arrow from the walker and jumped over him, knowing I had little time I scooped up my things and called for Hera. She had run off a little, scared by the walker no doubt but at the sight of me she came trotting over. Moving quick I filled her bags with the things I gathered, glad it hadn't been a complete waste coming here.
I could hear them scratching at the door behind me and I could also hear the groaning of the wood, it was an old house, who knew how long that door could hold. As a crack sharply sounded, I knew the door wouldn't be holding them much longer, I fixed the last strap on the saddle bag and graceful as a cat I was on her back ready to ride. Only then did I notice the small bay horse next to her, he rolled his eyes at me, snorting wearily but didn't flee, he seemed to take a liking to my mare, I might have found that amusing then if I hadn't heard the door give way and the hungry cries of the dead. I nudged Hera with my heels and that was all she needed, we took off quickly, leaving the house and its walkers behind, and I was grateful to be moving on.
The little bay stuck with us for quite a while, following along, resting with Hera but he just wouldn't trust me. It made me wonder about the poor horses past but I didn't let it get to me. He would probably still be with me now if it hadn't been for the herd we met. The silly little horse got so spooked by them his blind panic ran him right away from Hera's side and I never saw the little guy after that. I hoped he had made it to a nice green pasture; I made myself believe that, I didn't want to think about the alternative.
The worst of the days heat had finally passed and the sun was started on its downward decent when I slip from Hera's back to give her a break. She was a very hardy horse, used to work; I made sure of that when training her, but every horse could only take so much. I slipped out of my sweaty jeans and enjoyed the feeling of my legs complete freedom before pulling a pair of shorts from my bag and pulled them on. I swapped my boots for a pair of light trainers and then started to jog. I did this at least once a day, it got me off her back, gave me something to focus on, and it was good for me to stay in shape, in case I ever had to outrun some walkers. I looked to my watch, I had no idea if the time was right but the date, I knew that was wrong, it wasn't the 15th of December that I knew. Apart from that flaw I could still time myself, I had slowly built up to running for a full two hours, I didn't know how many miles that was but it didn't really matter, just an hour of running, even at an even paced jog would be enough to lose a walker and that's all that mattered.
A few hours before sunset I started to scout for a place to spend the night, it was pretty hard for me, being alone to have a good night's sleep. I had no one to take watch for me and well Hera didn't know to wake me if she heard something, usually I was pretty happy finding us some place I could lock us in for the night, like a barn or small, empty house, preferably a barn. And tonight it looked like I was going to get lucky, because I spotted a building ahead, close to the road and what looked like a small barn. That would be just right for tonight.
Thankfully it was empty; I barred up the doors and removed Hera's tack before eating a can of interesting tasting baked beans. I took a little look around the barn but there really wasn't much there, expect an ax, it might come in handy. Not long later I was snuggling down for some well needed shut eye, I was glad for this shelter because now I could actually get a decent night's sleep. Falling asleep was always the hardest thing to do; the memories always attacked then, things I didn't want to remember, people and places, times before now, happiness… All things I would never have again. I focused on the shuffling of Hera's hooves in the straw, the sound of her quiet breath, and the thought of her calmed me enough that sleep took me.
*So if you liked it tell me. Please. I would love you forever if you would! And if you didn't like it tell me. Please. Constructive criticism is good but don't be mean. And if you can't wait for the next chapter, bug me, I wouldn't mind in the slightest. Thanks for reading :)*