It's cold, wet and God knows how long she's been walking. felt like forever by how her feet ached.
There's nothing human in sight other than the old, abandoned cars that litter the dilapidated streets. Ghosts of a time where humans where everywhere, now they're green with overgrowth and rusted beyond recognition.
She huffs softly shouldering her heavy pack, weary eyes looking on down the path, her sweaty mahogany hair sticking to her skin beneath her rain slicker. A yellow speck among the tendrils and over grown blades of grass.
All Alone.
"I hope they where right." She murmurs to herself. At the beginning of her journey she'd heard rumors of a colony of survivors. Thriving, holding their own in the epicenter of what everyone deemed the 'simian flu'. San Francisco.
Silently she walked on, the steady patter of the rain was the only sound. Not a single bird sang in the trees nor flew in the grey sky she was truly the only one out there and she'd just ran out of road. The overpass ahead of her had buckled many years before making it impossible for her to continue on the path. With a growl of frustration she plopped down and went over the options in her head.
What do I do? Even on this path I'm a week out from where this place is supposed to be!
As she looked about she realized that her only chance was to bypass the rout through the forrest. The domain of animals who could take down elk with ease, much less a LONE human. She rose from the ground making sure she had her trusted knife close at hand. It was a risk she had no choice but to take. As she climbed up the embankment to the higher ground, else were miles ahead something stirred in the dense brush.
Apes. Three of them to be exact, all of them chimps. Every now and again they'd sign to one another as they walked along.
"Father" Signed the youngest, a juvenile male with blue eyes and scars across his torso. "Look". he directed towards a near by tree.
The large male ahead of him came to his side and inspected what his son had pointed out. The other male with a little less fur on his head and face fallowed suit. Upon the tree deep scratches where niched into the thick bark.
"Caesar? " The other male queried, inching closer to see what his leader's eyes where fixed on.
The hair along Caesar's shoulders bristled. The marks reminded him of that of the bear's. The bear who scared his son, but these marks where not bear. They where smaller, more precise but no less dangerous. If not more.
"It bear?" The other male signed.
"No Rocket." He gestured towards his companion, "all bear leave, this different."
They continued on, meticulously scanning their surroundings. Suddenly Caesar stumbled upon a set of tracks. they where large, almost five inches across the entire print.
"Wolf?" The blue eyed male questioned making a gesture that suggested a dog-like muzzle.
"No Blue Eyes. worse." Rocket replied.
"How worse? Wolf like ape. travel together." Blue eyes persisted as he eyed the forest about them.
"Claw like bear, quick like wolf." Caesar explained as he moved on looking for more signs. "And climb."
Blue eyes gulped nervously turning his gaze to the towering redwoods about them.
"Getting dark, home?" Rocket signed.
Caesar nodded in agreement and the group cautiously made their way back the way they came. Abruptly Blue eyes let out a surprised screech and pointed towards a tree. From it's branches hung a freshly killed bull elk, the trunk marred with long marks like the other tree. Red blood smeared on the ground around it.
"Not wolf!" Blue eyes signed shaken.
The rain had finally let up, but daylight was fading when she finally found a suitable place to pitch the tent. It took her a little longer than she liked to set it up taking time away from starting a fire. She knew it had to be big enough to ward off what ever would walk by in the night but not too big to set her meager tent a blaze. Finding dry tinder was half the battle, she thanked god she found a couple handfuls especially after the rain. As soon as it was built up enough to last the night she was out like a light knife at her side. Her shoulders ached, her feet ached but for once she knew come morning her back wouldn't. The leaves where a welcome bedding change from the cold hard pavement or gravel. For tonight she slept comfortable, but had she known what stalked beyond her campsite then she wouldn't have slept a wink.