Day-240 (8 months after the solar flares)
I hate leaving Jess alone in the hut by herself in the morning while I check the traps for caught game. Jess normally tells me that she doesn't wake up till I get back but I don't believe her. I miss my old life and how it used to be. I miss living in our stupid apartment; now I'm stuck on a permanent camping trip.
When we first got here all we did was work. Work to fortify the camp. Then we had to work to keep the camp safe. After that we had to work on the camp because more people found out where we were. So we started building in the trees going up, now most of us live in tree houses that spans this part of the canopy. We have one of the biggest settlements here in the mountains. Other left to make other settlements modeling them after ours by building up in the trees. I heard there was people starting to go back into the cities. But I bet some people never left.
Once I'm done out in the woods I check in with Jenn and normally she just tells me to go home. Unless there is woodwork to be done. I get that talent from my dad, I helped him build his cabin when he retired after I got out of highschool two years ago. Oh don't worry, I get to take a day off every six days; I guess you would say it's my Sunday. If you're wondering what I'm doing I'm out in the middle of the woods now, like I said I'm checking my traps. This isn't work to me but I do enjoy the time out here away from the settlement. There's plenty of MRE's to go around lately because of the military drops that have been coming in from some small government convoys. There's said to be a few bases that have been re-opened under them.
"Amy, are you almost done?" Sam shouted in the distance, "Yea!" I screamed back as I undid the last loop untying a knot and picked up the small rabbit. I caught two critters today, they should be enough for my hut and Sam's put together. If you're wondering, adopted her as my little sister, she has a lot of younger siblings. Since her dad is gone there's no one to let her know what to do. She's clueless. Which is pretty much just like me, only difference is I've been camping before. In all, her mom depends on her for the trapped food. I don't mind giving her the extra rabbit because I normally average two to three a day.
By the time I was done Sam was already walking in my direction. "Hey …did you hear that?" she asked as she got close, I listened because I didn't hear anything. When the wind stopped it sounded like some screams, "That's coming from home." Sam noted, she's got some good hearing. Cuz I didn't hear a thing. Sam turned to take off running back through the woods.
The trees aren't as dense here, I had to almost leap to grab onto her. "Wait." I demanded, "My mom…she won't be able…" Sam struggled against my grip. "I know, but you can't just going rushing up there. We need to find out what happened." I explained, and the girl relaxed an stood next to me. I finished stuffing the rabbit in the bag and nodded. Sam walked ahead of me quickly. She's about my height with long dark brown hair that was normally in a long braid. She's pretty cute to most of the little boys in the camp trying to ask her out. It's funny watching them squirm around her. It all makes me wonder if I was like that around Jess when I was their age. Which was only like a few years ago but it feel like its been forever since the solar flares. Months felt more like years or whatever.
As Sam and I got closer to what we now call home the screams got louder. "Wait, just wait. Wait till it stops. We can't do anything to help them if we're dead too." I tried to argue with her but she fought against me. Yanking her arm away, but I grabbed round her waist. "Samantha Stop, we are going to go in there. I just want to wait." I demanded and she starred up at me as I hugged her tightly to me. I didn't mean to scare her if I did, I know how she felt. Jess is in there. Rushing in there wouldn't have helped. I'm not planning on sticking myself in the same boat.
About ten minutes went by and the screams died down then I heard something I hadn't heard in a long time. "A BERG" Sam yelped and tripped over her feet falling on her ass. A berg hummed and I watched as it flew away just over the trees. The trees bent as it took off further into the sky. "Holy shit." I muttered as I reached down to give a hand up to Sam. "Now we run." I told her as I stood her upright. We each took off running in a steady stride back to towards our small settlement. It hasn't been the first time I left Jess alone and something happened to her. I'm such a shitty girlfriend, how am I going to be able to take care of her and a baby. The last time this settlement saw a berg they brought us supplies. That was in the beginning. Its been mostly trucks or modified busses since then. The screams were menacing but they were dying down. Dying, were people dying?
As we ran we came to the path that led to our settlement. I braced myself thinking about the Day of the solar Flares. I'm not sure which was worse to hear. I slowed to a walk and made Sam slow down with me. A man came running in our direction frantically, "RUN…" He yelled as he passed us. "Wait, what happened?" I asked an he slowed just a little and turned still walking backwards. "The berg they…the people with guns shot these…people jus started dropping…running, screaming. You shouldn't go there. You should run." He blurted out explaining. After, the panicked man took off into the trees. "RUN…" He yammered on as he continued to run disappearing into the woods. I glanced back at Sam an she was further down the beaten track. I caught up with her, she was crying a little. "Jus take it easy, we live on the outside of town. Maybe they're okay." I tried to soothe her knowing we could be walking into anything.
Cautiously walking up to the first few houses all we could see was people running and trying to get into huts. I watched as a few tried to pick up people on the ground and carry them to safety. The further in we got the more bodies littered the ground, everywhere. Like they fell in mid movement or right where they were standing. As we moved I brought my shirt up to my mouth. "Are these people dead?" Sam asked as she bent down, "I don't know, don't touch that." I told her as I saw what she was going to pick up. A tube. It was a small silver tube that looked like a pill sticking out of the ground. But it was the size of your thumb. I kicked one over to see a needle sticking out of the end. A dart? How could something so small be so deadly?
I guess these darts never connected with a body, there's a few scattered here and there. I moved and pulled Sam behind me as we made our way to our huts. It felt like I had never been there, the place was a ghost town. Then I saw them, they were everywhere. The pill shaped darts. What didn't hit a body was in the ground, a wooden post. Roof or a side of a wall, the little darts were scattered everywhere in everything. What was in them?
I got to my door and Sam ran right to her door across the path. I waited a minute because she would only have to peek in and see if anyone was in there. There wasn't so I figured all of her brothers and sisters were with Jess. I went to open the door but it was locked. So I knocked on it. "Jess open up its me." I called out to her. Someone opened the door, I didn't see Jess at first behind the kids, then I noticed her standing in the door frame to our room. Sam ran to them relived to see that they were all here. Only Sam's mom wasn't here. Jess pushed past the two of the boys and limped towards me. She hugged me tightly. "I thought that you…" "I'm fine…See look…babe, I wasn't even here when it happened." I told her, I could feel her breathe a sigh of relief in my arms. "It's a…I was asleep when the kids jus rushed in here waking me up. They said something hit there mom, she fell unconscious with whole bunch of other people so I jus locked us up in here." She said frantically, I hugged onto her again. "I was just as worried, we're going to be okay." I told her trying to ease whatever worries I could.
When Jess calmed down I turned to the rest of the group, there all orphans now. I shuttered with the thought. Knowing my parents were probably dead was one thing. Seeing Sam lose both her parents, that's another. I really don't even want to think about it right now.
"Is everyone else okay, did you get hit by the darts?" I asked them, the two boys turned to me. Sam glanced up at me troubled, she held out her younger brother Mathew's arm showing me where he was hit with one. There was a little red hole surrounded by a bruise. "How do you feel buddy?" I asked him, he shrugged his shoulders. "I feel fine." He told me then smiled a little. I ruffled his hair. "Okay we'll see, just let us know if you feel any different okay." I told him and he nodded. Sam kid brother Nathan was about thirteen but he was tall for his age. Looking at him you would think he was a little older. "Where's Sonya? What happened to your mom kid?" I asked Nathan.
"Sonya is in the room asleep. My Mom, she was hit by a dart and she jus fell to the ground. I didn't know what to do so I picked up Sonya and we jus ran here." He said explained. He was shaking little. "Everyone thought they might have been here to take us away. To some place better, like a rescue…That's what people were saying. We all ran to see…" he continued calming down a little. "Well maybe she's fine jus like Mathew. We should go look for her." Sam suggested, I shook my head thinking it was a bad idea. We don't know what people were shot with I don't really want to know. What if they turn into flesh eating zombies? The world already ended how much worse can these woods get. I watched a little dazed that we were having yet another crisis as Jess started to walk out the door behind Sam.
"Wait" I ordered them and stuck my arm out in front of the two boys before they could follow. "Your not going out there. You should pack Jess were leaving. I'll go find Jen. Sam you go pack for you, Sonya and the boys but come right back here. Nathan don't leave. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, all of you leave without me, go down the mountain. " I told her as I moved towards the door. Sam shook her head in protest and went to walk out, I pulled her back into the hut. "Your just going over there to pack nothing else." I ordered sam, she took in a deep breath and nodded leaving the hut.
Jess turned to some plastic bins started to go through them. I took hold of her arm pulling her in my direction. She bowed her head as she moved to me. "I jus…make sure you come back with her. She's stubborn." Jess explained. She starred down at the floor while holding the lower part of her stomach. "I know, don't wait for me. I can catch up even if you guys leave." I tried to ease her worry. But the girl is tuff, unfortunately her limp will make her slow. I pushed a few strands of her hair behind her ear then bent down and kissed her stomach. "I'll be back Derick." I told him. "It's a girl." Jess complained and I smiled while shaking her head. "Don't listen to her you're a boy." I whispered to the baby and stood to kiss her again. We made our way to the door, I kissed her a little deeper, "EWWW" Mathew cried and we both laughed a little. I forgot for a second they were even in here. So I let go of Jess, "BE right back." I told them all as I left the hut.
I Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you mazerunner26 for the first review... Since you've gotten this far go ahead a leave a review. It always helps when writers have input.
One love -Ray