Beth woke to a bright light shining on her face. She had spent the night sleeping straight up on the couch. Her neck ached something awful but nothing compared to her marathon of a headache. The pills she had taken the night before must have helped her get some rest and kept the pain at bay for at least 8 hours.
Struggling to her feet Beth made it to the bathroom and attempted to use the toilet. Success! The toilet was set up with a septic tank and she was never so grateful for indoor pluming. Next was to try the small shower stall, brown water slugged through the pipes and out of the faucet. It was gross after a minute or two the water cleared and Beth was able to wash her body clean from the dirt and blood that clung to her body like a second skin. Careful not to disturb the wound on her skull Beth rinsed her hair carefully but thoroughly so she felt somewhat like herself again. Though Beth wasn't exactly who "herself" was anymore. Did she even know her own name? She figured she must have memory loss and that fit the injury perfectly. Beth looked at the dirty pile of clothes on the ground and remembered she had nothing else to change into. The thought of putting those clothes on made her stomach turn and without a second thought she threw them into the shower. Grabbing another towel she found Beth wrapped it around her slender frame. Water washed over her clothes and the grime rain down the drain. She would have to find something else to wear while these clothes dried. Maybe a lean hunter owned this cabin and left behind some belongings.
Beth searched the meager cabin and found a few t-shirts and a pair of old jeans. She slipped on the clothing and they hung off her body almost comically. Beth gathered her wet clothes and hung them around the home. She knew they would dry quicker out in the sun but she wasn't ready to face the world just yet.
By mid-day Beth had boiled a pot of drinking water and made herself a small bowl of beans to keep the pills in her stomach company. She cracked a window to help air out the musty cabin and figured out the couch was actually a sofa bed. For now she'd made the decision to just sleep on the couch the way it was instead of risking injury trying to get the frame in and out of the sofa. Those things were never comfy anyway, always having a spring poke you in the middle of the night. A few blankets on the couch would serve Beth just fine and even without electricity Beth felt at home.
She hadn't heard the familiar sound of groans and grunt of the walking dead today and it was like they didn't exist and in her own little world everything was fine. But Beth knew that wasn't true and this wouldn't last. It was only a matter of time before the door was broken down by rotting corpse and her body was consumed by the decomposing mouth of some poor soul not made for this world. "That was a little bleak", Beth spoke, this time not quietly and not in fear. She laughed a little at her morbid thoughts and shook that idea from her mind.
Beth unlocked the door and looked out at the little patch of land that surrounded the cabin. The creek was close by and the sound of the running water relaxed her. She knew she had to find some more provisions and a better sense of safety. She wasn't sure if looking for what she could only guess was 'her group' was such a great idea anymore. Without shelter, food, water and weapons what did she have out there? A slight bit of hope that she would find them and she would be fine and they'd all live happily ever after? Fat chance.
Without any great discovery outside the door of the cabin Beth returned inside. Weapons, she thought. This was a hunters cabin after all, wasn't it? There had to be something worthy of a hunter in here. Searching the few drawers and cabinets in the room Beth found some ammo but no gun and a switchblade that was much more worthy of witling a twig than the one she had found in the ratty backpack. In fact, it was perfect for Beth. It fit in her hand just right and was light enough that she didn't have to strain too much to use it. It felt right and like she had used a knife before. She wondered why and who had taught her such a skill. A flash of the rugged man popped into her head. Was it him? It had to be, she thought. What an interesting mystery, she was like a novel to herself. Uncovering chapters without even knowing if these things had happened or if she was making them up to give herself comfort while being so alone. Beth wondered if she would ever see this man in the flesh and if he was with the group she was searching for.