I'm woken up by the survivor shaking me, her face an inch away from mine. I push her head away from me, sit up, and whisper, "What?". She points towards the edge of our makeshift shelter. When I crawl over I can hear the noise of a zombie horde, but I can't see them in the darkness. I'm guessing maybe twenty or thirty. Too damned many to take on. But there's nothing I can do. I crawl back over to where I was sleeping, lie down, and tell the other woman, "There's nothing we can do. Just go to sleep. The sun might drive them away or they might find easier prey.". She nods and looks concerned, but lies back down beside me. I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep, but it's no use. I can hear the zombies below us. The scrapping of broken limbs on the ground, hisses and grunts from open mouths, the scrapping of yellowed nails on the tree where we hide. It's too much. By the time they leave the sun is rising.
I sit up and see the woman looking up at the sky. I guess she couldn't fall asleep either. She sits up as I clear a small area in the branches we call our bed. The map I unfold is a closeup of Texas, showing every city, town, and highway. I have Texas, Kansas, and California. Only one of them has every helped me. The government originally gave me all fifty states (they wanted their own to survive), but I lost a majority of them. The woman points at Belton and says, "This is the closest city. Want to go to it?". Belton doesn't ring a bell, so it's probably a smaller town. Smaller towns mean less zombies, so we might be able to actually find some supplies. We don't have any food, my water canteen is almost empty, and my companion doesn't have a gun. If I said 'no' I'd be resigning us to death. I tell the woman, "We'll go examine the city a little bit, but we can't go too deep into it. Keep your eyes peeled and machete ready.".
I climb down from our tree, the survivor right behind me. When we're both ready to go we head northward, our weapons at the ready. The road stretches out in front of us, the eerie silence devouring us. About halfway to the city we pass a flipped car, the driver's skeleton still buckled in. We quickly examine the car and body, looking for supplies. He has a candy bar in his pocket, but bugs have gotten to it and it's past its expiration date. We find some 12 gauge shotgun bullets in the back, but not a single gun in all the vehicle. My companion left her shotgun at her old camp (it's too dangerous to go back and get it), but she still pockets the box of ammo. Who knows, we might actually find a shotgun in the town. As we walk I ask her, "Do you know how to use that gun you had?". She nods and answers, "I could use it well enough, but it bruised my shoulder every time I used it.".
I can easily understand that, shotguns have more punch that people usually expect. She twirls her machete and I snarl, "Don't do that, you're going to take off your hand.". She stops and mumbles, "Okay.". The woman might not like me giving her orders, but she'll survive longer. I ask her, "Is there anything you can't do? Can't kill a rabbit, can't eat a spider, can't kill a man, and so on and so forth?". She thinks for a minute, then tells me, "I'm afraid of water.". I correct her by saying, "You're afraid of drowning.". The survivor nods and agrees, "I suppose you're right.". Fuck. Of all the things in the world, she's afraid of something we might run into. If there's a river we need to cross, then I'll have to find a way to take her across. For some reason I can't bring myself to allow this woman to die. I've saved her life twice. And, she's so young. Someone as young as her shouldn't need to fear for her life.
A thought occurs to me and I ask her, "Do you want to return to St. Louis? It'll take a while, but in a month or two you could safely be in Missouri.". The woman stops walking and I turn to her, seeing the hurt look on her face. She tells me, "You don't know what it's like in there. It's chaos. Gangs rule the city, soldiers take and do whatever they want, starved children roam the streets begging for food, and the infected. The infected are rounded up and killed. Men, women, children. The soldiers don't care, they shoot them dead and throw the bodies into a giant pit. Please, kill me before you take me back to that hellhole.". I quickly apologize, "I didn't know it was that bad, I won't take you back. Come on, we have to get to Branson.". She lets out a small smile, but a sudden thought hits me and I pull out my map. I lie it on the ground, kneel beside it, and motion for the woman to do the same.
I ask her, "Do you know who leads you?". She shakes her head. I take some dirt and cut the United States down the middle, Missouri on the right side. I point at the left side and tell her, "Ulfric Stormcloak rules this side. He's stationed in California.". I point to her side and say, "Elisif the Kind rules this side. She's stationed in New York. She controls Missouri, and therefor St. Louis.". She looks at the map and asks, "Why doesn't she do anything? Does she know how bad it is?". I nod and answer, "She knows very well how bad it is, she just doesn't give a shit.".
"Ulfric is worse, he rules his people with an iron fist.". The survivor reaches out and gently traces New York, then asks, "Why have I never seen Elisif?". I know the answer and tell her, "Her citizens would tear her limb from limb. New York is the only area that likes her, so that's where she stays.". She whispers, "Why are you telling me all of this?". I fold up the map and tell her, "Enlightening you. You needed to know that everywhere is like St. Louis. Now come on, we're burning daylight.".
We reach Belton when the sun is high in the sky, baking the black road that we walk on. I check for bandits and zombies, then motion for the survivor to follow me. We enter the city by the main road, the shops lining the street. Dead human and zombie bodies litter the path. Someone's obviously been here before, but they're gone now. At least we don't have to worry about walking corpses. Probably. I still get my gun ready, and the survivor tightens her grip on her machete. We look at the stores (we can barely see the building's names) and choose one to check out. It's called Randy's Pills. A strange name, but it's obviously a pharmacy. We step inside through the busted window and see the entire place in ruin. We search around the place, but find almost nothing. I find a bottle of Tylenol, but it's twenty years expired. I toss it over my shoulder and keep searching, but come up blank.
Then, the survivor whistles and exclaims, "First air kit.". I rush over as she opens the box. We both groan when we see the kit is mostly empty. The few bottles and creams are either empty or expired, and only two rolls of bandages remain. The survivor pockets the bandages and tells me, "I don't think we'll find anything here.". I nod in agreement and leave the pharmacy, the red-haired woman right behind me. The next place we check out is Red Onion. It appears to have been a restaurant, but now it's abandoned. Well, almost abandoned. A zombie with the name tag Clair hears our footsteps and rushes to meet us. I roll my eyes, point my gun, and fire. The zombie moves at the last second and her shoulder gets blown up, but she keeps coming. I try to fire once again, but I see the bullet shell is only halfway out of the chamber. I scream, "FUCK!", then leap behind a table to fix my jammed gun.
It's only when I hear a scream I realize I've left the survivor on her own. I leap back over the table and expect to save her life, but she's already swinging her machete. Clair moans as the weapon enters her skull, but falls to the ground and begins twitching. I walk over and clap the girl on the shoulder, nearly getting stabbed when I surprise her. She sighs in relief and says, "She's dead.". I nod and ask, "Anyone ever teach you about these things?". She shakes her head and answers, "The government told me it would never be important.". I crouch down beside Clair's body, motioning for the survivor to do the same. When she does I begin to teach her about our enemy, pointing at areas as I explain them. I point towards the dead eyes and explain, "When they regenerate into their full zombie stage, they remain trapped in a sort of rigor mortis muscle lock. They can walk, bite, and swing their arms, but that's about it. They can't close their eyelids, so their very eyeballs dry out. So, older ones are completely blind. But they can still find us.".
"We aren't sure why or how, but they can hear us clear as day. And, they've come up with a unique way to detect movement in their surrounding area. They hit objects such as walls and floors, listen to the sound bounce around the room, and if they sense something has moved since they last checked they attack it.". I point at the skin and tell her, "Bugs, fungi, and plants live and grow all over their body. They're like giant chunks of fertilized. They stand out in the rain and sun, so they're perfect for insects and vegetation to breed on. I speculate eventually they'll completely decompose, but not for decades. The virus is all over them and inside them, so don't ever try to eat their meat.". I point at the jaw, open the mouth to show her the teeth, and tell her, "Every human's bite can pack one hundred and twenty pounds of force per square inch, but there's a few problems. Our teeth are fragile, our jaws can't open wide, and it hurts us to bite down too forcibly.".
"Zombies don't feel pain, their teeth breaking don't bother them, and their jaws can open up wide enough to chomp down on our heads. The disease is transmitted by saliva, blood, and genital fluids. If you ever have sex with one let me know, I'll write it down in the history books. Don't swallow their blood or allow it to get into a open cut, that's about it. As for the saliva, don't get bitten. If you do, then cut off the limb as soon as you can. You might end up turning anyway, but at least you tried. If you end up just losing a arm or leg, then you can still live.". She pokes the corpse and asks, "What's the point?". I hum in confusion and ask, "What do you mean?". She locks her fear filled eyes with mine and asks, "What's the point of living? My friends were torn apart, civilization is collapsing, and the zombies seem stronger than any of us. What's the point?". I've contemplated this multiple times, so I quickly answer her.
"The point of living is what you make it. I live to help others, you can live for any reason. Even if it's as selfish a reason as simply not wanting to die, it's still a reason. You're young, you should still be in the school the government set up. It's shitty and bias, but it's still a education. You shouldn't be out here in this zombie infested world.". I see an ad under Clair's shoulder and pick it up. Buck's Horse Ranch. No one breeds 'em better than Buck! Perfect. I show the survivor the flyer and ask her, "What do you think about getting a horse?". She stands up and tells me, "I think Buck's Horse Ranch is a mile from here. We can be there before the sun sets.". I stand and ask her, "What are we waiting for?". I lead the way out of Red Onion, the girl following me. For once we have a plan. I'm just nervous it'll get us both killed.
Note: These notes seem to be coming faster and faster, but don't worry they'll end soon enough. This story has come along wonderfully, and it'll be over in a few chapters (seven at most). That may sound like a lot, but it'll be over before you know it. I loved giving my readers a chance to 'vote' for what story they wanted me to do next (when Disgusting was chosen). I didn't give much leeway with Survivors, but with the next one I can. So, I'm gonna spitball a few ideas, and I'd love to hear your opinions and any advice. We all know every Dragonborn I write is a Khajiit. And, I can always change my mind on the endings or plot halfway through.
Lydia/Female Dragonborn (Thane), Romance/Adventure. This one will follow the main story, then break off into the Blades. There will be a lot of curve balls, and I'm certain something bad will happen to one of the main characters (similar to what happened to the Khajiit in The March). It won't end badly, but it won't be rainbows and sunshine.
Argis the Bulwark/Male Dragonborn (Thane), Romance/Adventure. The story will deal with a plague in Windhelm, the risk of a psychotic murderer, and the civil war banging at the capital of the Stormcloaks. This one WILL end badly. No deaths. Probably. But no matter what the ending will be similar to Thirst.
J'zargo/Male Dragonborn (Arch-Mage), Romance/Undecided. J'zargo finds his magical skills lacking (he made scrolls that nearly kill the Dragonborn, we know he isn't a professional) and wants the Arch-Mage to train him to better his abilities. But not everyone is pleased with that idea. Political squabbles and angered villagers threaten the college. This one will end rather happily, but I could always change my mind.
Brelyna Maryon/Female Dragonborn (Arch-Mage), Romance/Undecided. The Arch-Mage is suppose to be the best wizard in all of Skyrim, but finds herself unable to properly cast healing spells. The college's only trained perished during the final battle, but Brelyna knows a thing or two. She wishes to help the Arch-Mage, but the Khajiit's traveler lifestyle makes things difficult. And, not everything is as it seems. This one is going to end almost perfectly (rainbows and butterflies ya!).
Serana/Female Dragonborn (Vampire), Romance/Suspense. After Harkon died everything was suppose to be fine, but that's not the case. The Dawnguard is hounding the vampires, the court is ripping itself apart, and the vampire finds herself an incapable leader. Serana can help her, but first she has to get the vampire to trust her. This ending is currently in the air.
Durak/Male Dragonborn (Recruit), Romance/Undecided. The final battle was over, but both sides suffered casualties. Isran lies dead, the vampires are regrouping, and the Dawnguard is leaderless. Durak and the newest recruit can lead the Dawnguard to a brighter future, if the vampires don't kill them first. Ending up in the air.
Martin Septim/Male Hero of Kvatch, Romance/Tragedy. During the weeks before the Oblivion Crisis reaches its peak, Martin and the savior of Kvatch grow closer than most people would like to think. This one is obviously going to end badly (can't change the destiny of the Elder Scrolls).
Arquen/Female Hero of Kvatch, Romance/Suspense. After the tragic battle under The Lucky Lady, the Brotherhood must be rebuilt. But that can only happen if Arquen and the Listener work together. But only time will tell if something more blooms along the way. Probably gonna end badly, at least not happily.
Maven Black-Briar/Female Dragonborn, Suspense/Romance. Maven is looking for any chance she can get to claw her way up in the political world, and getting in good with the queen's lapdog is the perfect way. All she needs to do is make the woman fall for her, but everything might not go as planned. Ending is up in the air.
Farkas/Male Dragonborn, Romance/Adventure. This will follow the Companions quest, but with a twist. The twist will be violent and huge. Kind of like Thirst, but it'll go in a different direction. The ending will be even more depressing than Thirst, so keep that in mind.
Finally, a sequel to one of my other works. Obviously not Thirst (dead men tell no tale)or The Queen and Her Cat (the ending is still being written, I can't think about another one right now). I would suggest staying away from The Ends of the Earth and Back (that story is rather old, and I don't see where I can go with it), but I think I could scratch something up if people want it.
That's it. I know I'm giving you a lot of options, but I hope a general consensus can be reached. The multitude of options is for a reason (I even reached out of Skyrim and to Oblivion), I want as many options as possible. Remember, the endings and plots can change at any second.
-KhajiitWarriorSam