As her breath puffed out small clouds, Rista shivered. She was dressed in a jacket that she had found, of course it was much bigger than she was. Walking quietly, she tried not to step on any dry leaves or branches. She had survived in her cabin for a month. The weather had gotten colder which forced her to come out and search for more food and winter supplies. She had seen only one Zombie out pursuer out here in the last 30 days. Hopefully they would all freeze and become slower if not stuck in one place. Bending over to pick up a piece of cloth she shook it out only to have a severed arm fall out of it causing her to gasp. Luckily she caught herself before screaming. Bending down to get a better look at it she jumped back when it twitched. Freshly cut. Who would do that? There was no one around, she was sure of it… A horrifying thought passed through her mind and she turned and ran back to her little home. Bursting through the front door of the cabin she noticed that everything was still in its place. Sighing in relief she emptied the huge pockets in her jacket and took inventory. Unfortunately, she realized that she would not be able to stay out here forever… soon, she would have to go back to town. She needed more supplies and warmer shelter. She didn't want to draw anyone or anything in with the smoke from a fire. In town she would be able to find battery operated heaters and she could make a fire without smoke escaping in to the sky. "Well, Rista," She said to herself, "You should get moving before it gets too cold and snows." She had recently started talking to herself more hoping that it would bring comfort to the loneliness. She knew that this was the first step to going insane. Hugging her jacket tight she shivered again. The cold was seeping through the logs that made up the cabin. Wind was even coming down the chimney bring a chilly draft in to the room. Unzipping her sleeping bags she snuggled in to them and tried to stay warm. It was not dark, but she had gotten up early to search for supplies and had had a very unsuccessful morning of it. Yawning, she closed her eyes and listened to the woods around her. Silence now. There had not been any more screams or roars, not even animals. Thinking about how toasty she felt she began to doze off when suddenly there was a noise outside on her patio. She shot up and moved quickly to the door to make sure her lock was secure. Quietly she looked through a very small crack. A shadow passed by the door and she heard one of the windows shatter. Then a knocking sound on the wood that she had covered it with. Was it one of them… it had to be. She walked slowly over to the window and hesitantly put her ear to the wall. Listening carefully, she couldn't hear anything. Taking shallow breaths she backed away slowly. It would just go away.
As if on cue with her thoughts, the boards were split and someone began forcing their way in. She screamed and ducked down to avoid any flying splinters. Glancing up slowly to see who was there, she saw a young man and a middle aged couple. They stood staring at her and she did the same back. The young man looked back at the couple and then to Rista, "May we come in," He asked. Rista couldn't speak, but nodded to show her shocked approval. Stepping over the window, he made sure that his companions made it safely through. He tried to put the wood back half way and then turned to Rista, "Sorry about that, we didn't want to destroy the door as it is bigger to repair," He said smiling, "We didn't know there was anyone out this far." Rista nodded again, "I am sorry," She said quietly, "I have not seen anyone since the day it all started." The woman gasped, "You poor dear, you have been out here all alone?!" Rista nodded. "I am Rosie," The woman said, "This is my husband, Mike, and our son Jase." "I am Rista," She said back, trying to be polite and get rid of the shock that was still affecting her. After a bit more talking they all fixed the window and sat down around the wooden table that held all of Rista's food and supplies. It was nice to have someone other than herself to talk to. Hopefully they would know how to stay out here without having to return to town. They would have to have some kind of plan since they came all the way out here this far into the outbreak.
"How long can we stay out her," Rista asked, "You must have some ideas?" Mike shook his head, "We only wanted to stop for the night since it is getting cold and the next place is much farther away." Rista looked confused, "Why didn't you stay in the last town," She asked. "Everything is wiped clean and the town was crawling with those things," Jase mentioned as he took out a large blade and began wiping what looked like dried blood off of it. Rista's heart sank. Everything was gone, and overrun. Looking down she thought of how far the next town was. It would take a whole day of walking, and they were not guaranteed to find anything there, nor was that it safe. Was it worth the risk?