Leaders of the Mislead
Chapter Three: If It Means A Lot To You
Silence.
That's all that surrounds me while I move through the woods. Here I'm away from the mundane stresses of the world, away from the idle chatter everyone feels is so necessary. Everyone should take up hunting, be forced into silence for a few hours, where they can figure out what's truly important in life. But I guess if everyone else did it, it would lose its importance, I wouldn't have my solitude from all those clones.
Its best that everyone sticks to the "modern world" where everything is run by technology, where they don't have to think for themselves because if they did, who knows what would happen, something bad no doubt. Maybe the dead really would walk.
This brings me back to my latest nightmare. They had been happening on and off the last few weeks, always the same, the dead don't stay dead. This one was particularly vivid and lengthy, I don't know why my dream self compared being grabbed to cat, I've never owned a pet, never mind something as small as a cat. If my dad had of bought any kind of animal, it would've been a dog, something that can be used for hunting.
Why was I so concerned about getting back to my family, praying home would be safe? For the past few years, it was just me and Merle, and when my old man was around the house was anything but safe. Unconsciously I begin rubbing the almost invisible mark running across my shoulder blades as I always do when thinking about the past.
A soft rustle of a leaf snaps me back to the present. Spacing out in the wilderness is just about one the stupidest things I can do, all I need is to accidently get shot. Merle would have a field day if I came home injured, there would be no end to that asshole's teasing.
Thunk. The sound of one of my arrows embedding itself in a tree keeps my attention focused on the task at hand. Walking over to the trunk, I pull out the bow, and the squirrel from the bow. I should be looking for bigger game, this won't last Merle and I very long, but it'll have to do for now.
I continue deeper into the woods, checking some of my snares as I go, all but 2 are empty. I add the rabbits to my bag, making sure I close it tight. Around 4 I decide to start heading back, I'm running out of the jerky I brought with me and my body's starting to protest being out for long on so little sleep. I started heading back to the house, still not in the mood for Merle's bullshit, but considerably more relaxed than I was when I left.
I started packing everything back into the bed of my blue 1979 Ford F150, taking care not to chip the paint or scratch the seats. To some, it might be a piece of crap, but it my piece of crap. That truck was one of the first things I was able to buy with my own money, something that no one else could claim as theirs. When I first got it the engine was wrecked, and everything else needed work but slowly I was fixing it. Every spare moment I had went into that truck, even though Merle constantly laughed at me, telling me I was wasting my time because "that piece of shit has about as much of a chance of working as I do of flying." And now years later it was my baby. Everything ran smoothly and was much more reliable than Merle's bike.
Slamming the tailgate shut I hopped into the cab and started driving, with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the open window, taking mostly back roads. Not everybody in town appreciates it when I drive down main street with a bunch of dead animals in the truck bed.
When I got something seemed off. Shutting off the engine and grabbing my game and crossbow, I walked up the porch steps and gently nudged the door open with the toe of my boot. "Merle?" I called out into silence. The house seemed almost… dead. I walked into the kitchen where the dishes from breakfast were still on the table. Dropping everything I had in my hands onto a chair, I continued investigating the house. "Merle! This ain't funny! Where are you?"
As I walked past down the hallway and into Merle's room, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind, simultaneously blinding me and cutting off my air.
Song: If It Means A Lot To You - A Day To Remember