The Blast: Chapter Two - Day Four

First light the next morning came sooner than expected, and a lot sooner than I wanted. As I knew I needed to, however, I got up and around to prepare for my journey to the city.
I didn’t know what I would find. I didn’t know what I wanted to find. Part of me was hoping that my wife and son weren’t there, and that I could always picture them escaping the initial blast to get to safety. I know it’s wishful thinking, but in dark times, a man has to be able to hold onto something.
I packed up the few provisions I had brought with me when I left, or at least the ones that I thought might do me some good. Thank god I had wanted to do some fishing, so I had my fishing pole.
The sun had already risen overhead when I started my trek. Where I had gone to relax was about halfway up the mountain, and there were two ways to get down. I could either walk along the road, which would be the easiest way, although since it would up the mountain, I could count on it adding an additional two days to my walk.
The other option was to brave the forest and try to work my way down the mountain. I knew that the perils would be greater, but I thought that the reward would outweigh the risk. I knew that each second ticking by was a chance that my wife and son could be injured and needing help, and two days could be the difference between life and death for them.
With that in mind, I started out. I was probably about fifteen miles up the side of the mountain, just on a little clearing in the woods where I could look out over the city. I knew that the stream that ran besides the clearing carried right down into the city, becoming the Greater Brownback River.
I figured I would just follow the stream down, which should lead me into the center of town. From there, it would be simple to find my way to my house. All in all, I guessed I was probably looking at a two to three day experience.
I had only walked about 1000 feet when I came upon my first challenge. I was already starting to get worn out from dealing with the thick underbrush, and about fifteen yards ahead there was a pile of trees about seven feet high.
It looked like the force from the blast had just broadsided them, ripping them out by the roots and piling them right there like a God playing with Lincoln Logs.
I looked for anyway around them, and that’s when I realized that this was going to be much tougher than I originally thought. I was stuck. I was stucker than stuck.
I’ve never been the most physically fit person, having trouble even climbing a four foot fence. Compared to that, these trees were essentially a stop sign saying “You’re not getting down this way.”
I wasn’t ready to give up yet though. I knew there had to be more than one way around. If I can’t go over, I’ll go around.
I headed off to the right, losing track of the stream but staying right beside the wood pile. I must have walked three miles before I came to the end and was able to turn around.
I was on my way back when I heard growling coming from behind me. Instantly, I froze. I knew growling from dogs, but this was like nothing I’d heard before. This was guttural, almost painful.
Grabbing a branch off one of the trees that were right beside me, I slowly turned around.
I was in shock! That sound came from a person. A normal, breathing, living person. I was so overjoyed! People survived the blast! My wife and son might be okay!
I ran towards the man, not even noticing his awkward stance or the hungry look in his eyes. It wasn’t until my arms were out to embrace him that I noticed the empty look he had. If there ever had been a soul behind those eyes, it was now gone. He wasn’t dead, but he was no longer conscious of who he was. He was a shambling mess, whose only thought was to eat.
He took a step toward me, and instinctively I stepped back. I must have forgotten about all the branches and limbs on the ground, because I stumbled and fell.
Then he was on me. It was a scene straight out of a horror movie. Teeth gnashing, trying to rip off every bit skin and muscle I had.
We wrestled, me fighting for my life, him fighting for me as a meal. It was like trying to fight off a hungry bear. This guy was seriously trying to rip my skin off.
I managed to throw him off of me and went to go run. I stumbled through the thick branches all over the forest floor, but I fared a lot better than the monster that was chasing me.
I got a good lead on him, and was almost back to the stream when I heard it. It was a roar, but it sounded like an animal dying. It was horrible, and I’m pretty sure that it’ll haunt me for the rest of my life.
I’m done for today. I’m scared to death that my family will be like that. If that’s what it’s like out here in the forest, what is it going to be like when I get to the city? Am I going to be able to survive this? I’ll start again tomorrow and hopefully that will be the end of it.