loved. Lenny might have been a weird dad, but he loved me. The man who fathered me doesn’t know me, never has.
I take quiet steps, clutching my bow. My quiver is on my back. I miss the guns I had, Mary's guns. I feel bad for losing them.
We get to the place where the others were and I smile when I see me, Will and Anna are all looking at Leo. He looks normal, but he's sniffing the air. He recognizes home. Jake is scratching his head and looking at a bird in the tree next to him.
I shake my head, "Let me go ahead with him." I walk up to where Leo's standing. Will grabs my arm, "You're still weak."
I shake my head, "I'm not." I am a little, but it's not enough to tell Will about. Honestly, even the doctor was amazed at how quickly I healed.
I pull from his hand and creep to Leo. My animal eyes return with my nerves and instinct. I see a hare in the far right and some leaves rustling behind it. Something is hunting it. I pull an arrow and relax into the pull. My breath whispers along the bow as I watch the bushes. The hare hops away while whatever it is stalking it stays still, it smells us.
Leo watches it and then looks at me. I shake my head, lowering the bow. Whatever is behind the bushes is scared of us; it's clearly not the infected. We slip down the hill slowly, watching out for movement and listening for changes in the patterns.
I hear Will behind me, he's closing in on us. I scowl at him, making him stop. Everything he does annoys me.
Leo and I crouch, stalking through the woods silently. When I see the light of the field and the break in the forest, I stop and nod at Leo. He crouches low and stops moving. I jump into the tree nearest to me and climb fast. My skin aches, my calluses are gone. I'm getting soft.
I pull and lift until I'm high enough that my guts ache. The farmhouse looks empty. I miss it. I miss that life. The simplicity and peace. I want for that to be my way again. I want Jake, Megs, Sarah, Anna, and Will to live with me and Leo. I close my eyes and listen, as the wind sways the branch I am in. The wheat tickles and touches, the dust in the driveway rolls across the gravel, the breeze brushes against the house like it's painting it or stroking lightly, and nothing else moves.
There is nothing. No ragged breathing or high moans or campfires burning in the wind. There is no sign of life. The house looks the way it always does. I don’t like that. That is unsettling. Why would they have left a good house with a working well?
My heart tugs me in the direction of the house, and the supplies I know I have stashed, but my fears tell me that we need to give the house a wide birth. Leo pants nervously.
I look back and nod. Will speaks softly and they all move down the hill slowly. Anna still has her rifle, my old one with the silencer. They stashed it and all our things at the camp when they came looking for me. They traveled light.
I watch the field as they walk down the hill to me. Nothing moves around the house or field in a way it shouldn’t.
When they're close I climb down, "I'll go first and climb a tree at the far side. When I'm across and up the tree you all make it across one at a time."
Will nods, "Be fast."
I ignore him and crouch next to Leo. We slip out of the forest and into the wheat. I glance at him and whisper, "Ready?"
He pants at me, but I can see the yellow in his eyes is darkening. He's ready. We bolt at the exact same moment, running hard and fast across the field. I only have my bow and quiver. Normally, I would run the field with a huge pack and supplies. I am much faster without them. It's almost freeing to run this fast.
We break the forest at the same spot as last time. I leap into the huge tree and haul myself up the branches. I pull an arrow and scan the field.
There is nothing but the line in the wheat where we ran. I see Anna come first and then Jake. Will brings up the back end of them. Anna breaks the forest and spins, pointing the gun back at Jake. He
I take quiet steps, clutching my bow. My quiver is on my back. I miss the guns I had, Mary's guns. I feel bad for losing them.
We get to the place where the others were and I smile when I see me, Will and Anna are all looking at Leo. He looks normal, but he's sniffing the air. He recognizes home. Jake is scratching his head and looking at a bird in the tree next to him.
I shake my head, "Let me go ahead with him." I walk up to where Leo's standing. Will grabs my arm, "You're still weak."
I shake my head, "I'm not." I am a little, but it's not enough to tell Will about. Honestly, even the doctor was amazed at how quickly I healed.
I pull from his hand and creep to Leo. My animal eyes return with my nerves and instinct. I see a hare in the far right and some leaves rustling behind it. Something is hunting it. I pull an arrow and relax into the pull. My breath whispers along the bow as I watch the bushes. The hare hops away while whatever it is stalking it stays still, it smells us.
Leo watches it and then looks at me. I shake my head, lowering the bow. Whatever is behind the bushes is scared of us; it's clearly not the infected. We slip down the hill slowly, watching out for movement and listening for changes in the patterns.
I hear Will behind me, he's closing in on us. I scowl at him, making him stop. Everything he does annoys me.
Leo and I crouch, stalking through the woods silently. When I see the light of the field and the break in the forest, I stop and nod at Leo. He crouches low and stops moving. I jump into the tree nearest to me and climb fast. My skin aches, my calluses are gone. I'm getting soft.
I pull and lift until I'm high enough that my guts ache. The farmhouse looks empty. I miss it. I miss that life. The simplicity and peace. I want for that to be my way again. I want Jake, Megs, Sarah, Anna, and Will to live with me and Leo. I close my eyes and listen, as the wind sways the branch I am in. The wheat tickles and touches, the dust in the driveway rolls across the gravel, the breeze brushes against the house like it's painting it or stroking lightly, and nothing else moves.
There is nothing. No ragged breathing or high moans or campfires burning in the wind. There is no sign of life. The house looks the way it always does. I don’t like that. That is unsettling. Why would they have left a good house with a working well?
My heart tugs me in the direction of the house, and the supplies I know I have stashed, but my fears tell me that we need to give the house a wide birth. Leo pants nervously.
I look back and nod. Will speaks softly and they all move down the hill slowly. Anna still has her rifle, my old one with the silencer. They stashed it and all our things at the camp when they came looking for me. They traveled light.
I watch the field as they walk down the hill to me. Nothing moves around the house or field in a way it shouldn’t.
When they're close I climb down, "I'll go first and climb a tree at the far side. When I'm across and up the tree you all make it across one at a time."
Will nods, "Be fast."
I ignore him and crouch next to Leo. We slip out of the forest and into the wheat. I glance at him and whisper, "Ready?"
He pants at me, but I can see the yellow in his eyes is darkening. He's ready. We bolt at the exact same moment, running hard and fast across the field. I only have my bow and quiver. Normally, I would run the field with a huge pack and supplies. I am much faster without them. It's almost freeing to run this fast.
We break the forest at the same spot as last time. I leap into the huge tree and haul myself up the branches. I pull an arrow and scan the field.
There is nothing but the line in the wheat where we ran. I see Anna come first and then Jake. Will brings up the back end of them. Anna breaks the forest and spins, pointing the gun back at Jake. He
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