Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day twenty-four

chompers seen: somewhere around five hundred and fifty

chompers killed: 0

near-death experiences: 5

human deaths witnessed: 3

friends left behind: 4

camps infiltrated: 1

dead friends: 1

I woke up the next morning feeling astronomically better.

I sighed in relief as I opened my eyes and wasn't instantly greeted with an unbearable throbbing in my head. My back was stiff from sleeping on the ground - the mattresses we'd found back at the store were definitely a luxury - but I felt just about cured. I was hungry, which was a good sign, and I wasn't even all that tired.

I sat up, groaning at the sound of the birds outside and sunlight streaming in from the tent windows. Anthony stirred next to me, but rolled over instead of getting up.

I exited the tent, greeted by the sound of rushing water and a crackling campfire. Brandon and Alex sat around the fire, boiling a pot of water. I went over to them, smiling.

"Mornin'," Brandon said, smiling. I returned the greeting, mesmerized by his smile. I still couldn't deny how attractive I found him. He was only in his early twenties, but looked years older. He had shiny bronze skin, phenomenally straight teeth, and shimmering hazel eyes. He was buff, had a dark five-o'clock shadow, with an incredibly charming personality.

"Aaron and Jenna went out hunting," Alex stated, yawning. "God damn, I miss those mattresses. Barely slept at all last night." She looked tired. Her face was covered in stress-wrinkles anyway, but they seemed to have multiplied by ten. It looked like she'd look a decade younger with makeup, but, honestly, she looked years older than she actually was.

"I don't know how they're all asleep still," Brandon remarked. "I've been up for hours."

"Lizzy will sleep forever if you let her," I countered, laughing a little.

"We've all been there." Alex smiled. Her long, ratted black hair hung over one shoulder in what looked like billions of knots. "Anyway, you sound better, kid. Water must've helped."

"Definitely. I feel a hell of a lot better."

Alex smiled. "Good. Here's hopin' the rest of us don't get it now."

A tent unzipped behind us, and Ken and Martha emerged.

"Morning, sunshine," Brandon joked. "I thought you old people were up by the crack of dawn every day."

"Shut it, kid," Ken groaned, sitting on the ground across from me.

Ken and Martha shared a tent, as did Anthony and I. Aaron and Jenna did, too. Everyone else got their own. We had a nice setup going; plenty of tents and unlimited water. As long as we could find food, we'd be golden for a while.

"I don't think we should stay for long," Ken deadpanned, looking at each of us. "The woods are a dangerous place. If we get attacked, we have nothing to do but run. No shelter. No hiding."

"I agree," Alex said. "The water's nice, but that's about it."

"We'll be fine for a couple days, though, right?" I probably sounded too hopeful. I just liked our little oasis too much.

Ken shrugged. "I guess. I just don't know where the he'll we'll go next."

I pondered his statement. Where would we go next? We could just keep walking and walking, but who knew where that'd take us. We were lost, and if we went more than a few days without water again, we were screwed.