The Flares

Skinny Dipping

Turns out my mystery runner friend didn't make it very far after abandoning me. I'd travelled about two or so miles when I came cross his mutilated corpse. I guess I shouldn't call it a corpse, because that would imply that his body was in one piece, but at least his head was intact. I almost didn't recognise him with the mass of blood on his face, and all across the floor, and about twenty steps away where his feet were tossed, but I was able to when I bent down to take a closer look. I wanted to shut his eyes as a sincere gesture, but looking at his dismembered head gave me the chills, so I left his pieces there.

Bet you wish you'd stayed with me now, huh!

I left there in a hurry, partly disgusted and partly afraid. I had stayed where we met for about an hour soaking up the atmosphere until I realised that sitting out in the open was ridiculous to attempt for too long, so I left. With his speed, he probably covered a lot of ground fast so he might have been killed a while before I arrived, and the infected could have been close by.

The buildings around me began to disperse and thin out, giving way to the woodlands that surrounded the outskirts of what was once a city. The larger trees stood proud, baring dying brown leaves at their trunks while the smaller trees seemed to have dried out completely, without any rain to provide sustenance to them, in addition to the overload of sunlight and drastic change in climate.

I decided to travel through the woods for a change, hoping that the scene would be clear of infected. Something in the distance sparked my interest, drawing me like a moth to a flame. A flame that grew brighter and more intense the closer I got, and it was euphoric when I finally arrived.

A body of water, clear as the sky above with an ethereal shine from the sunlight. I stood on a bank, looking down at the small pond that was presumably once a dam that filled the crater I'm standing around before it dried up. A smile painted my face as I rushed down towards it. I was taking a risk with this, but it's not everyday that I get this kind of opportunity.

Showering under two or three bottles of water isn't as refreshing as it sounds. I dropped the bag onto the floor and removed a knife to keep with me in the pond, then I left my clothes beside it and rushed in my boxers like a small child into a swimming pool, minus the excited cannonball.

It wasn't exactly an ice bath, but with my experience in the heat, this lukewarm pond sent shivers up my spine as I slowly submerged myself in it, getting up to my neck in water. I held my breath, tilting my head up, and found myself submerged beneath the water. I didn't open my eyes or swallow a single droplet, because despite its clean appearance, I was dubious about the quality of this water, though it still felt amazing against my skin.

I emerged from the water, whipping my head back like a sultry swimsuit model before flailing about like a wet dog, and brushed my hair back. I didn't need a mirror to realise that I had been smiling. Laughing even. My cheeks threatened to burst as I gave a wide, toothy grin and dove back into the water, sinking to the ground beneath before pushing myself back up, and floating on the surface.

Before all of this started, I loved going to the pool. I loved water, and swimming, but I especially loved to float in the pool. I felt weightless, like there wasn't a single worry on my shoulder as I allowed my body to be rocked by the tiny current on the pool. I used to wonder if this was what it was like to be a bird. A creature with a responsibility to raise their young, to be wary of carnivores, but to know that when they fly, there's nothing holding them down. They get to defy gravity in a graceful act of rebellion, and soar across skies of blue.