Dead or Alive

Chapter 4

I set my bag on the ground in the tent and then Scarlett and I walked outside and joined the rest of the group. Lyndsey kept glaring at me as though I had shot her dog or something. 

"Why is she glaring at me?" I whispered to Scarlett.

"She has a bad time trusting new people. She had a bad experience the first few weeks since this all started," She explained.

I nodded. I looked around and saw Aaron beckoning me to go over to him. I walked over and he smiled.

"So, I see that Scarlett has taken a liking to you," He said.

"She's a little odd, but she's cool," I responded.

"That she is."

We stood there, silent, for a few moments until Aaron asked another question.

"So what was your life like before all of this started?"

"I was about to graduate from high school actually. We were on the last exam and then later that day would be our graduation. My friend was spending the night with me since her family was out of town on a business trip," I explained.

"Did the Lurkers get her?" Aaron asked.

"...Yeah. We heard someone banging on the door and we thought it was my parents coming back from grocery shopping. She opened the door and became Lurker lunch. I tried to bandage her up until my parents got home, but she didn't make it. She came back a few minutes later and tried to attack me. I had to slice through her head, and that was the most painful thing I have ever done," I said, sadness seeping into my voice.

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I lost my entire family within the first week. First my mom died from a Lurker bite. Then my dad committed suicide a few days later, then my little sister got taken away by a group of raiders. I guess everyone has lost someone important to them," He explained sadly.

I put my hand on his shoulder, "At least they don't have to deal with this shit-hole of a world. It's awful, the way that they left, and I would never wish it upon anyone. However, they would want you to be as strong as you can be, given the current situation."

He turned his head and smiled, "I guess you're right. Thanks, Amala."

"You're welcome, Aaron."

By the time we had finished out conversation, we noticed the sun beginning to set in the distance. The way the light bounced off of the Autumn leaves, and rolled over the mountains almost took my breath away. A few small clouds turned purple and pink as the rest of the sky turned a light orange. A faint, warm, breeze blew through my hair and the trees, causing a few leaves to flutter to the ground. For once in three months, everything seemed normal. Everything seemed to be at peace. It seemed as though the world hasn't gone to shit.

"Wow. That's the most beautiful sunset I've seen in months!" Scarlett exclaimed, walking up to Aaron and I.

"I know. It is truly something to marvel at," Aaron said.

Everyone else in the group joined us, watching the sun slowly set behind the horizon. Everyone was silent as we all took in the beauty of it. Once the sun had dipped below the horizon we all turned and began to make some dinner.

"I killed a couple of squirrels when I went hunting earlier. I think that there is even enough for you, Amala," Cody said, pulling the squirrels, by their tails, out of a cooler that sat a few feet away from the fire pit.

"Oh, thank you, Cody!" I said.

Cody gave me a curt nod and began putting the squirrels on the spit. He rotated the spit with the seven squirrels over the fire as he began roasting them. I went over to my tent and began digging through my bag. I pulled out my water bottle that filters the debris out of the water that is put into it, and exited the tent.

"Is there a stream or a creek somewhere nearby? I need to fill up my water bottle," I asked Scarlett.

She looked at the water bottle and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get that?" She asked.

"I was scavenging in an old store one day and I found this in the travel department. It filters out the debris from the water whenever I shake it. It actually works really well!" I said, examining the water bottle.

"The creek is that way," She said pointing in the direction of the creek. "Want me to go with you in case you run into trouble?" 

"No, it's fine. Thank you though. I'll be back soon!" I said as I walked in the direction that Scarlett pointed.

After a few minutes of walking I heard the sound of running water not too far away. I jogged toward the sound and saw a rather large creek in front of me.

"This looks more like a river than a creek," I said to myself.

I walked toward the bank and opened the lid of my water bottle. I crouched down and dipped my water bottle, with the opening facing the current, into the creek. I didn't expect the current to be so strong, as my water bottle was almost forced out of my hand by the current. When the water bottle was full, I took it out of the creek and screwed the lid back on. As I turned around I saw Lurkers closer than I would normally like to see them. The closest one almost grabbed me with it's hands, so I ducked under them and turned to the side of it. I reached for my machete, but then I realized that it was back in the tent, along with my gun.

I looked at my metal water bottle and an idea came to my mind.

"Well, might as well!" I muttered.

I raised my water bottle and hit one Lurker in the head, knocking him to the ground. I quickly stomped on his head, his brains and blood splattering everywhere. I did the same to the other two. Just as I thought they were all dead, one that I hadn't completely killed grabbed my shin. I yelped in surprise and I wheeled around, losing my balance, and falling to the ground. The Lurker still had my ankle in it's hands as I tried to kick it off. 

"Hey! Let go of me!" I yelled at the Lurker.

I got a better grip on my water bottle and began hitting the Lurker hard on the head with it. I heard noises coming from the woods behind me, but I kept hitting it with my water bottle. Eventually, the Lurker fell. Dead. I sighed in relief as I stood up. I looked towards the woods and saw Aaron and Scarlett standing there with shocked looks on their faces.

"Thanks for the help, guys!" I said sarcastically, smiling.

"Sorry, we've just never seen someone kill a Lurker with a water bottle before," Aaron said.

"Well, there's a first time for everything," I said as I walked up to them. "And at least now the water has been filtered!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Scarlett said.

"Let's head back to the camp. I'm starving," Aaron said.

"Yeah let's go."