Survival of the fittest✔️

1. The Apocalypse

(3rd May)

You sprinted as fast as you could through the forest. Your rapid breathing was making your chest burn as the cold air was forced in and out of your lungs. The muscles in your legs were in agony but you refused to stop or slow down.
Stopping would be the worst thing you could do in this situation.

The sounds of people shouting, car engines and gunshots floated to your ears as you realised your pursuers were gaining on you. You were armed with only a pistol and your trusted dagger and that wouldn't be enough in a fight against them. There must have been at least 20 of them chasing you, maybe more.

An idea forming in your head you pushed yourself faster, you only needed to be out of their sight for a second. You spotted a low hanging branch on a thick oak tree, praying it wouldn't snap you launched yourself into the air as high as you could.

You flew for a second then felt your hands wrap around the wood. Heaving yourself into the tree you continued climbing until you were high enough not to be seen by anyone from the forest floor.

You managed it just in time because a second lager the cars rolled to a stop right under your tree. The men inside got out their cars and started talking, gathering in a circle.

"Anyone see which way she went?" One shouted from the drivers seat.

"No, lost her. What about you?"

"Nothing."

The men conversed with each other. You breathed a sigh of relief that none of them spotted you. Pushing yourself further into the tree trunk you strained your ears to listen in.

"Well, we need to find her she can't have gone far. You go down to the river, you check the by the supply shop and we will go to the town." One of them ordered.

The others mumbled their agreement, got back into their cars and drove away in various directions. The car engines slowly fading leaving you with the sound of your pounding heart in your ears. You took a deep breath knocking your head gently against the tree trunk behind you. You felt as if a 10 tonne weight had been lifted off your shoulders as they drove away.

Once you'd caught your breath and your heart rate had returned to normal,
you slowly began making your way back down the tree.

Upon reaching the leafy floor you pulled your pistol out the waistband of your jeans and started to head south. This part of the forest was new to you, you'd never come this far south before so your sense of direction was all over the place. You weren't sure where exactly you were heading but anywhere was better than the place you'd escaped from.

After an hour of walking silently through the sunny forest, you reached the edge of the tree line and found a disused road. You sighed and laughed humourlessly realising where you had ended up walking.

The Warehouse.

It was a huge building surrounded by a high, barb-wired fence. Your old group had tried to raid the warehouse but the people living inside put up a good fight.

In each corner of the warehouse there was a roughly constructed watch tower high above the ground giving them sight all around it. You knew there would be at least two lookouts in each tower armed with long range weapons. You knew they'd seen you just by the fact that their tiny figures had stopped pacing up and down.

They'd probably be keen on killing you but you had nowhere else to go right now. The high fences would keep you safe from the terrible creatures that roamed around outside and the people chasing you. Yes, they might lock you up and treat you like a prisoner but that was better than sleeping alone in the forest.