Sneaky

Chapter 108

I hope we find that 'better' sooner rather than later. You can only endure something for so long before you start to wonder if it's even worth it.

Holding onto the believe that it does end, that it won't be like this forever is the only thing that gets you through.

I stared at my cold red hands. The dirt collected under my gross long fingernails; well overdue for a trimming and harboring who knows what sort of bacteria.

My teeth dug into my bottom lip, warming it instantly through folding it into my mouth, away from the cold.

"Ey," Daryl nudged me with his elbow. "you good?"

I stared into baby blue eyes, mapping every little flake and nodded.

"Come on, let's go back." Daryl stood, taking my elbow.

My knees cracked as he helped me to my feet. Even my toes popped.

Daryl picked up his crossbow, brushing off the leaves stuck to the end.

I blew a sigh out of my mouth, letting my cheeks puff up as we walked (trudged) back up to the campsite.

I don't know what we're gonna do. I really don't. I don't have the capacity to think of a plan right now.

I just need some sleep.

We stepped into the flickering glow of the fire through the opening and I went to the side, taking a seat next to Carol, by my backpack.

Daryl knelt next to me, picking up a stick to stoke the fire everyone's sat around.

I don't know when we decided on who's got watch but T-Dog's standing on top of the stone wall with a rifle the size of a sludgehammer, so I guess I'm gonna sleep well tonight.

I sat down carefully, and wiped my hands off on my jeans before getting my backpack open.

The only way I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight is if I get stock of our supplies. I have to know what we're working with or I won't even be able to lay down.

It's eerily quiet around the fire. Everyone's got their guns in their laps, you can taste the tension like a 3 course meal.

I started pulling my gear out one at a time, checking over what I've got left, what I need more of, what's damaged and what isn't.

Thank goodness my night vision goggles are still in decent condition. I haven't had occasion to use them much because wandering around in the dark isn't a good idea.

It's a shame. I really like these things. It'd be cool if I could use them more, but to effectively use night gear like this, we'd need the entire group to be able to see and move at night. Like a military unit.

We'd need goggles, silencers, camouflaging clothes.

Basically, we'd need to raid a military base or unit or something.

It's been months but I still can't see how the military lost against walkers.

You'd think with all the world's military mights and bunkers, weapons, strategies, everything, that they'd be able to contain the threat. Even at the cost of millions — even billions. Entire cities.

I think it's fair to say that for the sake of the entire species, sacrificing even entire continents would be worth it.

It would've lead to a time darker than the dark ages, and more desolate than the world wars, but at least there would have been something left.

Instead, as far as we know, there's just scattered groups of lawless people. Running around like rats in mazes trying to survive the plague that very well might condemn all life on the entire planet.

Cause it's not just people walkers go after. It's everything.

I knew society was all but done for after this, but I think even I've been thinking too small for this ripple effect.

The entire planet.

8 billion people and 99.9% of them, in all likelihood, are or will be walkers in the next ten years. That's a lot of mouths to feed. Mouths with no restraint. Mouths that will eat anything — as far as we know — that can only die through one specific place in the head.

And we made it so easy to get to virtually every corner of the globe.

I wonder how many species have become endangered already. How many are already gone.

What whatever the heck this is, is doing to ecosystems all around the world. How it's mutating, being exposed to so many different things.

And we have no way of knowing.

No way of knowing exactly what fate we've condemned this rock that was once teaming with life, to.

A bitter smile curved my lip as I stared at the fire.

If you'd told a 16 year old me that I'd be one of the last people standing, and get to witness the end of the world... I don't know what I would've done.

Perhaps I'd have become a researcher at the CDC or something, specializing in viruses or something. And I'd have gotten more training. Like military training or something. A doomsday backup plan for the world.

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All I have to say is: medication is truly a great thing. Medical science has come so very far and it's wonderful.

And for some reason this chp kept publishing the title as 'chapter' instead of 'chapter 108' like wth

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