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A Survivor's Tale Chapter Four

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    I was overexcited to go outside, completely forgetting the hellish torture it has really been. I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, but I didn't care. Being cooped up for two weeks in a tiny room that you could walk across in three steps did funny things to my brain. I think they called it cabin fever.
    As Penny and I prepared to leave, she handed me my backpack, only a few things missing from it that she had used while caring for me, and my softball bat, as well as a small caliber gun.
    "Only use that gun in absolute emergencies," Penny warned as she loaded on her own plethora of weapons. "It only has so many bullets, and ammunition is hard to come by. Even when you do get some, it's expensive. So save what you can, and use that bat."
    I nodded. I was uneasy about firing a gun anyways, and preferred my bat over it. She helped me to my feet and I tested my leg, which had been aching recently. It would hold, but not for extended amounts of time.
    "Let me know if it gets to hurting too badly. We'll rest if it does."
    "Even If we're being chased down by a hungry hoard of zombies?" I queried. Penny laughed and then grew serious.
   "If you see zombies, I want you to hide. You can't run on that leg, and I don't want you trying to. Get to a small hiding spot and don't come out until I get you. If anything tries to get you, shoot it, don't scream."
    I looked at her confusedly and she sighed, blowing a few stray locks out of her face.
    "Screams attract more of them, so if you scream, we're in for even more trouble."
    I nodded with understanding and tucked the handgun into my waistband. Penny went to the door and checked around.
    "Coast's clear, let's go." With that, we both hurried out, Penny briefly stopping to lock the door, and then we were in the open. I took a whiff of what I had hoped to be fresh air.
    What I got instead, was a foul stench in my nostrils. It was acidic and burned horribly. I gagged quietly and Penny shot me a sympathetic glance over her shoulder.
    "Is it always like this?" I wondered aloud quietly, looking at the already abandoned buildings, windows on the lower floors already smashed open and smoke or bits of fire going on inside. Penny nodded.
    "The world's collapsed lately. Everything is essentially shut down. The only things that aren't are the military and the food rations. Those are the only things keeping us alive."
    I looked at a few people aimlessly wandering about. Some were drunk, and others mourned, while a few crazies screamed about the end of the world. I kinda wanted to shoot those people.
    Penny told me that we were making our way for her to get her weekly rations, where she normally got them. I held my bat, alert and listening. Then, I heard it.
    Scratching, moaning noises, the drag of feet on pavement. Penny suddenly grabbed my arm.
    "You know what I said about hiding?" she said, eyes scanning the area like a sniper, pulling out a long knife and a handgun of her own. I nodded hastily.
    "Now's a good time to practice, go!" she said in a low voice, pushing me away from the sounds. I stumbled a bit and found a small place, more of a cell than a hiding spot, and took shelter, able to see that was going on from a narrow slot.
    Penny was holding out her gun, and her knife in the other hand, moving towards the place where the sounds were heard slowly. All of a sudden, a zombie, his face mangled and bloodied, leapt out of the brush, charging at Penny, dragging one of its legs behind him. Penny seemed to be calm about the situation, even though I wanted to throw up the little I had eaten.
    She dodged the zombie with ease and sliced open the tendons on the back of its good leg, making both useless to it. The zombie kept coming, however, and she stomped on its head, crushing it into the ground and stomping a few more times before she stopped, looking rather dissatisfied.
    That's when a hand started to block the view I had. It reeked of death, decay, and rot. I caught my breath. I'd been so focused on watching Penny, that I hadn't heard the telltale sounds of a zombie coming up on me. Luckily for me, it couldn't get it. Unluckily for me, I couldn't get out, move, or much less breathe.
    I silently cursed myself for putting myself in a situation where I wouldn't have a backup exit, even though I was safe for the time being. The hand made its way into the slot, getting stuck at the wrist. I wanted to throw up right there. The zombie couldn't move its hand into the slot any further, and so it pulled away, leaving the hand stuck in place.
    I almost screamed at that, but held my tongue, shaking in fear as the smell of death wafted towards my nose. I gagged again, choking on the putrid odor. A slamming sound, followed by a grunt came from just outside my hiding place. A few heavy thuds sounded, and then it was quiet. Footsteps grew closer to me, then the hand was removed.
    "Yo, Case, you in there?" I heard Penny say. I exhaled deeply with relief and wormed my way out. Penny, even blood and gut spattered as she was, was a welcoming sight. She grinned at me.
    "I see you made a new friend, eh?" I shoved her, not amused by her comment. She laughed and helped me up.
    "That was sickening," I mumbled, not daring to look at the carnage of the zombie behind me. Penny shrugged.
    "You get used to it, now come on, we have to catch Ronaldo before he closes up shop. I nodded and we started walking again.
    It turns out that Ronaldo was a small, skinny man with a New Jersey accent and a flaming temper. He glared at us, arms folded as we walked up to his "shop" which was more of a shack.
    "You knows that I was just about to close up, Pen, I ain't happy 'bout this."
    "Oh hush, you're never happy about anything. I'm here for-"
    Ronaldo waved his hands in a dismissing manner, cutting Penny off.
    "I knows what you want! You always come up here, LATE, I might add, askin' for your food rations, yada yada yada, I KNOW, okay? Lemme see if I got another one in the back, keep ya pants on...," he grumbled, shuffling into the back portion, separated by a curtain.
    I looked at Penny, who seemed a bit ticked off by Ronaldo's actions.
    "Is he always like that?"
    "I wish I could say he wasn't, but I would be lying through my teeth if I did," Penny sighed. I looked up as Ronaldo appeared.
    "I gots one left. Just one! Nut'in for the girl there," he said, jerking a thumb at me with a particularly nasty glare. I scowled.
    "Can't you do something for me, Ronaldo? You know I can't survive on one with an extra mouth. What do you want me to do?" Penny pleaded, giving a pleading look to the icy man.
    "What do I want you to do? Ha! What do you want ME to do Pen? I can't do nothin'! This is the last one! What I want you to do, is teach 'er to hunt! Yeah!" Ronaldo looked smug as he used his hands flamboyantly. Penny frowned.
    "You don't even have an extra from your own collection? Because I know of a few people who would be happy to rob you of those four or five rations cards you hold for yourself. And who's the only person who currently knows?"
    My eyes widened as I watched Penny expertly barter with the tough man, who was now beginning to sweat nervously.
    "N-now, no need for unfriendliness here, Pen, I was just-"
    "You were just trying to smooze your way out of being selfless for once in your life," Penny hissed. Ronaldo shook in fear and quickly left, returning with a second card.
    "T-take it and go! Tell nobody! Get out of here, I gotta close!" he growled, closing his shop. Penny grinned at me.
    "Well, our job is done! Let's head back to base, shall we?" My eyes were wide as I stated at Penny. Never have I admired a person more in my life.
Chapter four is out!! Yay! It is a bit longer and I hope it had enough action for all you lovelies out there! (=^.^=) So if you're just joining, this is the fifth, yes, FIFTH (the prologue counts!) installment, of my Survivor's Tale series, based off a story I wrote, and wanted to expand on! I hope you enjoy it, I have the links to the rest of the current chapters down below. If you like it, go on and favorite it and watch for future chapters, and if you have any suggestions, helpful hints, or requests, comment them! I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can! But in the mean time, enjoy!

Links:

Prologue : fav.me/d8bqimz

Chapter One : fav.me/d8bvt9c

Chapter Two : fav.me/d8jzlcz

Chapter Three : fav.me/d8ltz6d

Chapter Five : fav.me/d8rvsls

Chapter Six : fav.me/d8ufkvn

Chapter Seven : fav.me/d919g8b
© 2015 - 2024 karpetashipper7
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