Alone, Again

The silence of the night sits around feeling almost suffocating. It has been several weeks since you found yourself yet again with only yourself as company. Frowning lightly, you continue whittling away at a large stick, forming a sharp pointed end. The dim glow from the small fire before you crackles softly, momentarily breaking the silence. Glancing in its direction, you find yourself temporarily lost in the trance of the flickering flames. Something has been weighing heavily on your mind and it has become increasingly difficult to ignore. Your brow furrows deeper as you continue staring ahead, absorbed in thought. A sudden flash of pain quickly draws your attention back to the present moment. Looking down, you see blood running along the side of your now cut thumb. Grimacing, you hurriedly reach for your satchel.

Pulling out a flask, you're acutely aware of how little water is left, however, still use some to clean the wound. A moment later you're fashioning a makeshift bandage out of some spare strips of fabric. Exhaling softly, you slip the flask back into the satchel, pausing briefly when your fingers brushes against cold metal. After quickly removing your hand, you run it through your slightly damp hair anxiously. It's uncomfortably hot, even more so with the fire. However, you're unwilling to part with the much needed light it provides. Sighing again, you feel your eyelids grow heavy as you struggle to remain awake. After adding more branches to the fire, you somewhat reluctantly stretch out a couple of feet away. The thin fabric of the flannel shirt you're wearing clings to your sweaty skin, feeling itchy and distracting.

Trying to ignore this, you stare up at the sky barely peeking through the thick foliage above. Every night you're to sleep out here is more anxiety inducing than the last. Though you have remained lucky this far you know you cannot count on that continuing indefinitely. As you stretch out, you find your mind drifting back to the start of your unexpected journey. Everything had seemed so much simpler at that time, being unaware of how much time the journey would actually take. Flinching slightly, you feel your unwanted thoughts from before seeping back into mind. Unable to put them off any longer, you finally allow yourself to acknowledge the dreaded reflection that this may all be for nothing. You have no idea if your destination still remains and if so, what it will result in. Rolling over onto your side, you reach back into the satchel and pull out a worn map.

Gently unfolding it, you glance over its contents despite having it essentially memorized at this point. Lately you cannot help but wonder if there is a reason why it's previous owner seemingly had no plans of visiting your objective. Leaning your head against your arm, you feel your eyes slowly begin drooping closed. The occasional sound of the fire crackling eventually fades away as you slip into unconsciousness. As usual you find yourself in a dreamless state of being, simply surrounded by darkness and silence. It seems like a lifetime ago since you have had a decent night of sleep. Tossing around fretfully, you remain unable to gain any meaningful rest. A few hours later when dawn arrives you wearily rise with it. After gathering your meager items, you disassemble the fire before moving on your way.

Mosquitos and gnats buzz around, seeming to be one of the only things completely unaffected by the apocalypse. Beads of sweat roll uncomfortably down your back as the day grows more humid as it progresses. A knot has formed in your stomach, thankfully distracting you from your increasing hunger. It has been a couple of days since your last meal, the wildlife seeming to have grown scarcer as you near your destination. Though you are somewhat skilled at map reading, you're unable to exactly pinpoint when you will be arriving. You are sure you are drawing near as the changing landscape would indicate. Half way through the day you take a brief pause to rest and gather yourself. Pulling your flask back out you're dismayed to remember your unfortunate usage of it the night before. Raising it your lips you find yourself with barely a mouthful left before the vessel is depleted.

The knot in your stomach only increases as you are now left without food or water. Suppressing the urge to panic, you instead briskly continue ahead. The sky is unfortunately clear, leaving you with no chance of any sudden downpours. According to your map, you have long since passed the last natural source of water before reaching your destination. Your only hope now is to find the place soon and hope by some fortune there is something of use there. Ignoring the aches and pains in your body, you double your pace and push forward. By the time the sun begins setting your breath has grown ragged and your body feels close to exhaustion. Licking your dry lips, you try your best not to think about water or food for that matter. You know you should stop at this point but feel oddly compelled to maintain your hurried pace.

A sudden, distant sound up ahead finally causes you to stop in your tracks. Breathing in and out deeply, you place a hand on a nearby tree for support. While straining your ears to listen, you find your hearing obscured by the sounds of your own labored breathing. After a moment you're finally able to catch your breath and take in the silence surrounding you. You continue waiting a few minutes anxiously, as the silence continues. Just when you're about to breathe a sigh of relief, another sound, this time closer, is heard. Straightening up quickly, you hurriedly reach into your satchel nervously. Shakily pulling out the revolver concealed inside, you fumble around with the hammer. The sound progresses as you continue struggling with your weapon, finding your sweaty, shaky hands temporarily inadequate. Just as you're able to pull the hammer back, your actions stop short at the sound of something moving directly behind you.