The sky was just beginning to lighten as the sun began its slow climb above the horizon. Peeking out the window of her room, Lilly took in the sight of the eerily quiet town as life began to creep out of hiding.
“It’s now or never,” Lilly mumbled to herself, her voice the barest of whispers. She was alone in her room as she stared out the window and past her reflection in the glass. But that hardly mattered. She wasn’t speaking to anyone directly, more just trying to build up her confidence, muster up some courage.
The night before had been typical. Lilly had gathered some food supplies and other such necessities for herself and had been on her way back to her place when she’d overheard one of the storytellers. Storytellers. Such people were becoming more and more popular in their little corner of the world. A corner free of the disease that had been unleashed on human kind nearly devastating the race. How they all didn’t become completely wiped out, she’d never know.
Walking through the main center of town with her supplies, a group had set up a bonfire. Such things weren’t all that uncommon now. She supposed it was a means of bonding amongst those who’d managed to survive. Before everything went down and things changed, you’d never see such a sight in the middle of town such as the one her group had formed.
Lilly had been lucky when all hell broke loose. She’d been in an area that, at the time, had been somewhat isolated. Without hesitation, the biggest and the strongest began to quarantine themselves off, building a fortress like wall around them to keep out what they could. Sure, they had no idea of the bacteria unleashed, but they figured it didn’t hurt to take extra precautions. After all, there were those who’d been certain, those with great paranoia, that once things settled, they’d need the security anyway. Such things caused panic and that would mean people would act outside what most had at one time considered ‘normal’.
As Lilly passed by the storyteller and the small group sitting about the bonfire, she overheard the low mumblings of the story being told. It was the tale about man-eating plants. For some reason, that story had become quite popular over the past couple months. But it wasn’t the first of such stories, nor would it the last. In a way, she figured it was probably a good thing that such goings on were starting to become a more practiced way of life. From what she’d heard, life outside the walls of their safe zone was harsh, terrifying. Definitely not the sort of place for a child to wander off too.
Lilly had to muse a bit at that last thought. Her own curiosity had reached its limit and she could no longer hold herself back. She had to satisfy it, give in and see just what the world had become on the other side. She knew it would be risky, but for some reason, she couldn’t let that hold her back any longer. She knew right then, that she’d gather up some things and take a trek come dawn.
Dawn had come all too quickly and standing there in her window as she watched the sun start to rise, she set her jaw and headed out. Pack in hand and a mask looped about her arm, she had all she could together. It was just a matter of getting the nerve to leave. In her pack she had the essentials - food, water, filters, first aid supplies. She even had a few extra clothes and a special suit tucked away in there. She’d been told by those who knew more about the outside world since the disaster that she could walk for several miles before she’d need to worry about the mask. Though even then, none of them could say for sure if it was truly needed. Tests needed to be done to see if that was true and since none had been administered, she decided to err on the side of caution.
Lilly quietly stalked through town. The place was quiet, no one about. Only the barest of life seemed to be creeping its way out of hiding, small animals and other such critters that seemed unaffected by the disasters of the bacteria that had been unleashed on humanity. Sticking close to the buildings and away from anything giving off light, she eventually made it to the security gate. No one was about given the hour and the locks were securely in place. Letting out a small exhale, she knew her only option was to climb. It wasn’t easy, but she managed. Barely. A bit tired and out of breath, she tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind an ear and looked away from the place she’d been calling home. It was still somewhat dark, though the light was beginning to brighten in the sky as the sun rose above the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before the heat beat down upon her like a relentless hammer. Again and again and again.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Lilly pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail and set off into the wilds beyond the safe walls. As she walked, she could feel the weight of her pack, her clothes starting to stick to her pale colored flesh as a sheen of sweat broke out along her skin. It was getting hot and soon she’d need to rest, not to mention drink something.
Moving, not wanting to stop, Lilly just let her legs move one in front of the other. She tried to keep track of where she was going, but with all the brush and tangling trees surrounding her, she was starting to realize that she was no longer sure where she was any longer. Almost immediately, she felt herself begin to panic.
‘I’ll never find my way back…’ Lilly thought to herself as her heart began to race. Fear starting to consume her, she found her legs moving faster, almost wanting to run. She knew doing so wouldn’t help her, but for some reason it gave her small comfort.
Worried and frightened, Lilly suddenly heard the sound of water. A stream? A brook? Coming to a dead stop, she tried to see if she could locate the source of the watery sound. Turning her head this way and that, she finally knew which way to go. She’d head to the stream and take a rest. Maybe then she could relax and figure out what to do, come up with a plan to get herself back home. She’d only been gone for a couple of hours, she couldn’t be too far away. Not yet. And maybe the rest and food would help her think more clearly.
The sound of the water was getting louder, bringing a smile upon Lilly’s face. Her pale eyes glittered at the thought of taking a rest. Though she still worried about what she was going to do to get back home. She was lost and only had minimal rations and supplies. She could possibly survive a couple days, if needed. But not much more after that. And then there was the unknown of what happened when the sun set below the horizon.
“Don’t think on that now, Lilly. Just rest. We’ll think of something,” Lilly whispered to herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. Following the sound of the running water, she finally saw a clearing come into view. “Yes!”
Lilly broke into a run just then and headed directly toward the stream ahead of her. Happy, yet terrified, she ran down to the water and knelt down next to it. Just then, she heard the snap of a branch. Immediately, she looked up and began to glance around. Up the way, she saw a figure looking at her. A man. Startled, she let out a gasp as her eyes went wide. For some strange reason she wanted to run, but no matter how hard she tried to move, her body was frozen. It was as if her mind somehow separated itself from the rest of her body, mind reeling, muscles not working. Swallowing hard, a scream ready to be let out, she suddenly found herself scrambling backwards and away from the man who was looking at her.
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