The Cabin

He puffed on a small Marlboro cigarette as he assessed the scene. The skeleton blocking the road was fresh. There were no fractures or broken pieces in its porcelain form, although its clothes lie in tatters. The little remains of a shiny red jacket were now just scraps of fabric dangling between its ribs. Its gaping eye holes pleaded with the man in black’s soul, silently screaming at him to turn back. A couple feet forward were the mangled remains of the skeleton’s bicycle, the steel frame ripped into two pieces, with a dark green backpack dangling off of the side.

His lip curled slightly at the corners as he walked on the broken asphalt to it, stepping over the bones. He flung the burnt-out cigarette butt in his hand off to the right into some grass. No one was left to care if there was a wildfire anyways. His heart started pounding as he approached, and his breath quickened at the thought of what loot lay within. Drool pooled in his mouth.

The man let out a guilty sigh. Someone was dead, and no matter what was in the pack, he shouldn’t feel good about it. Inside were two protein bars in red packaging with a bold yellow lightning bolt on them and three bottles of water. Although not much, it was enough to keep him alive a little longer. His once-empty pack now made a slight rustle with every step. If the thing that killed that poor bastard on the bicycle was still lurking nearby, it would hear him for sure now. It was time to go.

He kept walking and the thing behind him kept following.

Half of the day went by before he decided to take a break. His black water-resistant jacket was utterly soaked after he had spent all morning walking through the thick mist and shattered pockets of rain. Though the pine trees and dark gray clouds blocked out the sun, he had spent most of his days walking and could keep track of the time reasonably well.

The dilapidated asphalt highway he was walking on could barely be called a road anymore; there were more potholes and cracks than actual road at this point, not to mention there was no inkling of paint left. Luckily, a rusted metal sign was on the side of the road, identifying it as Highway 79. The man in black was still on the right track. He leaned his pack down next to it and sat down, wincing at the feeling of moist dirt on his jeans. As he zipped open his backpack, the dog, who had been about thirty feet back tailing him for the past few hours, finally got the courage to approach.

With its shiny black and tan fur, there was no mistaking it for anything other than a German Shepherd. It sniffed at the man intently, its head lowered as it slowly inched forward. David slowly outstretched his right hand, palm upward towards the dog.

When he was a boy, the school bus would always drop him off at the end of his street, forcing him to walk by the neighborhood menace, a white long-haired dog by the name of Brutus. Most days, the dog would be chained up in its yard, barking and snarling as he hurriedly walked home. Then, one day, it was nowhere to be seen. He had made it to the start of his gravel driveway before he heard it coming. Now, his palm facing upwards exposed the old scar on his slightly wrinkled hands as well as the memory of the attack.

There had never been a time in his life since then that he had trusted a dog, and yet here, at this very moment, he couldn’t help but long for companionship on his lonely trek. He spoke as gently as possible without fully whispering, “It’s alright, baby girl. I’m not going to hurt you. Are you hungry or thirsty?” She looked up and made eye contact with him as she licked his outstretched fingers in response.

He laughed for the first time in a long time. “Okay, well, I got just enough food and water for both of us to have a meal together.” He pulled out the last crusty protein bar left and split it into two pieces, offering the slightly smaller half to her. The two scarfed it down too fast to savor it and he still felt the slight pains of hunger in his gut. Next, he grabbed the half-empty water bottle and took a big gulp. The shepherd was sitting patiently, waiting for her turn, and when he had finished, he slowly poured it in front of her nose. She lapped up as much of it as she could catch, but most ended up getting wasted on the ground. Although he felt irritated at the waste, he breathed in and out nice and slow like his anger management class taught him. Inhale. Exhale. He scratched her neck where the dent of a formerly worn collar was.

“What should I call you sweetie? You don’t have a dog tag or anything for me to go by. How about…Cleo?” Cleo perked up at the sound of her name, tilting her head at him before jumping up on him to lick his left ear. “Ew, gross, stop. We’re not that close yet. I said stop. Get down. DOWN.” Finally, having enough, he pushed the dog off himself and got up. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road; we still have a lot of distance to cover.” With their break and introduction over with, the two continued to head east.

Although the mist had cleared up, the thick brush and curves in the path kept his vision as low as before. Sharp rocks and thick roots jutted across the trail, significantly hindering his progress. The rugged terrain was brutal on his right knee, sending a dull, aching pain with each step. He stepped over a large stone and grunted with effort. Cleo followed him closely, her shorter, narrower form easily dodging the various debris on the ground.

“Stupid dogs, always having life easier. You know some of us have to work to provide for you guys. Well, I know it’s only been a day, but still. One of these days, you’re going to have to start providing for yourself around here.” Since Cleo couldn’t tell what he said, the man made sure to use a soft, gentle tone so she wouldn’t get offended. It was a cathartic experience talking out loud for the first time in weeks, even if it was just to a dog.

A sharp pain darted into his arm. “Ow! What the fuck?” A yellow jacket had stung him on the forearm. But before the tiny wasp got a chance to get him again he smashed it, killing it. “That son-of-a-bitch hurt!” Cleo had cocked her head and was watching him as if telling him to quit whining and hurry up. “Alright, girly, I’m going.” It was only three more steps when a second wasp stung him, this time on the back of his left shoulder. As he tried swatting it away, another got his hand, and another got the top of his right ear. A constant light buzzing echoed off of the trees around him, filling the air as he crushed and killed as many as he could. Red swollen stings had covered both arms before he took off running.

The cloud of yellow and black wasps and the woods obscure his vision, causing him to run headfirst into a thick branch, knocking him down. Thorny bushes clawed at his arms and legs as he tried to stand up, pulling him back onto his knees. Inhale. Exhale.

His body had gotten so used to the pain of the stings it no longer hurt when a wasp stung him. If he couldn’t escape this situation soon, his body would go into shock. He looked to his left, scanning the surroundings for any ideas. All that was visible were more branches, thorns, and thousands of circling yellow jackets. “Shit!” As he swore, a wasp flew into his mouth, stinging his tongue. The small buzzing from before was now deafeningly loud, and it felt as if his ears were about to bleed from the raging noise. He yanked the wasp out with his right hand and looked to his right. A run-down, dark blue car was half-hidden in the woods. Perfect shelter from this storm of insects.

He took off in a sprint towards it, ignoring the blood and pain pouring down from his arms. Pulling on the car door, it opened, somehow unlocked, and jumped inside. Cleo jumped inside close behind as he slammed the door shut.

Thousands of wasps pelted the car with loud, steady thumps. The tingling of his skin was almost unbearable; the only way to alleviate the pain was to scratch the painful welts covering his body. Cleo was licking his arm vigorously as if trying to help.

He glanced up at the cloud of wasps attacking the small vehicle, but all he saw were large raindrops slamming against the window, a heavy storm appearing out of thin air. In fact, there was no sign of the wasps outside at all. David quickly flipped down the driver’s side visor, checking his injuries in the mirror. Although the scratches from the branches remained, there were no longer any sting marks from the wasps at all.

“Shit, Cleo, one of those things must have been closing in on us.” He climbed into the back, pulling her with him. “As long as we stay lying down, it won’t be able to see us. We probably already lost it, considering the hallucination is over, but still better safe than sorry.” He shivered both from the cold interior of the car and the wet clothes that covered him. From his wallet, he pulled out an old photograph. A woman standing next to him and a small girl in the middle.

Gently, he placed his lips on it, kissing it goodnight. It lay cradled on his chest as sleep pulled him under.

Birds chirping woke him up at the crack of dawn. Light gray clouds still sat lazily, unmoving in the morning sky. In the cramped back seat of the car, he had found a decent night’s sleep. His back was pained from the awkward space, but being out of the elements reminded him of easier times. He slid the photo back into his wallet and pulled out his pack of Marlboro Special Blend 100s, the red kind. It was the only kind he ever got for himself, but he would smoke any cigarette offered. It was hard to be picky when the amount of cigarettes in the world was dwindling fast. The Bic lighter lit it easily enough, and smoke plumes blew out from his nose. He imagined himself a fire-breathing dragon; with each puff, he blew out volcanic fire, killing all the demons that haunted these woods.

Cleo woke up sneezing at the smoke that now filled the car’s interior. The man in black sighed, putting it out on the center console. He had forgotten that you weren’t supposed to smoke around others. “Let’s go, girl, let’s try and figure out where the fuck we are.” She jumped out as soon as he opened the door, sprinting directly into the woods. “Shit girl. Come back.” Slowly, he lurched up and felt a twinge of pain in his right knee– it pained him every morning. Looking around, there were no discernable paths or clearings in any direction, and with the sun hidden, he couldn’t even get a vague sense of direction. His stomach growled in pain, and he remembered his lack of food and water. Pulling out the compass, he faced the northeast. Carthage was in that direction, and yet there was no telling where the nearest road or houses were. Sighing, he started walking again. It was only a couple of minutes before Cleo was back following him.

Several hours had passed, and no matter how hard he tried, he could never keep heading in the right direction. Thick briars would push him left, rivers and ponds forced him to make long journeys around, and fallen trees lay all over the forest floor. He couldn’t tell if he had made any progress at all when his stomach started growling in pain again.

It was time to take a break and come up with a plan. He had eleven bullets for his .38 special revolver left, so if he needed to, he could possibly kill a few squirrels or birds. Then again, that would alert any creatures to his location. He could also try sharpening a long stick and making a spear to possibly spearfish. The main caveats were that he had never done it before, and it could be a big waste of energy to try it and fail. Whatever he did, he would have to make sure to get enough for Cleo too.

He looked at where she had previously just been to find an empty spot of grass. Looking around, it was clear she had wandered off again. Okay, so the plan would be to shoot the first animals he saw and screw the consequences. They needed to worry about immediate survival, and long-term survival would just have to wait. He got up, and surprisingly, his knee wasn’t troubling him anymore.

As the day began to end, the thick woods finally opened up as if beckoning him. Perpendicular to him was a long winding dirt trail, clear of debris. The dirt here was a little different, more purposeful and loose. Looking from left to right, there were no clear differences. His compass spun in circles, never stopping in a specific direction. The woods behind him crackled as something sped towards him. David flipped around his revolver in an instant. Cleo was there standing behind him, tail wagging and with a bundle of thick rope in her mouth. “Oh, sorry, Good girl. Shoulda brought me some food, too.” He holstered his gun and gently pet her head before grabbing the couple hundred feet of rope.

“David.” A familiar feminine voice called from the left.

All the hairs on his arm stood up, and his neck tingled as he slowly turned in that direction. The bundle of rope falls to the ground forgotten. Sheila stood in the middle of the path, wearing a torn, dirty, ragged white dress. “Where are you running, David? I’m right here.” His mouth was completely dry, and he was speechless. Cleo was staring off deep into the woods, her hair on the middle of her back standing straight up.

“Shiels, you can’t be here.” David’s voice was shaky, and his heart was pounding a million miles per hour in his chest.

She flashed her beautiful smile. “Michelle isn’t far away either, so why not stay and sit with me? It’s been a long time, sweetheart.” He quickly glanced at Cleo, unsure of what to do or say. It was too subtle to notice at first, but now he heard the low growl coming from her throat. He followed her gaze into the thicket of trees and saw two hungry red eyes inching closer and closer to him. In an instant, he let out a wild shot with his revolver and ran off to the right.

A hideous scream filled the air behind him as the beast tore after him, the mirage of Sheila fading into the light mist. He had never run so fast in his entire life. His feet slamming into the dirt sent jolts of agony up through his calves and thighs. A throbbing pain filled his left side as he struggled to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Again. Again.

“David! Come back here!” He should have been running the moment he saw her. They’ve both been dead for years, of course it wasn’t real. Thankfully, Cleo had snapped him out of it. The sound of trees falling behind him was getting farther and farther as the distance between him and the demon grew.

“David!”

Nothing was chasing the man in black anymore, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of imminent death. The tall curtain of pine trees around him was supposed to hide him and Cleo, but instead, it seemed to conceal some ghastly unknown horror. Cleo trotted next to him, and though she couldn’t speak, the hairs standing up on her back indicated she had the same feeling as him. The man had never been partial to animals, but the German shepherd was the first friendly face he’d seen since the Emergence.

Finally, he slowed his run down into a jog and then into a stuttered walk. To the left, a small clearing stood ahead, and in that clearing was a wooden cabin. It was clear to the man that it was a manufactured cabin, not a handbuilt one, as he had seen that exact cabin model before hell arrived on Earth. There were no vehicles outside, but the driveway seemed surprisingly well-maintained.

Cleo trotted ahead, sniffing the ground with vigor as they approached. There was movement inside the right window as the blinds rustled. He couldn’t help but think approaching was a terrible idea, but he desperately needed supplies and rest. The door suddenly swung open as he arrived at the bottom of the stairs. A young man stood in the center of the doorway, holding a double-barrel shotgun aimed at the man’s chest. “Don’t move, stranger. Unless you want me to blow you apart.”

The boy was probably about 19 or 20, and the way his hands shook, it was easy to tell he hadn’t too much experience with aiming guns at people. He wore a slightly too big red flannel shirt and had dark, shaggy hair, but it seemed to have been cut relatively recently. Although the boy had little experience with a gun, the man found that less experience often meant more danger. Cleo let out a low growl, and the flannel boy’s eyes darted briefly in her direction.

“Look, just take your dog and turn around, mister. We don’t have many supplies here, and we’re not looking for any trouble.”

The man wanted to turn around and leave, but his ragged breath and parched lips forced him to stay, and his right hand was poised to grab his pistol. Suddenly, a blonde-haired woman emerged from inside the cabin; she reached out and pushed the shotgun down. She scowled at them both. “Josh! You need to calm down and think before you start making threats you can’t back up. This isn’t your place, and none of us from inside seem to remember putting you in charge while Rob is gone.” Her voice had a thick southern accent to it, unlike Josh.

Cleo’s low growl died down, but she continued to stare intently. Josh groaned, but his body relaxed, and relief washed over his face. “We don’t know anything about who this man is; for all we know, he could be some sort of cannibal or worse.”

Ashley shuddered. “Well, at least we know he isn’t one of those… things. What’s your name, stranger? And more importantly, what’s your baby’s name?”

For the first time in a long time, the man in black spoke to another human. “David…and that’s Cleo. Look, I’m sorry, I’m not here to cause any problems, but we really need some water.”

“Well, why don’t you come inside and rest a bit? I’ll get you two something to drink, and then you can decide if you want to stay for a while longer or leave. David dipped his head down and slowly came inside. Passing by, Josh softly spoke, “Sorry about the gun and everything, sir.” Without answering, the man and Cleo crossed the threshold.

The air inside the cabin smelled of fresh stew, and a fire was roaring in the living room. Next to the fire, a little boy was playing with a small race car. David sat across from him, but the boy paid him no mind.

Ashley walked swiftly into the kitchen, calling out, “That’s my son Philly, and Luke is cooking us all a good meal in the kitchen. We all stumbled upon this place over the past year, and Rob, the owner, welcomed us with open arms. You know, as long as we’re willing to do our fair share.”

Cleo walked in circles in front of the fireplace before finally sitting. Josh was perched on a chair next to the front window and kept watching outside, his fingers tapping his firearm nervously.

The fire warmed his chilled bones, and David felt somewhat safe for the first time in a while. Although he was sheltered, his gut told him to keep his guard up. Something wasn’t right in these woods.

Ashley came out with a glass of water in one hand and a bowl of water in another. She put the bowl down in front of Cleo first. The shepherd graciously slurped at the bowl, almost completely emptying it before David had even started on his glass. The cool water hit his throat, and for a second, it felt as if he were in heaven on Earth.

“You look exhausted. I don’t know where you’re headed or where you’re from, but you have to be built differently to be traveling nowadays. I’m sure Rob would let you stay as long as you like. You might have seen him out there; he always wears a bright red jacket and rides a bike. Anyway, Phil and I are from Atlanta, well, not really Atlanta, but close enough…” Ashley continued to talk, but exhaustion had hit David like a truck. His eyes would slowly close, and then he would try to force them open, only for them to slowly close again. As he drifted off, Cleo walked to him and laid her head on his lap, her eyes matching his.

“Wake up, you hungry bum.” the grizzled voice of an old man said a little too close to his face. The old man, probably Luke, held out a bowl of hot steaming stew. “This is all you and your dog get, I’m not giving you anymore just because you brought a nasty bag of fleas into the house.”

He muttered thanks and poured half the stew into Cleo’s water bowl. David couldn’t remember the last time he had some fresh home-cooked food. Although he had no idea how long his nap had been for, it was now nightfall, and David knew that any more sleep that night would be impossible. The two of them devoured their bowls in less than a minute, and the man felt a great sense of relief having been filled.

David stared at the spot where the woman had previously sat. As if reading his mind, Luke spoke like he was answering a question: “She went to bed already with her boy. Early tomorrow, she’ll be feeding the livestock in the back.” The old man slurped his stew loudly, smacking his lips with each solid bite. Josh was still at the window but now slumped in his chair, eyes closed, his right hand resting dangerously on the trigger of his gun.

“Does he ever move from the window?” David stacked his empty bowl on Cleo’s. Slowly, he set his hand on the dog’s shiny fur and pet her. Although the soup was all gone, its delicious aroma still filled the room.

The old man lightly snorted. “He does what he’s told, like a good little watchdog. Rob told him to keep guard until he came back. That’ll probably be two or three more days; he goes on weekly supply runs now and then.”

Josh stirred slightly, muttering, “I’m still awake, ya know; I can hear everything you’re saying.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and get some rest in your bed, Josh? I’ll keep watch overnight as payment for the meal and water.”

“Yeah, that sounds great, Dave. Thanks.” David flinched, remembering his mother’s favorite nickname for him. The young man, too tired to notice, walked down the hall where a door could be heard opening and closing. Soon, Luke followed suit and shuffled into his bedroom, continuously whispering to himself.

Once he was sure he was alone, he turned his attention to the outside world as Cleo snored. Dark forms shifted beyond human sight. His neck and arms were covered in goosebumps as prying eyes watched him. The man in black sat motionless at the window for the rest of the night.

Roosters crowed, and goats bleated from the back as the pitch-black skies slipped into a dark blue-purple. Now illuminated, the woods seemed eerily still. Branches and leaves flowed with the wind. Ashley came from the back with a cup of steaming black coffee. None was offered to David, and he didn’t ask, even though he felt the urge to.

“I’m going out to feed the animals and do some yard work. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. If Philly comes out, would you grab him a granola bar from the kitchen?” She took his silence as a yes and promptly headed out the back door. As sunrise passed, clouds drifted in and coated the sky in a soft gray. Sighing, David got up and headed into the kitchen.

The pantries were stocked to the brim with all sorts of food. David couldn’t help but laugh as he was reminded of gas stations and supermarkets before the Emergence. His instincts pulled at him, and he started filling his coat pockets with the bright red energy bars. Once the outside pockets were filled, he stuffed the inside pockets with water bottles. His mission was mostly complete; he started shuffling items back into place to hide the small dent he took. You could never be too careful in the apocalypse.

A scream followed by severely loud thuds comes from the back. David cautiously took off towards the sounds with his pistol drawn. Cleo silently made her way to his back and followed. There was a garden to the right with small animal pens, but he stared to the left. Ashley stood back against a pair of barn doors that thudded from the inside.

“David! Hurry, there is one in here. I can’t hold it for long!” Her voice was strained. He took off in a brisk walk to her, his eyes peeling from left to right to watch for others. The branches of the trees turned into long tentacles seamlessly, but David was ready for the hallucination and kept moving. By the time he made it to her, Josh and Luke were right behind him running. Josh was armed with his shotgun, and Luke was holding up a baseball bat.

David silently aimed at the door behind her, and Cleo let out a low growl. Josh took aim with shaking hands and took charge. “On the count of three, Ash will take off towards the house. As soon as she moves, we’ll unload into that thing.”

“David! Hurry, there is one in the house.” The voice came from inside the shed. The first part of the sentence was an echo of Ashley’s voice, but the last two words sounded like Josh’s.

Josh grimaced, “One…..Two…..Three!”

David’s hands were covered in sweat as Ashley took off in a sprint. When she had taken her third step, the door blew open, and it came out. It snaked forward, focused on Ashley when Josh unloaded the first shot into it. The man in black felt his own gun go off multiple times, and each bullet met its mark, hitting the creature with loud booms. It coiled up and shot lightning-fast, its claws aimed at David’s throat.

His right hand had already reached out towards Josh the moment it coiled up. As the creature attacked, David threw the boy between the two.

Josh let out a slight gasp as the creature tore into him. Its faceless head opened up, revealing endless rows of teeth that ground into his flesh. David finally had a shot where he needed it. He aimed his gun at the vulnerable spot on the back of its head and fired his last shot.

With its last dying breath, it screams, calling its kin. Ashley and the old man look at David in disgust and horror as he runs. Cleo is quick behind him. Giving a final glance at the cabin, it was now a writhing mass of wriggling darkness as hundred of creatures swarmed the previously safe haven.

He had never run so fast and so far in his entire life. His feet slamming into the gravel set jolts of agony up through his calves and thighs. A throbbing pain filled his left side as he struggled to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Again. Again. Somewhere along the way, the dog had fallen behind.

As his run slowed to crawl, he saw the asphalt road come back into view. It led him to a skeleton blocking the way, and before long, he was back at the cabin, where a young man pointed a gun at him.