The only sound that evening was howling wind and grunting Karen as she fought with her clothes. Half naked she examined herself. Cuts inflicted upon her wasn't that deep but she still needed stitches. I splashed alcohol over her wounds and held tools for her, while she stitched her biggest cut going almost through the whole chest.
For myself, I had just a few bruises and torn skin here and there.
As sun sets wind on the bridge gets colder and howls in a more vicious way. We both sat and listened to it for a while.
"I'm going to prepare herbs." She stands right after that and sets water with the mixture above the firepit. few minutes later strong scent filled small Tram.
"They won't catch our scent now for sure."
As I rest on the sleeping bag my eyes lock onto roof of the tram. Fire cracking in front part whilist I was in middle. When I tried to shut my eyes I feel fear the same as I felt back when that gron tossed me.
"how do you deal with fear?" I cut the silence with my question. Loud huffing going from the back of the tram went silent and Karen turned with a grunt.
"I don't. I'm still afraid. Why do you think there is a minefield in that forest?"
"But I froze at a spot and you almost got killed."
"Yeah, but in the end, you got up and somehow killed him." she paused for a while and with another grunt, she turned around.
"Go to sleep, tomorrow we are marching toward Vienna."
Sunlight covered tram and heat inside built. Birds sitting on frame high above tram chippered while Karen was packing her stuff. For me, it wasn't much of sweat my bag was still right next to the doors of the tram.
Three corpses spread at the perimeter of 30 meters were a reminder that the world is cruel. The closest corpse had the knife in his shoulder.
My nose wrinkled in disgust as I get closer to the corpse, examining it from close.
The handle of that knife felt rough on touch and I had to stomp on the corpse to pull it out from gron's blade-bone.
"Nathan." sweet voice approached me from behind.
"Take this." and Karen handed me a diary. It wasn't in any way special or interesting one. Plain black cover with a soft blue feather logo on the side.
"Huh?" I gave her a questioning look.
"Bestiary, there is all the information that my ancestors collected about world and grons. Maybe you'll find there something about world you remember."
"O-okay....Thanks."
"Now go and take your stuff we are leaving." she bossed me once again and tossed her rucksack over her back.
I took mine and went back to the bridge. "Let's go."
At the border of the forest, Karen stopped and handed me a piece of paper on which was drawn the location of the cabin. "If anything goes wrong, head there and if I won't show up until two days, pack some stuff from there and head toward Vienna without me. But this is just in the case." she patted me on the shoulder and smiled.
Leaves above our heads danced as the wind pushed onto them. thick bushes hiding what is right next to us. Rabbits, foxes, raccoons and all kinds of small mammals curiously looking at us digging through woods. Each crack of the birch from the side made me jump slightly. Each woodpecker sounded like gunshots that is carried to us from distance.
Chippering squirrels sounded like they are laughing as if, they know what is at the end of the woods.
Having Karen by my side put me a bit at ease, her hunting rifle swaying on her left shoulder and pistol on the right hip. Her steps calculated and precise as she knew about traps and minefield spread through woods. I wouldn't dare to step to any other place as she does.
It took us almost four hours to get out of the woods and the first structure we found was a border between Slovakia and Austria. Even back then borders consisted of 5 buildings that weren't used anymore, now there was just one wall with birch overgrowing right behind it. Tall trees were exchanged for thick bushes and small weeds which we had to stomp through.
"So Now we just follow through the highway and we should make it at the end of the day to Vienna.
There was huge fence near Schwechat airport as it was one of the bastions where humanity tried to survive. Along the arrival hall was built another fence but from solid blocks high somewhere around two meters and each 5 meters on length was built a small nest. The same principle followed the building on the other side.
"We will stay here for the night." Karen pointed on the rooftop of the arrival hall.
"There is a nest on the other end that we can see on the landing track and we shouldn't be hard to sniff out."
"Okay." I nodded and followed her into the depths of the building.