I walk slowly while bringing this Thompson...
The smell of burned ash can be smelled. The sound of tears falling down can be heard. No one near me... No one...
I step back a bit after knowing the woman screaming...
It's loud yet painful...
Once I stepped inside this ruined building, my wife closed my daughter's eyes. I know it... We are late but... Not like this.
"Ah...! So... I am not... Alone."
A woman sits on the stairs stunned can't move. She can move her eyes and her mouth but... It's painful to watch.
My hair around my body is tightened up. It's not fear... It's... sadness.
"What's... with... that look?"
Please... Just stop asking.
"Hey..."
I am shaking my head while looking at her.
"It's hurt..."
It's scared me...
"Don't leave..."
It makes me want to cry.
"Hey..."
Her eyes were still looking at me. Her mouth becomes more stiff to move.
While looking at me, she begged me. "Help me... please..."
With her tears falling down, my heartbeat became quicker. Her eyes fell down more tears. I can't accept this reality. It makes me so scared and helpless.
"Kill me..."
A woman, sit on the stair while her hand is swollen green. Her hand is bigger than her body. Her body... I can't describe it well but I am sure is not a human-like body.
Her hand just grew up!!
Because of fear, I accidentally fell on the floor.
"Please... Help me..."
How can I help you with those mutations? I-I can't, I... late...
"Please... It's hurt... Please!!!"
She's screaming out loud because of pain. Her scream is luring out some mutant nearby. I look behind, some dog mutants are approaching this place. My wife covers Lily's ear and mouth.
What should I do...? Kill her as she wanted? It's there anything that I can do?
I raised up my gun.
She smiled at me and said. "Thank you."
My finger pulled out the trigger and the bullet thrust her body. She is screaming... It's hurt to watch...
It should not be like this! If... If I explore this area before... We could meet each other!!
My heart beating quickly. My hands trembling so hard. She is dead... In my hand.
Pant* pant* pant*...
Is it over?
"Darling!!!"
I look behind, the dogs already appeared near our car. Without thinking any further, I stepped back and ran at my family while shouting.
"AHHHH!!!!"
With my gun in my hand, I target them one by one.
Their speed, I am no match for them but... They seem scared to approach me. I look at my gun...
That's right! They can't match the speed of the bullet in short range!!
I try to provoke them by voicing dog sounds. They stepped back and left us. I think they are scared of this gun.
Pant* pant*
I get back to the car.
My wife kept silent for a moment. My daughter is scared to ask. She is scared of dogs. Stephanie moves to the back seat to calm down Lily.
I am tired of this.
Why should we face this?
Am I wrong in deciding to leave?
"Should we just stay there forever?"
Oh... My thought is leaked out... I didn't realize that I said it loudly.
We get back on the track. Because of shock, we still had to talk to each other.
At the same point, the sky is turning darker. Nighttime has come without a tent. We didn't fast enough to come in front of my storage company.
Knowing that we would not use any tent, I drove around to find a tall building for us. Dog mutants are dangerous, the same as tiger mutants. But, I assume that those mutants didn't have reason to go inside tall buildings without prey inside it.
Besides, we have an advantage in small and short environments. Those mutants can't be agile that much in this kind of environment.
We found it around thirty kilos to the north of the building before.
While carrying our daughter who had fallen asleep before, she asked me. "Darling... Are you okay?"
"N-No... I don't think I am okay right now." Said me traumatized from before.
She smiled at me and went first inside the building. Thank you for understanding it... And, I didn't need to worry about her because I asked her to always keep a gun with her. Like now, she hangs it there around her waist.
I open the baggage car and bring one box of food and drink.
The floor was all cracked. Luckily, it's not that wide but it is still not safe for children to walk. Poor Lily, she will get bored because we will prevent her from walking around this building. Or... Maybe there is a stable floor on the second floor.
The atmosphere is better than before...
The rooftop is quite destroyed but still can we use to sightseeing. We decided to sleep on the third floor but... I am not in the mood for sleeping together. It's as usual... Being alone is my medicine for stress feeling.
With a bottle of mineral water, I look at the ruined city while eating the food. Sardine can and a rice can. I need a fire and that's not the problem in this world full of radiation. Just needs some friction and fire can be inflicted.
Knock* knock*
I look behind and my wife seems worried about my condition. She still takes her time to look at me.
"Are you okay?" Asked her.
"Don't worry, I believe after sleeping my condition will be better." Said me while setting the can on the fire.
"T-Then, take your time."
After saying that, she left from the rooftop. That's not because she wasn't concerned about me. In fact, she was very worried about me but... She didn't have any experience while I was in a bad mood or stressed after work. Because I always being alone somewhere without people knowing.
These are the food we always eat. I am worried that this food may have some contamination in it. But, if we didn't eat, then we would surely die.
While eating, my body gets really hot. That's normal because I always wear this hazmat suit wherever I am. Sure, Inside this suit is really hot.
That woman didn't even wear a hazmat suit. The mutation is really quick. Less than a week later, it already spread and changed the body like that. How about us? And the speed? I am scared to think about it...
If... If there is one of us as the last person who lives...
I hope that I am the last... They will struggle without any help from someone.
Let's not think about it further. Nothing good about overthinking something bad.
The next day, we continued our journey. It's still bugged in my mind... I take it as a lesson. We should be cautious because we will end up like that in this world.
"Ready to go?" Asked me while turning on the car.
At first, my wife is looking down. Maybe she still worried about me. But, after I said that with a happy voice. She got the spirit up and said.
"Let's go!"
"Let's go!!"
Lily followed up with her mom and started to spirit up. Our next destination is Niagara Waterfall.
Mutant, there are still three mutants we know about it.
On the first day, we didn't go well about it. And this day, does not work so well too.
We bowed down my body to hide.
Thomp*
The ground is shaking. We hide inside the car to not that mutant see us. This is the fourth mutant we found, Elephant. With four horns, six legs, and the size of a fifth-floor apartment. With every step it goes, the ground shakes.
But, the elephant we used knows has no sharp fangs. I am worried that this herbivore change to a carnivore because of this radiation. How did it become like this? Is this the power of Nuclear radiation itself? Or maybe there is something that makes them mutated this way? But... Why do humans not...
Humans still can mutate but not perfectly. And, they already swept out of the nuclear. But, why and how do these animals survive? It's like this nuclear just chooses humans as their prey.
After that mutant walks away, we continue the journey.
The town is ruined, there is nothing but debris and dirt. There is no sign of flowers and grass. The area is not that polluted but, it makes me scared to breathe. How about the plankton on the sea? Are they fine? If they become extinct, who would supply all of the oxygen in this world?
"Dad!"
"Yes, honey?"
"There is someone there!!" Said her while pointing her finger somewhere.
At that second, I and my wife were shocked to hear it again. I turned the car in the direction she pointed out.
"What's the characteristic of it, honey?" Said my wife while smiling at her.
"He is sleeping and rounded by the black dog."
I break the car.
"H-Honey, look at mom. Don't you look at him again okay?" Said my wife knowing what the reality looks are.
I changed the direction again and decided to ignore it.
"Why? He looks get-rounded by that dog. He is loved by the dog!!" Said Lily so persistent about it.
My wife look worried. But, she said. "That's why, we should not disturb him okay? He will mad if we come and the dogs are get away." Said my wife lying
Lily looks down but she nods at Stephanie. "Yes, mom is right... We will just disturb him."
That's improper for children to look at someone dying. It will traumatize her. That's why, I respect my wife's decision to lie to her. She is still underaged.