As the morning sun painted the sky with hues of orange and pink, Sarah sat with Dusty by the flickering fire, her eyes distant as she recounted the tales of her encounters with the undead.
She had answered all of their questions, at least to the best of her abilities. William was comfortable with the things she had told them. Of course it was going to take some time for both he and Samantha to digest what they had heard.
Now Sarah was just talking to Dusty, her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, as she spoke of the hunter that lay dormant within her, the primal instincts that guided her through the darkness. She didn't know if she had these instincts prior to waking as a zombie or if they are skills acquired because of the fact that she has become a zombie. Some of the skills are pure zombie skills.
"I can hear them," she began, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "The growls, the snarls... When they are loud, I can hear them from miles away. It scares me sometimes as I think it is what I will become one day." Since meeting her Dusty had not heard Sarah growl, as much as he tried, he just couldn't picture her standing in front of them snarling at them.
Dusty listened intently, his eyes fixed on Sarah's face as she spoke. He could see the pain and sorrow etched into her features, the weight of her experiences weighing heavily on her soul. He knew these stories were hard for her to retell but he also knew that it was important that they learned as much as they possibly could about the zombies they face. The determined look he saw in her eyes told him that she had the strength to keep going and he knew that each piece of knowledge she shared with them would move them a small step away from death.
"And once I find them," she continued, her voice growing stronger with each word, "I can smell them. Their decaying flesh, their rancid breath... it's like a trail of death leading me straight to them." She does explain that once she finds a dead body she has no way to know if they were a human that was just killed or if they were already a zombie.
She paused, her brow furrowing in concentration as she recalled the details of her most recent encounter. "Not far from here, there were four of them," she said softly, her voice trembling with emotion. "Four zombies, tearing through everything in their path. I knew they hadn't eaten for a long time as they were killing and devouring the zombies in their path," She added, when I see the dead bodies there is no easy way for me to admit this but I cannot tell if the group are all zombies, or if there are others mixed in.
Dusty's heart sank at the thought of the destruction wrought by the undead, the senseless violence that had become all too common in this world they now inhabited. But as he looked into Sarah's eyes, he saw a glimmer of determination, a fierce resolve burning within her. Even alone she had known what she had to do. 'I need to harness power like that if I can so I have her strength and determination,' Dusty told himself.
"I followed them," Sarah continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "I followed the trail of destruction they left behind, until I found them."
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she recalled the details of the fight that had ensued, the sound of steel meeting flesh, the taste of blood on her lips. But despite the horrors of the battle, there was a sense of triumph in her voice, a quiet strength that refused to be extinguished.
"I found them and I fought them," she said softly, her voice filled with pride. "And I defeated them, all four of them. One by one, my sword was able to bring them down, it wasn't easy but it was what I knew I had to do. Not just for me but for everyone."
Dusty's heart swelled with admiration for Sarah, for the courage and resilience she had shown in the face of unimaginable adversity. She may be a zombie, but she was also a survivor, a warrior in a world gone mad.
As they sat together by the fire, the warmth of the flames casting long shadows across the room, Dusty couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the companionship they shared. In this world of darkness and despair, they were each other's greatest allies, bound together by a bond that transcended the boundaries of life and death. The story Sarah was sharing wasn't that different then some of the things they had experienced themselves. Finding and killing zombies in order to protect themselves and others had become a critical piece of their lives.
With those comforting thoughts lingering in his mind, Dusty turned to Sarah with a smile. "Would you like to take a walk?" he asked, his voice filled with warmth, "we still need to try to find a new bed for you to sleep in."
Sarah's eyes lit up with excitement at the prospect of exploring the world beyond their basecamp, of venturing out into the unknown in search of answers and adventure. This time she would not be doing it alone, she would have Dusty by her side.
"Yes," she said softly, her voice tinged with anticipation. "Yes, I would like that."
And as they stepped out into the crisp morning air, the world stretched out before them like a blank canvas waiting to be painted with the colors of their journey. With each step they took, they left behind the safety of their basecamp and ventured into the unknown, guided by the light of hope that burned bright within their hearts.
Dusty wasn't sure exactly where the walk would take them but he did have a pretty good idea where he would be able to find a bed that would certainly meet her needs. That would be one of their stops along the way.