Chapter Two

I’d braced myself for the bitter cold beforehand thanks to my dad’s warnings about what to expect in this new world, but it didn’t stop the shivers from wracking through my slender frame as gusts of wind washed over me.

The sky should’ve been lit up by the sun at this time of day, but it was as dark as if it was still nighttime due to the radioactive dust and ash still clinging in the atmosphere.

My father had been an environmental scientist before the downfall of society, but all his knowledge hadn’t been enough to save him in the end.

Numbness threatened to take over as despondency crept in with the memory of my parents’ deaths still raw, and I considered simply giving up for what seemed the thousandth time since I’d started losing my family members.

Howbeit, some tiny portion of my head reminded me why I had to carry on, the promise I’d made to my dad replaying in my mind as I forced myself to take one step after another.

On some subconscious level, I’d been imagining a completely demolished landscape, but the scene before me aligned overall with my last memory of what I’d seen of the outside world ten years prior.

There were more than a few dead trees as I moved along the same route that I hoped had led me to the bunker to begin with, the downward incline encouraging at any rate, but it was one made in vain because any sliver of a trail had disappeared long ago.

The straps from my backpack dug into my shoulders with the weight I was lugging as I trekked on. I wasn’t sure when I would be able to find food again, so I’d loaded my bag down with the last of the shelter’s resources.

It was a comforting burden to have, but I knew it would also slow me down as I picked my way through the overrun underbrush.

Staying alert, I tromped through the forest, pausing periodically to drink from the reusable water bottle I’d brought along with me. It came with a filter specially attached to the lid, so at least fresh water was one less concern for me.

Be that as it may, I’d opted to increase the load I shouldered by bringing along a couple of additional bottles in case I didn’t come across a water source for a while, well aware that I was walking blind into the forest surrounding the bunker.

The chilly temperature didn’t seem to raise any, but I found myself sweating before long as I continued onward, my progress impeded by the untamed wilderness blocking my path at every turn.

At times, I felt like the trees were conspiring against me as stray branches caught on my clothes during my flight, and I fell more than once as I marched on, making me realize I wasn’t in nearly as good of shape as I’d previously believed.

There was a distinct lack of animal life from what I could tell, but I didn’t exactly hang around for any creatures to cross my path either. Still, the thought left me concerned about whether I would find anyone else in my search for the unknown if animal life wasn’t easily sustained.

I was lonely most of the time, the physical exertion doing nothing to lessen the mental torment I continued to feel, but I kept reminding myself there had to be a reason why I’d survived.

My scattered brain roamed to my parents occasionally as I plodded forward among the trees, and I thought about the future I might build once I landed somewhere safe, as far away as that seemed to be in the moment.

Nonetheless, try as I might, I couldn’t conjure up anything remotely happy with all the negativity in my life working to blur my perceptions of what was to come.

Faltering, I winced as several sticks snapped against my denim-clad knees when I crashed into the ground once more, the stinging ache informing me they had penetrated through the thicker material of my jeans this time.

I thought about letting myself collapse the rest of the way down to the forest floor as I felt my lifeblood begin to soak through, my body feeling like it was on fire from all the exertion, but then I caught a glimpse of something glinting in the dim light ahead.

Shooting to my feet with renewed optimism, I bounded forward, tearing at the overgrown foliage as I grasped what I’d stumbled upon.

My dad’s truck looked the worse for wear, but I threw my bag down anyhow, looking for the keys I’d pocketed on impulse as a memento on my way out of the bunker earlier.

I crossed my fingers as I clambered in, twisting the keys in the ignition, but the engine didn’t roar to life to my dismay.

“Argh!” I yelled, banging my head against the steering wheel as my frustration leaked through to the surface.

It was stupid of me to think that it would start after all this time, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself from wishing something would go my way, not to mention the headache that was blossoming where I’d stupidly injured myself.

I thought about hunkering down in the cab for a while, but I was aware I needed to keep moving. I’d probably been going around in circles knowing my luck, but I knew I hadn’t traveled far from the bunker now that I’d come across a familiar landmark.

Gathering up every ounce of my resolve, I made myself haul the heavy bag back onto my weary shoulders and set off without a backward glance, knowing it would only weaken my resolution to move forward.

My feet felt like lead weights, but I concentrated on a point in the distance, putting one foot in front of the other until I reached my goal. Then, I started all over again, the monotony allowing numbness to take hold.

I knew I certainly wouldn’t win any medals with the sluggish pace I’d set, but the fact that I was advancing at all was enough for me.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I glanced up through the canopy of branches high above me a while later, but it was difficult to say what time it was with the ever-present darkness encircling me and the roiling storm clouds I spied churning in the distance.

Groaning, I went to push up on my feet from where I’d fallen yet again, but then I heard a noise that I hadn’t noticed before.

Twigs cracked to the right of me, the noise close enough to have me on my feet in a flash, and I spun in a wide arc, simultaneously scanning my surroundings as a chill ran down my back.

I’d been hiking for hours, but this was the first time that I’d perceived other signs of life aside from myself, that I felt unsafe on my own.

Hurriedly, I tucked my hair up into the knit hat I’d removed a while ago, cognizant that my bright red strands would serve as a beacon for anything that might be lurking nearby.

I glanced around for somewhere I could hide, my eyes landing on the pin oaks and other trees surrounding me, but I hadn’t gone far before I caught sight of movement out of the corner of my eye.

Twirling around in a circle, I froze as an enormous scarlet-colored wolf came into view, its hackles raised as a vicious snarl tore through the silence.

My heart stuttered and then picked up double-time when two more huge beasts appeared behind it, flanking the first impossibly large creature as my dad’s caution from a decade ago filtered through my addled brain.

“…I’m not sure I’m strong enough to protect you and your mother from the shadows clawing their way to the surface…”

I don’t know why that particular warning came to light at the moment, leaving me guessing at the extent of my dad’s knowledge, but I was reminded of the many mysteries he’d left behind with his death, not that they mattered when I was about to be torn to shreds.

In the next instant, the wolf from the middle of the bunch stalked forward, the motion being enough to shake me out of my stupor, and I launched myself in the opposite direction, knowing it likely wouldn’t make a difference.

Even so, I found I wasn’t as ready to meet my maker when it came right down to it, and I accordingly put my all behind my escape attempt, using the copious trees to my advantage.

My senses were zeroed in on the wolves hunting me, a charcoal-gray and pure white wolf joining the first assailant, so I was taken off guard as the drone of an engine picked up close by, and before I knew it, a strong arm was whisking me off the ground.

Throbbing spiraled out from my left foot as razor-sharp teeth bit down on it, but a blade slashed out across the wolf’s face before it could gain purchase, an earsplitting howl resounding throughout the forest.

More yelps sounded over the whine of the engine as it revved, but the stranger was already maneuvering the vehicle through the dense foliage, me holding onto him for dear life as the wolves fell further behind with the male’s adroit acceleration.