Rest In Peace..

I couldn’t for the life of me manage to get the man from the gas station off of my mind. How is it possible that he was laying dead on the floor, in his own blood at one moment, and then walking and crawling senselessly outside the gas station the next moment!? My head began to spin and I again became nauseous. I desperately wanted to pull over and climb off the bike to vomit but didn’t dare. I choked down the sick feeling and told myself to think of something different. My mind automatically went to Andy, I thought about what he would do to comfort me and keep me thinking positively. Tears came to my eyes and fell down my cheeks. “Where are you!?!?” I shouted to myself. “Please find me, I don’t know if I can find you Andy!”. My eyes flooded to a point where I was no longer able to see. I slowed the bike and scanned for a good place to park while I wiped my tears and pulled myself together. I could see what looked like a large boulder and drove the motorcycle up to it. I climbed off and pushed the bike behind the boulder and shut it off, I dropped myself to the ground in the never-ending darkness. I quietly sobbed for what seemed like an hour, before I began to feel angry. I wanted to scream and throw a tantrum! I asked myself repeatedly “why is it so god damn dark all of the time!?!? What’s going on!?” I shook my fists and tugged on my jeans. I sat, slumped over my knees pathetically and calmed myself. Once I felt my silent come apart was over, I slowly got to my feet and pulled out my flashlight. I told myself to take advantage of the time off of the motorcycle, I stretched my limbs along with my aching back and fed myself. 

I topped off the gas on my bike and fired it back up, luckily I was getting good gas mileage and didn’t need to add much. I sat and got comfortable on the seat while I allowed it to idle. Listening for the slightest rustle in the bushes around me was difficult with the motor on. To my left I thought I saw a slight flash of movement, I whipped out my flashlight and shined it in the direction and found nothing. Scared to wait around any longer I pushed off and continued my search for a safe place to sleep. My recent tantrum left me more exhausted than I was before.

Two long hours down the road and still no sign of a building or shack of any kind. Do I dare try and rest without a shelter? It may have been best for me to sleep a while against that boulder so that I could’ve at least continued on longer to find a more suitable resting place. But now I feel that I can’t continue any further. Here I am in the middle of what looks to be a flat plain, not even a large boulder or tree to help conceal my motorcycle. I decided I didn’t have much of a choice, if I try to push myself to continue I could crash and lose my one and only mode of transportation. Who knows what could happen to me at that point!

Cautiously, I shut off the bike and climbed off to the side of the smooth road I had been driving on.  My eyes went wild as I scanned every centimeter of the plain with my flashlight. I honestly hoped that if there were something to be found, I’d find it immediately. The largest object I could find was a dead bush that would conceal my bike just enough that hopefully it wouldn’t be recognizable. Next I needed to find a decent area to rest. The ground was coarse and covered in weeds, I’d need to clear an area in order to lie in the dirt. Memories of my incredibly comfortable, soft bed fluttered across my mind. What I wouldn’t give to just have my Andy and my bed back, safe and sound at home. Snapping out of my daze, I used my tennis shoes to scoot the twigs and branches off to the side, making my self a small circle in the dirt to curl up. I repeatedly told myself that I could have been smarter about resting and finding shelters. 

“I guess that’s as good as it’s going to get” I whispered. I checked my bike one final time before removing the motorcycle cover from the pack and placing the key in my smallest, tightest pocket. I spread the cover out over the area I cleared and made myself comfortable.  It must’ve taken me two hours to calm my mind enough to fall asleep. I set my stopwatch on my wrist to beep once after six hours, I figured the one beep would be enough to have me awake and alert. Sure enough, the moment I heard the beep I nearly leapt to my feet. Luckily I remembered my situation and kept still to evaluate anything that may have changed with my surroundings. 

I couldn’t hear the slightest sound, not a cricket or a rustle of weeds from the breeze. This made me numb and nervous, I crouched low to the ground and used the flashlight to scan the area. The feeling of being watched washed over me as a chill slipped up my spine. Frozen in place I was too terrified to move for several minutes. A sudden rush of panic hit me and I jumped for my bike. At the same moment I heard a loud rustle in the bushes not far from me. My heart skipped a beat as I pictured one of the beasts coming my way. I was so thankful that even after the long sit my motorcycle fired up and allowed me to get back to the road and take off without threatening to die. The rustling in the bushes increased in volume and as I shined my flashlight backward I could see the movement. As I began to push for more speed I heard what sounded like a voice.

“Wait!! Stop!!” the voice shrieked. I questioned my sanity as I slammed on the brakes. “Could this be incredibly stupid of me stopping for a stranger!? Should I continue on as fast as I can or see if this person could be of use to me!?” The man didn’t hesitate to run closer to me, arms flailing in the air frantically. I couldn’t spot a weapon on him as I ran my flashlight over him repeatedly. He reached close to twelve feet from the bike when I demanded he stop and introduce himself. “Doctor Joseph Heisler” he panted. “Young lady, you’re the first living human I’ve seen in over two weeks!” “My name is Penny Curtis Mr. Heisler, and you’re the first person I’ve seen in a few days”. “But what exactly do you mean by living?” I asked him. “Dead” he stammered, “the dead are everywhere!”. My stomach felt as though it had shriveled to the size of a raisin hearing this. “What happened to them?! How did they die?” I begged. “Hard to say, many of them have returned from the dead.. different” he explained. My body began to feel frozen and there wasn’t an once of blood left in my face. I didn’t know what else to say, I sat still on the bike and eyed the man standing before me. He was approximately sixty five years old, short and with little hair left on his head. He carried a backpack far larger than mine and it looked to be stuffed full. “Young lady? Are you alright?” he inquired stepping closer. “I’m fine Mr. Heisler, please keep your distance from me”. “I understand you’re afraid Ms. Penny but I wouldn’t harm you, I’ll have you know”. “Misses” I corrected him in my own mind, though I am still not married I felt the need to make it clear I am not completely alone though I did not. “How did you find me Mr. Heisler and how long have you been in this area?” I asked. “Please Ms. Penny, call me Doctor. I have been travelling by foot for almost three weeks now, I’m not from the area, I’m making my way north to a military base in Seattle when I spotted you”. “Is the base still intact and safe?” I asked the Doctor. “Last I heard they had established housing and care for the survivors” he said. Survivor, is that what I am now? What could have possibly happened to cause this and what should I do next? I wonder if Andy too is making his way toward Seattle to reach the base. I cannot chance missing an opportunity like this, I need to go with the Doctor to see if Andy has made his way to Seattle. If he hasn’t I’m sure there will be someone willing enough to help me go look for him. Finding Andy is the last thing I will give up on, I will do everything I can to find him.

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Carefully..

Judging by the sound of the beast's breath and their wild panting, they were struggling to keep up with me. I had the motorcycle topped out and I worried how much longer it would be until I out ran them, but what if there are more? Ahead I could see what faintly looked like a large bridge, as I sped closer I believed it to be in good condition. Just as I began to cross the bridge I heard the beast's howl as if they were in pain. I hurried to the opposite end of the bridge and turned around on my bike to see what had happened. I removed the flashlight from inside my sweater and lit it to see how close they had come and what caused them to stop. The light revealed a large cloud of dust, I could hear frantic rustling in the dirt. I continued to watch until the dust settled and found two pairs of gleaming red eyes staring after me.

Why would they halt just before the bridge? Could they be afraid of heights or possibly the water down below? I shined my flashlight down over the side of the bridge. No trace of water in sight. How could the water, all of the water be drained from the river bed? If there's no water below, these beast's must be afraid of the extreme height. What could these things be, and why the hell are they chasing me!?

I dare not linger any longer, I straightened my bike and continued down the road. Listening carefully to be sure i'm not being followed. Close to an hour down the road I came up on a large, empty gas station.  Not a single car was in sight, at least this building didn't seem to have caught fire at any point. Could there still be gas somewhere? Considering my recent chase from the beasts, I'm incredibly nervous to climb off the motorcycle. "After I find gas, I need to get my hands on a weapon of some sort.", "Preferably a gun". I whispered to myself. I walked my motorcycle around the back of the gas station and positioned it somewhere fairly hidden but easy to grab in a hurry, just in case. I made my way in through the back door, it had been left slightly open. I turned my flashlight on and dimmed it just slightly so I wouldn't be quite as noticeable. As I walked in, looking ahead I noticed cans lined the front of the store. "I hope they're full of gasoline" I thought. I approached one can and read the paper taped to the top. It read "89 octane". My heart fluttered when I picked up the can and learned it was full. I grabbed two and carefully, and quietly made my way back to my motorcycle. I poured as much as I could of one can into the bike, and strapped the other securely to the opposite side of my pack on the back end. It's fairly heavy, I hope that doesn't affect my ability to drive the motorcycle.

Back in the gas station, I went in search of more water. I had one gallon left that I hadn't touched, but I don't dare hold on to just that when I can have more with me. I gathered another gallon and a few bottles along with more jerky and other filling items, such as breads, and potato chips. I also managed to find a couple of first aid kits and sanitary supplies. My backpack is beginning to fill and the small pack on the motorcycle is already full with the water and bike cover. Before I can think about searching for another bag, I have to find a weapon. Behind the counter I found a fairly large knife and a nine millimeter pistol. Crossing my fingers tightly I continued to search behind the counter for bullets. What turned up was an extra clip, loaded and a small box a little over half full of bullets. In my mind I felt thrilled, but my stomach began to turn at the thought of actually needing these things.  I have literally run out of room in my backpack with the bullets and my other supplies. I placed the gun back in the holster I found it in and strapped it to my pants. Hopefully farther down the road I'll be able to come across a larger backpack and pack for my bike.

Antsy at the feeling I had been at the gas station too long, I made my way to the restroom to clean up a bit and be on my way. What I found in the restroom will haunt me forever, a man lay across the floor in a pool of blood. In his hands were another nine millimeter pistol, and a news paper. The pistol he held was in poor condition and badly jammed. I carefully placed it back in his hand as I found it. I took the newspaper and read the headline. "The End of The World Has Come". I began to feel nauseous as I stepped over the body and puked into the nearest toilet. I stuffed the paper into my backpack, quickly cleaned myself up and dashed out of the restroom. I couldn't get to my motorcycle quick enough.

Climbing on I realized I was right about the weight of the gas can on the back, it'll take some adjusting. Pulling away from the gas station I looked back to see if there were anything outside that could be of use. Down the road I came close to a stop as I looked backward at the dimly lit gas station. Something caught my eye, the front door of the gas station was suddenly flung open. I froze and halted the motorcycle to put my foot down. The man, the one in the restroom, was standing just outside the door. How could he be standing there when I know without a doubt in my mind, he lay dead on the floor just moments ago. He struggled to move and hung his head, seeming numb and blind he slowly staggered back and forth. He didn't even notice me. The motorcycle still ran and my lights were still on but he never once looked my way. He fell to the ground and began to crawl and occasionally roll back and forth. For some odd reason I felt no pity for the man, but more of a curiosity as to why he was incapable of noticing me. I shook myself back into focus from the sheer terror my body felt. I've seen enough, it's time to go.

The things I have witnessed in the past twenty four hours are enough to keep me from sleeping. I am now terrified to travel and come across any other people dead or alive, let alone more beasts. What am I going to do? What has Andy done to survive? Has he too seen what I have seen? Has he even survived? I hope to find him soon and stick with him, maybe at that point we can find a way to keep each other safe. "How.. am I going to do this? I don't want to end up like that man, a mindless, and senseless creature".

In This World..

I awake with ears ringing to the smell of smoke, I'm completely disoriented and unaware of just what is taking place. I can't see anything beyond the smoke as I scramble to my feet and crouch just below the smog to find a way out.  Once I'm free I look back from a large patch of dead grass to see where I came from, a house I don't recognize wreathed in flames. I continue to look about, there has to be something about my location that I know! The area, a neighboring home, anything! I couldn't find a single thing about where I am to help me figure where to go next. I start to notice something strange about the sky, could it be late in the day or possibly the middle of the night? Coated in thick dark clouds the sky was nearly pitch black, with a faint glow just beyond the clouds. "I need to gather my thoughts!" I told myself, "where am I?", "how did I get here!?", "who was I with and where are they now!?". Some memory begins to come back to me as I carefully search the area, I remember I was with Andy, my fiance. But where could he be now? Did he manage to make it out of the burning house!? Through all the racing thoughts I know I need to find water, food, and somewhere safe to rest. Having those necessities will surely help me clear my head so I can figure out where Andy is.

A short distance down the road from the burning house I see a small convenient store, which looks as though it too was on fire not long ago. Once I'm able to get inside, I luckily found a mini fridge that had been flipped over. Inside it was a gallon of water and some left overs in a tub, I took them and made my way out to the back of the building. Just behind the store is a small shed, "what luck!" I told myself. I carefully crept into the pitch black dark shed, the glow from the fire up the way wouldn't light the inside. I searched my pockets to see if I still had my cell phone on me. I found it in my back pocket unbroken, but no signal. It made a decent light til I was able to find a flashlight on a shelf. The shed was mostly empty aside from a few shovels, rakes, and what looked to be a motorcycle under a cover.

I sat on the ground and closed the shed door so I could eat, drink, and regain my strength. I finished my small meal and my curiosity began to drive me mad, could that really be a motorcycle? I approached the covered bike carefully, always carefully. Slowly pulling off the cover my guess was almost immediately confirmed, it was a motorcycle; an enduro at that. It looked a bit tall for my small frame but nearly new, at this point in time it's important that I manage and make the bike work for me. I began to grow nervous at the thought of firing it up to see if it worked. "I better wait for day light, just in case" I thought to myself. The key was easy to locate, on a hook near the door; I placed it in my pocket. I took the cover from the bike and spread it out on the ground to lay on, sleep will help me then when day light comes I'll fire up the motorcycle.

According to my phone I slept just over eight hours, daylight never came. I stood outside the shed starring up at the sky. It was just as pitch black as it was over nine hours ago, where has the sun gone?
My heart hit my feet, hard. I don't understand where I am or why, and now I feel as though it will be difficult to leave and find Andy. Something tells me that he was not in the house with me at the time of the fire, in fact I don't remember anyone being there with me. But why would I be alone?

I did my best to swallow my fear and get a move on. I went back into the convenient store to gather anything of use. The fire that took place on the store must not have been too great, as I searched I found many things still in tact. I was able to find a small, two pocket backpack, another gallon of water, mechanic gloves, which I immediately put on, potato chips, a bag of jerky, and tissues. In the shed were also several other flashlights I had not seen before, along with batteries for them and a pack for the motorcycle. "This will do fine for a while" I thought. Before I can put the pack on the bike I better make sure it works first. I wheeled the bike out slowly and quietly to the street, I climbed onto it with a bit of a struggle but at least I could reach the ground just slightly. I put the key in place and turned the ignition, I pressed the start button and it fired up immediately. The headlights worked great, but the tail light had been broken. I wasn't worried as long as the headlights were working properly. I quickly shut the bike off and wheeled it back to the shed. "I do not wish to be found by anyone or anything" I muttered quietly to myself. "Something is clearly going on and others may try and take the bike and my supplies from me". I strapped the motorcycle pack on and made sure it was secure. I then placed the flashlights with the batteries, the potato chips, tissues, and jerky in the small backpack and strapped it to my back. In the motorcycle pack I will carry the water and the motorcycle cover.

I hurried the bike back onto the road once again, climbed on and fired it up. Judging by the weight and the slushing sound in the tank, I had enough gasoline to get me by for a while. Thankfully it's a four stroke bike and finding more gasoline won't be quite as hard, in addition to the benefit of having a quiet motorcycle. I lit the headlights and started off down the road, the ride was just right; I didn't need to worry about the tire pressure or anything for that matter. After looking over the bike I learned that the only thing wrong with it was the tail light. It's difficult to see ahead, the trees surrounding the area seem to help make it that much more dark on this road.

As excited as I felt to have some supplies and a reliable motorcycle to get me moving, I still felt terrified and worried for Andy as well as myself. All the positive encouragement in the world couldn't take those thoughts away from me. I did what I could to stay focused and prevent myself from dwelling on the negative.

I must have been out in the middle of nowhere, several miles down the road and no sign of another home or building what so ever. "Be sooo careful Penny" I told myself over and over. For just a short moment I silenced my thoughts to listen to the bike.

 Just behind me I began to hear a sound slowly approaching, I wasn't travelling fast but not slow enough that any person could keep up with me on foot. It almost sounded similar to the sound of a horse galloping, but each strike on the ground seemed softer than a hoof. I started to panic as I listened to it approach! I kept a flashlight tucked in my sweater, I pulled it out to see if what was following was close enough to see with the light. I aimed my arm back with the flashlight, clicked in on and glanced over my shoulder. What I saw petrified me! Without a single moment of hesitation I shoved the flashlight back into my sweater, I laid my body low against the bike and gripped the handles as tight as I could stand as I pushed the bike to go as fast as possible. I felt my adrenaline flush throughout my entire body. I flipped my headlights up to the brights only to find another of whatever is behind me also on my side. Large, dark, four legged creatures. Similar in size to a bear but with long muscular legs and bright red eyes when the light hits them. I screamed in my head the prayers for a gun. "Think Penny, think of something quick!!!".

Don't Wake Up..

Have you ever had a dream that felt so whole and real, almost as if you woke up in that very moment it would be apart of your world? I've always been quite the dreamer, not only in the way of setting goals and planning for myself, but in a way that my dreams are like watching a film. I can remember most of my dreams very vividly, because my dreams themselves are so real and mind bending in the same instance. I wanted to create this blog to look back on and remember each of these dreams.

Every night I fall asleep it's almost as if my dream is a continuation of previous dreams i've had over time. All of these dreams form a story, or what almost seems to be a world that I live in while I am asleep. I realize how ridiculous this may sound to some, but I am not creating this blog primarily for others, this is for me. I feel that my dreams are worth remembering and looking back on. I like to think of the time that I spend asleep as a different life, that I wish to visit while i'm awake. Obviously I won't post a blog for every single night/dream that I have, but the one's that mattered to me.

Having this blog of my own dreams to look back on will be fun and interesting and i'm excited to see where my dreams have taken me, and what's on my mind while I sleep that causes them to take place in my mind. If you're reading this, enjoy. I know I will.