Just Outside Of Savannah (Open)

[Janelle Aurora O'Hara]

Janelle had no idea how many days had passed since she had left her home. Three days? The days were all blurring together in one long, unending nightmare. Her only thought was about her family back in Texas, were they alive? Were they worried about her? Of course they were. She was worried out of her mind about what had happened to them. Maybe they were ok. They were over two miles from anywhere. They had a lake, and animals. She was not worried about them starving. Her family knew well enough about how to live on the land. Her mother had always canned plenty of vegetables for hard times. If anything, they were most likely better off then she was. She had managed to get out of Savannah, and that was her first concern. The less people, the less chance of running into one of those ‘things’. She still was not clear on what had attacked her, she only felt lucky to be alive. Especially after seeing so many dead bodies along her path to safety.

Before she left home, she packed a bag full of food and water to carry, and one on her back with clothing, toiletries and medical supplies. It was not much, but she could hear her father telling her to take plenty of water, and her mother telling her not to forget toilet paper. Years of living on a farm with over protective, parents had prepared her for whatever was happening better then she could have ever hoped. She was determined, and after escaping the city using back roads and tree lines to stay hidden, she found the city limits. Once outside the city she tried to stop at as many gas stations as she could. They were cleaned out of course, empty, and more than one of them had clearly been broken into. She replenished her supplies where she could, and filled up her water bottles from fountains and sinks.

She was resourceful, as most desperate people are. She had camped before, even though it really was not her thing, but she did have some experience. She missed the cool air, the comfortable beds, and she hated herself for not bothering to bring a pillow. In the moment her survival instincts kicked in and she was more worried about food then pillows. She made do with a few blankets she had found, and wrapped herself in the oversized jacked that once belonged to her ex boyfriend. Idly she found herself wondering if he was still alive. Most nights she was still in shock to even cry herself to sleep, if she could sleep at all.

Days wore on, and she knew she was lost, but she continued walking in the hopes that she would find something better. She was torn between wanting to find people, and not wanting to be found by those ‘people’. Lost, alone, and confused she reasoned it was better to be lonely then dead. She continued walking aimlessly, a few yards inside the woods just beyond the road. Always in site of it, and always able to duck and hide in a second if she needed too. She had no idea what was happening, or where it was happening. Was just Savannah affected, the states, the world? She was not sure. She hoped it was over by now and she was just being paranoid.

As a Christian girl who went to church every Sunday up until she moved from Texas she prayed often, and thanked God for sparing her. The longer she walked, the more thankful she felt. There were no cars, on what should be a busy stretch of road. Something was wrong. No planes in the sky, no distant sounds of trains. Something had gone horribly wrong. After the second day the thought had occurred to her that she could be the only one left alive. The thought was silly of course, there were people that were far more resourceful then her. But after going days without seeing another person, or any sign it made her question it.

TAG: Open
WORDS: 681
OUTFIT:Laterz
NOTES: First Post!
CREDITZ:KENZIE! STEAL AND SHE WILL SHOOT YOU IN THE FACE!

[Cpt. David Michael Anderson]

Days. Days used to be such a short time span. It could take him a day to get from the post in Texas to his sister’s house in Savannah, not even a day. But now? Now it had taken him weeks, and he was off his intended trail to begin with. Sarah Joe had been the only other sibling of his to leave Alabama, but even she hadn’t gone far, settling in Savannah with a husband and two kids. Savannah was not Nashville though, and he had intended to head for Tennessee until he got to the old home place and read the note his folks had left him.

Son, or Sarah Joe,
David we got a call from an army friend of your’s. She wanted to meet us north of Birmingham. Said you were on your way there. Sarah Joe, if you come here then we went to Highland Homes just north of Birmingham, its exit 178 at a little Holiday Inn. Please be careful girl, give our love to the boys.
Mom and Dad

Funny how Sheena had told him she was in Nashville, only to find out she had tracked down his parents and was planning to meet them in Birmingham. But that was an issue for another day, David’s father, mother and brother, along with his other sisters’ husbands, would be enough to keep everyone alive until they reached Highland Home. In finding the note, David realized that Sarah Joe had not made it home, and as she was his most helpless sister in times like this, he had better go to Savannah and fetch her. He knew the route she would take, he prayed every night on the road, and hoped they would come across each other somewhere. At the very least he hoped she had left a note. He left notes for her, on the side of cars or road signs, just in case he missed her.

It was strange how in a world gone mad, like this one, he had never felt more alive, more in control. It had been like that in Iraq and Afghanistan, the chaos of war bringing out a calm in him. He was unafraid of what would happen, knowing he could only operate in the here and now. Maps and compasses did not confuse him, nor did taking his path from the sun and stars. There was something to be said for growing up in the woods. And while walking along the road was not the safest thing he could have done, he was in a bit of a hurry, not knowing how long his family would stay where they had said they would stay. So he set his pace to a brisk walk, M16 held in front of him and at the ready just like he had carried it years before on patrol. The hat on his head was just a ball cap, held in place by a jury-rigged string so he could fling off his head without worrying about its’ loss. It did its’ job in keeping the sun out of his eyes which is all a hat was really required to do.

He had been eyeing a row of abandoned cars on the road just ahead of him, blue eyes alert for any kind of movement that would indicate a trap or ambush. In the weeks of travel he had learned to take his cue from the birds, they wouldn’t make noise if there was an infected around or any large group of people for that matter. And the squirrel that just crossed the road in front of him would not have done so had there been a human about. So he approached carefully, pulling his .45 from his shoulder holster, finding it more effective for close range and searching vehicles. David had learned early on his military education to never pass up underwear or socks, you could never have enough. And a row of abandoned vehicles might carry such necessities, as well as food or something else of value, like ammunition.

He cleared the first vehicle, disappointment that there were no bags in the back, before moving onto the next. It was, at the next vehicle, he caught sight of something moving that was a good deal bigger than a squirrel. In a flash he had his handgun pointed in that direction, arms braced on the hood of the car. He watched the movement for a second, taking the time to decide if it might be infected, human or animal. Deciding on the latter two he spoke ”Hey”, he hollered out, finger off the trigger but the safety still off. Shoot first had become the rule of the day and he had learned that lesson the hard way.

[Janelle Aurora O'Hara]

Janelle had been continuing along, the only thing she had to comfort herself was the birds singing overhead. It was a distraction from the horrible truth, and it was all a lie, but it was a lie that made things bearable. The birds were the only company she had. She had not seen another living person in days, and her mind was going crazy with questions. Still she kept walking, on her way back to Texas. She knew she had to continue down this road, but after that she was somewhat lost. She wanted to go home to check on her parents, it was the only goal she had. The only thing she knew to do. When things got bad it was always her instinct to go home. Her parents always knew what to do. Not to mention that they lived on a farm and her mother had stockpiled food, and her father had stockpiled weapons. If there was any place in the world she would be safe. It would be there. Food, animals, a garden, rivers. Endless supplies of food. Safety as well. They lived in the middle of nowhere. It would take someone forever to find them. She had survived this long, and she intended to keep going. Her lack of a plan had worked in her favor so far. She watched as squirrels chased each other up and down the trees. It was a good sign. Animals could since things like danger a lot faster then she could. As long as they were happy, she was happy. When they were still she worried. They served as her own little security system.

Then she heard the most foreign sound. She ducked down, and spun around. They weren’t infected, dead people didn’t talk. Were they going to hurt her? Should she run? When she finally spotted the source of the voice, her first site was of the gun. Then she looked up at him. “Hey?” she said softly, her voice trembling with fear. She did not have any kind of weapon of her own. She was a setting duck, only the duck had the option to fly away. So much for her warning system. She did not move, instead she waited for him to make a move so she could decide her best course of action. Did he want to kill her? No, she doubted that, what would be the point. Then the fear of being raped came to mind. How many other survivors were women? She felt bile rise in her throat. Then she realized that he probably wanted whatever supplies she had. Food and water were the most valuable things right now. She hoped that if she dropped her backpack and ran he would worry more about the supplies, and she would have time to get away.

[Cpt. David Michael Anderson]

Well.....he now had its' attention. He could just make out the movement of something large. Then a feminine voice floated towards him, "Hey?"[/]. That just made him nervous as pig in a wagon smelling bacon. He doubted, at this point in time, that very many women were running around by themselves without some sort of protection. He turned his head, checking the road in front of him and behind him for movement. Then he crossed the road to the opposite side and scanned the roadside for the same. If he had just stepped in an ambush there was no sign of it, yet. He holstered the gun at the point, no reason to scare her if she was on her own, but best to ask first.

"You alone?"

She could always lie and he was prepared for that eventuality, but she could also be telling the truth. He had avoided groups of people on his travel east and all of the loners he had come across had been other men. They had wanted nothing to do with them and he had felt the same, but if this girl was really alone he would be obligated to offer help. That was his upbringing and training. Whether or not she took that help was her problem.

"I am not out to get supplies. Nor do I believe in rape. Just wanna talk".

He had enough supplies for himself, most nights he could get a squirrel or rabbit for dinner and canned vegetables sufficed for the rest of the time. Water was easy to come by too, he had a metal canteen for boiling any water he found while traveling, bottled water was plentiful, and he had purification tablets in his first aid kit if push came to shove. His biggest need was clothes, his fetish for underwear and socks made him obsessive about finding them. And he highly doubted she would have his type of underwear or socks large enough to fit his feet.

"I am David Anderson. I was a captain in the US Army"

He introduced himself, putting his hands in the air on the other side of a car. Hands in the air meant he was offering no violence, while putting himself on the other side of the car was giving her plenty of space. Both measures were intended to draw her out and keep her calm. Not to mention give him some space if he needed to duck down and get to a weapon.