Title: TWD: Survive
Premise/Rough Summary: Raised by a conspiracy theorist/doomsday prepper father, a 25-year-old man is more than prepared for the apocalypse.
Extra Info: The MC was taught a lot by his doomsday prepper father: hunting, tracking, wilderness survival, bushcraft, etc. Unlike his father, however, he was not a true believer and just went along with what his father taught him because he had no other choice. At 18, he moved out, moving from place to place until he ended up in Georgia, arriving there a week before the apocalypse with his dog.
MC Appearance: Jensen Ackles
~~~
Nature has two faces. One is beautiful. The trees with their swaying leaves and flitting grass create a symphony conducted by the wind and backed up by the animals. Sunlight and moonlight flowing through the tree gaps paint a tapestry unlike anything else.
The other is savage. Animals fighting for survival, eating the young, and preying on the old and sick. Natural disasters that ravage landscapes, level towns, and have reaped souls since time eternal.
Yet even in that savagery nature has a way of being beautiful.
But the monstrosity currently ripping into the carcass of a deer is an abomination that could only be the result of human hubris.
At least, that's what I think.
SWISH SPLAT
I silently knocked another arrow while focusing on my surroundings, waiting to hear or see any sign that I had attracted unwanted attention.
Hearing nothing but the sounds of nature, minus the animals, I looked down to my right, where my trusty companion, Burger, a Belgian Malinois mix, was licking his doggy parts. I had to stop myself from laughing, but seeing him be so casual told me there were no more walkers around, or he would've signaled to me already.
Unknocking the arrow, I put it back in the quiver mounted to my recurve bow while making my way to the dead walker with Burger in tow. I plucked the arrow from its skull, checked its condition, and cleaned it before putting it with the others.
I looked down at the dead, ravaged deer, guts all over the forest floor, and felt pity that such a beautiful creature had gone to waste.
"Such a waste of meat and hide."
WHINE
"For me anyways." I said, smiling as I saw Burger getting antsy and licking his lips.
I had never eaten anything that a walker had bitten, and never would unless it was a life-and-death situation, but in the nearly two months since the outbreak had started, I had seen some animals eating dead walkers.
I hadn't seen the aftermath of them eating dead walkers so I wasn't sure if they had keeled over some time after ingesting walker meat but it seemed unlikely. Animals had different stomachs than humans allowing them to eat things humans could never, like bones.
Just because I've seen other animals eat walker meat didn't mean I would ever feed Burger walker meat unless it were a life-and-death situation, but he had eaten goat meat from a goat that had been chewed on by a walker and lived to tell the tale. Naturally, he did it without my permission which earned him a reprimand that assured he would never do it again.
Thanks to that occurrence I felt fine about chopping off one of the deer's feet so he could chew on it.
As I held the foot, he started getting more antsy, but thanks to the training I had put him through he knew better than to act without my command.
"Sitz."
Hearing my command he snapped to attention and sat perfectly still though his tongue did peek out once or twice as he eyed the foot.
"Dreh dich."
Once again, Burger quickly obeyed, twirling once before snapping back to attention.
"Good boy." I said as I lowered the treat, allowing him to quickly snap it up and start chewing on it.
While Burger enjoyed his treat, I put down my bow and backpack and took out a pawpaw fruit, the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States. The fruit is a large, yellowish-green berry about 6 inches (15 cm) long with a custard-like texture and a flavor somewhat similar to banana, mango, and pineapple.
It was a fruit that used to be very common in the past but because of various factors, it has fallen into obscurity, overshadowed by other commercial fruits. Because of that, there are plenty to be found though due to their short shelf life, it's hard to find a good one. Thankfully, I did find a few and have been snacking on them for the past few days.
As I enjoyed the fruit, I kept a close watch on my surroundings. At these times, there was no such thing as being too careful, especially when a single scratch from a walker spells your death.
Luckily I was able to finish two fruits without any incident so I put my backpack back on and carried my bow in my right hand.
"Time to get going." I mumbled.
Two months had passed since the outbreak began, and global societal collapse had occurred. I have been surviving every day since then. With no particular goal in mind except survival, I have been wandering around, going where the wind blows me.
Two weeks ago, I decided to make my way toward Atlanta where a refugee center might be operational. I had little hope that there would be anything there, but considering I had nothing to do, it wouldn't hurt to take a look. If there wasn't anything there, I would be on my merry way, but if there was, it would be nice to rejoin civilization.
As much as I enjoyed nature and being with Burger, not having another human to converse with had been harder than I thought it would've been.
If I did decide to enter the city center, I would have to be very careful as I approached it. Being a city with a population of 400,000+, not counting the other nearly 5 million that live in the Atlanta Metropolitan area, the city center was sure to be teeming with walkers regardless of the bombings that had occurred.
"Komm."
With that command, Burger quickly stood up and made his way over to my side, looking up at me with the chewed-up deer leg dangling from his mouth. I could tell he wasn't done with it so I took it from him, wrapped it up in a spare piece of cloth, and put it in an outside pocket so it wouldn't interfere with anything else.
Before moving, I made sure we were still heading in the right direction by checking my compass. Once confirmed, we were ready to move until I heard something in the distance. It was faint at first but it gradually got clearer and louder.
HONK HONK HONK HONK
It was a car alarm that got louder before it began to echo throughout the hills, making it harder to pinpoint where it was coming from. After a minute or two the alarm cut off.
'It must've come from the city and stopped somewhere nearby. It may be other survivors.'
Thinking that there may be people near me, I put my pack down and took out a map of Atlanta. I traced the path I took and estimated where I was in the woods before looking in the surrounding area until I saw a quarry not far from me.
'Seems like the most likely area to set up camp. Isolated with a good vantage point surrounded by woods for foraging and hunting. If I were to set up anywhere, it would be there.'
The thought of joining up with others was tempting but I knew better than blindly rushing there expecting the group to be good people. The outbreak had brought about not just the monstrosities known as walkers but it also unleashed the monstrosity known as man.
Walkers were dangerous but they were simple. All they knew was to spread their infection and tear into flesh. They were like pre-programmed robots with certain directives.
Humans, on the other hand, were downright terrifying. Without global order and the weight of societal conformation, man had unleashed their deepest and darkest desires: killing, pillaging, and raping as they pleased.
Naturally, not everyone had given in to their darker instincts and fallen to depravity. Most were just trying to survive and doing what they could to get through this apocalypse.
'I'll scout them out first. See what they're like before deciding.'
I put my map away and stood up, readying myself to move when Burger let out a small quiet growl as he lowered his body into a defensive attack stance. I had trained Burger myself and that noise he made was only used when a human was near so I instantly picked up my bow and knocked an arrow as I quickly moved to a tree for cover.
I signaled to Burger to hide behind a tree across from my location that would allow him to surprise attack whoever was coming our way and all I would need to do is make a certain noise to signal to him.
After a few seconds of waiting, I heard the quiet sound of footsteps but I was able to tell that whoever was coming was a hunter. A normal person wouldn't care about the noise they made as they traversed the forest, only a hunter would. With that information plus the dead deer I stumbled across, I concluded that they must've been tracking the deer. Unfortunately, that deer met a walker before it could be hunted.
As I had suspected, a lean brunette Caucasian man with a scruffy beard wearing a dirty sleeveless shirt and grey pants carrying a crossbow appeared from where Burger indicated. He was walking carefully so as not to step on anything that would give him away and he was scanning the area. When he saw the dead deer and the walker, a look of anger appeared on his face.
It looked like he was about to yell but his anger disappeared as he turned to look back at the deer. It seemed he noticed that the walker was dead and the deer was missing a foot which made him quickly put his crossbow back up as he started looking around.
'He's good.'
Most people would've been too caught up in losing a deer and not noticed the oddity of the scene.
'He's probably part of that group in the quarry. I can see what kind of people they are. Unless he lies.'
He was on high alert and if I suddenly popped out he might just shoot me out of reflex so as a precaution I put my entire body behind the tree.
"Waste of a deer." I said as I heard him turn in my direction.
"Who the fuck are you?!" he shouted with an accent that let me know he was a redneck.
"Just a survivor. Like you."
"Come out! Let me see you!"
"I'm going to step out from behind this tree so don't shoot me. I have a bow so don't be alarmed."
I showed him my hand carrying my bow and seeing as it didn't get skewered by his crossbow I slowly revealed the rest of my body.
"Put your bow down." he said, not as nervous now that he could see me.
"You and I both know that crossbow of yours would skewer me before I could even knock an arrow. And I don't want to get it dirty." I said, causing him to fall silent for a few seconds before relenting.
"You kill that deer?"
"No. It was dead when I came across it. I did kill that walker though. Interrupted his feast."
I could tell he was about to ask about the deer foot so I talked before he could.
"Are you part of that group camped out in the quarry?"
"What group?"
He denied it but the way he looked away before looking back at me was a tell.
"I've been on my own since this shit went down. You're the first person I've talked to in a month. I'm looking for a group to join, to feel like I've rejoined civilization. I'm just trying to survive."
Again he went silent for a few seconds before he finally lowered his crossbow. Still, I could tell he was vigilant of me.
"They're alright. The group, I mean. It's about 30 of us."
"That's a lot of people." I said, surprised.
"Too many if you ask me. Too many mouths to feed." he said as he walked over to the deer, "That's why I'm out here. Hunting for food."
"Are you the only hunter?"
"Pretty much. My brother's a good hunter too but he went out on a supply run as muscle." he said as he crouched down to check the deer while still keeping a line of sight on me, "Where's the foot?"
"Cut it off."
"Why? It ain't lucky like a rabbit's foot." he said, looking up at me like I was an idiot.
TSK-TSK
From behind the tree I had pointed at, Burger came bounding out, coming to a stop right next to me while the hunter, whose name I forgot to ask, quickly stood up, crossbow at the ready.
"Relax. He's trained. He won't move a muscle unless I tell him to." I explained with a smile as I pet Burger.
"He was waiting to rip my throat out?!" he shouted.
"I didn't know if you were a good or bad person. I couldn't risk it." I explained.
Just like before the hunter stared for a few seconds before putting his crossbow down but he was even more wary than before.
"My name's Andrew, by the way. Andrew Hunt, if you can believe it. And this is Burger."
WOOF
"What kind of name is Burger?" he asked.
"The first day I got him, I made myself a burger and gave him his food. Instead of eating his, he stole mine so I named him Burger."
"Oh." he said, falling silent momentarily, "Daryl. Daryl Dixon."
"Nice to meet you, Daryl."
"Uh-huh."
"When are you going back to camp?" I asked.
"Why?"
"Because if you can wait one more day we might be able to bag a deer or a hog. I don't want to be introduced to the camp empty-handed. I can carry my weight." I explained.
"It's my first day out here. I was planning on going back tomorrow or today if I caught that deer."
"Mind if we join you? I've been hunting nearly all my life and Burger's a trained hunting dog and great tracker."
"Fine by me. Just don't slow me down." he said, slinging his crossbow across his shoulder but keeping it in the front in case he would need it, "Come on. Ladies first."
I smiled as I moved. I knew he wanted me in front because he didn't trust me. I didn't trust him either but there was little point in arguing since if it came down to it Burger and I would win.
~
A few hours later, nighttime had fallen.
We had traversed the woods, hunted a few squirrels, and found a few more pawpaws. We did not find any big game, though we did see fresh-ish tracks for a boar. We found them when the sun was setting, so we would have to pick them up the next day.
We set up a makeshift camp and littered the surrounding area with twigs that would snap with the lightest pressure as a makeshift alarm. Because of the lack of materials and because it was a temporary camp, we couldn't set up something better, but we were more than safe with the twigs and Burger.
As for our sleeping arrangements, we were both going to sleep propped up against our own tree. It was dangerous to sleep in a sleeping bag or a tent if you weren't sure about the safety aspect of it all since they could become your death trap.
For fear of attracting walkers and/or people, we couldn't start a fire so the pawpaws we found were a welcome dinner.
"Thought I was the only one who knew what these things were." said Daryl as he tore into a fruit.
"You, me, and a bunch of Canadians." I said as I knew there was a region of southern Ontario that used the fruit a lot.
With that, we both silently ate our dinner while Burger chewed on his deer leg.
Daryl wasn't much of a talker or he was one of those people who only opened up after a long time of knowing him. I, on the other hand, could talk and carry a conversation if there was one to be had, but I also enjoyed sitting in silence with someone.
"Where'd you learn to hunt?" he asked.
A series of memories surfaced all starring a face I had not seen in so long.
"My father. He was a doomsday prepper/conspiracy theorist/end-of-the-world nut job."
"Not that much of a nut job."
"Chuckle. No, he was more the banks failing, nuclear war, Jews using their space laser type of nut job. Even he couldn't have guessed this was going to happen. Anyway, because he thought the apocalypse was inevitable he saw it fit to teach me everything and anything I would need to survive."
"He uh..."
"Don't know. The last time I saw him was the day I turned 18. Packed my bags and left."
"Dads, huh." he said with something in his voice that let me know he had some past with his father.
"Yeah. Dads."
~
We woke up as the sun peeked over the horizon, ate the rest of the pawpaws, and immediately started traversing the forest, looking for signs of a deer or boar. Thankfully, not long after we began, Burger picked up a scent and the noise he made let me know it was an animal and not a human or walker.
Daryl and I both checked where Burger had found the scent and saw fresh boar prints and scat.
"What do you think?" I asked.
"A single boar. Male most likely. The females travel in groups with their young." he said as he studied the prints.
"It's big too. Really big."
"Might not be worth it. Boar taint." he said.
"Can we really be picky right now?"
"Guess not."
Letting Burger lead us, we followed him through the forest, stopping now and again so he could find the scent. After nearly two hours, he stopped and lowered his body to the ground.
I signaled to Daryl, letting him know the boar was near. I then signaled to him that it was straight ahead and we should split up and pincer it. He nodded and began to go left. Meanwhile, I signaled to Burger to hold steady before circling to the right.
As I made my way to the right, I could see the boar through the trees. It was a big, mean-looking boar with two big tusks ready to gouge out some flesh. I could also see Daryl moving through the trees, crossbow trained on the hog while his head was on a swivel.
Once in position, I looked over at Daryl who was looking at me, and signaled I was ready. He signaled to me the same so I knocked an arrow, drew my bow, and steadied my breathing.
Big feral boars were trickier to hunt than smaller ones because they develop a shoulder plate or shield that covers their vital organs. The older and bigger they are, the thicker and larger the plate.
Thankfully the orientation of the hog was perfect for me. It was facing the one o'clock direction while I was at the seven o'clock, giving me a straight shot at its heart.
In the middle of my exhale, I released my arrow.
SWISH SPLAT SQUEAL
The arrow flew through the air about to hit exactly where I wanted it to. Until the boar moved to the left. Instead of hitting a perfect heart shot, the arrow seemed to nick it, but it wasn't enough. The boar squealed and reared up before bolting in the only direction there wasn't anyone.
Daryl shot a bolt that managed to hit the boar in the left haunch but the adrenaline it was experiencing was enough to ignore it.
"Come on!" said Daryl as he started running after it.
FWEET
With a quick whistle, Burger came bounding out from his spot and immediately started chasing after the boar while I followed behind.
Being a dog Burger was naturally much faster than us and quickly caught up to the boar and began nipping at its haunches, but the boar would not stop running and squealing.
"We need to kill it! Now! All that squealing is going to attract walkers!" said Daryl.
"Fass!" I shouted, receiving a bark that let me know Burger heard me.
Burger stopped trying to nip at the boar and instead got parallel to it before tackling it, clamping its jaws shut around its throat and tearing at it.
Thanks to that, the boar had to stop to try and get Burger off of it which allowed us to catch up.
"Platz." I said causing Burger to let go of the boar's throat and back up.
The boar was unsteady on its feet due to the blood loss from the arrows and it was only exacerbated by the running and Burger's attack. It looked like it was about to bolt again but instead, it dropped to the ground and stopped breathing.
Before we could even check on the boar, Burger turned around and started growling. On alert, I looked where he was indicating with my bow drawn, and saw a group of people carrying shovels, pitchforks, and guns.
"Put the bow down." said the cap-wearing man pointing a shotgun at me before looking over at Daryl, "Daryl, who is this?"
"Relax, will you? He's a stray looking for a place to stay."
"You vouch for him?" asked the man causing Daryl to be silent for a few seconds.
"Yeah, I do."
The group stared at me for a few moments, taking in Daryl's answer. When the man with the shotgun put his gun down, the rest put their weapons down, letting me know he was the leader. Or at least one of them.