Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 8
Added 2022-02-15 19:48:26 +0000 UTC“Let’s take the stream. It’s safe and should be faster and easier than the woods,” you say.
The group follows after you only northwest trail through the forest. Within the first half-hour, you find a bush full of blueberries and split them among the group for a quick burst of sugar in the first calories you have had in a while. Shortly thereafter, you find numerous chanterelle mushrooms. Though there is not enough for a meal for four, you greedily pick them and shove them in your bag for later.
Portland grunts and leaned against the trunk of a tree for support. “Guys, I’m really not trying to complain, but my ankle is really starting to hurt. Every time I put weight, it’s like I’m being jabbed with a knife.”
“All right, let’s stop. We’ve been walking for the whole damn day,” Jesse says and sits on the ground.
You pop out your first-aid kit and kneel next to Portland. Her ankle looks swollen, but nothing looks out of place. She lets you take off her shoe, and you take her foot through a circular range of motion. “It’s not broken. It’s likely a really bad sprain. I’m going to wrap it and make you a walking stick. Try not to put as much pressure on, if you can help it.”
You wrap the foot with a number of bandages from your kit. Portland tries not to groan, but you need to wrap it tight enough to compress the swelling. Anytime you look at her, she smiles at you in appreciation. You’ve noticed the way she looks at you, and though you don’t know her all that well, you are sure she likes you. Is it a crush? You can’t tell.
“You should be fine now. I can give you some painkillers to take away that stabbing feeling. The meds wear off every few hours.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want any painkillers. I’ll be fine. This really helped.” She gives you a smile, and you help her up. Cameron walks over with a long stick in hand that she can use to support her weight.
Another hour passes in a flash. Jesse talked the whole time, telling a story of how she once conned her way into a high-stakes poker match on a riverboat. She was up for stacks of chips before they figured out she didn’t belong there, and she had to dive off the side of the boat to escape her pursuers.
“I don’t know. Sounds like you're bullshitting us,” Cameron says. “You dove off the third deck into the icy waters and survived? That must’ve been a 50 foot fall.”
Jesse scoffs. “You don’t have to believe me. I know my truth. Hey, look up there.”
You had heard the stream just before she said anything. On the bank, sits a one sail-river boat. Your group carries over to it. Inside sits a backpack and a stack of books.
“Sweet! We got our ride. I can’t believe the luck we just found,” Jesse says, as she climbs in the boat.
“Wait, this is obviously someone’s boat. Are we just going to take it?” Cameron asks.
“Hell yeah, we are taking this boat. We don’t know someone owns this. Who owns anything in the Apocalypse?” Jesse climbs from the back of the boat to the middle.
Portland limps away forward. “I would definitely like to get off my foot, but I don’t know about this.”
Jesse turns back to the group and points to you. “What do you think?”
