How to ''Survival'': Part One

Tik, tik, tik, a slight drizzle fell down from the skies as Ella, almost in shock, walked through the forest. A sturdy but not-to-heavy branch in one hand and Tosti's leash in her other, as well as a pistol now firmly strapped to her belt. Almost a day had passed by since the attack, or at least that's how long she thought it was. She had attempted to call her father multiple times and it her battery had ran empty, and so she found herself all alone god knows where in the middle of a forest with just a branch, pistol and a dog to keep her safe. Tosti had already proven his courage to her and she was glad she had him with her here, not only because he could alert her for sounds she could not hear but also for the company.

Her head was still dizzy from the fall onto the asphalt and an always present ringing in her ears annoyed her like hell. On top of that the headache felt like it split her head in two pieces and when too much light reached her eyes it only intensified. But she could not afford herself the luxury to lay down somewhere to rest, as you're supposed to do with a headache for multiple reasons.

First of all, she would have to lay down on the ground, in a forest, without any form of protection. She wasn't able to climb trees, or build anything, or have any useful skill for that matter. She came from the city for crying out loud. She knew where to do groceries and which cheese to buy and which beer not to buy, but she had no survival skills because she had never been in need of them. Secondly, she had no idea how many of these zombies were out there, and if they were something that had happened to this area or to the entire world, and she couldn't afford herself to be torn apart like her friends had been. And lastly, she had more important things to do, like finding food and shelter. She could've of course stayed in any of the farms she had passed by but they had all been abandoned. Why? Why were those homes not safe enough to stay in?

No, she had no other choice but to go further, hoping to find other people who were not like those monsters and hopefully find safety in numbers. She took some short sleeps sometimes, sitting against a tree, Tosti always nearby so that she would not only hear his warning barks but also feel the rumbling in his chest, when a growl was coming up. She had to completely trust in him, which was not so hard if she thought about what he had already done for her.

But what he couldn't do for Ella was finding food she could eat. Water, yes, because his needs and natural instincts could lead them to small streams or pools of fresh water. But he would be able to chase down a little rat or squirrel on the spot, and eat it before Ella would have the chance to get a hold of it, and she would have to fend for herself on that area. Of course there were berries and flowers in a forest, but which ones were edible and which ones weren't?

She had once seen a little part of a survival show on tv that her dad was watching, and the guy lifted up stones and eat the worms and maggots that lived underneath it, but she wasn't hungry enough yet to go for that, the thought of it made her sick. But how poisonous some berries could be, she had no idea. All those survival shows always had one thing in common, they took place in harsh environments like the Sahara or the North pole or something. But how does one survive in the small forests of Texas?

She had come across some blue looking berries, some were red, others were a more purple, while she had also seen green and yellow ones. The two latter ones didn't look so tasty to her, as if they weren't ripe yet, and when she had licked them they had tasted sour so quickly she had tried to spit out the icky flavor. Some of the darker ones smelled sweet, but then she also knew that looks could deceive and that sometimes the most deadliest things looked prettiest or smelled best. So she left all of them for what they were and mainly filled her stomach with water.

The next day was even harder. Her stomach was now constantly growling at her, as if it was angry at her. She got angry as well, she couldn't just dwell her and do nothing, it would kill her! The only luck she had had so far was that she hadn't encountered any other zombies since two days ago, and she was still alive. But for how long? Another farm house she passed and quickly she slipped inside and scavenged for any food that may have been left behind. But when she opened the fridge a horrendous smell came out of it and all she saw was rotten and spoiled food. Apparently the electricity here was out and in this climate shit got bad real fast. She couldn't find any canned food either, the owners of this place probably took them or maybe someone had been in a similar situation as herself and had already looted this place.

A soft groan escaped her lips and she felt the energy leaving her body. What was she supposed to do? She could not do this, not any of this. Hell, she had a pistol but she wasn't even sure if she knew how to shoot the damn thing. She wasn't raised like most American kids and back home in Germany one didn't just walked around with a pistol, let alone learn how to use before you were like 16. She felt despair creeping up her spine and entering her head. Was this really what life had in store for her? Was she just gonna give up and die or was she gonna kick life's but and at least try to survive? Something had to change and it had to change now.

For starters she was not going to hide in the forest anymore. Granted, there was less chance of encountering monsters there, but so was the chance of finding any normal alive human beings. She would have to follow the road that led up to this house and follow it to it's source, some sort of highway or something. Anything that could attract life. She would still be stalking the sides of the road and at the slightest sign of trouble she could just jump into the verge of the road. But hell, she had to take a chance. Right now she didn't even have a 50/50 chance of surviving this shit, and she was sure as hell not ready to die yet.

With a newfound vigor she gathered her stuff and followed the sand road, hoping to find the main road soon. She didn't know if she was gonna find someone, and when she was gonna find someone, but if there was one thing she knew it was that the people from Texas were hospitable for the most part and she was gonna find them. No way Ella Fuchs was gonna give up. Not today, not this time. She was determined to survive, and so with her faithful companion she walked on, a sturdy branch in one hand, a leash to Tosti's collar in the other, and a pistol firmly strapped to her belt. Life sucks, and then you go on. Period.