DAY 2

DAY TWO: Innocence Lost

Q was raised and trained by survivalist parents, so the past year spent underground was utilized to practice the survival skills she had been taught during her short life. She wasn't sure which of the many possible scenarios had caused them to put their plan into action but she knew it was the day following the day she turned 9 years old. Her memory of that night still haunted her in her sleep, it was nothing like the drills they had practiced together as a family. The days ran into each other, there was only the mundane routine to keep to a schedule. The first six months were spent underground together trying to keep supplies lasting and senses sharp.

After her mother ventured out for supplies six months ago, and never returned, her father knew they had to start rationing what they had left of their stock. Then just a week ago her father decided he needed to hunt for food or gather supplies and scavenge anything useful to their survival. He had yet to return, so she had been on her own when she celebrated her 10th birthday yesterday. She had debated with herself about opening her wrapped birthday present left by her parents. The shiny blue wrapping paper would be carefully removed and folded neatly to be saved. She didn't know what the future held. Q decided to not wait any longer, it was her birthday after all. The box was small, and made a tiny rattling sound when she shook it. She knew the gift wouldn't be much but the fact her parents had anything to give her made her smile. But Q loved the cheap, silver, heart shaped locket necklace, knowing it was the last gift from her parents. It didn't matter that it looked like it was from a gumball machine, nor that the pictures inside were so small you could barely see them. Not knowing if they were alive, injured, captured, or sick above ground; this was all she had left of them now. She decided to also keep the box to store any momentos she wished to keep, including the wrapping paper.

Knowing her rations were running low, she was planning to explore up above in the next few days. The fear and excitement combined confused her. Packing her hiking bag, loading up her weapons, and hydrating prior to leaving were her only thoughts as far as planning. She didn't know what to expect when she opened the door. Would the air be clean? Would there be food to be found? Would she be captured and taken to the lab to be tested? Would she find her parents? These questions raced through her mind as she tried to fall asleep, with her locket tightly gripped in her hand.

When Q woke in a sweat she wasn’t sure what day it was or what time. As she had already packed her entire life's belongings in a duffel, she rolled off the mattress. There would be no breakfast this morning. Q knew she would have to carry everything she needed on her back, she just hoped the training she had received had made her strong enough to survive without her parents. She tried to part with as many unnecessary items as possible, leaving things behind was hard not knowing if she would ever return.

The keys to the door were kept taped to the inside of the cabinet. She knew this but had never removed one. It was the only key left, today was the day. She held her locket tightly in her hand and grabbed the key with the other as she walked towards the door. The old door was rusty but did not creak as loud since her father had oiled it the day her mother left. She missed her mother and was trying to stay hopeful that she would find her on the outside of this door somewhere. She knew to leave the door unlocked behind her in case a person in need found it, but put the key on her chain next to the locket anyway. This was part of her history now and she wanted to cherish the memories she had here.

The trail was close to a 1 mile walk to the river and then she planned to stay hidden but follow 3 miles upstream to see how the old town looked. This would be dangerous, she knew, but at some point she had stopped worrying as much as her parents had for her. Q would have to find a way to see across the horizon and the old cell tower would give the best vantage point. She kept her bow and quiver in hand because she felt most confident that way. The sun was high in the sky, the air seemed normal, and she didn't see anything abnormal yet.

Staying on a path in the trees kept her cool and hidden. It seemed she had walked all morning along the river but she hadn't seen anything alarming. As she saw the meadow ahead she decided it best to take time to rest. Dropping her duffel bag, Q sat with her back against a tree trunk. She would eat and drink in small amounts because there wasn't much left, and she was getting sick of canned beans. Noticing a small thicket, thinking it would be a good shelter if need be, she noticed the deer. She slowly moved her bow and notched an arrow without making a sound. Praying her stomach wouldn't growl and scare the animal off, she took aim and waited for her shot. The tiniest movement caught her attention and caused her to hesitate. The fawn was so young, it didn't even have balance yet. Q watched in awe of the beautiful, untouched innocence of the tiny animal. The doe's ears twitched but her tail was still down......could she set up again for a shot? She knew how to harvest the meat and could use the food....but she couldn't bring herself to take the fawn's mother away. Q watched for a while until she heard footsteps in the forest behind her. Still far enough away but close enough to spook the deer. As the doe took off running the fawn cowered close to the ground. The thought occurred to Q that she didn't want the baby to be left behind because she knew how that felt. But she needed to make sure she could keep them both safe from whatever danger was creeping up behind her. She needed to make the decision fast. She moved towards the thicket to try to camouflage the baby from whatever was coming through the woods. The mother should come back to the thicket for its newborn. She knew she had to move on to find a hiding spot for herself. She headed around the meadow to the east towards the river hoping to find refuge.

The large rock overhung the river’s edge just enough for her to crawl under and be hidden. Having slipped into the icy river trying to make her way down the embankment, she shivered uncontrollably. She made a small fire with twigs and tried to avoid the smoke from rising. She would have to warm up quickly if she wanted to survive the night. As she gathered larger branches she wondered if the traveler was alone.The fear of being hunted by a group versus a lone person terrified her. She knew the world had changed but wasn't sure exactly how. Trying to cook over the smallest fire would be a task she had never tried. Her stomach growled at the thought of the meat she could have had. The rest of the canned beans would have to be enough for tonight. As she drifted off to sleep she wondered if there were any good people left in the world.

The smoke was so thick she couldn't breathe, she was choking, her lungs burning. As panic set in, she felt around because she couldn't see anything but could hear the cries of a baby in a nearby room. She wanted not only to save herself but the young life that must be another survivor's child. "Where are the parents?", she thought. "Are they in the quarantine wing of the shelter?" She wouldn't know if she didn't locate the door to the hallway from her small dorm. She crawled on the floor until she bumped into a wall and followed until she found the door jam. The door did not feel hot....was the fire below or above her? She pulled open the door and struggled to hear which direction the crying was coming from. She thought from her left but couldn't be sure. She crawled as fast as she could until the crying baby sounded right next to her. She opened the door and instantly the crying stopped.

She awoke from the dream so quickly she had forgotten where she was. Her clothes were finally dry, and the sun had barely risen. She was afraid of the woods since knowing she was not alone. Would the other person be a friend or a foe? In her 10 year old mind she hoped against all hope that she would be reunited with her family. There had to be other survivors out there. She realized she couldn't even say survivors of what, it's how her parents referred to other people. How long were they preparing for this event? Had they known all along? Is that why they had lived in the woods her whole life living off of the land and practicing survival tactics? How bad was it really? She felt so unsure of her previous confidence she was afraid to venture out from the small cave. Maybe she could try catching a fish. Her father had taught her how. She decided to stay for another day and night to give the other traveler time to move on. She had to stay safe and be smart about her decisions.

She had brought her last drawing pad with her and was down to her last 2 pencils. She spent most of the morning sketching her mother’s face from memory. She tried her hardest not to cry but ended up napping the tears away. In the afternoon she fished on the river’s edge but only caught a tiny trout. As she collected wood for tonight’s fire she kept as silent as possible and listened intently to the sounds of the woods. The rushing of the river masked most sounds, especially inside the tiny cave. Tonight she would feast on the small fish and the last of her crackers because tomorrow she planned to head into the small town on the other side of the meadow. She sat the sketch of her mother on the rock beside her and began smoking the fish over the tiny flame. It did not look appetizing at all but wasn't too bad with the crackers if you pulled out the tiny bones first. Soon after completing the meal her stomach turned sour and she started to sweat. Did the fish make her sick? Should she vomit? Was it poisoned? The pain raged in her abdomen and she was sweaty and shaking profusely. Once the vomiting started, it wouldn't stop. She curled into the fetal position hoping to abate the pain. Then her stomach acid turned to blood. She was vomiting blood. Her mind raced with thoughts of her parents and her needing them right now. She was so scared, she knew she was dying. She couldn't stop the blood from pouring from her lips. With her last ounce of strength, she kissed the image of her mother she had only drawn hours ago. The toxic river was the last sound she heard.