The Journey

With less people around, nature had began to flourish again. As he slowly trudged through something pretty close to what humans believed paradise looked like, the irony was not lost on him. Mankind had always believed that a paradise awaited the righteous after death, maybe we just got te wrong idea of who, and just how many, had to die. Shaking his head, he dismissed the notion. Those that remained could never be described as righteous, not by any standard.

My wonderful girls,

I send this letter in the hope that it reaches you and that you are safe.

Like most that were left, he had no idea what had happened. The first thing that happened was communications went down. Satellites and cell towers were destroyed all over. Without the ability to communicate, organised resistance fell within days. All he knew was that all of a sudden nothing worked anymore and then people started dying, lots of people. Cities were uninhabitable, and the too few that were left existed in rural areas, well spread out and careful not to gather or draw too much attention. The fear of hunting parties was constant, and those doing the hunting were faster and much more powerful. If They see you, you die.

You have filled my thoughts since the day I came on this cursed trip, and the thought of getting back to you is all that keeps me sane.

He had survived the initial onslaught by sheer dumb luck, being on the outskirts of the city and reaching the transient safety of the woods with the handful of others who had ran in the same direction. That was a year ago, as best as he could figuure. He didn't want to leave the mobile encampment those few that survived the first couple of days had set up, but it was the wrong side of the country. He had been travelling with work when disaster struck and being away from his family, not knowing if they were safe, nearly drove him to insanity.

I'm sorry that I have been away for so long, but I have made sure to be as prepared as possible. Seeing you again is too important to leave anything to chance.

He stayed in that camp for 9 long months, he wanted to run home, and almost did, but wiser heads prevailed, and he knew he would never survive such a journey without learning the skills necessary to traverse the country and make it back alive. Like most of those born and raised in the age of technological marvels, he had no idea how to survive in the wild without modern conveniences, and that knowledge had to be hard won.

It will be a long and arduous journey to get back to you, and will likely take me many months, but my route is well planned and I should stay safe.

Having been travelling for the best part of a season, he estimated that he was maybe three quarters of the way home. The going was painfully slow, but he had not dared travel faster. The mid-part of the route took him through the spine of the country, and he plotted a route through the high peaks, staying in the valleys that snaked between. Rough terrain, but it did provide some natural cover to keep safe from prying eyes. Not 100% safe though, as this was were he found the first bodies.

From what he could tell, the idiots had started a campfire. Looking at the state of the camp, and the condition of what was left of the bodies, they had been attacked 2 days before he got there. That was another piece of information he wished that he never know, he had never had a need to be able to identify the amount of time a corpse had been a corpse before, and he would have been just fine not knowing, but knowing could be the difference between life and death, so he learned.

I am so glad that you gave me this locket before I went away, seeing you and our little princess has raised my spirits everyday, although I'm sure she has changed so much.

What really jarred him about the grisly scene was the body of the man closest to the fire. They had obviously killed him first, and he lay face down in the dirt with his arm outstretched. A glint from the sun caught his eye as he surveyed the scene, and as he opened the dead mans hand he took a sharp intake of breath. It was a heart shaped locket, open with the picture inside of two small children. He reached under the collar of his top and withdrew his own heart shaped locket. He opened it as he had thousands of times in the last year, and looked again at the faces of his wife and daughter. A brief smile passed his face and he closed it up and tucked it back safely away. They were not the same design, but the similarity was enough to bring about a sense of foreboding, as if he was looking at his own future.

The last part of the journey should have been the most straightforward, the ground was flat, and apart from the detour that he would have to take to avoid another city it should be pretty much a straight shot to home. The problem was cover. The country that he would pass through was featureless, and would leave him almost entirely exposed, forcing further course changes and mostly night travel to remain out of sight. Also, he was having to travel at an even slower pace than previous.

I promise not to take too many stupid risks in getting back to you. Although all I want is to be back reunited with you, I know that I can not see you again if I get myself killed doing something daft.

It was his own stupid fault, risking too much to try and find supplies. A long abandoned farmhouse was on his path, and hunger drove him towards it as he hadn't eaten in nearly 3 days. He managed to restock his backpack, and headed to the barn to see if there was anything useful. As he searched a noise made his hairs prick up. He dove behind some bales of hay, smashing his knee on the hard floor. He covered his mouth to dampen the sound of his grunt of pain and shifted to get a better view from behind the hay.

A man entered the barn, panic evident on his features. He was just about to call out to the man when They entered shortly behind. Once again he covered his mouth to hide the sound of his breathing and tried to block out the scream of terror and the sounds that followed. They did not stay for long but he stayed hidden for hours, finally summoning the courage to move when the moon was at its highest. When he did start to move he found his knee was more damaged than he thought, and he had to drag himself to his feet. He hobbled to where the corpse lay, gave a silent apology and moved out.

Before the world changed, he had assumed that he was a good person, without ever really having to prove it. He had stood up for those who needed help, and tried to treat people right. But now, intervention meant another corpse, and while guilt would follow him, he really wanted to see his family.

As he skirted north he could see the city in the distance. It was a smaller example, in the days before it was nothing impressive. But not having seen anything approaching civilisation for so long it had a grandeur to it that made him stop. He stood transfixed for a minute until he could make out finer detail. The movement of figures in the city made the bile rise in his throat. He shook himself, pulled himsef further into cover and moved on.

I'm still not sure how I will find you as you will likely have had to go into hiding. I have never doubted that you and princess are safe, you are so smart and capable, and I know that you will have done whatever you needed to stay safe until I can get back to you.

As he passed through the the northern woods he turned his attention for the hundreth time of how to locate his family when he finally made it back home. It was said that the small coastal towns were not hit as bad as the cities, and there was miles of farmland and woodland that would provide ample cover from hunting parties if the people hiding were smart about it. The only issue would be searching that area himself with better success.

He came upon a small clearing, a felled tree providing an ideal seat as he removed his pack and settled down to wrestle the problem and take in some food and water. He would have the advantage of knowing the area fairly well, but would have to take care as he was searching that he was not discovered himself. A tricky task.

His ruminations were rudely interrupted by the clear snap of a branch. His head whipped up and he heard a gutteral sound not too far out. An acceptance settled on him and quelled the rising panic. He removed the locket from around his neck and opened it up, smiling as always as he looked at his wife and infant daughter. He raised the pictures to his lips and kissed them, closing his eyes as a breeze ran across the back of his neck.

"I love you my girls. I'll see you soon."

I know that if this letter reaches you that you won't know the man that delivers it to you. He also has family in this area and we have taken different routes and carried letters for each other in case one of us doesn't make it. Hopefully when you get this I will be stood by your side.

I love you my girls. I'll see you soon.