skully1031

This is a repost for those of you who missed it the first time. I'd like a little more feedback please.

This was a dream I had the other night... I just thought I'd share it because I had nothing better to do today.
It starts off a bit vague and slow. And I've never typed anything this long from fragmented memory. So, please, don't be too critical. I would like your input, however. Who knows? If I get enough feed-back, maybe I'll feel inclined to add to the beginning and end of this crazy dream...

Anyway, here it is:

It was a post-apocalyptic setting. I don't know if there were zombies or just crazies. But, there were a lot of these things. I think all my loved ones had died. I have no idea how much time had passed or where, exactly, I was. But, I did know this: I was alone and, simply, surviving.

Then, I came across my ex. She was with a group of survivor's that didn't have a leader, holding down some warehouse. They nominated me. I didn't have a good feeling about it and I could tell she wasn't comfortable there so, I declined. They surrounded us and began debating on who to toss to the things first. They started to argue about it even. One, a big guy with a mohawk and a feather ear-ring, turned his back to us and started yelling at the group. I ripped out his ear-ring, grabbed my ex and ran for a man-hole that I had seen. When I was climbing down the ladder after her, I had seen they were quarreling amongst eachother but, one noticed me. I quickly pulled the lid behind us.

Once in the sewer, I realized that this probably wasn't a good idea. It was dark and I had no idea where we were or where to go. Luckily, I had a flashlight. I took it out of my bag, turned it on and, immediately, it began to flicker. To make matters worse, I just heard shuffling behind us. I turned the wavering light in the direction of the sound and revealed a shambling, wet thing that might have once been a person. As we stood, frozen, the thing suddenly lifted it's head and reached out toward us. All I caught a glimpse of, before grabbing my ex by the waist and pulling her out of the way, was that the thing was missing it's lower-jaw. There was nothing but a tongue wagging back and forth from the remnants of it's ragged face.

We ran for what felt like days, in the dark mostly (My flashlight didn't last long after our encounter with the thing.), stopping to catch our breath until we heard a sound that would send us on our way again. The entire time, we lived off of what few resources I had. Some jerky, rolls and water. And, the whole time, my ex never said a word to me. Things were looking bad. I wad debating on using my revolver...and I don't mean on whatever may have been following us.

After a long time, a couple weeks is my best guess, we were taking yet another breather. I had just given the last piece of jerky and quarter of a roll to my ex. We were out of water. I was holding my revolver, thinking how I wad going to go about the horrible thought in my mind. Would I make some cheesy last speech in an attempt to make myself feel better, before I blew my brains on the cold concrete wall behind me? Or would I simply remain silent? The ringing from the shot echoing my farewell... I pulled the hammer back. I heard a faint shuffle, I didn't know if it was the thing (And it crossed my mind, that it may have been my ex. Startled by the click.) or not but, I immediately stood up, ready to for at the first thing I could barely see.

The next thing I remember, is waking up in a clearing of a field next to a highway with my ex leaned over me and a small fire burning by my side. She had a lot to say. Apparently, I had startled her when I thumbed the hammer back. She shuffled back. She heard me stand up quickly, and fall back down just as fast. She had heard a clank and realized there was a ladder there. She hurried up the ladder until she reached the man-hole cover, she then pushed with everything she had until it moved over just far enough for her to get her fingers through and slide it all the way off. She had climbed out and stopped. She said she was so excited to be out of the sewer that she had almost forgotten I was still down there, unconscious. She didn't know how she was going to manage it but, she started climbing down the ladder to retrieve me. When she reached the bottom, she had to take a moment to gather herself and make sure she remembered everything.

The light from above made it easier to see everything. My body lying on the ground. The revolver, hammer still pulled back, a foot away from my hand. My pack, open mouthed and empty. Even the little trickle of blood coming from the back of my head. Before she could have any time to inspect the wound, she heard a distinct shuffle. She knew aha had to hurry. She picked up the revolver, thinking how lucky we were that it didn't go off when I dropped it, slowly released the hammer and tossed in my pack. She threw the pack over her shoulder and then, with the help of the adrenaline she was sure, threw me over the same shoulder.

She tells me that, she's not sure how, but we both fit through the ladder cage and as she started up, she felt something grab her leg. She panicked and almost dropped me. Luckily, there wasn't enough room for her to drop me. She tried pulling her leg up and whatever had her wouldn't release her. It's grip was like a vice, she said. Finally, after another couple of tries, she broke free. Slamming her knee into one of the ladder's steps. She cried out and wanted to clutch her knee but, couldn't. She pressed on before the thing could think to grab her other leg. As she was thinking this she felt a slight brush under her foot and heard what she thought sounded like a soft gasp.

When she eventually reached the man-hole's opening, she had to use every last bit of energy she had to heave me halfway out of the opening, shimmy out and drag me into the clearing. She then fell to the ground next to me and dozed off.

When she woke, she didn't know how long she had been asleep. But, it was dark. And quiet. A cool breeze blew and she decided it might be a good idea to build a small fire. She gathered whatever brush and twigs there were nearby, not daring to leave me alone, and assembled some small rocks in a circle. She looked in my pack for a lighter and found my old Zippo. It took a minute but, she got it to light and set it to the brush. The small flame felt good on her face and chest, she said. She then took a minute to check my head wound. It was only a small gash and was beginning to scab already. She then examined her leg. She had a little bruise, nothing to worry about. Besides, she said, we have no medical supplies. After a couple of minutes thinking in front of the fire, she heard me groaning and leaned over me. And here you are, she said. As if it was no problem.

I was speechless for a moment. Trying to take it all in. Particularly, the part where a woman half my size hauled me up through a hole that couldn't have been much larger than two feet. Then it hit me, the man-hole cover was probably still open. And how do we know we're alone. I stood straight up, immediately started feeling light headed, world spinning around me, and sat back down. When I looked back at my ex, she had a puzzled look about her. I told her what had just occurred to me and a fearful light dawned in her eyes. She got up, a little slower than I had. And headed in the direction behind me. I realized then, that I could hear a faint moaning.

A brief moment she came back and told me the man-hole was covered. But, she didn't realize that thing was still down there. I must have looked worried because she immediately assured me that it wasn't climbing out, just moaning and groaning at the bottom. We both then took a moment and sat silently for a long while... We heard nothing.

Some time after we both felt reassured, had our thoughts gathered and were calm. We began to softly talk. Mostly about times before all of this, allowing our memories to surround us. We didn't talk about the brief year we had spent together but, the times after that. The times neither of us new about eachother. She laughed. I smiled. It was a first for either of us in a long time.

The fire began to die, so I stood up to go and scrounge up some more brush and twigs. As I passed her, she grabbed my hand and gently squeezed it. I turned to face her and she pulled me toward her at the same time. She kissed me. I kissed her back. Forgetting about the brush, we layed down together. As our little camp fire died, it was replaced by another kind of flame.

The following days were easier. We talked and walked along the side of the highway, keeping an eye out for any survivors. We ran across a gas station and restocked on some essentials. Mostly water and jerky again. Everything else was pretty much gone. We decided to stay there for the night. I had checked it prior to entering and it was empty. So, we cleared a spot on the floor and grabbed a couple batteries and the last flashlight hanging by the counter and, of all things to do, told scary stories until we both fell asleep in eachothers arms.

I woke up suddenly. My ex was not next to me. I panicked and began polling around. She startled me. She was standing, so still, in front of the window. Just gazing out, her back turned to me. I got up and walked toward her. As I went to place my hand on her shoulder, she spun around. I startled her. She looked at me, afraid, and turned back around. I shut off my light, to reduce glare, and took a look out the window. The first thing I saw was something stumbling just beyond the gas pumps. Slouched over and dragging it's arms on the ground. It was followed by another. And there was another behind that. There were maybe ten things shambling toward us, all groaning. All hastening their step.

I hurried back to my bag and grabbed my revolver. I checked for rounds in the chamber. 6. Fully loaded. I reach for my box of ammo and notice that it feels light. I open it and empty one round into my hand. This is not good. I stand there, unsure about what to do...

I drop the one extra in my pocket and slam the cylinder shut on my revolver. I call my ex away from the window and tell her she has to head out the back door. She says she's not going anywhere. I stare at her for a moment then tell her, I only have seven shots. She has to leave. I will meet up with her. She stares back at me and slowly starts to say something when the window breaks in. I turn and see that three of the things are climbing in. I raise my revolver and fire three rounds, nailing one in the eye, the other high up on the forehead and the last right in the ear. I take the extra out of my pocket and load it. As a close the cylinder again, I go to look at my ex. Only to find she's not there. The back door is open though, she got away. I quickly check the ground at me feet. She grabbed my bag too. Good.

I turn back to the window and I'm met with two more of the things. I squeeze off their deserving rounds and they are both met with accuracy. I have two rounds left for five things. As I'm looking around for my flashlight, so I can have melee weapon, I'm grabbed from behind. I feel teeth sink into my neck. I tear away from the thing, leaving a rather unhealthy chunk of my neck behind. I turn and set my sights on the mud-covered figure. I can't help but notice that it's nose is dangling just above my neck meat. It reaches toward me, letting out a raspy moan, the piece of neck falling from it's mouth. I squeeze the trigger and replace it's hanging nose with gaping bloody hole. One more round.

I clutch my neck and fall to my knees. I'm losing a lot of blood. I come to find out these things are, apparently, like sharks. Two more swing there heads inside the door behind the muddy one. I react at once and fire my last round. It drills through both of their heads with the kind of deadly and lucky accuracy only seen in movies. Although relieved, I am now out of ammo, losing blood and there are still two more of those things.

I fight to stand up and stumble to the counter. I lean over and swing my arm across the floor until I brush by something cold and metallic. I grab it and lift it to my sight. A crowbar. This will help. I spin around, and start heading to the back door, keeping in mind that there are still two more of the things somewhere nearby. I can hear them shuffling their feet and moaning. I hope my ex got away.

I lean myself up in the doorway and remove my hand from my neck to inspect it. Bad idea. Blood immediately pours from the wound. I place my hand back where it was, feeling the blood bubble between my fingers. I hang my head and close my eyes. I'm getting tired. I have to keep moving. I open my eyes and notice a red handkerchief crumpled in the side of the doorway. I pick it up and tie it around my neck. That should free up my other hand at least.

I step outside of the doorway, crowbar in hand, and hear a scraping noise to my left. I quickly turn, swinging the crowbar and making contact with the head of a little girl. The underside of her chin, to be exact. Her head is laying on her right shoulder as if her neck has been broken. She has blood all around her mouth, and it's not because the crowbar's lodged beneath it. This blood has been there for sometime. She has blue eyes. They appear to be glazed over. This is the last thing I notice before she falls to the ground.

I stand there, bleeding out, my hand still clutching the crowbar. The body at my feet belongs to a little girl. She couldn't have been older than ten. After too long, I say a prayer for her and pry the bar from her chin. No blood gushes out. There's not even a moist sound. Just a dry, ashtray sound, like paper tearing, as the bar is freed.

I don't want to move. I don't know if I can. Everything aches, my neck feels like it's on fire and my eyes are trying to shut on me. Then I hear it. A distinct shuffle. I turn around, and my eyes are met by those of the thing from the sewer.

I can see it a little better now. It only has one good eye. The other is sunken in it's socket. It's hair is damp and tangled. I clance down at it's torso. It must have been female once. The few clothes it has hanging from it's skeletal figure at least keep it from being nude. Barely. It only has one usable arm that it slowly begins to raise. The other hangs at it's side. It's clearly dislocated. As it begins to shuffle forward, my eyes are drawn to it's feet. They have been bound by a rope. For what purpose, I can't fathom. Nor do I have time before the thing lunges at me.

I don't even have time to swing my weapon before it's slammed me to the ground, re-opening the gash on my head and knocking the crowbar from my hand. I try to fight it off but, it has me pinned. With a vice-like grip. It leans in toward me. The stench of it's breathe is awful. Like rotten food and dying things. It sniffs my hair and my face. I notice out of the corner of my eye, that it's nose wrinkles. As if my breathe smells horrible. It raises it's head, like a lover wanting to make eye contact, looks at me for a split-second (And I think I see regret. Or perhaps I was only hoping to.) and then buried it's teeth into my shoulder.

It gnaws. It tears. It feels like it will never stop. I want to scream out, and I can't. I'm too weak. At least I will keep this one busy long enough for my ex to get away. I close my eyes. I am ready for this to end.

As if to answer my plea, I hear a loud crack and the devouring stops. I open my eyes and the thing's head is rested next to my cheek. It's not moving. I notice a fresh gash on the back of it's head. There's no blood. I look around, bewildered, and see two bare legs. One has a small bruise on it. As if it was caught in a clamp. I follow the legs up and am greeted by the presence of my ex. She falls to her knees and let's the large rock she had been holding, slip from her hands.

She begins to cry. She tells me that she had to come back. She said she didn't dare to leave me alone.

I tell her I'm dying. She knows. I tell her I love her. She knows.

She tells me she's pregnant.

I know.

She laughs. I smile.