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Faintly, I could hear the distant babbling of flowing water, and I thought I could smell it, too. I hurried towards it (as much as my knee and crutch would allow), unmindful of the loud sounds of my footsteps crunching on sticks and pine needles.
In retrospect, I was far too focused on tracking down the water instead of paying attention to my surroundings. But I didn’t realize that until I heard the wolves howling behind me.
9
Lazlo
One of the worst things about being in densely wooded land was that all the tree trunks caused sounds to echo and reverberate through them, making it very difficult to discern where they were coming from.
I looked around, my eyes scanning through the trees, and I could hear the sounds of panting and animals closing in.
All at once they were right in front of me. Two gigantic wolves stood only a few yards away. The larger of the two was white with silvery-gray running along on the back, and its two brilliant blue eyes were locked on me. The other was only slightly smaller, with a thicker coat of dark brown, and its head was down as it moved closer to me.
“Get back!” I shouted, and I put my weight on my good leg so I could wave the branch around as a weapon.
The darker of the animals put its ears back and paused for a moment, but neither of them appeared afraid or like they had any intent of going anywhere.
“Get the fuck out of here!” I yelled again, more fiercely this time, but my voice cracked. My throat was dry, and I hardly even had the energy to hobble around, let alone wave a stick and fight a pack of wolves.
But that wouldn’t stop me from fighting. As long as I had breath, I had to keep going, and so I swung the branch again as the wolves moved in closer to me.
This time, though, I lost my balance, and I tumbled back onto the ground.
“Sable, Frost, stand down!” a woman’s voice commanded.
The smaller, darker wolf made a whimpering that sounded eerily like disappointment to me. Both of them took a few steps back from me, and the white one even laid down.
I couldn’t see the woman who had given the orders, but I could hear her footsteps approaching, and I strained my neck to get a glimpse of her.
“Have you been bitten?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No. The wolves didn’t get me.”
She groaned in frustration. “No, have you been bitten by a zombie?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?” the woman’s voice asked, echoing between the trees.
“Yeah. I’m sure. Where are you?” I asked. “Who are you?”
“I’m someone who has survived long enough to know not to trust anyone who says they haven’t been bitten by a zombie, especially when they’re clearly not doing well,” she said.
A figure finally appeared – a shadow of a woman who emerged between the two wolves. Her hair was black and straight, and her expression was severe, especially her dark eyes. Her skin was a deep tawny color, and she was thick under her flannel jacket and jeans. Across her back, she had a bow and quiver full of arrows, and behind her, I caught a glimpse of a small wagon full of chopped wood.
“My name is Lazlo, and I don’t know how to prove it to you, but I’m not infected,” I told her. “I was attacked by a moose the other night, as bizarre is that sounds.”
“It’s not that bizarre. The moose have been more aggressive since the zombies moved in,” she said, and her expression never changed as she stared down at me. “They’ll go after anything even remotely humanoid anymore.”
“Well, the moose certainly went after me,” I said. “My knee’s messed up, and I am alone out here. I need help, and I would be happy to help you in return.”
“I’m not really looking for an extra mouth to feed,” she replied flatly.
“Are those your wolves?” I asked, changing tactics. “They’re beautiful animals, but I imagine they’re a lot of work. I can help you take care of them. Animals usually like me.”
“They’re not that much work,” she corrected me. “They help me hunt, actually.”
A cold pit grew in my stomach. I hadn’t survived this long without coming across rumors of cannibals. When there was no food left to eat, people would do whatever they had to, and eat whatever they could find.
