Sighing softly Starboard glanced down at her paws and began to think. She couldn't believe how things were now. The world used to be way better than it was. Sure, it wasn't exactly the most peaceful place and people still died. But at least monsters didn't roam around.
Leaning down, Starboard grabbed her backpack and looked around inside it. After a while of digging, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one before placing it in her mouth.
The brown and black saber didn't smoke before the accident but now it was one of the only ways, she could calm herself down.
Gazing into the stars, Starboard realized that some hope was still in her chest, it wasn't a lot, but it still blossomed inside of her. The sabertooth knew that one day the monsters would be gone, and all of this would end. But the hard part would be to survive and get over it all. Deep down Starboard knew that she would never fully get over all of the stuff she saw. Then again, she also could not just lie around either. She would have to keep moving on, whether she liked it or not.
Realizing that it most likely was past midnight, Starboard finished smoking her cigarette and threw it onto the ground before stomping it.
Sighing, Starboard got up. She was currently staying in a tent with her friend, Kane. The two were almost always on the move though. They rarely were in the same spot for more than two days.
Letting out a yawn Kane rubbed his tired eyes and blinked. It seemed that he had just woken up.
"I-is something wrong?" Kane asked, his voice groggily.
"No." Starboard informed him, laying down next to him. "Everything is alright. Just go back to sleep." She urged.
But as she said that Starboard knew that wasn't true. Nothing was alright now, and it was never going to be.
"Alright..." Kane muttered, closing his eyes he then went back to sleep in a few short minutes.
Laying down as well, Starboard wasn't lucky enough to fall asleep as fast as Kane did. She just laid in the tent, her limp body rising up and down. But still, she couldn't sleep.
The brown sabertooth was having trouble sleeping, then again, a lot of people were. It seems she was always on alert. She was afraid if she let herself rest something bad was going to happen, resulting in the untimely death of her and her partner.
"Are you sure something isn't wrong?" Kane questioned again, concern, glittering in his eyes.
"I'm fine," Starboard grunted.
"But you can't go to sleep." Kane pointed out. "Why?"
"Because I'm afraid that if I let my guard down, just for a bit, something bad is going to happen and I won't be able to stop it," Starboard admitted, glancing down at the tent's floor. "It's stupid really." '
"It isn't stupid," Kane promised. "I understand your worries and tenses. Everybody is right now. But there is no need to force yourself to stay awake. That will just make you more tired in the morning. If you don't sleep and we get attacked in the middle of the morning and you're too tired to fight, what do you think is going to happen?"
"Well, I guess that's going to be bad," Starboard muttered. "But I can't just force myself to go to sleep. Not everybody can sleep for fifty hours straight like you."
"Hah, very funny." Kane let out a chuckle and rolled his eyes. But then he went back to his serious tone. "Please at least try to sleep."
Grunting Starboard rolled her eyes. Her friend was right, she needed to at least try and rest. Besides, the saber didn't want to make her friend worry about her anyway.
"Fine. I'll try." Starboard muttered, rolling her eyes. She had to admit that she was tired. Even if she didn't say that out loud.
Curling up on the ground the tired sabertooth closed her eyes and soon went limp. After a while of waiting, sleep soon came to her.
Eyes widening, Starboard woke up with a jolt and looked around. Fear clearly showed in her eyes as the brown sabertooth leaped up to her paws.
"D-do you hear that?" She questioned, nudging Kane.
Grunting Kane rolled his eyes. "You probably heard nothing." He pointed out.
Shrugging Starboard nodded and laid down. Her friend was most likely right. After all, she did worry a lot. But after a while, Starboard realized that something was wrong. And when the tent got knocked over, revealing two snarling monsters, she was right.
"r-run!" Kane ordered, his eyes filled to the brim with fear.
Getting up, Starboard hesitated and looked around. The two monsters were huge, and blood was sleeping off their pelts, Starboard didn't know if it was their blood or somebody else's. She also really didn't want to know.
The monsters also had gleaming red eyes and their mouths had foam dripping out.
"W-we can't run!" Starboard argued.
His eyes widening, Kane tilted his head and gasped. It was clear that he thought Starboard was stupid.
"Are you insane?" Kane demanded. "Let's go before we get killed and become monster food!"
"Well, we will run out of food if we don't save our supplies!" Starboard shot back.
"We can get new supplies. If the monsters got near any of us were dead. Come on!" As soon as he said that Kane bolted away. Rolling her eyes Starboard let out a grunt
Her friend was stupid if he thought she was going to give up. The sabertooth was going to fight both the monsters by herself if she had to.
Darting in between the monsters without thinking Starboard managed to make it to her bag. Swiftly opening it she pulled out a sword and a few knives.
The heaving monsters eyes glittered with fury as they saw Starboard. The monsters weren't human or anthropomorphic in any way. They ran off of anger and revenge. They saw everybody, even including their own kind as food. These creatures truly came from the fiery pits of hell.
One of the large monsters leaped at Starboard, snapping his wide jaws at her. Gulping Starboard froze in fear as she saw the monster's large, pointy teeth. His tongue lodged to the side of his mouth as drool formed and dripped out of his jaws. This monster was definitely looking for a fight.
Starboard wanted to gather some more stuff though. She had some food and weapons in her bag that were very handy, but she knew that her friend, Kane, had more hidden in their tent. But the tent was knocked over, meaning that the sabertooth would have to go through it.
It would be risky but starboard had to risk it. Food was currently low. You couldn't just find a bush full of berries. You had to spend a while collecting and hunting to survive. If Starboard left the rest of the food here, they would lose all of their progress.
"W-what are you doing?" Kane questioned, his eyes wide with freight.
"I'm going to get the rest of the food!" Starboard yelled back, turning her full attention back to the monsters.
Just then one of the monsters lunged at Starboard, his claws unsheathed.
Dodging just in time, Starboard began to run towards the tent. But the other monster leaped in front of her and cornered the sabertooth.
Not knowing what to do, Starboard froze, her eyes narrowed into angry slits.
But before Starboard or the monsters could strike Kane reached into his pocket and grabbed his gun. He didn't use it much, mainly because the gun only had one bullet in it.
As he shot the monster Kane realized that the bullet missed the monster's head by an inch.
Snarling, the monsters turned around, taking their attention away from Starboard and ran over to Kane. Sighing, Kane rolled his eyes and pulled out a knife before throwing his gun at the ground.
One of the monsters snapped forward but Kane took his knife and drug it across the monster's face.
As her friend was fighting off the monsters Starboard headed over to the tent and lifted it up, revealing her supplies. Grinning, the sabertooth eagerly grabbed them and wrapped them around her back. But the supplies were heavy, and Starboard didn't know how she could carry them all. But the sabertooth wasn't going to give up.
As she carried the bags some stuff fell out of them. She was half tempted to bend down and grab the items, but she knew that she didn't have any time for that.
As she was running one of the monsters noticed her and darted after Starboard. She was too busy trying to escape to notice him though.
"L-look behind you!" Kane ordered. He would go over and help his friend, but he was way too busy fighting off his own monster.
Eyes widening, Starboard obeyed and looked straight into the eyes of the rapid, Snarling beast. His eyes gleamed in the light, and he lunged forward, sinking his claws into the brown sabertooth's back.
Luckily, for Starboard the bags took the blow for her. But the bags and food inside were now trashed.
"Ugh!" Starboard snapped. Everything she did to get the supplies didn't matter anymore. It was all a waste of time. Although she still had one bag.
Taking the sword in her hand Starboard slashed it against the monster's neck. But that only made the monster angrier, and he tackled Starboard against the ground. Eyes widening, Starboard kicked and squirmed.
Noticing that Starboard was about to get killed, Kane began to panic. He wasn't just going to let his friend die.
Taking the knife in his hand Kane slashed the monster's belly. He knew that he couldn't kill it but he could maybe save Starboard.
Getting up Kane rushed over to the sabertooth. But just then the monster leaned down and sank his teeth into Starboard's shoulder.
Letting out a loud, pain-filled scream, Starboard started to wiggle and squirm as tears dripped down her face and landed on the floor.
"No!" Kane cries, taking his knife he shoves it through the monster's skin, making a deep, bloody wound. Growling the monster loosened his grip and then ran after Kane.
Wincing Starboard got up and grabbed her shoulder. Luckily, the wound wasn't that bad. Kane saved her just in time.
As she gripped her shoulder Starboard began to run. But she limped as she did. Blood trickled all over her body. She knew some came from the monster, but she also knew that most of the blood was from herself.
As she walked, she noticed that Kane was starting to run. As he ran, he then went up to Starboard and wrapped his arms around her, barely managing to pick her up.
"What are you doing?" Starboard demanded, her eyes wide.
"Saving your stupid self!" Kane replied, swiftly dashing off with the squirming sabertooth still in his arms.
After a while of running the two best friends were soon free from the monsters. The monsters most likely got bored and ran off, trying to find more easy prey.
As Kane was running, he soon got tired and ended up dropping Starboard into the ground.
"Ugh!" Starboard grunted. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"No, I'm trying to save you." Kane spat back, sitting on the ground.
Looking all over his body Kane saw some small gashes on his arms. But luckily, he didn't get any wounds that bad.
Looking over at the sabertooth, Kane sighed. Although he cared a lot about Starboard, he had to admit that she was reckless and kind of dumb at times. She was a very good fighter, but she had basically no planning. She just leaped into battle without thinking. Which of course was dangerous.
As Kane peered over Starboard's body, he realized that she was beaten up pretty badly. Taking a step closer he ripped half of her shirt off.
"What was that for?" Starboard demanded, tilting her head.
"Your wound is really bad." Kane pointed out. "I'm no doctor but your shirt is soaked, and I need to clean your wound."
After the monsters got released, it seemed everybody was starting to learn basic medical skills. After all, if they didn't, they would just end up dead.
"How are we going to find something to clean my wound with?" Getting up Starboard winced, pain flared throughout her body. She was a idiot. All the bags were gone but one. Her shoulder wound wasn't that bad, but it would get worse as time went on. The sabertooth also had a bad scratch on her leg with gashes all over her body. She needed to get treated pretty soon or there was a chance she could end up becoming a dead, rotting body. Her only purpose then would be to become monster food.
Gulping shivers went down Starboard's back as she had that thought.
"Well, is there anything in the bag?" Kane asked.
Shrugging Starboard grabbed the bag and threw everything into the ground. Most of the items were weapons such as knives and daggers. There was also a long, sharp sword and some bags of fruit and nuts. Nothing really that useful medical-wise.
"We can't use any of that to clean my wounds..." Starboard pointed out.
"I know." Kane sighed. "I promise I'll find something I can use though."
"Just give up." Starboard urged. "You should have left me to die when the monster clawed my shoulder."
"I'm not doing that!" Kane said, his eyes widening. "I'm not going to leave you to die!"
"Why not?" Starboard snarled. "I'll just be a burden."
"No, you won't," Kane replied, wondering what to do. He definitely wasn't going to leave Starboard here. But he might have to.
"I won't be able to hunt or fight for a while," Starboard grunted. "I can't even defend myself. If you leave me here, I'll die anyway. If you take me with you, I'll slow you down and I can end up dead anyway."
"I don't care!" Kane snapped.
"Just kill me and take me out of my misery," Starboard ordered; her eyes narrowed into slits.
Taking a deep breath Kane forced himself to remain calm.
"I'm not going to kill you or let you die." Kane decided. "I am going to help you. Whether you like it or not."
"Whatever," Starboard grunted. "What now?"
"Well, I should go and look for more supplies," Kane suggested. "Mainly medical wrap. But if I find some food as well then we can eat tonight."
"But where will you look?" Starboard blinked. "And will I have to come?"
"No, I'll have to hide you somewhere," Kane replied. "And I'm thinking about visiting our old base."
"Isn't that what almost got me killed in the first place? You shouldn't go back there." Starboard pointed out.
"Well, at least I didn't run in front of two monsters." Kane snorted. "I'll visit the place. If the monsters are gone then I'll carefully look through stuff. If they are there, then I'll run."
"Fine..." Starboard muttered. She knew that she couldn't just talk Kane out of this.
"I'll hide you in a bush or something. Come here." Kane ordered.
"No. I can walk." Starboard grunted. She wasn't going to let herself get carried around like a four-year-old.
"Alright fine. But follow me." Kane sighed. He knew this wasn't easy on Starboard and that she was most likely feeling pretty useless. But she would have to get over it. She would be in danger if she just stayed out in the open.
Nodding Starboard forced herself to get up. Her whole body ached but she moved step by step. Blinking Kane had to admit that he was impressed by how well his best friend was doing while she was hurt and in a lot of pain.
Finding a small bush Kane watched as Starboard curled up under it.
"I hope this keeps you safe. if I don't come back then just guess the monsters got me." Kane informed her. He didn't want to say that. It made him feel like he was leaving Starboard out here for good. But he had to be honest with her.
"If you don't come back ill find you," Starboard promised. "Hurt or not."
smiling Kane nodded and soon left. Worry pulsed through his belly as he padded closer and closer to their old camp. He knew that what he was doing was dangerous. But if Starboard didn't get her cuts cleaned with something to contain the wound then she would end up dead. Kane hoped he would be able to find some supplies.
Once he arrived back into his old camp Kane's heart sunk. Everything he and Starboard built was destroyed. He knew that they weren't going to live there forever. But they have been there for a bit. And now everything was gone.
Shaking away his thoughts Kane focused on looking for the supplies. He dug under the piles of trash and soon found a backpack.
Pulling the backpack out he glanced inside it. Luckily, for him, some medical wrap, rags and a few Band-Aids were inside it. As he picked the bag up Kane heard loud noises. His eyes wide he quickly dashed off. He knew that he could have snatched some more items. But he wasn't going to stay around and become monster food.
After a bit of walking Kane soon arrived back at the area, he left Starboard. Kane began to panic as he couldn't find his friend. But he then remembered that she was in the bush. Approaching the bush Kane crawled under it.
"Hey, wake up." Kane urged.
Grunting Starboard awoke and rubbed her tired eyes. She was surprised that she ended up falling asleep. But then again there was nothing else she could really do under the bush.
"Are you hurt in any way?" Starboard asked.
"no. But I got you the items we need." Kane informed her.
Nodding Starboard crawled out of the bush and let out a yelp as she stretched. She was still in a lot of pain. Even if she didn't want to admit that.
"Here, I need to clean your wound before I place the wrap around it," Kane informed her.
The two walked over to a nearby puddle. Sitting down Starboard winced as she watched her friend dip the rag into the water before dragging it against her cuts.
"Ow! That hurts." Starboard complained.
"Well, I need to clean your wounds. Otherwise, you're going to get an infection." Kane pointed out.
Rolling her eyes Starboard realized he was right and kept her mouth shut. Once all of her wounds were clean Kane then wrapped the medical wrap around them.
"I'm tired..." Starboard muttered, her eyes droopy.
"Same," Kane replied. "But we don't have any food. So, we will have to go to sleep without eating anything."
"Well, we went to sleep with our bellies empty before. We can just find something to eat in the morning." Starboard said, heading over to the bush. She was beyond tired and just wanted to go to bed. After all, she was useless and couldn't do anything right now.
"Alright." Kane yawned. "You can sleep inside the bush. I'll just stay awake and guard it."
Nodding Starboard climbed inside the bush and curled up and closed her eyes. Soon she fell fast asleep. Sitting outside the bush Kane began to guard it. He hoped that things would become well again soon. He just wanted his regular life back. But no matter how much Kane hoped for things to become normal, they never would be. The monsters took over everything. Including everybody's happiness and hope.
~~~timeskip~~~
Kane and Starboard had been on their own for a few days. They hadn't eaten anything since they first arrived and were about to starve if they didn't get something in their bellies soon.
"We need to eat..." Kane pointed out.
"I know. I can try and find something if you want." Starboard offered, getting up. She was still limping but at least she could walk. Then again, she would be easy prey to any monster due to her injured state.
"No, you're still hurt." Starboard's friend pointed out. "I can find some food. Just stay here."
"Alright." Starboard sighed. She felt so useless. All she wanted to do was provide for her and her friend. But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't even grab the supplies which made her get hurt in the first place. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Go in the bush and be silent," Kane ordered, sounding harsh. But right now, he didn't care. All Kane cared about right now was finding food. "I'll be back," he informed her.
Leaving the area Kane began to look for food. He mainly wanted meat but anything that would fill both his and Starboard's bellies would work.
After a bit of walking, Kane soon found a bush. Deciding to approach it he looked through the bush and saw a few brightly colored berries poking out through the green leaves. Leaning down Kane grabbed a few and sniffed them. He didn't know if eating these would kill him, but he was so hungry that right now he didn't care.
Shoving one of the berries into his mouth Kane hoped for the best. Swallowing he soon realized that he simply ate a blueberry. Swiftly eating the rest of the berries Kane saved some for Starboard and shoved them in his pocket. He hoped he would find something else to eat as well. After all, berries weren't really the best meal.
Then again something was better than nothing. As he was walking Kane soon stopped at a nearby lake and sat down to drink some water. It was getting late, and the sun was starting to set. Kane would need to find some other food soon if he and Starboard actually wanted to be full.
Using some of the water Kane rubbed it over his face and then went searching for something to eat. As he walked Kane's ears twitched as he saw a deer gazing at a nearby tree.
Licking his lips Kane glanced around. He would need to find something to stab the deer with to kill it. Glancing at a tree Kane wiggled over to it and grabbed a large, pointy branch. Twisting it in his hands he made sure it was sharp enough before silently heading over to the deer.
Leaping onto the deer Kane slammed it onto the ground and held the branch at its neck. Kane then rapidly began to stab his prey. The deer let out a pain-filled screech which was music to Kane's hungry ears.
Once the deer was dead Kane dragged its body back to his camp so he and Starboard could eat. Kane was happy he managed to find a deer. Animals like deer, cow,s and pigs were hard to find alive due to how many got killed. But this deer was going to fill him and his friend's bellies.
Finally arriving at his current camp Kane threw the dead deer onto the ground and went to go get Starboard.
"Starboard! I got dinner." Kane yelled.
Nodding Starboard came out from under the bush and rubbed her eyes. She then stopped and gasped.
"You found a deer?" she asked, shocked. "Was it already dead?"
"No, luckily I found it alive. I then had to kill it with a sharp stick I found." Kane informed her.
"Wow, you're lucky. This will last us for at least a few days if we can preserve it." Starboard pointed out. "Do you want me to get a few sticks so we can start a fire?" she questioned.
"yeah sure." Kane nodded. "if your able to."
"I may be weak right now. But I'm not a five-year-old. I can pick up a few sticks." Starboard grunted.
"Alright." Kane rolled his eyes. He didn't want to offend the sabertooth. But he had to admit that she was getting better and soon would be able to help him find food.
Nodding Starboard went and grabbed a few logs. Throwing them by the deer she then sat down and made the fire.
"We need a knife or something." Kane pointed out.
"I took a small walk and found this," Starboard informed him, tossing her friend a sharp knife.
Kane didn't know whether to be mad or grateful. After all, something could have happened to Starboard. but he simply shrugged it off and began to skin the deer.
Once the deer was skinned Kane and Starboard cooked it and then swiftly ate. The two hadn't eaten anything in a while and to them, this felt like they were eating at a five-star restaurant.
Once the two friends were finished eating they got up and stretched.
"We still have a lot of the deer left." Starboard pointed out. "Should we preserve it?"
"Yeah. do we have anything to hang the meat with?" Kane asked.
"We could hang it out on the trees." Starboard suggested.
Nodding Kane took his knife and slowly cut the deer into pieces. This was a lucky catch and would last the two around a week if they were careful. Once all of the food was cut up into sections Kane hung it out on the trees to dry it out and preserve it.
Once the meat was dried Kane then put it into bags and shoved it in his backpack.
"We should go to bed now." Kane yawned, rubbing his tired eyes. The only thing he could think about was sleeping now that he had a full belly.
"Yeah." Starboard agreed.
Curling up next to each other the two friends swiftly fell asleep.
Starboard's shoulder was now fully healed and she could finally help Kane with hunting and other things. The sabertooth couldn't be happier. She was glad she could finally help out her friend. Starboard felt like a burden having to provide on Kane for everything.
"So, what are we going to do today?" Starboard asked.
"I don't know," Kane admitted. "We do need some supplies. So maybe we can spend the day gathering berries and hunting if we can find any food."230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81DSKCpXMt
Nodding Starboard grinned. "Sounds good to me."
Walking throughout the land Kane made sure that no monsters were nearby before padding alongside his friend. As they were walking Starboard noticed a bush.
"Should we get some berries?" Starboard suggested.
"I don't know. What kind are they?" Kane asked.
"I have no idea." Picking up a berry, Starboard smelled it. It didn't smell like any berry she sniffed before.
"Then it would be safe not to eat them." Kane pointed out.
Nodding Starboard was on her way once more. As they were walking the sabertooth soon ran ahead and found a lifeless body of a dead fox.
"Kane!" Starboard called, her eyes wide.
Rushing over to his friend Kane gasped. "I-is he dead?" he asked, his gaze lowering to where the dead fox was.
The fox's head was cut off and blood was oozing out onto the grass, staining it crimson red. That was most likely a stupid question to ask.
"I think so. What's in his bag?" leaning down, Starboard grabbed his bag.
"I don't know. Let's look. Maybe something useful will be inside." Kane said hopefully. He hoped something good would be inside the bag. They had already run out of the deer meat and some extra food would be nice in case something bad would happen.
"Wait, are there any monsters nearby?" Starboard suddenly asked, grabbing the bag and backing away. The fox clearly got slaughtered by a monster and if there was another one around she knew that the monster wouldn't hesitate to eat her and Kane as well. It seemed the monsters never stopped being hungry.
"I don't know." smelling the air Kane couldn't smell anything but blood. Which wasn't good. "How about we hide in that tree just in case?" he suggested.
Nodding Starboard went over to a nearby tree and wrapped her arms around the bark. Carefully pushing her legs up she then sat down on a branch alongside the dog.
Opening the bag Starboard glanced down and pulled some items out. There were a couple of sharp daggers along with bags of nuts and dried fruit. There was also some preserved rabbit meat. But the other item Starboard saw confused her. Dropping the rest of stuff back in the bag she then pulled out an item that looked like a map.
"Is this a map?" Starboard asked.
Snatching the paper out of his friend's hand Kane looked through it, his eyes wide.
"It's a map to an underground bunker," he said, shocked.
"Let me see for myself," Starboard demanded. Once she took the paperback Starboard realized that her friend was correct. This was a map to an underground bunker.
"The paper isn't old." Kane pointed out. "This map looks like it was just recently made with a pen. Do you think this bunker still exists?"230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Iz01gSyn6
"I don't know." the brown sabertooth began to think. The route to the bunker was dangerous. The fox, if he was still alive, would most likely have ended up dying anyway because of the paths he had to cross. They would have to go through some of the most monster-infested cities on the earth.
"S-should we find out?" Kane asked hesitantly.
"What do you mean?" Starboard blinked, tilting her head.
"Should we, you know, follow the map?" Kane questioned more clearly.
"Are you insane?" Starboard demanded. "Do you know how dangerous that would be?"230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0hFc7nGMYC
"But if we find the bunker we will finally be safe!" Kane argued. "It would be worth it."230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3klbWMW9n1
"We don't even know why if the map is real," Starboard grumbled.230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxulyydXiPz
"Why would somebody fake the map?" Kane facepalmed.
"To trick somebody into coming there. So they can murder them or something." Starboard suggested.
"That sounds dumb. There's a chance we can be safe in the bunker. I doubt that fox would trick us into going there. After all, why would he die to lead two strangers to their death?" Kane asked.
"It could have been somebody else." Starboard groaned. Although she liked Kane she had to admit that he could be an idiot at times. "The fox could have been the one getting tricked. He just died before he got there."
"Well, you have no proof that it's a trick. There's no reason for somebody to trick somebody into going by a bunker. The only threat currently is the monsters and they way to stupid to write out a map."
"Okay. so let's say that this isn't a trick and that there really is a bunker. Did you see the routes on the map? We would have to go through the most dangerous, monster-infested cities on earth! There would be little chance we would survive." Starboard spat back.
"Well, there's little chance we will survive even if we just stay here. Life is unfair and we are constantly in danger. Wouldn't it be worth it to risk death if we can finally be safe? Because we're risking death being here right now." Kane pointed out.
"The bunker could be destroyed by now." the sabertooth sighed. She was tired and didn't want to be having this conversation right now.
"So? It would be something we have to risk. If the bunker still exists and there are people in it then we will be safe! And we will have food and water and won't have to be out here fighting every single day just to survive. You have to realize that going to the bunker would be the best option for us right now." Kane muttered.
"Look, I'm tired and I don't want to deal with this right now. How about we go to sleep and just talk about this in the morning?" Starboard suggested.
"Fine." Kane sighed, rolling his eyes.
Laying down onto the tree, Starboard closed her eyes. Kane did the same and soon both of them were fast asleep.
Soon morning came and Starboard and Kane both woke up and leaped off the tree. For the first few hours, their day was normal. They managed to kill a rabbit and were sharing it.
Once he was finished eating Kane turned to Starboard.
"So, are we going to do it?" he asked.
"Do what?" Starboard asked, tilting her head. She then grabbed a piece of the rabbit and kept eating.
"Did you forget already?" Kane rolled his eyes.
"Mhm, just tell me it again," Starboard ordered.
"Are we going to the bunker or not?" Kane asked once more.
Remembering her and Kane's argument from last night Starboard let out a groan. She still didn't want to fight over this. But the sabertooth knew that Kane wouldn't back down.
"I still don't think we should go to the bunker." Starboard huffed.
"Why?" Kane demanded. "It's the smartest and best choice we have."230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ovX6sH0GE
Getting upset, Starboard grabbed the map and stopped eating. Pointing to it her eyes narrowed into tiny slits.
"Can you read this map or are you blind?" Starboard demanded. "Do you know how dangerous going through all these cities will be?"230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtwTyIvLLF
"No matter where we go we are in danger! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?" Kane growled, getting pissed off as well.
"But we will be in more danger if we go there."230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqNoMhKbkK
"But there's a chance we will have safety! If we stay here we can die. If we go there we could die on the way. But if we make it to that bunker and can get in then we will be safe. We won't have to fight for food, water, and shelter. We will be safe from all the cruel monsters and will finally not have to worry about whether we're going to live or not every single damn day!" Kane snapped, yelling as loudly as he could.
Starboard was silent, her eyes wide as the moon. She never saw Kane this angry. Although she knew she deserved to get yelled at like that for being an idiot. So she wasn't mad at him.
"You're right," Starboard muttered.
"Wow, are you okay?" Kane chuckled, calming down. "You never admit it when I'm right."230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLplUlXrjn
"Well, your only right this one time. It will be hard traveling to the bunker. But in the end, it will be worth it." Starboard sighed, knowing she was never going to hear the end of this.230Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRtvvinN17
Putting on a smug expression Kane nodded. "Alright, we can leave after you finish eating."
soon Starboard finished eating and then she got up and stretched. "So, what are we going to do now?" she questioned.
"well, head towards the bunker of course," Kane replied.
Starboard rolled her eyes once more and playfully punched her friend. "oh, wow I totally didn't know that. are we just going to head straight over there? or should we look for supplies first?"
Kane blinked. "hmm, how about we head to the first location then we can look around for supplies and shelter? if we see something on the way we can then of course we can stop to grab it."
nodding Starboard realized that what Kane said was smart and she ended up grabbing her and Kane's bags and the two set off into the distance. although he agreed to go to the bunker Starboard was still worried.
after all, neither she nor her friend knew what was ahead. all they knew was that the upcoming cities were dangerous and that if they weren't careful they would easily get killed. although her wound was healed Starboard realized that she was still kind of weak.
shaking away her worries Starboard tried to focus on the positive. if she and Kane actually managed to go to the bunker and it existed then they would be forever safe from the cruel monsters that were all around. the journey was going to be dangerous. but in the end, it was going to be worth it.
starting to calm down Starboard then padded alongside Kane and was alert for any monsters. noticing a monster nearby Starboard whispered to Kane and her gaze positioned to a nearby bush.
"there's a monster. we have to move quickly go in that bush." Starboard ordered quietly.
nodding Kane then headed over to the bush along with Starboard. the two were very close together as they hid in the bush. the monster let out a loud snarl and approached the bush, sniffing it. but the monster soon ran off. once the monster was far away both Starboard and Kane snuck out of the bush and began to walk once more. but soon it began to get late. although the two were now in the city.
"There aren't any monsters here." Kane pointed out, surprised.
"maybe, there inside the houses or in the other city," Starboard suggested.
"don't jinx it." Kane sighed. "I'm hoping that we can get through here as painless as possible."
Starboard didn't reply. although both of them knew that the path ahead was going to be filled with danger and risk. nothing was safe in this world right now. but the two had to at least remain hopeful, right? although Starboard knew that there was no sense in being hopeful she tried to force herself to remain hopeful for Kane's sake.
"Alright, we should try and find something to eat. although it is dark out and I doubt we will find anything." Starboard muttered the last part to herself, not wanting to upset Kane.
"Yeah. maybe we can find a flashlight or something if we go to the building." Kane replied.
"but if we do that it's pitch black and there will most likely be monsters everywhere just waiting to tear us apart. besides, how will we find a flashlight in a building out of all places?" Starboard asked.
Kane shrugged. "I don't know. Uhm, maybe a traveler will be dead and we can steal their stuff."
"or maybe we can eat the person's dead body." Starboard joked.
Kane rolled his eyes. "oh fuck you. now how about we search for berries or something. then once it is light out we can go to the buildings. how does that sound?"
"sure, it is glad to see you finally have some sense. although I can't help but doubt that knowing you this won't last long." Starboard said, teasing her friend.
"here, how about we try to find some place to sleep? it is starting to get cold." Kane pointed out.
"There isn't really much of a safe space." Starboard pointed out. "maybe under that bush? it looks like there's a hole under it already. we can just make that bigger and then crawl inside."
"sure, although what can we use to make the hole bigger?" Kane asked. "I don't think there's a shovel nearby."
"Well, then I guess we're going to have to do it by hand. kind of pointless when were only going to be sleeping here for one night. maybe we can find somewhere else to sleep." Starboard then suggested. "maybe a tree."
"but it's so cold! in a tree we won't be as warm as if we were in a hole. it's better than freezing to death." Kane replied.
Starboard sighed. she hated when Kane actually had a point. luckily for her, it seemed Kane was almost never right.
"Alright fine. we will dig a hole. but if we don't find something to eat then it is your fault." Starboard muttered crossly.
the two friends then crouched down by the bush and took their claws and hands and began to dig under the bush. it didn't take as long as Starboard originally thought and soon the hole was dug and managed to fit both of them.
although like Starboard though it did take a few minutes and it was even darker out now. she doubts that there going to find anything to eat now. but hey, Starboard had to admit that going to get hungry is better than going to bed and freezing to death.
"Do you think we can find something to eat? or should we just wait until morning?" Kane asked.
"I can go out alone to try and find food if you want," Starboard suggested.
Kane shuffled his paws. "but that's dangerous!"
"well, if we both go out then everything is going to get even more dangerous. just let me go out and look." Starboard urged.
"no," Kane said Stubbornly.
"okay fine." Starboard grumbled. "but I'm not going to sleep. I'm going to keep watch."
"alright. that's fine." Kane then closed his eyes as he laid down on the floor. "good night."
"night," Starboard replied.
Starboard then began to crawl out of the hole. she was half-tempted to go and find food. but she didn't want to upset Kane. besides, if she actually got hurt then she was fucked since Kane would be fast asleep.
so in the end Starboard decided to just stand there and guard the hole like she was supposed to. Starboard was sure that she wouldn't be able to sleep even if she wanted to. she felt some flickers of hope. but she couldn't help but wonder. was it enough?
the next day was here and Starboard blinked as she realized she was fast asleep in the hotel. she was standing guard last night. how did she get here now? looking around she realized that Kane was nowhere to be seen.
panic pulsed through Starboard as she realized Kane was gone. she then quickly crawled out of the hole, thinking a monster must have got Kane. but when she saw Kane she then ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him.
"thank god that you are okay!" Starboard said, feeling relieved.
"Uhm, are you okay?" Kane asked, confused. he then backed away.
"Sorry, I thought a monster must have got you or something. why was I in the hole?" Starboard asked.
"because you fell asleep so I picked you up and put you in the hole and took guard instead," Kane replied.
"Oh," Starboard said. glancing around she realized that the weather was much better tonight and it was bright out. this was the perfect day to go into the city and buildings.
"The weather is better today." Kane pointed out. "we should get going. I'm so hungry!"
Starboard nodded. she felt hungry as well but she didn't want to say anything as she felt like that would be complaining. but she did hope that she could find some sort of food in the city.
"do you think that we could eat monsters?" Starboard suddenly asked.
Kane wrinkled his nose in disgust. "why would you want to eat a monster?"
"well, eating monsters is better than starving to death." Starboard pointed out. "besides, I'm not going to eat a monster unless I have to."
"I don't think we can eat them. if we somehow manage to kill one their skin is thick and nasty. we might get sick from it." Kane replied.
"Alright then," Starboard muttered back.
the two friends then approached the city. there weren't any monsters and they kept walking, their heads peaking into the buildings. that surprised Kane and Starboard. they both remembered when the cities were filled to the brim with people. but now everything and one was gone for the most part...
"here's there's a big building in the distance!" Kane pointed out, making Starboard shake her thoughts away.
"let's go. hopefully, there's something we can eat in there." Starboard mumbled.
nodding Kane padded alongside Starboard as they headed towards the big building. once they arrived Starboard turned to her friend.
"be careful. you don't know what's in there. for all, we know this building can be full of monsters." Starboard informed Kane.
"I know." Kane sighed. "although I hope that it's full of food. although that's not possible."
Starboard nodded in agreement and ordered Kane to shut up before going into the building alongside him. the two turned the lights on and Starboard was surprised they even worked. the building an upstairs and downstairs it seemed.
at first, Starboard and Kane walked around the first part of the building. there wasn't much. just torn couches, chairs, and the aroma of blood. but everything smelt like blood now so it didn't bother Starboard and Kane.
"Maybe there's nothing in here. should we leave?" Kane questioned.
"how about we search the upstairs and downstairs? if we can climb up the stairs..." Starboard muttered. she had to admit that it did look fairly dangerous climbing up and down them.
"but they are dangerous! what if we fall and go through the floor?" Kane asked.
"but what if there is food up there? if there's food then that's something we have to risk. besides, falling in the floor is better than starving to death." Starboard said, starting to get slightly frustrated.
"Okay fine you have a point. Let's at first check the upstairs since it seems somewhat safer." Kane suggested.
"alright good idea," Starboard muttered back.
Starboard then headed towards the upstairs. Starboard carefully climbed up the stairs alongside Kane and glanced around. there wasn't anything useful up here.
"well, this was waste of time." Kane spat.
"maybe there's going to be something better in the basement," Starboard said, trying to be hopeful as they climbed down the stairs.
"the only thing in the basement is going to be our dead bodies if those stupid stairs break," Kane replied sourly.
Starboard blinked. it seemed Kane was the person being the negative one today. then again Starboard didn't exactly blame him. she knew when he got hungry that his mood almost completely changed.
not bothering to reply Starboard climbed downstairs alongside Kane. their eyes wide they both let out gasps. a cheetah along with a border collie was lying dead on the ground. their guts oozed out all over the floor and they were shredded into tiny pieces. there were even bites missing out of them.
it was clear just from looking at them that they weren't killed in a fight with each other. they were slain by monsters. the fresh fragrance of blood was even stronger here.
"Holy shit." Starboard muttered. "you were right." she admitted. "we need to get the fuck out of here."
"not yet," Kane said, taking the cheetah and border collie and taking their backpack off them. she then took the backpack in his hands and opened it. there were sandwiches and chips in the bag and just looking at them made Starboard and Kane's mouth water.
"let's eat then leave," Starboard ordered.
Kane didn't have to be told twice and he split the food between him and his friend. he then began to eat rapidly alongside Starboard. once the two finished eating they looked over the dead bodies once more.
one of the dead bodies had a belt with knives and Kane took that and wrapped it around himself. there was also more food and stuff in the backpack so Kane and Starboard grabbed it.
"let's go." Kane ordered. "before we get hurt."
nodding Starboard was about to rush out of the basement with Kane at her side but just then monsters came running down the stairs, their eyes narrowed and their teeth bared back in a snarl.
"Great! we are fucked." Starboard said. "let's try to run!"
"We should fight!" reaching into his new knife belt he then took one of the knives and slashed it against the monster's skin, making its blood ooze out and coat the basement with even more blood.
"ugh, your lucky if we don't run then these monsters are going to kill us!" Starboard pointed out.
she desperately wanted to escape. she didn't want to just stand here and watch these monsters kill her friend. but at the same time, she knew that she wasn't going to leave Kane behind. she would rather die than do that.
"Here take this!" Kane said, throwing a knife at Starboard.
Starboard ended up catching the knife in her hands but at the same time, she couldn't help but sigh. these tiny knives weren't going to kill the large monsters that were in front of them! sure, Kane managed to wound one of them but that wasn't going to do much. he was just lucky.
"This isn't going to do shit!" Starboard pointed out, anger clearly heard in her voice. "come the fuck on. we have to run!"
"never!" Kane replied. "we need to fight!"
"God damnit I would usually want to fight as well but I have some sense unlike you. if you don't leave right now then those monsters are going to kill you or I'll just run off and let you die!" Starboard lied about the last part. but she needed to sound tense to try and convince Kane to leave.
"Okay fine I'll leave." Kane rolled his eyes.
but just as he said that he got slammed to the wall by a monster. her eyes wide Starboard let out a scream.
"no!" Starboard said, pushing Kane out of the way and getting her shoulder clawed. she then took the knife in her hand and slashed it against the monster. while the monster was dazed she then began to run.
but Starboard wasn't as good as running since she was hurt. as she tried to run up the stairs she slipped as the wood started to crack.
"Help me!" Starboard urged. behind her the monsters were getting closer, their eyes gleaming cruelly in the light as they tried to attack the sabertooth.
leaning down Kane grabbed Starboard's hand and pushed her up. once he did that the stairs collapsed. Kane and Starboard stood, heaving as they thought they were safe. they were running towards the exit.
but they weren't safe yet. the monsters then leaped out of the now crushed basement and began to follow Kane and Starboard even as they left the building.
"This is all your fucking fault!" Starboard spat as she ran alongside Kane. she felt pain pulse through her as more and more blood trickled down her shoulder and dripped onto the ground, coating the once grey concrete crimson with her blood.
"I know." Kane sighed as they kept running.
"If you would have left when I fucking told you to then this wouldn't have happened! I'm hurt because of you! I could die because of you! in fact we both could fucking die because of you!" Starboard pointed out.
the sabertooth knew that she was being harsh but right now she didn't care. she wasn't even thinking as the words began to tumble out of her mouth. her rage was overcoming her as she forced herself to keep running.
"I know and I'm sorry. but can we talk about this later? you know when a monster isn't chasing us?" Kane asked.
"fine." Starboard spat back.
the two were arriving further and further away from the monsters although Starboard felt tired. although she pushed herself onward, knowing that if she stopped she would soon become monster food.
"there's a tree!" Kane pointed out.
"wow! I never knew there were trees out of all things here! god damn Kane the next thing you're going to tell me is that the sky is fucking blue." Starboard replied.
"ugh, I meant we can climb the tree and hide in it," Kane grunted.
"Okay fine. but will I be able to climb up it with my hurt shoulder?" Starboard asked.
"I don't know." Kane admitted. "but it's our best chance at escaping." He pointed out. "and besides, I can always help you climb the tree." He offered.
"Alright." Starboard soon gave in, realizing that although his idea wasn't the best one it was the only one that could maybe work.
as Starboard and Kane approached the tree they soon arrived and Kane climbed up, grabbing Starboard and pushing her up. once they were in the tree they glanced down and saw that the monsters were clawing the tree and snarling.
"they can't get up here, right?" Starboard asked.
Kane shook his head. "I don't think they can."
"well, it's late and my shoulder hurts like hell. so hopefully sleeping will distract the pain." Starboard mumbled.
"Hopefully tomorrow we will find something to help your wound," Kane said, trying to sound hopeful.
"Whatever..." Starboard said, closing her eyes. she didn't want to be rude to Kane. but right now she couldn't deal with this. closing her eyes the sabertooth soon fell asleep. her hope was running dry. she and Kane would never be safe in a world as fucked as this one.
the next day Starboard and Kane woke up. glancing down Starboard sighed as she saw that the monsters were still down by the tree, waiting.
sighing Starboard woke Kane up. "the monsters are still down here. what should we do?"
once he woke up Kane blinked. we could jump tree to tree." he suggested.
right next to the tree they were in were several other trees closely by each other.
"and what if we fall down? the monsters will eat us then, right?" Starboard asked.
"well, yeah... but if we stay here we're just going to starve to death," Kane responded.
"but if we stay here there's a chance that the monsters will just run off," Starboard replied.
"well, we have to at least try!" Kane pointed out. "come on I won't let you fall."
"fine. but if I fall and die then my blood is on your hands." Starboard said, forcing herself to get up.
nodding Kane grabbed Starboard's hand. "I won't let you fall." He promised.
just then Kane leaped to the next tree. Starboard did the same thing while holding her friend's hand. they landed into the next tree easily. the monsters were asleep so they kept going tree to tree until they were far enough away from the monsters to be safe.
leaping out of the tree Kane then grabbed Starboard to make sure that she landed well.
"See, I told you that we're going to be fine." Kane smiled.
"well, I'm not exactly fine." Starboard shot back. "my shoulder still hurts like hell and is dripping blood everywhere."
"well, let's hope there is some medicinal wrap in these backpacks." once he spoke Kane then sat down next to Starboard and went through the backpacks.
soon they found some medical wrap and Kane then leaned forward and wrapped the medical wrap over her shoulder. then the two of them laid down on the ground, heaving.
"We need to keep moving." Starboard pointed out. grabbing the map they glanced down to see that there were two more cities they had to go through to make it to the bunker.
"we're almost there!" Kane pointed out. "soon we will be safe... "
"I doubt the bunker is even there." Starboard sighed. "we have seen how dangerous that was.s we could die. maybe we should just give up and find somewhere else to rest." she suggested.
"no. the whole world is dangerous. no matter where we go were in danger. but the bunker is different. if we make it to the bunker then we can actually be safe! imagine never having to see another ugly monster again. imagine never having to fight for food or starve. doesn't that sound perfect?" Kane asked.
"It does sound perfect. but it sounds too perfect to be true." Starboard replied. "knowing us the bunker won't actually exist and we would have wasted our time trying to find it."
"I doubt that." Kane sighed. "besides, if even there's a small chance that the bunker exists then it's worth it."
"okay fine." Starboard rolled her eyes. but maybe Kane was right. although the odds of them actually being able to find the bunker were slim they were better than nothing. "let's scout this territory then move on. I'll see if I can find some sort of food."
nodding Kane then walked in the opposite direction as Starboard took her knife from earlier. the sabertooth then walked through the forest, being as quiet as she could. soon seeing to rabbits Starboard then crouched to the ground.
as she was on the ground Starboard then crept closer. once she was close enough she then leaped onto the first rabbit and swiftly slit its throat before chasing the other rabbit and doing the same.
once the two rabbits were dead Starboard then grabbed them by the ears and then began to arrive back at her and Kane's "camp" as she was waiting for Kane to return Starboard smiled.
hunting was hard and finding two rabbits were very lucky. just one rabbit was a good enough hunt. but two rabbits were even better. maybe there was hope in the world...
once Kane arrived his eyes widened. "damn that's a good catch!"
"I know right." leaving the rabbits out into the sun to dry Starboard leaned back. for once she couldn't wait to arrive at the bunker.
~~~timeskip~~~
around three weeks had passed and things were worse. the rabbits Starboard caught were now eating and they both were hungry and thirsty. but the two friends kept pushing themselves forward, wanting to find the bunker as soon as they possibly could.
although the fact that's the middle of winter wasn't helping anything. snow was starting to pour down and turn into hail. a snowstorm was most likely approaching. although luckily Starboard and Kane were almost out of the second city. they were only living on their hope now.
"I can't believe we're almost there," Kane muttered suddenly, shocked as he spoke. just a few months ago their camp got raided and they thought they were done for. but now once they arrived in the last city they would finally be safe from all the cruel monsters roaming around.
"same," Starboard replied. "let's hope we will make it soon. we're almost out of this city. I think we should speed it up and try and get to the bunker faster. we shouldn't stop for anything." She suggested.
"Not anything?" Kane said, tilting his head. "not even food or water?"
Starboard nodded. "I know we're both hungry and thirsty. but the sooner we find the bunker the sooner we get out of this shitty weather. then we can eat and drink something."
Kane nodded, determination gleaming in his eyes once more. "let's go!"
Kane and Starboard have been traveling for two hours and the weather was just getting worse. they were in the last city and heading towards the bunker. although snow was starting to fall everywhere.
"I don't think we're going to make it..." Starboard said, falling down into the snow. "we should shelter somewhere and then try to find it in the morning..."
"We can't shelter anywhere!" leaning down Kane helped Starboard up. "we have to make it to the bunker!"
"F-fine..." Starboard replied. although she was sure that she couldn't last long due to the intense cold.
as the two friends were walking they froze. a large metal building that looked similar to a bunker was on the ground and dead bodies were everywhere. while this was happening Kane and Starboard stared at each other.
"t-the...." Starboard didn't reply.
but Kane nodded and finished her sentence. "the bunker is ruined. we have no hope. were fucked."
"We need to shelter somewhere... let's go," Starboard ordered.
Kane nodded and padded alongside Starboard as they searched for somewhere to stay. all their efforts were wasted... they traveled this far all for nothing.
"there's no hope." Starboard then curled up in the snow.
"w-what are you doing?" Kane asked.
"I'm going to try and freeze to death sooner than just letting myself slowly die," Starboard said, placing snow all over her body.
"so, you're killing yourself?" Kane asked.
sadness flickered in Starboard's eyes but she nodded. "a quick death is better than a long and painful one." she replied.
Kane first opened his mouth to say something but he closed it and decided not to speak. he then laid down next to Starboard. soon more and more snow began to fall on top of them. and their bodies soon began to grow cold and they went limp.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
