Chapter 1- The Sky Lit Up For Her
Canidice
It's been a few more hours, and no one has come looking for me. I guess I should be glad, but that probably means they're either panicking or they will be in an hour or two. The sun's been up for a while, meaning the life at The Compound is probably already well underway. I told my friends I'd be sleeping in, so that probably buys me about an hour or two more until they figure out a way to get to me. I hate that I can't take a moment to just sleep. I've been looking for a cave or some type of shelter for a few miles now, and there hasn't been anything worth looking at. It's all sharp edges and danger. Glowing radioactive plants and shit. Suddenly, I start falling, only for about a second, then my ankle is snapping to the side and a sharp pain roars up my leg. I yelp, grasping my ankle. I was so lost in thought I didn't see the drop off, and even though it's only a few feet, it was enough to do this. I test my ankle, but even a slight amount of pressure makes my eyes tear up and I'm suddenly regretting this entire thing. Sure, I wasn't happy, and odds are I would've ended up having kids I didn't want to have, but at least I wasn't stranded in the middle of no where unable to walk.
I sigh, leaning back.
Rustle rustle
Well shit. That wasn't me. I jerk upright and swerve my head back and forth to see who it is, or what it is. A small starved looking bunny hops out of the brush. We had these back on the compound, they were really friendly, and they were one of the only animals not kept for either protection or food. It's nose twitches, and it looks at me.
"Hey there little g- FUCK" It's a black blur as it rushes at me, biting into my leg like last weeks leftovers. "SHIT." That really fucking hurt. "I REALLY DON'T APPRECIATE THAT YA LITTLE ASSHOLE." I swing my leg around, trying to detach the furry creature. I swipe my hands across the ground, looking for something, anything to get this fucking rabbit off my leg. I finally hit something, and I can feel my nail cracking as I hit the rock. Blood runs down my hand, but I ignore it and swing blindly at the rabbit. My first swing misses, hitting air, but my second connects and the rabbit goes limp. I have to pull him off of my leg, and I take a look around. The altercation hasn't drawn attention to me. Yet. I peer beneath the ridge I fell off of, and there's what looks like it might have been an animals den once, but from the cobwebs and lack of movement, I can assume it's been abandoned. I drag myself into it, and even though it's cramped, it'll have to do. Between my twisted ankle and bleeding leg, I'm not going anywhere. I scoot back out and place the rabbit in my bag, pushing it off to the side. I look around and pick up a stick and start digging. I pile the dirt around the entrance for extra protection, but just when it's starting to look promising, I hit a rock. A big one. I groan, and dig around it, trying to figure out how big it is. It's about as big as my top half, and it's right in the entrance. I spend another 30 minutes or so digging around it until it finally comes loose. I roll is aside, but as it passes the entrance, I notice it would fit perfectly. Well, I guess that wasn't for nothing. I continue digging until it's almost dark. I pack the dirt as heavily as possible to make it look natural. I toss my bag in and crawl after it, rolling the rock in front of my little hole in the wall- pun totally intended and in no way regretted. I leave a little crack at the top so I can see the sky, but it's so small I almost miss what happens next. There's a message being projected into the night sky.
"We're coming."
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