Kenopsia - Chapter 73: Chapter 73

In such a world you get used to the smell of rot, even if you do your best to burn all the bodies there is still a smell somewhere.
But when that smell is stronger you'll notice.
The wind was blowing badly, wiping my hair behind me as I pulled my beanie more on my head, It was summer but I was currently wearing a leather jacket because the wind was just so stronger.
Jasmine was left between the school's walls while I had gone feed the chickens, ripping up and scattering the stone hard pieces of four year old toast that was still packaged, the chickens didn't seem to mind, pecking it all up and more and I had already filled their water and more rain was coming anyway.
I locked the gates behind me, checking my watch and then my eyes moving to the scars on my hands, the top of it and my thumb, from when I yanked it out of a cuff, the scars were light pink and patchy.
I looked at my other wrist, actually having clicked both cuffs around that one wrist, every cop cuff opened with the same keys and I had some from the police station down south but I kept these as a reminder, grim reminders but still.
I made sure the coop would hold, checking the sides and all, it held the last storm anyway but whatever.
I left the chicken park and locked it tightly.
I only stopped momentarily where I had left the grave marks, it still hurt greatly to see the rulers and the branch having long been blown away but the whirlwinds, only the little shovel remaining.
I sighed but despite the hurt never replaced the missing pieces, I didn't have the strength and, anyway, it felt like it was telling me to move on, to not always look at the past.
But despite that my attention was again on the rot smelling wind, it would need to have another hoard coming to smell this strong.
I hurried back home, hoping the wall and telling Jasmine to prepare as we'll spend another evening and night on the top of a building, not trusting the hoards to not have a lot of jumping husks and not trusting my ability to deal with all of them, the more they are the more chance for a mistake.
"At least lets find sleeping bags next time." Jasmine complained as we camped on top of the roof with chair and a garden table, passing time, showing her just how dad showed me to disassemble the rifle to clean it.
"We'll sleep in the apartment but doesn't matter, even if the hoard will be small, if you can smell it before you see it, it is enough to worry."
"Cool cool, but we really can't see them." She looked at the horizon with her binoculars.
"Maybe it is something in the sewers rotting but please indulge me in listening, my instincts are telling me this is indeed a hoard."
"Alright.... Where do you put that piece?"
"Here." I said, clicking the rifle back together and aiming down the scoop I had slid in place moments before. "Good as new." I said, crossing my legs on the table.
"When will I shoot one?"
"Soon, you gotta learn how to put one together, if a bullet jams you need to be able to get it out and have a functional weapon again."
"Alright.... Hmm?"
"What?" I asked as she stood, walking to the ledge.
"Well damn seems your nose is right tho it is a much smaller group then before, no more then a hundred I'd say."
"See? I told you, I didn't survive four years by being stupid."
"Yea- wait what? Andie you got to look at this."
"What?"
"Come on!"
I sighed as I stood, walking over, aiming the rifle up to look through the scoop.
"Yeah it is dead." I said.
"No! Further down the road!" I did as told and my vision brushed over something making me backtrack.
I took my face away from the scoop, blinking in shock before sticking my face back to it, checking if I was hallucinating but no.
"Those are people." Jasmine said while I remained silent.
They were quite far but not by much, I looked at the hoard, seeing something that froze my blood, something big was beating through the mass of husks.
"They won't make it alone." Jasmine whispered as I looked back at them, seeing ones arms up and jerking so that means they had a gun, the sound taking longer to travel to my ears and it was only a soft pop from here, the other was dragging a seemingly unmoving body but the body soon pushed them away before they grabbed it again, they are dragging a half dead person or what? Probably.
"Andie they will die if we don't do something." Jasmine's voice was begging, she agreed to my rules but as a kid she wouldn't think of the danger this put us out too, we could easily survive if we left them.
But I promised myself I'd help.
What do I do?
What do I do?!!!
"Andie?!!" She half yelled, desperate for me to make a choice as at the same time a Type C rushed out from the crowd of the dead, the armed person lowering their arms.
Bang.
"Go!!" I yelled at Jasmine, standing up on the ledge with on leg, watching the husk fall over and my bullet clinging on the ground. "Out on the street! Lead them here because they won't fucking survive this! I'll play a few rounds of shot the duck!" I barked out.
"Right!" I heard her run to the door and slam it open, running down the staircase.
I sighed, dammit, risking it all for people I don't know.
I shot, dad taught me extremely well, watching another husk that detached from the group fall over, shot dead again.
I saw the duo fall over and the armed one gesture frantically as they didn't move, why don't they leave the dead one behind???
"Maybe because they aren't dead." I breathed out, I frowned, making a sour decision.