Post by Bridge Delacroix on Nov 16, 2016 5:23:55 GMT
October 14. 2004
TAG: OPEN
Bridge had been getting antsy inside the walls. It was wonderful being in a 'safe' place, but it wasn't safe...people there we're naive to think so.
Adjusting to a 'normal' life wasn't normal and the transition was proving to be difficult. Inside the walls of Alexandria was becoming stifling; she felt trapped. About a week had gone by since Bridge noticed this girl sneak out of Alexandria. She said nothing, but she did take special note of the dark haired girls exit point. It was clever.
Bridge would never have suspected it...or expected it...which was what made it so impressive. The kid was smart; Bridge was coming to find much of her admiration in this place was for the younger ones. The teens that she knew barely anything about...She admired the hearsay, for whatever it was worth. In her personal experience they'd proven themselves quite capable. They all seemed to be strong and resilient.
"Wow," she whispered as she hurried quietly along. This was much easier than it should have been. Slow and steady wins the race, but Jesus Christ...it nerve-wracking. She'd never found it this hard to keep her cool. She just wanted to run. The cover of the forest was so close...she could have made it if she ran...
To leap and bound and run was what Bridge was good at. It came naturally to the woman; this kind of escape required stealth, patience and observation. It was slow.
It took everything within her not to break into a run, but she couldn't be seen. Stealth was important. She kept to a speed walk and stayed to the darkest shadows. It was like the game 'Red Light. Green Light' that was permanently stuck on green. "Kids a genius." She referred to the brunette who she'd seen used this route to leave the town previously. Crazy...but brilliant.
She felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack by the time she reached the tree line. That minute may not have been much time, but considering she could have been shot in the back at any given moment, it felt like a hell of a long time. Bridge slipped into the forest and immediately there was a sense of ease and relief. Being outside of Alexandria was freeing, even if it was dangerous. She was suddenly feeling safe, backwards as it might have been. Imagine that...
With an army of thick tree trunks shielding her from behind, she set her eyes forward on the dark forest. There was nothing to see now that the sun was down, so the blonde slid her navy backpack off one arm and let if fall around her person. So pulled out a small flashlight that was clipped to a side pocket and turned it on.
It illuminated a trampled path in front of her where the dominant trees were massive and round with old trunks that towered overhead. They were scattered sparsely with saplings and underbrush that had noticeable trails where animals must have used.
Her beam of light followed one as she passed it. She took note of the broken branches of the saplings and freshly trampled ferns. This was a game trail. She continued forward thinking about Squirrel Soup and wishing Deer were bolder creatures. They never came this close to Alexandria.
It really wasn't a matter that concerned Bridget; the catching of meat for consumption. She may have been the only vegetarian left on the planet, but the day was quickly approaching when that would end. At this point, it was merely force of habit that she didn't consume animal. Other proteins were available and it had been too long for her to remember what she was missing.
But she did like the smell...especially of deer in the smoker. They hadn't had a deer in what seemed like ages.
When she came upon a second split when the trail narrowed, she stopped and focused her flashlight on a small pile of droppings. The woman let out a sigh of disappointed. The pebble-like poop was rabbit shit. It was just more confirmation that deer wasn't on the menu.
Her stomach rumbled and she frowned. She needed to get a move on if she was going to find the damn trailer she was in search of. That was the point and purpose of this covert operation. Her eyes moved forward and she shined the light forward as she approached another wide clearing. This was becoming more familiar with every step. She knew she was almost there.
After another five minutes, a small smile had appeared on her face. There it was. The shitty tan and green 5th wheeler she called home for two weeks. It's official name was 'The Lone Wolf;' Bridge called her 'Millie.'
She was an ugly old thing that, in her day, probably wasn't worth much more than she was now. Bridge only liked the RV because it reminded her of a familiar one from her teen years. The summer days long since past...
The truck it was attached to was long gone, but it was still sitting seemingly level atop cinder blocks with a blue pop-up that looked more like a rag on poles. At some point, it must have served as a porch. There was an assortment of old crap seemingly useless things that she thought might be worth taking a look through at some point. Things like old coolers and tires were shoved under the carriage and it made her wonder if anything worthwhile was hidden behind that wall of 'junk.'
In what would the 'camping area,' there were fold up chairs that were broken and looked as if they'd literally been thrown around. A propane heater was broken, the tank on its side with hose partially attached, but cut. The two burners weren't far off, but one had been flattened with something or another. The second one was so covered in dirt and mud, it took a moment for the blonde to spot it. There was a fire-pit a bit off that was full of garbage and charred wood. It looked like someone had been burning plastic recently as part of an old milk jug was melted atop a few of the rocks that encircled the mess.
The place was a dump.
She quirked a brow; it had a certain charm that kept her moving forward. By the time she reached the squeaky screen door, she was smiling. All her senses were on high alert. The silence was deafening and the lack of sound was more than welcome. It was a beautiful thing. This was all too perfect. She didn't want to be nervous, but a part of her was...for just that reason. She'd run into no trouble whatsoever. That wasn't normal.
Bridge drew her knife and there was a moment of hesitation before she put her ear nearer to the door. She heard nothing inside so she carefully pulled open the screen. It let out a pained scratchy SCREECH as it opened, but there didn't seem to be anybody, living or dead inside. She waited a moment before attempting the door.
It too was unlocked. When she opened it, nothing seemed to stir from within.
She let her light illuminate the stairs leading into the small kitchen of the RV before her eyes narrowed and she cautiously crept inside.