Finding Haven (Haven #2)

Chapter One

Briggs

The sound of a twig breaking has my eyes snapping open. My heart leaps inside my chest but I do everything in my power not to move, not even an inch. Pushing past the fogginess that comes with waking up, I try to listen and figure out where that sound came from.

Another twig snaps and then there is the slow shuffling of feet coming from below me. My heart might still be racing but the anxiety of the unknown quickly passes. It’s been a few years of living like this and at this point, I know the shuffling of a zombie.

I look down from the branch I was just sleeping in, trying to see the zombie for myself. Whoever they once were is gone now, replaced by a reanimated corpse that’s nothing more than instinct, surviving however it can, unable to fulfill its hunger no matter who or what it eats.

I am silent as I watch the zombie meander along below me, oblivious to my presence.

This is why I prefer to sleep up in trees whenever I can.

Sure, being inside a building with a roof over my head would be nice, but there’s safety in being up high.

As far as I know, zombies can’t climb and the more aggressive zombies don’t properly hunt. I’m as safe as I can be up here.

Looking up at the sky, I see the sun rise above the horizon. It’s about time I get myself down from my perch and be on the move once more. Where am I going? Who fucking knows. I just know that I can’t stay in one place, I can’t stop moving. I can’t. I made Brent a promise.

Just thinking about him leaves my chest aching.

Before all of this, before the government designed some bullshit virus that spread like wildfire in dry season, before the end of the world, there was a saying; time heals all wounds.

Someday, maybe I’ll be able to get through the day without missing my brother like I’m missing a part of myself.

Today is not that day.

After watching the sun rise, one of the last beauties left in this world, I scan the horizon.

From my place, I can see over most of the trees.

I swear I can see smoke rising higher and higher.

What the hell is that? A campfire? That seems risky.

Unless it’s not a single person but a group, prepared to fight off any localized zombies who might catch wind of the fire.

I guess I know which direction I’m going today.

I unbelt myself from the branch below me, sliding it into my backpack once I’m free.

Then I gingerly twist myself so my feet are dangling off the edge, giving my body a moment to fully wake up before I carefully climb back down.

I tuck the dog tags around my neck into my shirt, not wanting them to jingle as I climb.

The zombie from earlier is already gone and so far, the forest I’ve found myself in, is otherwise quiet.

If I strain my ears, I can hear a few birds and even a squirrel climbing in a different tree, but no undead moans.

Once my feet are on the ground, I get my backpack on my back, my thigh holster strapped in place, and start walking in the direction of the smoke. I reach into my thigh holster and pull out a throwing dagger. Even when things seem safe, I like to have one in my hand at all times, just in case.

Back when things were still normal, I loved going to those silly pubs where you can have a beer and throw weapons at the wall.

I got really good at it. My friends learned to never bet against me because I almost always won.

Who would have thought having a hobby like that would be useful someday? We certainly didn’t.

As I walk, my stomach rumbles. I pull the egg I stole last night from my pocket.

I only took the one from a nest high up in the same tree I slept in.

Was it stupid to sleep with an egg in my pocket?

Maybe. But it made for an easy breakfast today.

It won’t sate my hunger but it’s enough to keep me going until I can find something better.

I carefully crack the top and then suck out the insides.

Wouldn’t it be ironic as fuck if the thing that kills me during the apocolypse was something as simple as salmonella from sucking on wild eggs?

I leave the shelter of the trees, feeling the sun shine on my face. I love the sun. Not only does it give me that beautiful vitamin D, but it also helps sedate the zombies. For whatever reason, they’re always more sluggish when the sun is out.

It doesn’t take me long to find the camp I spotted from my tree. They’re tucked down between two hills which seems like a very bizarre place to make camp. Zombies could easily funnel down into the valley and they have far less advantage from this location. Why wouldn’t they stick to the hills?

The answer to this comes quickly. From my place atop this hill, looking down, I can spot multiple people.

This isn’t just a little camp, it almost reminds me of a little community.

There’s quite a few tents scattered across the valley and if I had to guess, I would say there’s around twenty-five survivors down there.

“Fuck,” I hear myself say, my voice coming out hoarse from never using it. I run my fingers through my hair, feeling overcome with disbelief. I’ve been looking for other people for so long, it feels unreal that I’ve somehow stumbled upon a huge group without even trying.

It’s almost too good to be true. I immediately change my tune from disbelief to distrust.

I stay on guard as I slowly make my way closer. I know they can see me, but when no one calls out or worse, shoots a warning shot, I continue forward. I keep my dagger in my hand. It won’t stop a group of twenty-five people but it might help me run away if things turn sideways.

“Hello,” a man says, stepping out to meet me in front of the line of tents. The man is tall and broad, his face covered with a salt and pepper beard. He might even be described as handsome but for the look in his eyes. My hackles are instantly up. “I’m Saul.”

“Briggs,” I say, giving him a nod. I look around, taking everything in now that I’m closer.

“You look as though you’re ready to bolt any moment,” Saul says with a hearty laugh. He steps closer, slapping me on the shoulder. It’s too hard to be a friendly pat. “Come in, put your feet up, make sure you’re all good on supplies.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Nonsense. We humans have to look out for each other.” The way he says human makes my stomach sour.

Saul pushes me between two tents, guiding me deeper into their camp.

There’s the fire I saw earlier, still smoking and showing off their location.

I still don’t understand what they’re doing.

Sure, zombies are slower during the day but that doesn’t mean they should be broadcasting their location like this.

There are a few shouts and some laughter coming from the opposite direction that I walked in. Saul chuckles.

“You have perfect timing, Briggs. Are you ready for today’s entertainment?”

“What’s that?”

“I think it best to show you,” Saul says with a grin that makes my stomach sink into my feet. There’s something not right about all of this.

The world is quite literally covered in monsters.

Not only are there undead but it turns out, we also lived among creatures like vampires and werewolves without realizing it.

Despite that, I still believe without a doubt that the most monstrous creatures are humans.

I have a feeling Saul is about to prove that point.

We walk towards the commotion. From here, I can see a zombie ambling towards the camp, his groans drowned out by everyone’s cheering. I see a few people taking bets, using food instead of money. What the hell have I stumbled into?

Saul guides us to a good location in order to see what’s about to happen.

“We caught ourselves a werewolf,” Saul says, nodding towards the man I didn’t see earlier. Sure enough, there’s someone there with a collar around his neck and a long, heavy chain keeping him in place.

My mouth drops open. What in the actual fuck? I look around at everyone. Not a single person seems to feel the way I do. Everyone is so excited, so enthralled by this cruel entertainment. As if my faith in humanity could get any lower, something like this happens.

The zombie is getting closer and everyone’s cheering gets louder. Another zombie ambles from their place beneath the trees, coming towards the source of the noise.

The guy looks around, desperate to find a way to escape. There is none. He looks up at me and our eyes meet.

He’s dirty and injured yet somehow, despite that, he is beautiful.

I don’t have any words to give him but when our eyes meet, I do my best to convey everything I am feeling. This is not okay. This is cruel. I will do everything in my power to get you out of this. I will kill them all if I have to.

The eye contact lasts what feels like hours but just as quickly as it started, he has to look away in order to fight the zombie coming towards him.

I know what I have to do, I just have to figure out how I’m going to do it.