She waded through the cloudy water, lugging a corpse behind her and hoping it would disguise her scent. It was her father once but his features rotted away pretty quickly. Now the sight of him sparked nothing to her - he was a tool for survival just like her mother had been to him and her own son to her until the water ate away at them too much for them to be useful.
Sometimes she looked back at him and wondered if her survival had even been worth drawing the winning straw every time and watching her son, mother and father kill themselves so that she could live just that little bit longer and travel just that little bit further. They'd all heard the rumours that town hall still stood and the water hadn't gotten through their defences.
It was the only promise of safety they'd heard since all the satellites died and fell to earth. The flooding came soon after, triggered by whatever the satellites had brought down with them. Whatever it was, it turned the water a sickly grey and rotted all organic material in a matter of days.
With the weight of her father behind her she knew she'd have three more days before he was gone for good and she'd be left to fend for herself against the creatures that managed to thrive in this new version of the world. They were always nearby - drawn by her movement and distracted by her father... for now.
They brushed against her every now-and-then as if to remind her how quickly the days were passing.
Sometimes she looked back at him and wondered if her survival had even been worth drawing the winning straw every time and watching her son, mother and father kill themselves so that she could live just that little bit longer and travel just that little bit further. They'd all heard the rumours that town hall still stood and the water hadn't gotten through their defences.
It was the only promise of safety they'd heard since all the satellites died and fell to earth. The flooding came soon after, triggered by whatever the satellites had brought down with them. Whatever it was, it turned the water a sickly grey and rotted all organic material in a matter of days.
With the weight of her father behind her she knew she'd have three more days before he was gone for good and she'd be left to fend for herself against the creatures that managed to thrive in this new version of the world. They were always nearby - drawn by her movement and distracted by her father... for now.
They brushed against her every now-and-then as if to remind her how quickly the days were passing.
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