Into The Shadows

[Kross]

I am all finished with the camp. I feel comforted in the shadows. But even the Shadow needs to leave the shadows every now and then. I had planned on spending the day gathering granite to make tools out of. What ended up happening I would never had expected.

I knew it was going to be tough at times out here. I just didn't know how tough it was actually going to be. I thought I had just spent the last 4 weeks building what was going to be my home. Turns out what I have built was my own prison. Yes, I was safe to move about within these prison walls, but I was not allowed to leave. The shadows made sure of that.

I woke up like I said with the intent of gathering granite. Problem was there were 3 shadows in the form of bears in between the granite and myself. No big deal I thought, I'll just wait them out till they wonder off.

So I waited...

And I waited...

Then I waited some more...

I now have spent most of the day just waiting and these 3 shadows did not look like they had any intent on going anyway. I have seen creatures linger before, but never like this. The 3 wandered around individually. As 2 wandered away, the 3rd would approach. As it wandered away, 1 of the other 2 returned. It was like this all day long.

I had finished off what little water I had left in my water-skin a long time ago and now really wishing I had bought the other 2 when I had the chance. I began growing weak due to lack of water. I began growing desperate. I played the waiting game and was losing to these 3 shadows. I had to do something different or I simply was going to die here. I had to make a run for the river. There was no longer any other choice.

I walked up to the gate and when I thought I was about to get a break, I opened it. Immediate the closest shadow turned and charged me. I did not expect this. I hesitated and finally in a panic, I ran for it. But it was already too late. I got about 3 steps out the gate when the shadow slapped me down, knocking me out with just one slap from it's mighty paw.

It felt like I was only unconscious for 30 seconds, but it must have been longer because when I came to, I was back inside my camp. The shadows apparently dragged me back inside of my camp as to say, "This is where you belong and this is where you will stay."

I am very weak at this point and eat some of the food I have to regain my energy. I then suddenly realize that my gate is still open as one of the shadows enters the camp. I stay still not moving a muscle from where I awoke from. The shadow moves around a bit and leaves. But I still need water and I can use some food now too.

Still I find myself waiting. I wait just about as long as I can. I make a move towards the gate. This agitates a shadow behind the camp. It runs along the outside of my barricade. It is headed for the gate. I sprint as fast as I can go. I am running now so I might as well just keep going and try to make it to the river. I do not make it. I do not know which of the 3 shadows got to me, but once again I am down and knocked out with just one slap.

Again I awake to find that I have been dragged back into my camp. This is crazy I think to myself. But what choice do I have? I chose to be out here. This is the way it is out here. You live and die by the shadows.

So again I wait looking for an opportunity to make it to the river. I finally see my chance and sneak on out of camp. I sneak past 1 shadow, past another, then past the last one. I reach the river. I quickly bend down to get a drink. I drink and I drink. I then fill my water-skin. Now all I need is to cross the river to my fishing spot.

But it was not to be. Unbeknown to me there was a 4th shadow there. This one in the form of a mule deer. It must have been hidden behind the trees, hiding in their shadows. It kicked me once from behind and yet again I find myself knocked out and dragged back to my camp.

This was my prison I was sentenced to stay in. My crime was thinking I could live out here amongst the shadows.

I was done with this place. I just wanted to escape. I didn't even care where to anymore. I just had to get out of there and get out of there now. So I ran.

I ran and I ran until I could not run any further. Much to my surprise the shadows allowed me to run this time as if to know. I made it to a river where I was allowed to drink, fish, cook and eat in silence.

When I finished I decided I was not ready to return to my prison cell. So I continued on towards the big lake. And again the shadows allowed this as if to know.

I made it to the lake and decided to head on out to the traders to see if they still had those other 2 water-skins. They did which I bought both of. I also bought some saws which I desperately needed. That is one thing I have not been finding in the junk pile near my camp which are saw blades which I used to find all the time in the junk piles near Founder's Island. So I decided to see if I could find some out here in the big mighty junk piles of the south. And I did. I found lots of them.

While I was wandering around wondering what to do next, I ran into my friend. She was excited to see that I had escaped the shadows, if only for a little while. She wanted to show me where she was living so I followed her. It was a good journey which made me wonder why she ever bothered to come visit me. We made it to her camp which had several people living there. I was very surprised as how nice it all was. She then jokingly asked me to come live with them as she had done many times before. Except this time I accepted her offer without hesitation.

[Kross]

Although I am standing at the big lake and deciding to no longer to live in the Shadows, I must go back one more time to get my belonging. I don't know why. I can certainly do without all those things. And going back will be very difficult to do as I am well aware of. But I feel I must and so I head back into the Shadows one last time.

The journey back starts at the main road that encompasses the lake. I leave the main road and travel a short distance between a river and a mountain. Where the river bends to the left, I climb to a ledge on my right. There are a couple of the dead here. This is where I plan to return with my caravan of wagons and I do not need these dead trying to loot them upon my return so I decide to take them out.

I attack one and then run to a boulder where it can't reach me so that I may rest. I eat some food to regain some of my energy. I attack him a second time and return to my boulder. He wanders off to a safe distance where he lies down to rest himself. As soon as I am ready, I charge him and finish him off.

I am tempted to loot him just as they have looted me, but he has nothing worth taking and I do need to travel as light as possible. So I set up to take out his partner. She is a lot easier to kill which I do in just 2 attacks. This area is now cleared of all dead and will be safer for when I return.

I go further up a cliff where I hit some flat land. With the mountain ridge to me left, I travel where there it is the easiest to cross over. The problem that there are some dead there too. They roam the mountain here. I want to take them out but there are at least 3 here and I find it more difficult to attack them as I have to do it on an incline. I decide it is not worth the risk here and will be safer if I just sprint through this area each time I have to go through here.

I descend the other side of the ridge and travel along the north side of a river in an open field. I eventually come to a trail which I take. I wish there was a more direct trail now but not having one is one of the reasons I chose to live way out here.

I come to a river crossing which is where the Shadow begins and I am still only half way there. I climb a ridge point here and travel along it to it's end where I descend to a river's spring. There are lots of the dead here but they are on the opposite side of the river and way out here I am more concern with just moving. Stopping in the shadows means certain death. I keep moving and climb the final mountain ridge which takes me past Fort Kylie. From there it is down hill till I reach my old camp.

The trees have grown and I fear I might not even be able to squeeze between them to even enter the camp. It turns out to be a very tight squeeze but I am able to enter without having to cut down a tree which would have been horrible since I did not bring an axe. I would have had to make one and spending more time out here is not what I want to do.

I load up the 3 wagons I have in camp and then run down to the junk pile to gather the fourth. There is the dead who took my Ring Master outfit. I just have to go up to him and slap him one more time. My way of saying "good-bye". I grab the wagon here and it is heavy to pull. But I am not willing to unload any of it as of yet. I struggle to get it back to camp. I then pull the other 3 out and line the 4 up ready to depart the Shadows one last time.

(to be continued)

[Alude]

Good story