A Shrouded World - Whistlers Read Online Free PDF Page B

places to be. Being in their midst has always provided a sense of security and lifted me. Now, for one of the first times ever in my life, the trees look foreboding. They are packed tightly together and light only penetrates a few feet into the thick, wooded mass, turning the interior into a dark unknown. The woods take on an appearance much as I would imagine the look and feel of the Mirkwood Forest in The Hobbit would be.
    “Well, they aren’t bloody night runners. I don’t know what they are, but at least I’m not dealing with that,” I whisper to myself, looking once again at the body and feeling a little relieved.
    The relieved feeling is short-lived. Even if these aren’t night runners, they are much faster than the first creature I encountered. And, even more importantly, they are not seeking my friendship, but to do harm.
    Running dead people wanting to see me join their ranks… fucking wonderful!
    Even more delightful is the fact that the once distant screams and moans are increasing in volume. Changing my half empty mag with a fresh one, I turn toward the sound.
    In the distance, I see movement amongst the jammed cars. Being far away, it’s more of something shifting than anything I can actually see, but there is definitely something. Whatever it is, it’s causing the sounds drifting in the air. Climbing onto one of the hoods, I look through my optics on its 4x setting in order to get a better idea of what I am dealing with.
    At the limit of my vision, I see heads bobbing above the roofs of the distant vehicles. The bodies stretch from one side of the highway to the other. If there was ever a definition of a horde, it is this that I’m looking at. Wherever there is space among the packed cars, the zombie-like creatures fill it. They aren’t speeding this way like the ones who emerged from the woods, but they are undeniably heading in my direction. I don’t have a limitless supply of ammo – it’s definitely time to go. If I didn’t have a certain direction in mind before, the horde behind me, coupled with the fact that runners appeared from the woods beside me, limits my options.
    I’m about to lower my carbine when movement from the mass catches my eye. Several figures break away and begin running toward me. Even from this distance, I can tell that I’m their goal. There’s no time to lose. If I stay here and wait for them, the horde will be close when they arrive. My best option is to create some distance so there will be space between the runners and the mass behind.
    God , I hope they aren’t all runners , I think, counting approximately twenty creatures racing away from the main group. The intervening vehicles prevent a true tally of their numbers.
    Hopping off the hood, I begin jogging, keeping an eye behind to watch the closure rate. When the runners get within range, I’ll stop to take a couple out, move on for a ways, and attempt to take a few more down. With luck, I’ll be able to whittle down their numbers as I don’t really want to tackle twenty at once. That is not how I want to spend this already fantastic morning.
    My pace is to conserve energy while creating distance. I’m not sure of their endurance but, with my experience from the night runners, I don’t really want to test it. If I was to take off at a run, they may still catch me, and I’d rather not engage them winded. It appears as though energy is something I’ll need for the remainder of the day – if not longer. I’m fairly sure I’ll be able to keep ahead of the rest as long as they continue their slow shuffle. What I’ll do later is another question, but right now, I just to take out the track stars on my tail and keep ahead of the multitude following. Yeah, this is shaping up to be a marvelous day.

Michael Talbot – Journal Entry 2
    At sporadic intervals I would awaken during the night, hearing far off cries; sometimes there were shots, but nothing overly close. I had just started to doze off again when