A few hours after her lucidity set in and Andrea was upstairs, tearing board after board off the window. She finally felt the breeze coming from outside and pulled her clothes tighter around herself. She wasn't wearing much, she preferred to be able to move easily. She grabbed her backpack and it jingled with the sounds of guns against the multitude of knives she stole from the residence. Looking around, she felt a pang of guilt. "I really am sorry." She whispered to the shadows in the room, dancing slightly in the filtered light. She grabbed the comforter from the bed, it was slightly stale, but smelled soft, like vanilla and chamomile. She hugged it tightly to her pale skin and slowly crawled out the window.<br/><br/>On the slanted roof, she looked down and saw a dozen or so mindless humanoids pressing their bodies to the house, some drooling on it, some clawing at it, a few gnawing hopelessly at the front door. She cringed, and made her way around to a spot that had the fewest zombies. She counted two, which she would do her best to avoid. She leaped into a nearby tree, her blanket falling slowly and softly to the ground. She cursed slightly, and let go of the branch, landing on the blanket which softened the crunching sound of the snow. She looked back to the house and a single zombie slowed it clawing, and turned slowly, giving her ample time to hide behind the tree. She quickly reached into the front pocket on her bag and pulled out a paring knife. Its handle was a pale purple, and she gripped it, fidgeting slowly.<br/><br/>She peeked around the corner, and the zombie had returned to slobbering on the house. She cringed again, and grabbed the blanket from the ground, and turned to leave.<br/><br/>Two yellow eyes met hers. Glazed over, it's nose had turned into a snout, it's mouth hung open, revealing a maw of gnarled fangs.<br/><br/>She froze.<br/><br/>Her eyes widened as the creature, barely human sniffed the air, blind to her form.<br/><br/>She held her breath. 'count to ten, and it will go away.'<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">one.<br/><br/>two.<br/><br/>three.<br/><br/>four.</span><br/><br/>It lowered to it's knees, hands in the snow, Andrea dared not move, she closed her eyes tight.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">five.<br/><br/>six.<br/><br/>seven.<br/><br/>eight.<br/><br/>nine. </span><br/><br/>It raised back up abruptly, turning towards the house, with a sharp intake of breath, it's ragged movements lead it towards the house... Andrea nearly cried. She was relieved.<br/><br/>"Ten." She whispered barely above an exhale. the creature turned and took a sharp intake of breath, a single split second of scream was released before her hand, and the knife found it's way into it's slack-jawed mouth, and the knife protruded from the back of it's head. Silence. it fell softly to the ground, twitching and bleeding, but silent. A bit of saliva covered Andrea's wrist, and she had nicked herself on it's tooth, but she would be fine. She sighed, and turned, running from the house.<br/><br/><br/><br/>~~~-~~~<br/><br/>She wandered for what felt like an eternity, she heard whispered memories coming from the darkness around her. She whispered back on occasion, usually no more than a simple yes or no answer. She eventually fell to her knees, she looked up, she could see dancing lights in the distance... a town? She curled up in the blanket, the trees around her sparse and the snow was thick and soft. The blanket, a quilt of baby blues and soft whites hid her form well in the snow, but would do little to protect her from weapons, teeth, claws or hooves.<br/><br/>"But I'm so tired."<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>"I can't."<br/><br/>...<br/><br/>She whimpered, rolling over. She pressed herself against a tree, her dull eyes barely open. She wrapped herself in a cocoon of blanket at the base of a dying tree, curled up into the divet in the snow her body heat had made and fell asleep.