<div class="floatleft">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS-zBWWApOG1J8CPcUpDFot2n02AcRBchj4j6m4amWgJWtJ51eJKw)<br/><div align="center">Arlene~23</div></div><br/>It had been an interesting two years. Arlene lived in the middle of no where when everything happened. It gave her almost a couple months of bliss before the crawlers started to head out to the country. Then she moved from safe heaven to safe heaven. It was now going on a week since her last safe heaven. It was the last one really on land anymore, everyone had taken to the sea; or any body of water for that fact. The sun was going down and not a moment after the sun was completely gone and the moonlight shined ever so slightly was when they came. First, Arlene heard panic moo's. The very few cows left were panicked and scared. Then a scream.<br/><br/>Arlene had just started to get comfortable, maybe that was why it took her so long to register those sounds. Sounds of panic, sounds of brutal death, the sounds that haunted her dreams even on a good night. However, as the screams came closer and closer, it clicked. Crawlers. It was the only thing that caused people to scream like that. Made animals scream like that. Arlene grabbed her sack, she had it from the beginning and had claw marks from the few close calls she had while going through old houses.<br/><br/>Packing everything she could in it, clothes, soaps, water, even the few snack cakes and crackers she had stashed in her dresser before lugging it over her shoulder and heading to the door. People were running everywhere, a few had started a fire in attempts to scare of the crawlers. They were currently on the ground, bites out of their skin. Without looking back, Arlene ran. She hadn't been there long enough to make any real friends, only a lover who was already running away in the opposite direction. She and ran and ran until her lungs and legs burned and then pushed herself to an old house a good couple of miles away from the compound.<br/><br/>The house was empty. She checked it quickly, completely empty. Not even a can of beets. She had spent the night locked up in the basement until the next day. She then ran as far as she could. Her feet had lead her to a river that she didn't know about. Once she was there, she looked for anything that could float. This failed. However, she did find an old boat house. An informational kiosk that she slept in. More importantly, it held the information for a chance at a boat. It was historical and it was supposed to be docked a few miles south of where she was.<br/><br/>After a good nights sleep, she headed for it. It took her almost all day. It was September, the summer heat was dying off while the winter cold snuck up at night. The chilly air made her limbs stiff while the heat made it hard to breath and coated her lightly in sweat. As she walked up to it, the boat looked odd. However, she honestly didn't care. It was on the bigger side, but, she could probably do it herself if need be. The sun was going down as she came upon the boat. A few bustles made her jump and look over. Her hand clinched around a bat that she found. It wouldn't kill a crawler, but, she could cripple it long enough to get on the boat at least.