The Unicorn Lost in the Woods

by Spleedude

05/26 - 05/27/2015 A Warm Departure

Day Four, 05/26/2015:

Nothing really happened today. I practiced walking some more, almost finished packing up the wagon, and pretty much spent the day bumming around.

I did try feeding the animals a few of the 'not as spoiled' meat products. They took to it a lot better than I thought they would, because I have yet to see either of them throw up. I don't know if it's part of their new intelligence, or if it's just that we haven't been feeding them actual meat or what.

Oh! I just realized, I actually haven't been wearing my glasses for the past four days. It's weird, I'm nearsighted, and I mean really nearsighted. Like, I am not legally allowed to drive without my glasses on, but just today I noticed I have been seeing fine. I found my glasses on my night stand by my bed, where they've been since this all started and looked through them. While my vision did improve, it wasn't as drastic a change as I was used to.

I think it has something to do with these new eyes and how big they are. Maybe because there is more surface area to catch the light bouncing off objects it improves my vision? I don't know, but I definitely wont need my glasses as much anymore. Thank goodness to, because they definitely don't fit on my face anymore.

Well, that's about it for today. While I think this entry is a bit too short to warrant its own useful tips section ( I will probably post this with tomorrow's entry) I will however, put a list of things I plan and have already packed into the wagon for my journey to Louisburg.

- About 30 cans of assorted fruit and vegetables (plus can opener)
- Four milk jugs filled with water
- The last of the dog and cat food
- Any matches I could find
- my machete from the garage ( about the only weapon I found that I can use with my mouth)
- My military camel pack ( it's like a backpack, only for water)
- my wallet
- my dog tags ( the military ones, not the animal ones)
- a flashlight
- my phone, laptop, and MIFI ( and their assorted chargers)
- The portable power converter
- and finally, my dungeons and dragons monster manual...

What? If I can turn into a damn unicorn what is to stop other people from turning into other mythological creatures? We need a way to identify them, and maybe what their capabilities are.

---

Day Five, 05/27/2015:

I really, really, don't feel like doing this tonight, but this is kind of the big deal, and a lot of stuff has happened so...Here we go.

I awoke to the sound of Gunther fearfully barking at something outside. I looked out of the second story window expecting to see some sort of animal, a deer at best or a bear worst.

What I saw, was probably the worst thing I could have seen. It was fire. A huge, roaring, inferno that had engulfed my neighbor's house and was slowly advancing across the tree line that divided us, onto my property.

Now, because no one was there to contest me on this, I'm going to say that years of school fire drills have trained me for this very moment. I calmly called over the dog and cat, opened the door, grabbed the wagon, and we escaped to the main street at the end of the driveway.

Okay, because you guys are great, ( and imaginary until proven otherwise) audience, I'll tell you what actually happened.

I fell down the stairs to the front door, hitting my horn on the railing, panicking and screaming the animals names, opening the door and feeling a stab of betrayal as the cat instantly bolted. Then, screaming through the handle of the wagon, I pulled it through a tunnel of burning leaves and smoke up the gravel driveway to the relative safety of the street, all the while Gunther ran around me barking like a mad dog.

The smoke and trees were to thick to actually see my house burning, so I had to make do with watching the ashes of my home rise above the trees and spread in the wind, never to be seen again.

I don't know how long I sat there, with tears rolling down my face, vaguely aware that the cat had rejoined me and Gunther in starring at the flames, wishing that I had thought to be a bit more sentimental when I was packing my survival wagon, but it was definitely past noon when I decided I needed a place to pass out from pain and exhaustion.

Unfortunately, the first building I came across was the lone gas station near our house. Not a building you want to stay in while there is a raging fire just down the street. I did take the opportunity to break inside to steal a few nonperishable snacks, a map, and some bungee cables to make myself a crude harness for the wagon.

I told myself it wasn't stealing because there was no one to steal from, and even if everyone came back then I would definitely pay for it.

The walk to the place I am now sucked. The makeshift harness chafed, the cat thought he was too good for walking and decided to ride in the wagon, and I was attacked by bugs the whole time.

I HATE bugs! Well okay, mostly just the flying ones, but it's gotten so bad it's to the point where multiple people have said that I most likely have a phobia of insects.

But that's not even the worst part, the worst part is the fact that my ears now turn toward the sound. It's like they have a mind of their own, and I hate it. Back at the house it was mostly quiet, or sound was coming from one single direction, but out here sounds are coming from everywhere, including the bugs flying into my ear.

My brain may be plugged into this body, but my memories keep telling me that ears shouldn't be pointing in opposite directions.

It was a few hours before I saw any sign of a residential area, but unfortunately it was one of the many trailer parks that were littered around this area, and therefore had no place to store the survival wagon to hide it from bears and stuff. I had to travel about another half hour before I found a suitable house with a garage that was unlocked.

After securing the wagon, and making sure that me, Gunther, and the cat were all fed and hydrated I decided to explore the house.

It was at this point, where I remembered that I forgot to pack any sort of medical equipment, mostly due to my still throbbing head. I berated myself for forgetting to grab it, both at home and at the gas station, and set off on my new quest to find a couple of aspirin.

In my quest I discovered two things; first, old people must have lived here because it took me forever to find the aspirin with so many other bottles of medicine in the same cabinet. Second, Ponies are really bad at opening of those childproof medicine bottle-caps.

Seriously, it took me 20 minutes and brought its own headaches along with it.

After that I found in the master bedroom, and we've reached this point. The animals are all the same bed as me, both asleep, though the cat keeps seeming to wake up just to give me an evil glance now and again. After these tips I'm going to bed, I think I've earned it.

<<<Useful Survivor Tips>>>

1. Walking is hard - Seriously guys, in basic training our final march was 20 miles with 60 pounds of gear and that took almost all day. All the walking I did today probably equated to about five minuets in car time. Plan your trips by adding about half an hour to an hour for every mile.

2. Heat stroke - It is hot, at least where I am, and the potential for heat related injury is Increased significantly when doing heavy work. Like pulling a heavy wagon filled with supplies down an asphalt road. So drink plenty of water and take frequent breaks in shady areas. A good tip to see if you are hydrated enough is to check the color of your urine, the clearer it is the better.

3. Make. A. List. - I forgot medicine guys, medicine! One of the most important things you can have after the end of the world, and now I feel like I'm growing a... horn...out ...of... A second horn out of my head. So make a list of everything you think you will need before something makes you need it.

Author's Note:

I bet you are all wondering why I didn't post a chapter at 2:00 in the morning last night like I have been. No? Well I was at a friends house playing horror games.

Looks like Mitch left on his trip a bit earlier than he expected. Let's hope nothing else untoward happens to him as he makes his way to the armory.

Remember to tell me what you liked, disliked, and any comments, concerns, and fixed!

Thanks for reading! And remember, keep your urine clear!

Comments

[Seeking Dusk]

You'd be surprised how many people only mythology via DnD and the like. Even someone like myself who already liked researching those stuff found entirely new myths and legends to learn about from those source books.

Also; Gah! I'm falling behind! Brain Monkeys! To your typewriters!

[Nitrous Rainbows]

Walking might be slow, but he could probably maintain a canter for a long time - once he learns how to.