The First 2k words of Chapter 2 first draft

The boar hung upside down by its legs. Its feet were tied together with a braided twine. It swung from side to side below a sapling tree. The tree rest upon the shoulders of two young men as they silently marched through the brush. The men followed a path through the dense vegetation of the boreal forest. Tall pine trees and huge ant mounds surrounded the path.

“So how many did you say you saw?” Jude asked the curly haired boy in front of him.

Without turning to face him, the boy lifted his left hand with 4 fingers.

“I’ve never seen more than one at a time!” Jude exclaimed, “Let alone four. You’re either really lucky, Luis, or really good.”

Luis shrugged both his arms, the pole effortlessly balanced on his shoulder.

“Don’t be modest.” Jude responded, “Four colossals, man that must have been terrifying.”

Luis shook his head.

Just ahead of Luis the path opened up and light streamed through the darkness under the forest canopy. The path slowly transitioned from pine needles and sand to tall grass bent and compacted into the earth. Luis raised his hand, all his fingers pointing up.

Jude lifted the pole off of his shoulder in concert with Luis. They lowered the pole, placing the boar on the ground. Jude shouldered his rifle while Luis knelt and armed himself with a crossbow. Jude stood next to Luis and pointed the rifle down the path. He peered through the rifle scope and saw a green flag a few hundred yards away. The flag was raised high into the air above the walls the Sanctuary. He scanned the top of the walls to see a man with binoculars patrolling the perimeter. Jude lowered his rifle and gave Luis a thumbs up.

“What were they?” he asked Luis.

Luis raised his hand, crawling his fingers across his other arm.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Jude said shaking his head, “I would have died just seeing them.”

Luis made his fingers into a fist, then opened them up a couple times, spreading out his fingers. He then finger spelled “did” while not looking at Jude.

Jude lowered to a knee and placed his hand on Luis’ shoulder. After a moment Luis placed his hand on top of Jude’s. The thought of lost loved ones flashed through his mind. He remembered his Dad. The last time he saw him he was leaving the Sanctuary on this very path. That was 6 years ago, when he was still a young boy.

Jude stood up and offered his hand to Luis. He grasped Jude’s hand and he pulled him up. Jude tapped two fingers on the back of two fingers of his off hand. He repeated the motion with the off hand, then tapped four fingers on the bottom of his palm. “We can rebuild,” he said as he motioned. Luis looked at Jude and used four fingers to wipe his lips, closing them into a fist. Jude nodded and walked back to the other end of the pole.

The two lifted the pole onto their shoulders and they continued down the path. As they entered the grassy field several flying insects began bussing around Jude. The grass was a few inches shorter than he was, and he could still see over top the vegetation. Even though Luis was unable to see over the grass, he still was the lead. This was not just because Jude needed to see his hands for them to communicate. Luis was the best tracker Jude had ever went out into the bush with. Many of the others doubted his usefulness because of his disability. Jude figured that was crazy. Luis was in training before the world ended. He had valuable experience and has proven to be an asset.

Ahead of them Jude could see the walls of the Sanctuary. The perimeter was made of odds and ends welded together fifteen feet high with a walkway at the top. He waved to the sentry patrolling the perimeter. The man waved back. A few moments later two pieces of metal began to separate and a man with brandishing a shotgun exited through the gate. Jude nodded to the man as he secured the path behind them. He was sweeping his barrel side to side slowly scanning for movement.

“Welcome back guys,” the man said looking down the path, “Looks like bacon is back on the menu eh?”

Jude replied, “We found this guy not far. Hopefully there is a herd nearby. Might even be able to domesticate some.”

“That is the best news I have heard all day.” The man said.

“We are on our way to Oliver’s to drop this guy off.” Jude said over his should leaving the man to cover the path behind them.

“Ok Jude, but you better let me know when I can get my hands on some of that bacon.” The man shouted from a distance.

“You bet Teddie.” Jude shouted back.

As they entered the Sanctuary the path opened up into a suburban neighborhood. The Wall behind them wont on in both directions. Some sections were made of brick, but most of it was made from welded together debris and broken down car parts. The two story houses near the wall were converted into outposts. The roofs were retrofitted with a balcony overlooking the fence and aloud for superior vantage point for guarding the perimeter. Security was more or less a matter of protecting the residents, farm, and livestock from swarms of insects. When a guard on patrol spots a swarm they sound an alarm. Most of the outposts are outfitted with a car alarm, but some have more rudimentary means of signaling. These alarms alert the town to potential danger, and they go into lockdown mode.

“Do you think this catch will make us famous?” Jude whispered to Luis.

Luis flexed his off hand while holding the pole with his main hand.

“If Zuri doesn’t notice me after this then there no hope for me” Jude said in a sarcastic tone.

Luis signed “who said that?”

Jude saw the McCreedy house, its doors eaten near to the hinges by a recent swarm of termites. When the town is alerted the residents go indoors, shutting windows and doors. Unfortunately for the McCreedy family, that did not stop them from entering and destroying most of the home. There are a few tasked with protecting the livestock and garden. While the animals can go indoors, the plants are vulnerable. Most of the time the insects are after crops which can be devastating. A few times the swarms were not your typical insects, but larger variations of your classic bug. One time they were hit by a swarm of large lady bugs. The bugs were about the size of a basketball and the result was worse than a few plants. They flew off with over a dozen chickens. Jude’s neighbor even lost his pet rabbit to the devils.

Jude could barely remember a time when bugs were always about the same size. His science class took him on a nature trip when he was in elementary school. They saw spiders, grasshoppers, beetles. Your typical garden variety insects. All about the size of a quarter. At the end of the world things have changed. These same insects were much greater in number and could grow to be the size of large dog. Some extreme cases, they can even grow to be larger. Colossal insects were very rare but could be larger than a human.

Oliver’s butcher shop was in the heart of the town, next to the garden and town square. The two made their way to the center of town hauling their prized catch. Passersby waved at them in excitement, as the opportunity to eat something other than potatoes, egg, and goat’s milk seem to be a popular idea. They had run out of supplies a few months ago, and were completely reliant on whatever they could grow, raise, or hunt. Because the need for food was such a priority for the town, every male over the age of 15 was obligated to hunt. Jude enjoyed hunting because it afforded him the opportunity to leave the borders of sanctuary and to search for medicinal plants for his mother.

“Well well well,” a female’s voice came from behind, “You boys have been busy.”

Jude looked over his shoulder to see a slender figure standing behind him. “Whoa,” He said to Luis as he turned to face her. Her brown skin was dotted with splotches of dirt. Her dark brown eyes fixed on him. “Looks like you have been busy too.” He said.

A moment passed as the two stood there in silence. Jude’s heart was pounding in his chest. “You know he has been waiting for you.” She said breaking the silence.

“Who is that, Zuri?” he asked.

“My father.” She replied.

Confused he asked “What for?”

She furrowed her brow and pursed her lips, shaking her head at him. She turned away from him and said “Uh huh.” She began to walk away. “Tell your sister I have her supplies ready.”

Jude turned back to face Luis, who had also turned to face him and Zuri. He shook his hand like he had touched something hot and smirked at Jude. Jude raised his shoulders indicating his confusion.

Luis signed “You’re in trouble.” And let out a breathy chortle.

“Shut up!” Jude scolded and signed for him to turn back around.

Jude look over his shoulder one last time to see Zuri walk away. She was also looking back at him. When she saw him look at her she shook her head. He had known her even before the collapse when they were in grade school. She was always so nice to him. When they were younger he had fallen out of his treehouse. Zuri and Eden had heard him fall and Zuri let him use her as a crutch while he hopped on his good leg back home. Or the time she made his mom a care package after the council declared his Dad was MIA. He wasn’t exactly sure where this apparent hostility was coming from.

As they walked pasted the garden Jude noticed that the potato crop was in bloom. The garden was full and lush with vegetation. Across from it was the butcher shop. It didn’t look like a typical business. It was just another home in the neighborhood. A sign hung above a mailbox that read “Oliver White’s Butchery.” All of the tradesmen in the town ran their trade out of their home. The two carried the boar up the steps to the front door and Luis knocked on the door.

After a moment the door opened revealing a stout man in a bloody apron. Luis waved and Jude echoed with a “Hello.” The man stood there ignoring them. He was staring daggers at the boar. He waved back to them without making eye contact and turned around and entered the house. He waved them in as he walked to the back of the home. The house was immaculate. You would never guess that there was a butcher’s shop in the back room. The man led them through the home to the back room and pointed to a white table in the center of the room. “Put it down here boys.” He instructed. They did as they were told.

The Man picked up a knife whipping it on a piece of leather. “It’s called a leather strop,” the man said, “It hones the knife edge, keeping it nice and sharp.” After a few passes over the leather, he began to skin

Bug

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