Shelter
Matt lifts out another handful of dirt. We're all trying to dig a hole for a shelter. It's only big enough for us to squeeze in there, though. I break off a branch from the tree Dexter tied the rope to and use it as a makeshift shovel."By the way, Dexter, where did you get that rope?" I ask, shoveling a clump of dirt out of the hole.
Dexter grunts as he snaps a branch off of the tree and uses my technique. "I found it," he says. "It was in this tree. Y'know, like the Hunger Games - they have silver parachutes. Maybe these are our silver parachutes."
I nod. It made sense. Plus, that meant that we might find other ones! I shovel another pile of dirt out of the hole. Now, it's big enough for three of us to fit in there comfortably.
When we finish with the hole, there's enough room for all of us to sit up and still have extra space. Holly puts branches over the top and covers those with grass and leaves. Matt makes makeshift pillows for us all, and Dexter coils up the rope and puts it in his backpack. I take inventory.
"We have four bags of trail mix, four knives, and four canteens," I say. "Plus, a coil of rope, four backpacks, a shelter, some firewood, some fuel, and four jackets." We have a pretty good supply. We just need some fire-starting materials.
"Sarah!" shouts Holly. She's pointing at something caught in the branches of a really tall tree. I squint. It looks like it might be some flint. Dexter taps me on the shoulder.
"Here," he says. He's holding a makeshift pair of binoculars. They're made out of two cans, the bottoms punched out and replaced with shards of glass bottles. I hold them up to my eyes. Sure enough, it's flint. But how can we get up?
Before I can say anything, Matt is halfway up the tree. He's groping around for a handhold. I hold my breath and look at the jagged rocks below. If he slips... No. I refuse to allow myself to think about that. I shiver and watch him inch up some more.
Finally, he grabs the flint. It's tied with a pink ribbon. He edges down the tree. When he gets about halfway down, he throws the flint to Holly and she catches it. He reaches his foot down...
And he slips. He's falling, falling towards the canyon below. He's flailing. I shout his name. We're all in this together. Is he the first one to die? Did zombies kill anyone else before Matt fell?
With a splat, he lands on the pointy stones below. Holly squeaks and passes out. I crawl to the edge of the cliff and see his body splayed out on the rocks below.
Dexter throws up.
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