A Life Sentence

September 29th, 2026

September 29th, 2026

This is the second night now that I have been in the woods. Right now I am sitting under some by a fire under some huge tree I found while Chonk stares at me. I tried to leave the big ol baby behind, but he wasn't having it. Because of him I have to tote some dog food along with me. At first I was annoyed, but now I am glad he is here.

It's been a while since the church. Lucas and Kate for the most part are back to normal. Lucas more so than Kate, but even she has more or less adjusted to what we did. To be honest I have too. We may have handled it differently, but after I had more time to think about it I believe now that we did the right thing; as awful as that is to say. So why am I in the middle of nowhere? Because I just wanted to be alone. Yeah kind of strange I know considering that there is hardly anyone left.

At first I had only meant to be out for one night, but since I didn't even tell Kate or Lucas that I was leaving I decided to stay out another night. I am not looking forward to the ass ripping I am sure I am going to get for taking off without so much as leaving a note.

While I sit here and write I am really enjoying listening to the bugs all around me. I always hear them at home when I am sitting on the porch, but for some reason it just isn't the same. Out here they are all around me. Out here I know when I turn around I won't see the house behind me. It's just me, the forest and Chonk who is now snoring. I guess that just adds to the ambiance.

My thoughts have been on Elena a lot lately. I wonder what she would have thought about what we did? I think I can guess. I still miss her and being out here made me realize that we never went camping together. I am not sure if she would have, but I never even asked. I kind of regret that. There is something about the peace of the forest with a fire crackling and the bugs chirping all around.

I didn't even really want to start a fire, but it is getting chilly at night now, and I like to be comfortable. I guess I succeeded, at least as far as the dog is concerned. He seems to be pretty content at the moment. The breeze blowing through right now is nice too.

I wonder if Lucas or Kate looked for me? If they did I doubt they tried very hard. I wandered around a lot before I made camp the first night. When I left I walked by the church for the first since... It was still burned to a crisp. The more I think about it the more I see how it's a small miracle that we didn't set the whole damn forest on fire. I guess that rainstorm was quite fortunate.

I walked down the road past the church. I found pretty much what I expected to find, a bunch of boarded up houses and not much else. The further I went the worse shape the road was in. After a while it turned into little more than a game trail. Looks like nature was all finished reclaiming this area. The only thing I found that got my attention was the graveyard, or rather I should say Chonk noticed it. As soon as we got near it he started barking.

We never went into it, not completely. As soon as we got close I stopped dead in my tracks. Several of the graves had been dug open and pretty much destroyed in the process. I guess this is where the cult got some of the bodies they found. The place looked pretty old judging by the worn tombstones, I wonder if this was the only place they were robbing.

After that my walk became kind of a haze. If we're really being hones here I got lost for a while. It took a few hours for me to get my bearings. Chonk didn't seem to mind. I think he was just thrilled to be going on a field trip. The stupid dog chased every squirrel in the county. He didn't catch any, much to his disappointment.

The second day I found this great little place by a stream. That is where Chonk and I spent the second day. I have a feeling that if Chonk had an idea of doggy heaven that would have been it. To be honest it wouldn't make a bad human heaven. Especially now the leaves are starting to turn colors.

I started to make for home and it became clear that I had gone a lot farther than even I thought. For an hour or so I got lost again, but eventually figured out where I was once I consulted a compass and a map I thankfully thought to bring with me.

The trip home was going to take a little longer than I thought. I might have made it home before nightfall, but I wanted to put off the ass chewing. In the morning I will hike the last few miles back to the house. For once I feel level headed. If the world had not ended I might have gotten me some meds, but then again if the world had not ended I might not have such a tornado for a brain right now.

Chonk is now running in his sleep. I guess he wasn't satisfied chasing real squirrels so he was chasing them in his dreams now. I do think he had a ball being out here even though I am pretty sure he is ready to go home. He stuck by my side most of the day after we left the stream, but I bet he might like to do this again. I think I would too.

At least he has finally settled down a little. Now I want to go camping. I just wish I had a dog like Chonk. Next chapter will be released soon. Please vote and leave a comment.