-Chapter 2-

Part 4

The man in the cabin helped me get the large robust passenger inside and swiftly locked the doors. Once fully situated and taken care of I was no longer in his house half bare which was likely a surprise to the old man. But then again he was probably more surprised that there were survivors here at all.

I sat at the small dining room table. This was a small cabin. One of those mobile home types. Standing on eight small cement blocks. There were critters underneath the house. Shivering and cold. Frightened beyond compare. Not understanding what was going on. A fox and her family adjoined with a quill, and a racoon and their small kin. All cuddled away too frightened to recall the balance nature once had. That the fox was supposed to eat the quill and racoon.

"Here", said the old man handing me an oven fired mug with homemade coffee in it.

"Thank you", I said quietly taking it in my hands. It was warm. The blanket on my back was a bit scratchy but I didn't care. It kept me warm as I sat there in the crafted wooden chair.

The small stout man sat down. His skin was darker than normal and he was elderly. His long hair was stiff and slightly wavy with grey strands soaking through the black ones. It was easy to tell he was native american. Or at least from his heritage which he took up proudly. He had a small simple home.

    A few lamps, a couch and small mattress through the one white door with a small bathroom. It was just the basic accommodations for a living. Guess he didn't need much. There was a square stale spot where a TV had likely once been which was now in the trash filled with snow at the end of the gravel driveway. But the gravel stones were now all covered up with a sheet of white. Not even the tire tracks revealed them. And the jeep was getting pounded through the hurdles of snow.

    "You alright?", he asked staring at my left hand.

    I glanced at it and took it off the table hiding it. I'll admit it made me feel very sub-conscious about myself when people stared. But....I guess for him I could understand that it put him on edge. I didn't know what was going to happen with this hairy ugly thing anyways. Would I goes insane like the rest? Would I turn into nothing but a body based on the instinct of consuming people....like a cannibal?

    "It's alright... we aren't so different", he said raising his right hand revealing only one finger. Only his middle finger was present on his hand. The rest were just uneven stubs. Even his thumb was gone.

    "You aren't infected", I said quietly.

    He smiled a small smile, "No... but....I don't have....", his voice trailed off.

    "Much more of a reason to live", I finished softly.

    He stared down at his cup and then stood going off to a drawer and crouched pulling a heavy book. A photo album. The leather edges worn away. He turned it towards me opening it. I glanced up at him and then looked down at the pictures. There were several. Some black and white. Others with blurry colors. Seems this man was much older than I thought.

    There were images of chieftains in their uniforms of feathers and ancestral attire with their bows and arrows with teepees in the background on what looked like a reservation.

    "You can keep looking", said the old man smiling.

    I glanced up once more and then hesitantly lifted the page turning it to the next and looked at the array of images. The pages were heavy and it all looked hand crafted.

    "Did...did you make this yourself?", I asked.

    He smiled softly, "Yes...I tend to make everything myself. There is no one around here. Not for miles and miles...", he replied.

    I nodded and kept going. Soon there were more homes and the images became crisper. I saw him start to appear in the images as a small boy. I presume the ones before hand were from his parents and grandparents. Then there was him as a younger man with his own child. A son. Soon the son grew up revealing a lovely granddaughter. The final picture in the album looked like a birthday party where the whole family was gathered.

"My.... granddaughter", he said softly taking out the image and stared at it.

I swallowed hard my skin prickling on it's ends. He lifted his eyes meeting mine.

"It's alright....I knew. You saw her in town didn't you?", said the old man grimly. His features didn't change. "I had expected it....no one was prepared....that thing....took my son....my daughter in law.....and granddaughter. They are dead. We all are", he whispered.