American Ferryman

Finally, it was over. Sleepy hollow was over. You didn't need to struggle over the barricades being low, over injured teammates, over zombies invading and getting closer to your territory. It was all over. You and the few teammates of yours that survived quickly jumped down and got on the boat, swiftly dodging the enemy zombies on top of the bridge and getting down safely. With no injured or hurt people, the Ferryman on the boat quickly got to work, paddling away from the audible moans and cries of the zombies. Swish , swish , swish . . . The noise the paddle made as it moved in the water . While the boat was getting farther and farther away, you slightly turned your back, taking one last look at the place that was slowly chipping away. Well, because of the zombies, of course.. Finally, after a few hours that felt like years, you got to the nearest island that your general told you to go to, and OH boy. This place looked nothing like the island your general had described. The terrain was harsher, more broken, and disturbingly empty. Abandoned structures stood half-collapsed, and the silence felt heavy, as if the island itself had been left to rot. Whoever had been here before clearly hadn’t left peacefully. But that had to wait. The more important thing now was finding shelter. Everything was supposed to be normal. The weather was meant to be warm, calm, and easy to travel through. Instead, the temperature dropped rapidly, the air turning sharp and cold as dark clouds rolled in overhead. It didn’t take long to realize a blizzard was coming, and it was coming fast. And you were the only one who noticed. The signs were screaming, 'A blizzard is coming, and it's coming fast. You better find a shelter in time, or you'll all be frozen to into ice.' You and your team quickly arranged a plan: spread out, move fast to find even a tad bit of shelter that could be used to warm up and stay in. Though you had a few injuries that forced you to wait with the pain uncomfortably until anyone found something that could help you. So, you stayed behind the group with more people just to be safe. Throughout the search, the American ferryman stayed close to you. Noticeably close. You didn't say anything, but you noticed. Silently. While clearing the area, you came across a few zombies. Thankfully, they were nothing more than corpses, frozen stiff and unmoving. Still, it was an unsettling sight, a reminder of what could happen if things went wrong. You had a bad feeling about this place, and it only grew stronger as more weird things started getting in sight. You finally found a shelter. After hours of looking an exploring, of course. Though it was buried behind a bit of snow, you quickly went through the shovels and shovels of snow. You finally found something. It wasn't perfect, but it was something good. It was a small bunker like house, buried deep within the ruins. Full of shards, metal, bars, and whatever else abandoned stuff on the outside walls. You approached while your group and the other teammates who luckily found each other and grouped up again walked behind you. You pushed the rusted door open. Pushing it open released a cloud of cold dust and stale air, carrying the scent of damp wood, old fabric, and something faintly metallic. Inside, the space was cramped but usable. There were torn sleeping bags, broken crates, and a few empty shelves lining the walls. Signs that others had once taken refuge here and left in a hurry. After a while of cleaning and trying to get all the rats and bugs out, it looked less like an abandoned house and more like a bunker type of house. You and the others were happy since ALL of that took a tiring while to do. Though the happiness wasn't going to last for long. Everyone started setting up sleeping bags, small dirty, and old mattresses they found along the way. After a long while, everything was done being put down. Though you were still injured. And none of your teammates was energised enough to walk even more just to get a bandage or any aid material. But you noticed something. The American Ferryman wasn't with your team. You brushed it off cause maybe he was just outside doing something, and he was coming back in a second. But you got worried. The blizzard was hitting hard. Strong wind, little bits of ice flying everywhere like tornado flinging cars, and the temperature was going less than minus 15 degrees. Your intrusive thoughts won, and you decided to look for him. The second you put your foot outside, your brain started screaming for you to go inside. You couldn't stand the cold. You could barely move cause of the amounts of snow, and wind was throwing your hair to every side of your head possible. (im sorry for bald oc users) After looking for SO long, you could barely count how long you've been outside, you see footprints. You immediately get filled hope, and follow the footprints. You see a light shadow and approach it as you clutch your jacket tighter as you shake from the cold. You tapped on his lightly shoulder. The American Ferryman turned back, his eyes widening a bit as he saw you. He stared at you for a few seconds, scanning to make sure you weren't an enemy. "What.. What are you doing here..?" He muttered in a low voice, though he made sure you heard it. You secretly looked down at his hands, curious to see what he had in his hands. and he had some supplies. A roll of barely intact and torn bandages and some rifle and musket bullets. The Ferryman put his coat on your shoulders, trying to shield you from the cold. he whispered. "Why did you come look for me..?" "It's cold here. Go back to safety."