Self Apocalypse: The Beginning by John French Page B

the wall and laying my pack on the floor, I took out my flashlight for a little extra help.  There was a wood stove towards the back of the cabin, and a small kitchen to my left.  A living area to my right contained a table with two wooden chairs and a lounge chair.  The cushions on the lounge chair were torn, and the mess on the floor indicated rodents.  I was sure the place was full of them.  There were cabinets filled with dishes and handy supplies.  None of which were damaged.  There were tools by the woodstove, and the chimney pipe looked to be in good order.  There was an open doorway in the far right corner leading to another room.  I slowly walked over, waiting for some animal to come jumping out from the darkness.
     
    At the doorway I sent the flashlight’s beam into the room.  The windows were covered with blankets making it much darker than the rest of the cabin.  There was a small desk and chair in the room and a bunk bed.  The bottom bunk had a blanket on it that seemed to be covering something.  I felt a chill go through me when I realized it appeared to be a body.  The room didn’t smell though, so I assumed it might be a blanket or more gear perhaps.  I ripped down the blankets from the windows so light would fill the room, then I slowly approached the bed not knowing what to expected.  I grabbed the top of the blanket and threw it off without hesitation.  I nearly jumped out of my clothes when I saw it laying there.  There was a human skeleton with torn clothing lying in the bed.
     
    I backed up slowly then turned leaving the cabin.  Outside I looked around as I tried to catch my breath.  The sun was going down now, and a decision would need to be made now.  I couldn’t stay in that cabin tonight.  Not because of the skeleton, but because of the rodents and their mess.  I retrieved my gear and quickly started to build a shelter.  I gathered some wood and started a small fire.  That night I found myself thinking of what my next step would be.  I had my freshly caught food for tonight so the supplies I had brought would last longer.  I thought it would be best to look around the cabin more in the morning before making any decisions, but first I would give the body in the cabin a proper burial.
     
    It was considerably cooler at this elevation, and made for a rough night with only a blanket to stay warm.  Being awake a lot gave me time to think.  I was going to bury the remains in the morning, then stay and see if the cabin could be salvaged.  It had seemed to be in relatively good repair, and would offer me a second place to go in case there was ever any need to leave my camp.  It seemed crazy, but the idea of having a place to fall back on made me feel a little better.  There was just too much uncertainty as of late, and this would certainly give me peace of mind.
     
    Morning found me by a small fire trying to warm myself.  When the sun’s rays finally touched me, I began to feel that restoration of body warmth I had been longing for.  I retrieved a small shovel and axe from the cabin and began digging a grave.  The shovel was no longer any good and the handle to the axe broke in half.  The tools were obviously very old.  I used the axe with its short broken handle to break up the hard earth, and scooped the dirt and rocks out with my hands.  I continued this for some time until a shallow grave was dug out.  I placed in the remains and buried them.  A small pile of rocks were placed on top to mark the shallow grave.  I spoke a few words to ensure a proper burial was given, and then I set straight to working on the cabin.
     
    By the end of the day I had pretty much cleaned out the cabin.  I piled all the old blankets together and burned them.  I didn’t find any mice or other rodents while cleaning, so I assumed they long ago evacuated their sanctuary.  Thankfully there had been a make shift broom inside in good enough shape to sweep.  All in all, the cabin