The cold wind cut into Ryan's face as he stepped out of his house in a small village right next to Chicago. Pulling his hood over his head to be at least a little more covered from nature, he put his bag, containing everything he needs for at least two days of survival, on his back. Tinned food and fresh water, along with a couple of chocolate bars should by all means be enough to satisfy his needs in the upcoming days. As means of defense, he had a katana and a pistol. Despite lacking the physical strength needed to properly handle these weapons, he has trained with them in the the last few days. Right now, he was hoping that the training was enough, because he knew he could only rely on his strength. Putting his mind to work by analysing mutant anatomy turned out to be a waste of time, as those creatures are so varied, you cannot have a tactic that defeats them all. Go for the head? He saw quite a few without a head...
The neighbourhood was clear from the creatures, at least for now, giving him time to properly look at his map and make up a plan. Chicago, his destination was about 30 minutes of walking away. Going through the forest however would effectively half the travelling time, but it was a lot more dangerous to go that way of course. He decided to take the risk anyway. He heard that there were fortified houses in the city where he could finally rest safely. He could barely sleep in the last few days, waking up to every little noise with a small heart attack. He would've given anything for a good sleep.
Eerie silence followed Ryan's steps as he made his way through the forest. All wildlife was long gone from there. He could remember waking up to the pleasant noise of small birds chirping to each other and falling asleep to the characteristic sounds of crickets. He felt very melancholic, which could be blamed on the
soothing music he was currently listening to. Using his katana to cut himself a way should the vegetation get too thick, he managed pretty well for himself despite a few small wounds caused by pointy branches. Every now and then he looked at his compass to make sure he kept the direction, ensuring he doesn't get lost.
After the designated 15 minutes, he found himself outside of the woods. Noticing a sign saying "Welcome to Chicago", he knew that he arrived to his destination safely. He didn't encounter anything at all on his way - neither living nor dead, a fact surprising for him.
"This was easy...too easy..." he murmured to himself.
