(Lance) I probably should have run for The Three, The Major, Mark, and I have been sucked into their problems and we don’t even get a vote. Since the Hunter blew up and we split up, things have kind of fallen through the cracks. I don’t think any of us saw all the little subtleties. We were so reliant on them (Frank, Henry, and Joseph) for the behind the scenes stuff, and now we need to play catch up. Matt’s little field trip has not helped.
The good news is that the likelihood of us freezing to death is pretty much over. The down side is that we need to start getting ready for restocking our food and fuel supplies. It is going to take a lot of work; we are not in as good a shape for fuels as we were last year at this time. Our gasoline is gone, the kerosene supplies are down, and propane is just about gone. We can probably find some more propane and kerosene, but gasoline is done. As far as flying, that is also pretty much a thing of the past. We still can get the chopper up for emergencies, but that thing sucks fuel like crazy and must be used sparingly.
We will see what The Three comes up with for a plan. I am not optimistic.
(Matt) It was a good day for walking, we covered about 7 miles. It is going to be a long trek to Rome, but we can make it in, I am hoping, in about 2 weeks, it is about 100 miles that we need to cover. I am hoping for 8 to 10 miles a day, but we’ll see. We are pretty much walking parallel to the interstate, just hoping that it gives us a little protection and cover.
Tanya and I talked today about what I think is Your first truth, that we all suffer. It is part of the natural order, the way of all things living. We talked about the suffering we have experienced and the suffering of others, things like the feelings as she saw her family killed, and her being raped and held in slavery by the bikers. I talked about losing my dad, and the pain my mom has experienced with the death of Frank. It was not an up-lifting experience, and in a way, suffering unto itself.
At about 5 pm we found a little house along the road. We were able to get in and decided that this would be a good place to spend the night. I am writing by candle-light and will transfer these thoughts to the server when we get back.
Lord, thank you for a good day, we move forward with You in our hearts and soul. Amen.
April 3rd
(Margo) Pretty much the standard day, nothing exiting to report. Biter and Lucy’s two surviving puppies, the Coy-dogs, have found home. Fred and Jan took the big male, she calls him Champ and Stephen took the other who he named Jumper. Mark has been Biter’s best buddy since after Gramp left us. Lucy is not all that comfortable with anyone and kind of just hangs in the area. She is not mean or anything, and will take food when offered, but she is still pretty much in the wild category although I have seen her kind of following me when I would wander out of camp on a hunting trip. I have tossed her a squirrel or bunny that I killed sometimes.
I guess I should mention Skittles and Rosy, while we are talking about our furry friends. Those two have become part of the kitchen staff, living in the dry food storage room. They seem to be doing well; the hunting must be good for them.
Spent some time drawing today, just things, just to get the pencil in my hand.
Code and I spent some snuggle time last night, it is good to be back to normal.
(Lance) Lighter fluid, I think that may be the answer. I can maybe use it to fuel a small RC drone with a camera on it. We could use that to scope out the area. I would have a range on it of a quarter mile maybe, if I can find the right model. I am thinking a trip to the mall in Pittsfield might be in order. I will talk to Del and Margo at dinner.
(Matt) We were on the road early this morning, a hand-full of nuts and some acorn bread to get us started. We are into day three and our goal is for another 10 miles today. We will stay off the Interstate, but walk near it.
It is so quiet, and peaceful, just the crunch of the remaining snow, although at this point it is gone in most areas. There are birds, it is nice to hear them. It is truly peaceful here, and if not for the knowing what had taken place and the dangers that hide on the road, it would be Heaven.
“Tanya, why do we suffer?” I caught her off guard with that question, and after I tossed it out there I kind of winced thinking about the pain that she had seen and suffered with murder of her family and her enslavement by the bikers.
“Because we love” she replied, it was not the answer I expected.
“What do you mean?”
“If we didn’t love or care about things, we could not be hurt by them when they are taken away.”
I thought back to my past, and thought about my grandparents and how when the Gram passed, Gramp just gave up on life, he grasped at something, anything to try to fill that void but was never able to quite grab the lifeline we tried to toss him.
I thought about some of the others that had been bonded pairs and how they managed when one of them died. In the case of Burt and Mary-Lou, she kept them together in death rather than to try to go on alone. Cyril held on to Arcelia with his daily visits to the grave side. Tom and Anne, he found a life line. Chelsea, she was lost with the death of Ethan. They have all suffered and yes, Tanya is right, it is out of the loss of love that we suffer. But I think that is only part of it. There is more. There is suffering from things, I think.
Thank you Lord for a good day, and Your protection.
April 4th
(Margo) Spring is here. It is a warm, wonderful day and we were off for a little run this morning. It felt good. We haven’t seen any more Zoms or Hunters, so things are good. I had not noticed it before but Lucy has been kind of following us on the runs. She doesn’t get too close, she is just back there.
At breakfast this morning E and Del joined us. They usually do, we are all buds. But I had a bad feeling when I saw the look on his face. He needed some new toys.
“So I was thinking about ways we can improve security around the camp”, he began.
“Nailed it”, I thought to myself.
Code gave me a look and then said, “How?”
“Well see, I am thinking that if we got some little drones, some RC types that could hold little video cameras we could use them to scout the area out about 1000 feet from camp.”
“Okay….”
“I know it is not much but it would be good to keep an eye on the area and watch for things getting too close”, he added, there was a spark of enthusiasm in his voice.
“And we can get these drones?” I asked.
Yes, I think we could find them if we go into Pittsfield. There are a hobby shops or a Radio Shop there that would carry them.” E said, looking like a puppy that was begging for food.
“We have never really done a lot of exploring in Pittsfield; we don’t know what is there. It has always been a big Zom population and there were the fires. Are you sure this is a good idea?” I asked, I was really not sure this was a good idea.
Del jumped in, I knew she would, “We probably should to go scope the place out at least. We could find a propane truck or some other things that we need. Hinsdale is pretty much tapped out, and Dalton, there has never been a lot of stuff we needed there.”
“Yeah, but there is likely a lot of the Zoms still in the city and we don’t know about the Hunters or their refill magazines that might be in the area”, Code countered.
“We would have to do a slow and go, take our time and really be careful, but I think we could do it”, said Del.
“I guess, what about The Three, are they going to let us do it? And who would go?” I asked.
“I will talk to The Three, I think they will see the need for the trip, and they can decide who goes, I think we would be best, but they may want to add a person or two”, E was excited, his plan was coming together.
Del turned toward him, “We? You never said that you were going.”
“I, well, of course I have to go, it is my plan and I know what we need, this is not just picking up some canned foods or something. There are specifics that need to be met” he countered.
“Whoa, Code can
do the picking, you are not a hunter, and you don’t scavenge!”
“Yeah, I could….” started Code, but I kicked him under the table, this was a fight not to get into, and I was not exactly sold on this plan.
“Look, I am not great with this idea, it has some merit, but first we have to get it by The Three, and then we need to figure out whom to take. Let’s slow down and get the trip okayed first.” I said.
Fred who had been sitting at the table behind us with Jan turned around and said, “If you go, then you will need a couple extra people to lug stuff, or if we get lucky, drive a truck back. I would good with going on the trip. I can work on Ron and help sell it to him.”
Great, just great, another country heard from, I thought.
After finishing our breakfast bread it was back to the cabin. Code and I talked about the idea, “I think it is a good idea, but, I just, well, with all that has happened I think it is risky” I said.
“I know, and you are right, but knowing E, he is going to figure out how to get those things even if he does something stupid like tries to sneak up there by himself. You don’t see it do you?”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“This is about trying to protect Del, this is about making Romanica as safe for her as he can.” Code explained.
“But that makes no sense, he wants to send her, and for that matter, himself and his friends on a high risk mission to make the camp safer?”
“Yep, it’s a guy thing, although I am surprised that he is putting her in the mix on this. But yeah, that’s how we think.” He added.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid, would you do that to me?”
“I’m a guy, to protect you I would do about anything, so yeah, I would!”
Wow, I had never thought about that, and yet it has been around me all this time. Tom did it for Mom, and all of us. Matt, and Ron, and Fred, they all have done things that seemed reckless and stupid, and I just thought they were being dumb. But the truth is it is what they do, guys…stupid guys.
(Matt) We spent the night in Rossleville, just on the outskirts of Albany. It was quiet and the little house we stayed in had a few amenities. Hot water was unfortunately not one of them. But we have kind of gotten used to the idea of cleaning up in the cold.
I am still perplexed by the idea of suffering. I was surprised at what Tanya had said, but it actually made sense. But that would only cover the suffering for the loss of a person, or pet, or I guess to a certain degree a place.
But what is not answered is the suffering that comes from within. There is the physical suffering that occurs with illness or injury. Then there is the mental suffering that one can heap onto themself. How do you deal with that? Something to think of on the road today, Lord, I thank you for the chance to see these things.
Our goal today is to continue west and walk along the side of I-90 toward Schenectady. If we can get another 10 or 12 miles in today, we will have done well. The route we have chosen is not a smooth and easy one, but it is much safer than being out in the open.
April 5th
(Margo) It was a warm day, and kind of a light rain, really kind of nice for this time of year. Captain E was all into looking at his plan for the trip into Pittsfield. He and Ron figured out the best way to get in and out and setting up who will do what. Code was in there with them and I will get the details for the plan later.
I had an acorn coffee with Tay this morning. She and Chels are doing okay I guess. It is a hard thing to lose someone close to you like that. We talked about the food situation and we are still good for meats, and corn, and some of the canned goods, but she has a list put together for our scavenger trip if we find a grocery store or warehouse. She is looking for the usual canned goods, baking needs like flour, and over the counter meds like aspirin, or vitamins. We actually got kind of silly over looking for fiber and laxatives. I got her laughing so hard that she actually spurted coffee out her nose.
After coffee I was bored, Code was still tied up with Ron and E so I took a little run. As I ran, I heard someone, or something running behind me. I slowed down a little and as I rounded a corner tucked behind a tree, I popped out and scared the shit out of Lucy. She was following me. She stopped and stared at me.
“Hi, you following me?”
I didn’t expect an answer, she just looked at me.
“Okay, well, you can follow along.” And I started running again; she followed about 20 feet behind me. I actually kind of like the idea, I had been kind of foolish going out alone, so it was good to have someone there with me. It was ironic that it is a coyote?
Code and I had dinner together and he filled me in on the plan. We would be off early tomorrow and take the Coyote and Matt’s truck to town. We had our shopping lists and once in town we would split into two groups. E, Del and Ron were going to look for the drones; Code, Fred and I were scouting for fuels and anything else that might be of use. We would be on the road at 6:30 in the morning and had to be out of Pittsfield by 5:30 at the latest so that we would not be in the dark driving back.
Early night then, Code is over in the Boy’s dorm tonight. I did a pencil sketch of Lucy.
(Lance) Del gave me a great deal of grief about my going on this mission, but I know what I need, and I am doing it to keep her safe, and well, all of us safe. It will work; she has to have faith in me.
(Matt) Another day of cold breakfast, we were on our way early. Our goal was to get to the I-90 / I-890 split before we bedded down for the night. The weather was not so nice today, it was kind of raw and the rain fell most of the day. It wasn’t a pouring rain but just hard enough to make it miserable.
We did not really talk that much on the road today as we trudged on through the woods by the side of the Interstate. I thought about what Tanya had said about suffering and how so often we take a thing like an illness or disease and compound it by our dwelling on it in a negative way we add to the suffering. But then what was the answer, how do you not let it get to you.
We found a little house off the roadway to stay for the night but in the end decided to sleep in the little shed in back. There was a family that had lived in the house, and they had decided that their control of their destiny was important. I felt bad for the kids, but it looked like they were sleeping all snug in their beds when mom and dad took the only option that they saw for the family. We’ll burn the bodies in the morning.
Thank you Lord for a good day, it was not perfect, but yet it was fruitful.
April 6th
(Lance) We headed into Pittsfield early, and were in town by 10. There were a few Zoms that we ran into, or in some cases ran over. Made me kind of wonder, did they even know that they are dead, or even that they were anything?
I kind of felt that way when I was growing up, empty inside, just moving, and eating. I mean I did think, and really I buried myself in my music and books. My folks were always so down on me for that. “Lance, play sports” or “Lance, why don’t you have a girlfriend, why don’t you do things with people.” And now, I guess I am getting out, and I have Delany with me so they got their wish.
We found a couple of little drone copters at the hobby shop. They were the Parrot BeBop model; they have a Wi-Fi range of about 1000 feet, so we can get live action. We can also use a record mode on board if we need to go further, although the flight range from control is only about a half mile, still, it could work.
We all got back safe. So I am not quite sure I understood why Del was a little upset with me. I am doing this all for her, to keep her safe.
(Margo) I like E, he is a good guy, mostly, but he is kind of clueless when it comes to being out of camp. What a dick! I don’t think he had any idea how risky this mission was, or how close he came to getting himself bitten.
We drove into town, and there were way more Zoms there than we hoped for or figured. We should have turned around and headed home, screw the drones. But he insisted, and we did need some of other stuff, propane in particular, so we stuck it out.
/> I had to drive through a horde of about 35 to get to the mall. The mall was also still pretty much a hot zone. But we got him to the hobby store. He found what he wanted, but what a jerk, it was like shopping with my mom, “Well, let’s look at this one”, “Oh, this one has a better range”. Finally, Del had enough and just yelled at him, “Grab the fucking things, we got to go!”
We got back to the Coyote and piled back in. We had to still battle our way out, while he was happily reading the manual from the types that he had grabbed.
Code got on the radio and made contact with Fred; they had found a propane truck and were going to meet us at the edge of town.
“Hey guys, when we make it back, I’m thinking hot showers tonight”, I exclaimed, I was happy about that. And that thought calmed me down about our little nerdling and his toys.
We were back to the camp just before dinner, and Mark worked with Ron to get the truck hooked up to the water heating unit. It looked pretty easy to do. Hot water, hot shower, oh, I can’t wait. Even tonight’s deer stew tasted better than usual with the happy thoughts in my head.
There was a little loud discussion over at E’s office tonight, I think Del had a little venting to do, but he deserved what he got.
(Matt) By my best guess we have travelled about 16 miles today. We are going along pretty well, and at least today the weather is a little better, it is cool, but the sun is out.
As Tanya and I talked about things like the experiences that we have been through, alone and together, I am getting better at understanding the idea of loss and of wanting. I think that it is You, Lord that serve as the ointment that soothes the pain. It is in our faith in You, that what has happened is part of Your plan and that in the end it all works out.
We found a small house that we stayed in tonight; there were a few cans of baked beans. The expiration date had passed, but there was no bulge in the ends and they did not smell bad, so we ate them.
We must move on in the morning and we have reached the area of where I-88 separates from I-90. There is a road; it is State Highway 20 that lays a little to the south of I-90. The original thought was to take 90 all the way to Rome, and as I examined the map, I thought that this was the path that we should take. I cannot say why, it just seems what should be done. Tanya agreed, and she felt we will be less exposed to danger if we take that route.
The Event Series (Book 2): The Gospel According to Matthew, Margo & Lance Page 8