As Beth and Sid awoke, I was forcing my broken foot back into a shoe. I knew that if I didn’t keep it warm and start walking on it then I would soon succumb to frostbite. I don’t feel like losing my foot. I’ve seen all those shows on the Discovery Channel about those dumbasses who climbed a mountain, lopped off their fingers and toes and then gimp around on interviews bullshitting everyone about how it was really worth it - that they’re real men now. My thoughts? - stupid half-a-motherfuckers. I hope they got rotary phones for their birthdays.
Beth didn’t want to go into the town. She really didn’t want me walking on my foot. Sid could care less. He hopped around in the snow like a child and snapping at snowflakes.
Either way we ventured out wearing multiple shirts for warmth. It took longer than I wanted it too, but we walked into the town and immediately found a mom & pop retail store.
They had everything I was looking for - lanterns, kerosene, tshirts, sweaters, long underwear, thick jackets, coats, sleeping bags and hunting gear - lots of hunting gear. Best of all - none of the guns were behind glass cases nor was the ammunition. Beth and I both have a couple of 20-guage, pump action shotguns. I swear we have enough ammunition to take out an entire city of ghouls. We also snatched a lot of jerky and canned goods we found in the store also. I snatched a huge tarp and loaded it with all of our new goods. The tarp has those holes for staking it down. I used a rope I found to run through the holes in the tarp and made a handle. We made our way back to the train without a problem. I never saw a trace of any ghouls. I’m not getting excited, yet. We didn't even venture 20 yards into town, and there looks to be a lot of places that ghouls could be inside of.
It got dark very quickly today, and the temperature dropped fast. We have plenty to help keep us warm without turning on the engine. Tomorrow’s plan is to sweep the town for more food, and some medicine. I’m already loading the shotguns.
DAY - 34
fuck sleep - I apparently don’t need much lately, and my damned foot isn't helping. It was early when I left Beth and Sid in the engine still asleep. With it still snowing some, snow everywhere on the ground and it being cold as hell, I didn’t think there would be any ghouls to bother them.
Getting down from the engine, I damn near busted my ass because of the ice, so I definitely knew that any freezing up ghouls couldn’t get aboard.
I was bundled up well under a hoodie and my new, huge coat and nice thick pants. My feet, now in some hiking boots I also swiped yesterday, also felt warmer. I had my shotgun ready and several pockets of shells for reloading. I brought the sword too - in my belt loop as usual. Probably a good halfhour is what it took to get into the town. I began walking down the main street looking for other stores - other supplies that we could use. With it being considerably darker than yesterday because of the overcast weather, I could see that some of the stores seemed to still have electricity - lights on - which also possibly meant they were climate controlled - heated maybe. I soon found myself intrigued with a hair salon. It was the usual size place with those big bay windows you can see into. I stepped inside the salon to get a clear view of what I thought was just my imagination. I immediately felt the room was warm which made sense to the scenario before me.
There was one ghoul to my left - a lady - who was seated in a chair and flailing about. She had one of those drop-down hair dryers stuck on her head. It was holding her in place, preventing her from getting up to walk about. Then to my right another ghoul - a barber - who was standing beside a torn up, dead body seated in his customer’s chair. The barber was using scissors as it snipped off pieces of the dead body’s head and was then eating them. I couldn’t help but to start laughing hysterically - claiming the ghoul's attentions. I just as quickly took aim with my shotgun and blew half of the barber’s head off. The barber dropped fast. I then fired two shots into the drop down hair dryer until the flailing lady’s arms fell limp. I surveyed the damage that I had done. There were pieces of brains all over the walls - I fucking love shotguns. I grabbed a couple pair of scissors and pocketed them. I enjoyed the warm temperature, but it was time to leave, and so I took out again to the main street of town. I was sure that if those ghouls had stayed warm, then there were probably others who may come my way after hearing the shotgun. I had a few more problems with ice patches in making my way back to our train.
I about busted my ass several more times. I soon saw Beth coming my direction with Sid on his leash. She was bundled up and keeping a firm aim at me with her shotgun until I yelled loud enough at her that I was okay. Sid moved his fastest and pounced at me to play with him. I obliged him as best I could being cold and so bundled up.
It started to snow and ice rather heavily again. I was sharing the knowledge about town to Beth, but we had no choice but to go back to our train. The weather was making the train damn near impossible to board, but we made it back inside. I hate this weather - so does Beth.
DAY - 35
I’m bitten. I wasn’t fast enough - got rattled. I can’t even think of much else besides how it happened and hoping that my thoughts on the nanotechnology, at the moment, are more accurate than my previous paranoid beliefs.
This morning Beth and I bundled up again, and we grabbed our weapons. It was no longer snowing. In fact, the sun was out and offered a bit of warmth amidst the thick, snow covered ground. We got Sid on his leash and headed into town again. We were to search further into town. I remember taking glances at the stalled cargo train on our way. I was thinking that my future plan after rummaging through town some more would work just fine. I just had to keep exploring the haven of supplies in this town, though. I wanted to get as much as Cheyenne Wells could offer us.
Further into town we went - farther down the main street. The store that finally attracted our collective attention was a pet store. The windows were fine - the door too. The lights were working, and from the looks of things the animals inside were quite active. Once inside, we witnessed birds in cages, dogs in kennels, cats in glass bins, hamsters and rodents - they all looked to have been cannibalizing each other. Sid was very confused to the whole situation. He knew it was bad, what was in there, but he seemed very intrigued by a spillage of various pet foods all about the floors. I made Beth hold him still. Open food could’ve been contaminated food. I didn’t want to take that risk. Then the real problem presented itself.
A huge ghoul emerged from the back of the store. It was a massively overweight person and it was eating what looked like an iguana. Beth instantly fired her shotgun at the ghoul hitting its chest. I fell to the ground startled that she had fired her gun from behind me. Beth fired again and took its head off. The huge ghoul fell sideways crashing through a bin of kittens. The kittens scampered about and then began coming for us. I shot
one from my seated position, Beth shot two of them, but the last kitten got close enough to bite my hand. I quickly grabbed it and broke its neck, and then smashed it with the butt of the shotgun until it was a bloody mess. All the while, the other animals were staying noisy. I thought for sure that Beth would kill me right there, but she instead helped me to my feet and outside. Once out in the street we had to blast a few more ghouls who had come out of hiding.
Beth was more worried about getting out of town in one piece than to bother with taking me out. In a way, I guess she used me - can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same. Once we neared our train she finally turned on me and raised her shotgun. I was sure that was it, but after several moments, she put her gun back down and grabbed my arm to help me get up into the train.
Beth had been sitting across from me, next to Sid, all night.
She's got a fully loaded shotgun in her lap and is just staring away as I’ve been writing this down. This may be my last entry.
DAY- 36
I awoke this morning to the sun, bright and somewhat warmer and shining into the engine. The ice was sliding off of the windows in chunks. I felt very lucky to be alive. I noticed that Beth and Sid fell asleep in the same position as last night - sitting directly across from me. Beth still had her shotgun in her lap, pointed at me. Luckily, her fingers weren’t on the trigger. I thought about saying something to wake her or maybe tapping her, but then again, why startle someone with a gun having no reason to trust you? So, I sat quietly and waited for her to wake up. I sat for a long while and began to question everything I know about this biomechanical plague we’re dealing with.
Sid actually woke up first and came over licking me like I was a Popsicle. It was good news, though. I felt fine for once since the pet store, yesterday. Surely Sid would sense a change in me and not be so friendly was I becoming a threat.
Beth awoke to see Sid was still approving of me. She smiled and it told me that I still stood a good chance of hanging around. She immediately took to looking at my hand - the bite from the kitten. I hadn’t even thought to look at it myself, so we were both surprised at the sight. The bite wasn’t there. It was healed - like it never even happened. Beth instantly pulled Sid away from me and held her gun at me again. I talked to her as much as I could - as fast as I could. I said everything I had been obsessing over and how things aren’t adding up to what we previously thought to be true:
If I am infected, but not already dead, surely the nanotechnology wouldn’t attempt to kill my functional cells when they are programmed to repair dead tissue. How else would my bite have healed so fast? Maybe the problem was the military’s attempts at reanimating the dead? It makes sense in that way - it would be a weapon in that instance. But I am very much alive - the only threat from me would be after I die - just like the others. Maybe I’m not such a liability? Maybe, now, I am much more of an asset?
I kept talking and pleading my case - all day actually. Beth finally looked comfortable on one topic, though - the plan that I had been waiting to put into action regarding making it to the mountains. She handed me my sword. If I understand her right, I’m trusted as much until I show any signs of violence towards her or Sid - Fair enough. In return I promised her that tomorrow I will do whatever it takes to get us moving again.
Tomorrow because it has gotten dark early again, and although I'm beyond the fear of dying, I'm not stupid.
DAY - 37
I awoke this morning and quickly looked to my left hand.
Yesterday the bite was healed, and today I have a dark spot forming under my skin. I instantly thought of the brown recluse bite I had received all those years ago. I decided to wear the gloves I had taken from the outdoor goods store. They're very similar to the gloves one would wear in baseball - like batting gloves, sort of.
I gathered myself together. I wanted to keep my word to Beth and Sid, so I calmly exited our train. I left them still asleep. I made way to the stalled cargo train’s engine, climbed aboard and upon entering the engine, I witnessed a real mess of a ghoul. It was only a torso, one arm and a head held loosely by a few ligaments and its spine. It almost looked like it had been eating itself. Obviously here for quite a while, its mess was now iced over blood covering the floor. I simply snapped its neck by stomping it a few times. I then got the engine started and running fine. It seemed to have a nearly full tank, which further intrigued me as to why it was stopped in the first place. The best I can figure is maybe this person stopped here thinking it was a nice isolated town - unaffected - and found the opposite. I then found myself at Beth’s gunpoint. She took some time to look in my eyes securing her thoughts about me and then hugged me slightly. I told her to wait outside while I cleaned out the engine for us. We then moved all of our supplies to our new train. I decided to put our old train in reverse and we watched for a moment as it faded away. I then got our new train leading us west again - my promise kept. I’ve also noticed my foot still hurts like hell - an arguable point for me.
Then Beth noticed something in the window seals of the train - dead insects - mosquitoes. I haven’t even thought about it.
The whole plague started during two very warm weeks for a January. Those damned nanotech’s are in the blood, and winter is just now hitting the country this year - just now killing the fucking mosquitoes. No wonder it spread so fast.
I sneaked another look at my left hand when Beth was busy looking out the windows. The dark spot is getting bigger. I’m thinking about stopping our train again during the day tomorrow - somewhere - any town. I’m going to find a doctor’s office, maybe a minor emergency clinic - something. I have a couple of options in mind to treat this damned infection.
DAY - 38
We’re stopped again. The town is called Bennett, Colorado. On the map it shows Bennett as the last small town before reaching Denver, but as huge as Denver is, I’m not so sure I even want to risk it.
I was already thinking the tallest building in town had to be a hospital - just too obvious. I sneaked another look at my hand. My fingers are starting to turn purple. I still have motor functions, though. The nanotech’s seem more like they’re affecting blood flow. In fact the whole thing reminds me of autoimmune disease. My father suffered from it. It’s when your white blood cells start attacking a problem that isn’t there, thus creating a bigger problem.
Beth, Sid and I exited the train while all bundled up and having our weapons ready. I’m still only trusted with my sword. Beth held her shotgun as usual. We stuck to the main street of town as our secure path. We entered a small gas station for a moment where I grabbed a road map of Colorado and another map for the area that listed huge parks nearby - pictures of mountain scenery. The same mountains had my eye as soon as we exited the train. A new plan formed in my head, and I was eager to put it to action. But firs
t, I convinced Beth to agree to on us making a run for the hospital. She knew why. I just got lucky that she wasn’t too curious to look at my hand.
Moments later and we reached the tall hospital building. I held my sword ready and entered in through the emergency room entrance. I told Beth to stay back in case it was a haven for the undead. She gladly obliged and seemed very ready to either run with Sid or start shooting. To our surprise there were no ghouls - only dead bodies and lots of blood. I made haste and didn’t hesitate to find some medical equipment I had planned on using. I quickly found some defibrillation paddles - the things that send massive electric currents to people’s hearts. The whole thing ran off of a battery pack, so I didn’t need the electricity that the town was lacking. Beth looked very interested and confused as to what I was trying to accomplish, so I explained my plan to her:
If the nanotechnology inside of me is nothing more than a bunch of tiny machines doing damage, then I’m going to fry the fuck out of them. I’m going to send enough electricity inside of me to destroy them all - to hell with how much it would hurt. The paddles are charged up, and I’m going to place one paddle atop my hand as I grip the other. I’m instructing Beth to keep the journal going should I not survive this.
DAY - 39
Beth woke me by slapping my face. Sid added to it by licking my entire face. I’ve got to get his ass some breath mints, maybe some Altoids. I had been out for nearly ten hours. Beth had dragged me into a nurse’s station and locked the door. I couldn’t see that any ghouls had been around either. Beth then held my ungloved, left hand up to my face.
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