I’m also not allowed to sleep for the next three hours, so I’m “unofficially” on watch with Josh and Ben. Not much else to do. We didn’t light any candles, and electricity is a thing of the past at this point. I keep hoping we’ll come across a survivalist with solar panels, I would kill for a hot bath right about now.
Literally.
* * *
June 16th
10:28pm
WE FOUND CHICKENS! They were all dead, but I had my hopes up for all about an hour. It was some kinda hatchery. Not entirely sure why they’re all dead, but Scott, Dave and Ben checked it out, and no luck. Probably better that way, since I’m not sure how we would’ve managed carrying any with us..
We ended up back on the highway. We skipped the idea of getting another car. The roads we’ve been coming across have been too crowded anyway. Roger and I rode with the kids as long as we could, and then we all got out and walked.
We found another town in ruins. Kenly, this time. Luckily, we found it before we started walking. It was a lot like back in Rocky Mount. Trolls everywhere, just standing and staring. We noped out of there real quick. Made it a bit further south, and there was another town gone. I’m not sure which one it was though. I was too busy looking for trolls, I didn’t pay attention to the signs.
We found a store outside of town, half burned out. Had a bunch of clothes and hunting stuff. It looked like they used to carry bows and guns, but somebody must’ve got to them before we did. The place was picked clean of the good stuff. We took a bunch of the clothes that weren’t too badly burned up and some coolers. Karla said coolers are better for storing stuff that needs to be protected from water. I’m not entirely convinced, but I let her grab a few anyway.
Got a little further south, and Scott pulled over to have a little meeting on the side of the road. We were coming up on Selma, and he wanted to know if we really wanted to try driving through that, or if we wanted to try finding another way around. As big as Selma is, there is no way it’s still standing, which means we’d be headed right into another troll fest. So yeah. We just said screw it and started unpacking the truck.
We didn’t make it very far. It was already close to five when we stopped, so we just concentrated on getting away from the highway, and into a house.
It worked out okay for us. This place is huge. Not enough beds, but between the couches and blankets, we’re all settled in. The place has a garage, so we parked the wagons in there for the night.
There’s two trolls wandering the neighborhood. One is walking up the street, the other is walking down. They reach the end of the road and turn around. Each time they meet each other in the middle, they raise their hands like they’re waving to each other and keep on going. I told Roger, it’s like they’re old friends from the Zombie PTA or the Bridge club for the undead.
We had ourselves a good laugh until Ben ruined it by asking if it was possible for the trolls to develop a patrolling system. “What if something happens to one of those trolls? Would the other one notice? Would it raise an alarm?”
Fuck you, Ben. I was hoping to actually sleep tonight. Asshole. Now I’m watching these two trolls like they’re ticking time bombs.
What makes it worse, is now we have to wonder...what if that troll the other day was walking the way he did, on purpose? We were so busy watching that one, we missed the larger group coming our way. If they are getting smarter the way we suspect they are, we have to consider the idea that they’re learning how to work in teams, and doesn’t that just beat all?
Oh yeah, and Roger has a theory, by the way. About the virus, or whatever it is. He says that there’s a parasite that can only reproduce in cats. In order to get into a cat’s body, it infects a rat or a bird, something the cat will eat, and actually take over part of the animal’s brain. Once it’s in the brain, it manipulates the rat or bird to not be afraid of cats. So, let’s say it takes over a rat’s brain. It will then make the rat run around where it can smell cats until the cat catches it and eats it. The virus reproduces in the cat, and the eggs are laid in the cat’s feces.
He thinks this virus or whatever, might actually be a parasite like that. The only problem is...it doesn’t really make sense. I mean, the way it works, taking over the brain, that part makes sense, but...why? Why infect humans? We’re at the top of the food chain. The only thing that feeds off of us are bugs like mosquitoes and ticks. So what’s the point of that?
Abby suggested the parasite evolved in the feces of the big cats like lions and tigers in the zoos. We’re top of the food chain, for the most part, but we’d be easy pickings for cats like those. If the cats were able to get out of their enclosures, anyway. Jason suggested aliens. Abby sent him to bed. It’s a fair enough suggestion though. I mean, for all we know, the aliens need human bodies to survive on Earth. Maybe an astronaut brought something back from space without realizing it? I thought they were all put in quarantine when they came back from outer space, but maybe that’s just a myth?
Dunno, but Scott came in, and decided to add his 2cents. He didn’t have a suggestion for how the trolls came about, but he had a theory about how the troll in the pharmacy knew how to smile and laugh. According to him, there was a tv on the wall. One of those stupid ones that just plays the same commercials over and over. If she was bit and had locked herself in that room to get away from the attacker, and then transitioned in there...she might’ve been stuck watching that tv. She might’ve even changed the channel before the change hit took over. What if that had helped her learn? It would explain why the trolls in the car were so blank looking, too. They had resting troll face cause they hadn’t learned the different expressions faces can make.
It makes a certain amount of sense, but I do not like the implications.
Anyway, fuck it, I’m going to bed. Goodnight.
* * *
June 17th
10:11pm
Well, today was crap from the start. First, we had to figure out a way to get the wagons out of the garage, which led us to wondering how we managed to get them in there without the trolls seeing us in the first place, which led to us realizing that the trolls didn’t show up until after we were in the house, which led to us staring out the window like “....fuck.”
There was a back door to the garage, but it wasn’t big enough to fit the wagons through, so that was out. The kitchen had sliding glass doors we could’ve fit the wagons through, but the door from the garage to the house was too small. We ended up waiting til both trolls were past us enough to have their backs to us, then slowly rolled the garage door up enough to slide the wagons out through there. Dave and Ben each took one and got them around to the back of the house before the trolls came back, but we had to wait for them to pass by again before we made a run for it.
The kids were whiney all day, we’re all jumpy as hell, Bridget has been fussy, and it was fucking hot. Then, it decided to start storming. Not as bad as the last one, but enough to make us all miserable. There wasn’t really a good place to stop, so we just threw the younger kids in the wagons and kept going. Bridget finally fell asleep.
Abby gave the kids a job to do while they were in the wagons. We still have Becca and Gabby’s backpacks. We recycled them into overnight bags, so instead of us having to go through the boxes tonight to figure out what to eat for dinner, the kids had food packed in the bags and ready to go. It made stopping tonight a lot easier, so we’re gonna start doing that every night/morning. Mike and Karla went ahead and packed the bag for tomorrow night before they went off to bed.
Not much really happened. We stayed away from the houses as much as possible. We found railroad tracks and followed them for a while. We got to a house off the side of the highway just as the sun was setting behind the trees. For being off a major road, it’s pretty isolated.
Mike and Scott practiced the dakota fire hole. Did pretty good, we couldn’t see it from the back window, so we’re counting it as a win. Actually had HOT food tonight. It was ramen, but hey.., it was H
OT, okay?! It was the one highlight to the day, I refuse to let anything ruin it for me.
Ugh.
Not looking forward to being on the go again tomorrow, but happy we’re getting closer to home. I’ve been thinking of all kinds of improvements for the place. If dad and the others can harvest enough glass from the dump/used cars/empty houses, they could make a greenhouse. It wouldn’t hold a lot, but it would help us make it through winter. One can only eat so much canned crap, and I’m not even sure mom knows how to can stuff anymore. She used to make jam, but I dunno about beans and such. Hopefully the survivalist guy knows how to can.
* * *
June 18th
11:04 pm
We had to throw out some of the canned food today. They were bulging, and neither Abby nor I trust them. Melly and Josh were the forward scouts this morning though, and they found one of those dollar store/dollar general stores. Melly said she could see signs for other stores, but they were too far away and too close to the groups of houses we could see. I didn’t want to risk them, not when we’re so close to safety.
We didn’t make it as far as I would’ve liked today, but this stopping point was too perfect. It’s not a big house or anything, but it is completely secluded. Scott and Ben just about tripped over it. We found a bunch of jerky and canned veggies in the pantry. Like, actual canned food. Home done stuff. Not store bought.
A chicken coop, too, but it was empty. I’m starting to think it’s the universe mocking me. If this apocalypse bullshit has shown us anything, it’s that the universe is an asshole.
It’s fine though. With all the canned food we found, we ate good. We ate til we couldn’t eat anymore, then packed up the rest. We passed a couple creeks earlier and refilled our water jugs. We started the bleach treatment right away, but we’re giving it overnight before we mess with them. No trolls, but we were in the woods most of the day, so there’s that. It stormed some more while we were going through the pantries. Nothing big again, thankfully, and we were all already inside.
Meh. All in all, not a bad day. Which means, of course, that tomorrow is gonna suck, just you watch. Going to bed. I don’t have watch, but I do have Bridget, and she’s still a bit fussy. Beginning to wonder if it’s the new formula we’re using. We’ll have to see if we can find a different kind in the next raid.
Goodnight.
* * *
June 19th
10:26pm
Too wiped to write. Nothing happened. Goodnight.
* * *
June 20th
11:59 pm
I should’ve wrote yesterday. I know I was tired, but ugh. Today wasn’t much better. At least yesterday, I could still move. Today, my muscles are like “nope.” I’m also on my second (well, 3rd, if you count the ones I lost to Micah) pair of shoes. I’m surprised the last pair lasted as long as they did...hopefully these shoes last a while too.
Yesterday was a mess. We didn’t have to worry about the trolls, but the land was...ugh.
Long story short, we ran into a river. A big one. Well, big enough, anyway. We spent an hour just looking at the maps, trying to figure out what river it was, and where we could find the nearest bridge. Turns out, our luck sucks. We were pretty much right between the two main bridges, and they were both a good distance away. So...we walked.
A lot.
We just followed the river. We all got ourselves a nice bath, the clothes are all cleaned and dry now. We all drank as much water as we wanted to, and then refilled the water jugs. We almost lost Chloe at one point though. We were all splashing around, and she went a little too far out into the current. Scott grabbed her up though, and that was the end of the splashing for a while.
We finally got some good use out of the rope. There were parts that were too steep for the wagons to go down, so we had to empty the wagons, lower them with the ropes, then lower the boxes, then load the wagons again. Rinse and repeat for a good ten fucking hours. The sun set, and we were nowhere near a good place to stop, so we ended up walking some more. The moon was just about gone too, so we were walking in almost pitch black. I lost count of how many times one of us damn near broke an ankle. It probably would’ve been better to set up camp, honestly, but I was worried about snakes, so we kept going.
I’m glad we did. It started to rain around dawn and never really stopped. We originally stopped and took shelter in the trees, waiting for it to stop. We got tired of that real quick though and started walking again. We found the road on the map that says it leads to a bridge across the river, but we weren’t able to make it to the other side. We cleared out some cars and made ourselves at home the best we could. There’s a funky smell about the cars, but it’s safer than sleeping out in the open, and it’s dry, so I’m...not happy, but I’ll live. I can barely move after the past two days, and tomorrow is another long ass day, but I am drying out, so yeah. Win.
I will say this though...If we don’t find a house to sleep in tomorrow, I’m gonna lose my mind. I need a proper bed to sleep in.
Fingers crossed. Goodnight.
* * *
June 21st
11:43 pm
I’m going to fucking cry. It rained just about all day again. We’re in a house. I’m tired and wet and miserable.
We made it across the bridge. Yay. I don’t even know what to say today. I’m cold and wet, and DONE. I wanna go home.
* * *
June 22nd
8:58 pm
Okay. Yesterday/last night was not a good night. Obviously. I know I shouldn’t let things like the weather get me down, but between the whole “end of civilization” thing, flesh eating zombies, children sniping at each other, and the endless walking...it just. It gets to be a bit much. And last night….I kinda lost it. I yelled at everyone. And a lot of it..wasn’t even anything that was their fault. I just blew up and yeah. Not my best moment. Everyone kinda looked at me like I had sprouted another head and was breathing fire.
Well, almost everyone.
I don’t know what to think of Scott anymore. He started out as a total dick, but either he’s grown a lot, or I have, or maybe we both have, I don’t know, but...I expected him to pull a “this is why women shouldn’t be in charge. They’d start a war every 28 days.” But he didn’t. While I was off having a sulk and calling the rain every nasty word I could think of, he was getting everyone sorted and then came out and suggested a few more things to yell at the sky. Apparently he can cuss in German, French, and Italian. I have a new favorite word: vaffanculo. I’m not entirely sure what it means, but it sounds good.
He basically said not to feel too bad about blowing up at everyone. He flat out admitted that he thought I was going to get us all killed at first, but now...he doesn’t mind pretending to be the leader when we need him to, but he’s glad it’s just for show.
“This shit ain’t easy, but you’re doing a good job keeping us alive. If that means you gotta scream at us, and then at the clouds sometimes, then you go right on ahead and scream. Just don’t forget to drink some water in between. We don’t need you losing your voice.”
Then he went inside, and Abby came out with food. I never cared much for beefaroni, and it’s even worse when it’s cold, but the hug I got was nice.
I eventually went back inside and apologized. The men just shrugged it off or did that two finger salute thing...is there even a name/word for that? The women dragged me off into another room to get dried off and into some warm(er) clothes. The kids all cuddle piled on me when I laid down. I was warm and fed and comfy-ish...I fell asleep and woke up this morning feeling like I had kicked a whole yard full of puppies.
All day today, I got random hugs. I remember reading somewhere that hugs release a chemical, oxycotin, I think? Anyway, it’s basically a happy drug. I dunno if it’s true, I never thought to fact check it, but between the hugs and the sun finally peeking out of the clouds, I was in a much better mood today.
Scott was a smartass earlier. We found this little convenience type store, so of co
urse, we went into raid it, only to find it mostly empty. Keyword: mostly. I heard Scott call my name, turned to look, and he tossed something at me.
A little packet of throat drops. I gave him the finger and used my new favorite word on him. He laughed, I laughed. We went back to picking through the leftovers in the store.
Mike pointed out the fire station across the street from the store. The doors were shut, and when Ben and Dave went to look through the doors, the trucks were gone. Based on our experiences so far, we figure the firefighters evacuated as many people as they could, and raided the store to help take care of the survivors. That’s what we’re hoping happened, anyway. We’re not sure where they would’ve taken them though. By the time we stopped, we hadn’t seen anywhere they could’ve fell back to, so I dunno. Maybe we’ll find tracks tomorrow. I’m not looking to add anyone to our group, but it would be nice to know that others are working together.
...maybe I got one too many hugs today. Hmm.
* * *
June 23th
9:16pm
Well, that was expected. Good day, bad day. Good day, fuck you day. Three guesses which one today was. At least no one was hurt. We’re pretty shook up, but we’re all in one piece. Sorry if this is all over the place, by the way. The kids aren’t sleeping, and I’m not sure I will be tonight either.
The morning started out alright. The ground is still wet after all the rain, so we were sticking to roads. The road we were on happened to take us right by a church. That was all fine and dandy, no worries, just a big ol’ building with a sign promising to “save” our souls. Yeah, whatever.
The Survivor Chronicles | Book 1 | Say No! To Zombies Page 15