The Zombie Plagues Dead Road: The Collected books. (4 page)

The supermarket has that smell also,
and I found two people up by the checkouts when I first dug it out,
but none since then as I’ve dug out other parts of the store. Maybe
it’s the meat department at the back of the store that smells like
that.

I spent most of the next
day wandering around, trying to start cars and trucks, calling out
to the people I had hoped were there. Nothing. I heard something
that sounded like an engine running, but it came and went on the
wind and I couldn’t tell where it had come from. But I took that as
a good sign. It has to be someone,
right?

I can’t imagine being alone.

I tried to start new cars, old cars,
new trucks, you name it. None of them do anything except turn over.
But at least their batteries are working.

That was the day I realized that the
daylight seemed to last way too long. My watch wasn’t working, so I
can’t say for sure, but the sun just seemed to hang in the sky all
day, then it seemed to sink in the wrong direction once it did set.
And I was sick all day. My stomach. And I was light
headed.

The night lasted a long time, and the
sun came back up in the wrong place, unless my sense of direction
is off. Maybe it is. In any case, I don’t know what happened. Maybe
it was the earthquakes? I don’t know. It could’ve been, but it
doesn’t seem possible.

The end of the world books were saying
the Earth would stop and then run backwards. Maybe it did, but I
didn’t feel weightlessness if it did, or at least I don’t think so.
But I thought about the vehicles, magnetic poles. Maybe because
everything is electronic now they can’t work? I don’t know. It’s
just an idea, but I’m thinking I’ll look for an older vehicle to
try out my theory on. Like I said, I wish I were a mechanic, and
then I’d know.

I spent a lot of time clearing out the
rock and broken bricks in this cave, bringing food in and even some
chairs, blankets, things like that. I’ve collected a lot of
firewood and every butane lighter I could find. Paper plates,
plastic forks and spoons. And, man oh man, coffee. I found a small
metal coffee pot in an aisle with camping gear. It works pretty
damn well. I got some heavy duty pots and pans there
too.

All of that over the last few days, but
still no other people. It makes me wonder about the tracks that
went past my house. Where did they go? Where is there to go? I turn
the radio on every once in a while, but nothing. Even so, I’m
keeping my attitude upbeat. Positive. There has to be other people.
Doesn’t that just make sense? Winter can’t last much past May, and
then it will be time to get out of here... hopefully with other
people.

Candace ~ March 9th

I saw him!
I know there is this other person just across the
river. It was while we were on the way back, and I happened to look
back across the river from the rail trestle, and there he was by
the river bank. Climbing it? I think so, but why? And how can I say
it was the same man that belonged to the footprints? I can't. I
feel it though. I believe it was him. Who else could it have
been?

I wanted to go back right then. Tom
refused. There was no reason for him to refuse, but he did. We
argued about it. I mean really argued. I hadn't realized or really
even thought about what it is about Tom that I don't like. Maybe a
better way to say that is, what keeps me away from him. Why didn't
I, in all this destruction, hopelessness, just fall into his arms,
or love, or whatever would pass for love in this world? Isn't that
logical? Shouldn't I have? But I didn't, and the reason is that
he's got this attitude about what place a woman has in his world.
It came out today when we argued. I think I picked it up
subconsciously before that though, and it kept me away from
him.

Anyway I'm not going to go there. I'm
leaving in the morning to go over there and find the man that I
saw. I know that sounds crazy. I know it does, but I'm going. I'm
getting up at sunrise, and I'm going. Jan and Bob said they would
go with me. If Tom doesn't want to go, he doesn't have to. We're
not speaking at all. Lydia seems upset by that. She wants him, but
not at my expense. I guess that makes me like her a little more
than I did.

I was outside until way after dark
looking for firelight on the other side of the river. I didn't see
any at all. I don't know that area though. Maybe I wouldn't see a
fire over there. Maybe he is being careful. I want to know so much.
When will I know it?

Mike ~ March 10th ?
(probably)

Another long day. More trips back and
forth to the supermarket. The days are definitely longer, but so
are the nights. I don’t see how that can be, but it is. I have no
real way to judge it; it's just a gut feeling. I found several
watches by the checkouts. None of them work either. But, I know its
true. I feel the longer days. I feel the longer nights. That’s all
I can say.

A few days back I became sure that the
days were even longer, and that’s changed. They’re not as long as
that, but still longer than they used to be.

I was thinking, who are you? I know
that’s kind of dumb, but you are somebody, right? And you’re
reading this, right? And, how far away is it in time? Place? Do you
know who I am, or did you just find this and begin reading it? Have
you been through this too? Is it over and explained? For all I
know, no one is here to read this. I can’t really believe that
though. Man, I really can’t… won’t. It’s the only reason I’m
writing this. So that someone, you, will know who I am and that I
made it, at least so far. And as I go along, I hope to get some
answers. There must be some somewhere. Maybe you have them.
Maybe.

So my name is Mike, Michael Collins.
I’m a website designer... Was, I guess. I guess there’s no more
internet, right? Hopefully it’ll be back though. I’m twenty-three
years old and I live here in Watertown, have all of my life. I’m
single, and it looks like I might remain single for a while. That’s
not funny really. Hopefully I’ll find other people soon. I can’t be
the only one left. But if I do, or if I don’t, I’ll have this
written record.

I dragged about fifty sled
loads of stuff down here today. The inside of the market is really
beginning to smell bad. No,
really
bad. And, I found more bodies also, two today.
I’ve been concentrating on canned stuff, trying to make sure I
don’t get sick. There is a lot of it, and I have a lot of it here
now.

I heard dogs today and not
far away either. And, there were paw prints in the supermarket. And
something had been at the bodies. The dogs, I suppose. I was kind
of leery of going in, but they weren’t there. And had they been,
they probably would’ve been as afraid of me as I was of them. But I
was also wondering,
were they dogs?
Wolves?
I mean, don’t
they sound the same? Leave the same sort of tracks? Maybe not to
someone who knows what to look for in the tracks, but to me they
look like dog tracks. And the bodies I had found had been partially
eaten. Something was eating them. Dogs? Wolves? I didn't know, but
I knew I had to be careful.

That got me thinking about the zoo.
What happened to all the animals there? So I walked out State
Street, but I couldn’t get all the way up to the park entrance. The
road’s gone. The whole park area seems to be gone. No trees, just
raw earth. So, I turned back around and came back. I don’t think
anything could’ve lived through that. But lions, wolves, bears?
There are a few new things to worry about, right? Can a lion
survive in the winter? I don’t know. But I walked back from my trip
to the park a lot faster than I walked up there.

But I heard dogs… or wolves. I heard
them, and if they lived,

other people had to live, right? And a
few times now I’ve felt that I was being watched. You know that
feeling you get? Well I’ve gotten it a few times in the last few
days. I still haven’t seen anyone though. I’ve called out a few
times; no one has answered.

I haven’t seen other footprints, but
it’s been a little warmer, and the snow has melted. Not all of it,
but a lot of it. And they could also walk where I’ve been walking,
in which case I wouldn’t see their tracks. But they should have no
trouble finding me. I'm not trying to hide or be careful about the
tracks I leave. I don’t know if that’s good or not. I’ve been
thinking about that as well.

I’m not much for guns. I’ve never shot
a pistol or a rifle or gone hunting. But I’m thinking of walking
back out Arsenal Street. There were a few sporting goods stores out
there. I even took a few things from one of them the other day, but
I didn’t think about guns at the time. Maybe I’ll go
tomorrow.

A weird thing did happen today. I was
being careful, making sure there were no dogs or wolves, or
whatever in the store. Looking around. I was up at the front where
the payphones are, there was a time when people used things like
payphones. These were still here from that time, and one of them
rang. As soon as it did, the other two there rang as well. Only a
little jangle. It didn’t last more than a second, but it scared the
crap out of me. I thought I was dead right there. For some reason,
I thought the wolves had sneaked up on me, come up behind me and
were about to get me. Don’t ask me how I got wolves from a ringing
phone, but I did.

I calmed down after a few
minutes, and so I walked over and picked up the nearest receiver.
Static. Scratchy static. Then it cleared for a second and, it was
probably just my nerves, but I could swear I heard someone there.
Maybe not
heard
, I
don’t know if I heard anything at all. It was more like I knew
someone was there: You know what I mean? Like when you get a crank
call and the person doesn’t speak, but you know that they are there
anyway? Like that.
Exactly
like that. But, then it went right back to
scratchy static, and I felt stupid for even thinking it at all. Who
could’ve been there? Who would know I was there? It was just
nerves. I know it was.

After I got everything back to this
cave, I organized it. I’ve brought back a lot of stuff. Meat,
vegetables, bottled water. I have to work my way over to some other
aisles. I need rice, pasta, maybe some instant potatoes. I started
on that today. I got part way through the end cap, but the whole
roof seems to be resting on that part of the aisle stands, and it’s
the same way on the other end. That’s when I found the bodies. It
was so bad I couldn’t tell what they had been.

I thought it might be better to go
through the aisle dividers. They are solid steel though, and I
can’t see any way through them, short of a set of torches. Maybe I
could find a set, but it seems as though it would be easier to
start from the checkouts and work my way through the piles of stuff
until I hit another aisle. I have no idea what each aisle is
though.

Yeah, I’ve been there about a thousand
times, and I can tell you where the beer and chips would be, paper
plates, disposable forks and spoons, but that’s about it. I’d hate
to spend five hours or more of digging just to reach the toilet
paper and sanitary napkins in aisle four. That would be my luck.
But there’s nothing to do for it except to do it. Or go find a set
of torches.

I know I need carbs. Canned meat and
vegetables are good, but very low carbs. It's funny, but I need
fat, things I’m burning heavy and need to replace. I have nearly
constant exercise. My pants are hanging off me. Who knew it could
be this easy to lose weight?

I’d also like to find supplements, a
good selection of first aid stuff, vitamins, band aids,
disinfectant, things like that. I guess that’s my next bit of time
mapped out for me.

Other things I’m looking for: A wind up
watch (Should work right?).

An old car or truck without an
electronic brain (My hope is that if it’s just a simple
distributor/spark arrangement with a carburetor, I should be able
to get it to work). I think electronics are shot. They don’t work,
that’s for sure. But I could be wrong. Maybe they will in
time.

A battery powered T.V. ; maybe there
will be a station on. I know it’s a long shot. Everything is
digital. Do they even make battery powered digital
televisions?

A C.B. or Ham radio. That would let me
listen to the state, maybe the world. I should be able to reach
someone.

And last, I’m going to check every
phone I come across… just in case.

It's early, but I’m tired. I wish I
weren’t alone.

Candace ~ March 10th

It's late at night. What a difference a
day makes. Mike is his name.

We went back today to see
if he had been back to the store. I went there first. I hoped to
catch him there early, but he wasn't there. Tom dragged his feet.
Like he didn't want to go at all. He didn't say that but, it seemed
that way to me. Maybe things were just getting to me. Tom's been
putting more and more pressure on me to be with him. Lydia's
turning up the
I hate you
attitude. Maybe it's just me, or just
was
me. Either way, by
the time we did get there this morning, the snow was melting, and
there was no real way to tell if he had been there at all. I
thought about what I had decided yesterday, just going without Tom,
but I waited.