We had power for another week before it finally let out. I had been expecting it every day since my run to the drug store, so it was not out of bounds. It was going to be hot, since it was June, but I was able to open the attic vents, and open the second floor windows for ventilation. The first floorwindows, being covered and boarded up, did a really good job of keeping the first floorcool. I was never so grateful for a brick ground floor. It was kind of dark, but it was cool enough that I didn’t worry about Jake getting too hot. We had enough light to see by, and the water still worked, so we were doing okay, all things considered.
I spent a lot of time working out and staying in shape. We had a treadmill in the basement, but since I never really used it much to begin with, I didn’t really care about it when the power went out. I liked jumping rope, so I did that in the basement. I hoped that I wasn’t making enough noise to be noticed, and so far I had been lucky. I really had very little else to do. If it wasn’t for the zombies, and the constant threat of being infected or eaten, I might actually have enjoyed myself.
I had no illusions about being able to withstand a siege. I knew eventually the zombies would get in if given enough time, and time was all on their side. I had to hope to try to remain under the radar and get through this as best I could.
That was a sobering thought that kept recurring to me through the days. What if there was not an end? What if this was the world we had to get used to? Zombies on the prowl, degenerate humans preying upon survivors, God knows what else waiting for us out there. Government control seemed to be lost, what government there was, in all likelihood, was hiding out and waiting for the day when someone else saved their asses.
So what then? I could accept the fact that I was on my own. I could accept the fact that no one was going to save me, and the only way I was going to survive and Jake was going to survive was to find a place that was secure from the zombies, had a source of food and water, and wait for the eventual rot and decay of the infected.
As much as I hated to admit it, Jake and I were going to have to leave. I did not like the thought of leaving my home and all the memories behind, not to mention a lot of resources that might be useful. But I needed to be realistic. This place was defensible, but against a large scale attack, it was going to fall, myself and Jake going with it. The attack might never happen, but I was not going to take the chance.
I began to see more zombies on the street. At one point, there had to be about thirty of them, and they just wandered down the street, not paying any particular attention to anything. They did get animated when a cat ran out in front of them, but they followed it to a house that had a cat door and began pounding on the doors. In a very short amount of time, they had broken in and all hell broke loose. I could see zombies wandering the downstairs, and they seemed to be still chasing the cat. I figured that little tabby was going to be a meal in short order. I was about to turn away from the window when I heard a scream come from the house and I could see a man and a woman trying to climb out their bedroom window. They had tied a sheet to something, and were trying to shimmy down and get away from their house. I watched the woman slide down and fall on her back, but she got up and seemed unhurt. The man was halfway out the window when a grey arm reached around his neck and pulled him back inside. The woman screamed for her husband, then committed suicide by running back in her house in an attempt to try and save him. Her screams didn’t last long at all.
It all happened in the space of a minute. In an ironic twist, I saw the cat that caused the death of its owners run out of the house again and disappear between two other houses across the street. I felt bad for the couple, as they obviously were laying low and hadn’t been noticed, but they had to have seen what was going on and didn’t take even the most rudimentary precautions. I promised myself to shoot that cat if it even came near my house.
I just shook my head and went back to my business, which was taking care of Jake and getting ready to go. I needed to make sure I had everything ready and would not leave anything behind that was important. I also wanted to make sure that I would still have important stuff to come home to, if this mess ever managed to work itself out.
I packed my “bug-out-bag” with the essentials, and made sure I had enough ammunition. I needed to make sure I had a weapon for silent kills, and my three foot crowbar was enough to foot the bill for that. Plus, it would be a great help if I needed to break into anywhere for shelter. I packed my saddle bags as well, concentrating food for Jacob and water. I made sure they were balanced and placed them in the garage.
I spent a good deal of time figuring out what I was going to take and what I was going to leave behind. I had to re-pack and re-think what I was going to do several times, and it was two days before I finally had everything together.
I decided not to use my car as an escape vehicle. Sure it could go further faster, but it was also a magnet for zombies and others. If I used my bicycle and child trailer, I should be able to move relatively undetected.
Jake was oblivious as I ran around the house getting things ready and making sure we had what we needed. The weather worked for us, as we didn’t need to worry about cold weather clothes, but I packed some footie pajamas for Jake just in case. He was going to need to be strapped in to the bike seat behind me, something I am sure he was going to love. He always enjoyed going for walks and having the wind in his face. I thought about having him in the trailer, but I wanted to make sure I could get him out in a hurry if I needed to. And if I needed to ditch the trailer, I didn’t want to have to figure out how to strap Jake on the bike on the run.
As I looked at my weapons, I realized I had only my SIG, my knife, and my M1 carbine. I wanted to take another weapon, something with serious firepower. I dismissed my shotgun as too unwieldy, and my. 22, though handy with a lot of rounds, didn’t make it in the serious firepower department. I decided to take my Enfield, although where the heck I was going to put it was a mystery to me. It weighed quite a bit, and was fairly awkward, although no one who saw it doubted its effectiveness at long ranges. Looking around my garage, I saw my bungee cords, and with a moment’s thought, managed to bungee the Enfield to the center post of my bicycle, with the muzzle pointing forward. The action was still free, and I could easily manipulate the bolt and trigger without too much worry. This gave me a mounted gun I could get into action quickly. I thought about adding the spike bayonet, but figured that would be overkill. I stuck the bayonet in my backpack, just in case. As an additional measure, I wrapped the gun with a towel to hide what it was, but still kept the action loose.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to go and I needed to go now. It was like something was coming on the horizon and if I didn’t get moving, things were going to get bleak in a hurry. There was no explanation for it, it was just a feeling I had. Maybe it was the increased zombie activity in the area. I don’t know. I just knew I needed to get moving.
I began moving things into my den under the garage. The guns and ammo I was leaving behind were already there, so that wasn’t an issue. I brought down anything of value or use, including my tools and clothing. I didn’t bother with Jake’s clothes, as he would have outgrown them by the time we came back, if ever. When I had filled the room, I closed off the opening with a piece of polyurethaned lumber I had cut for that purpose years ago. I took out my caulk gun and sealed the edges. I then put another piece of lumber in front of the opening and caulked that in place as well. That was about as much as I could do as far as keeping water out. With no power, a good rain was going to cause some flooding, and I was trying to save my keepsakes as long as I could. Part of me figured it was an exercise in futility, but a more stubborn part of me refused to accept the fact that this was it, and I was never coming home again.
I went back up stairs to check on Jake, and he was still taking his nap. I checked my bags again and looked out in the garage at my preparations. I figured to move first thing in the morning, and I needed to move quickly. I was headed south, and hopefully I would be able to put some serious distance between me and the troubled spots. With luck, I might be able to find a town that had not been infected, and Jake and I can settle into some sort of life while the rest of the world went crazy.