February 22, 2053
The sun is rising, paler than ever, suffocated by the thick fog that wraps around us like a shroud. The dampness seeps into your bones and makes your joints creak, but at least it shouldn't rain, not for now. And that's already a good sign: we need to move quickly. Lucky is already awake and seems more restless than usual. He stares at me with those intelligent eyes of his, eager to take his usual morning walk for his business. I suspect he's picked up something in the air, a scent or a sound that I don't perceive yet. Better that way; he keeps me on alert. Ah, almost forgot: before setting off again, I could take a look at the laundromat. Who knows, maybe I'll find something more decent to wear. I smell so bad I could make a zombie faint. Ironic, considering they technically don't breathe.
I'm hiding in the storeroom of a souvenir shop. The space is cramped and smells of mold. There are tin patrols everywhere, damn them. I counted two in front of the entrance, and a vehicle with at least four of them keeps circling the block. Every now and then, I hear gunshots, short and sharp; strangely, it comforts me to think they're not looking for me... But there's a problem: in the confusion, Lucky and I got separated. He darted in one direction, I went in another. Now I don't know where he's gotten to, damn it! I keep telling him to stay close, but he's stubborn like few others. I just hope they're not shooting at him.
February 23, 2053
He's okay... He's here with me. Damn hardhead. I waited for hours in the back of the shop, shadows stretching and shrinking as the sun set, the darkness of the night creeping in like a predator. I couldn't afford to lose my new friend, not now. So, I went out, heart pounding, desperately searching for him. I finally found him, huddled behind a dumpster in the alley nearby, his eyes looking at me full of fear and relief. There are no words to describe that moment. He's fine, but next time he worries me like that, I swear if they don't kill him, I will!
Luckily, this area isn't heavily frequented by the flesh-eaters. A sort of small truce, but still too uncertain to let our guard down. We managed to find shelter in an overturned, abandoned van in the alley. It's cramped and smells of rust and burnt plastic, but there are boxes everywhere, which means we have some places to hide if necessary. Praying to our god? I'm not expecting much from up there, but who knows, maybe Lucky still has faith in his, if he exists. In the meantime, I try to get some rest, taking advantage of the silence.
February 24, 2053
I can't believe it... A little girl! Yet another heart attack guaranteed. I was woken up by Lucky starting to growl toward the back of the van, where all the boxes are piled up. And from there, in the dark and dust, I hear a sobbing, muffled whimper. My eyes slowly adjust to the darkness, and then I see them: two big, scared eyes staring at me. But they aren't dead, glassy eyes. No, these are alive, full of tears, the eyelids constantly blinking from crying. A little girl, no more than ten years old. Her brown hair is tangled and dirty, the strands stuck to her face. She's wearing a pink tank top and sporty shorts, revealing her scraped and pale skin. She is incredibly thin, emaciated, as if she hasn't eaten in days.
The thing that catches my attention is a strange, wide ankle bracelet she has on her left leg, a gadget reminiscent of the old surveillance anklets worn by prisoners under house arrest. But this one is different: no lights, no signs of technology. The more I look at it, the more it seems like junk rather than a device. Now that I've managed to calm her down a bit, she's sitting in a corner, legs pulled up against her chest and her head resting on her knees. It's too cold for her to stay like that. She's just a little girl, damn it, and I have no idea what to do in these situations! I've never been a parent! Taking her with me is risky. I don't even have enough food for myself.
What should I do? Damn!
It's almost evening now, and the cold is becoming unbearable even in here. My breath condenses into clouds of vapor. I feel like I need to go out, move, do something. I asked her what her name was, trying to sound friendly. She said her name is Emy, and she's 12 years old. I tried asking where she came from and what she was doing here, but her tired, swollen eyes made me realize it wasn't the right time to press her.
February 25, 2053
I'm sorry for Emy. I had no other choice. I hope one day she will forgive me. I left her my jacket to keep her warm and left as soon as she fell asleep. It's freezing out here! The air feels like tiny ice knives cutting the skin. I've returned to the laundromat. I need to find something to wear, and quickly.
Note to self: I found a map of the area in the souvenir shop, but I wasn't clear-headed enough to grab it earlier. I need to remember to go back for it; I'll need it to plan my next moves. The city shouldn't be far from ending.
I finally found a sweater. It has some holes, but it's better than nothing. It does its job, and I already feel a bit warmer. And I have the map. It isn't detailed, but at least it gives me some sense of direction. I'm starting to feel an emptiness in my stomach, a burning hunger. My water bottle is almost empty. Tonight, I'll plan everything, and tomorrow I'll head out again.
Strangely, no signs of zombies or cyborgs today... Which worries me more than it reassures me.
February 26, 2053
Alright, here we go. Everything is ready. I'm closer than I thought. Four blocks from here, turning right, I should be able to reach the bridge that leads out of the city. It'll be just a few hundred meters, but it could feel like an eternity if something goes wrong. I just have to hope there are no patr....
February 27, 2053
I can't take it anymore... Those damn zombies won't leave me alone, and I still don't have a damn weapon! Those "things" are as strong as wrestlers. What am I supposed to do, punch them? Yesterday, while I was writing, I heard one running in my direction. I literally shit myself! Without turning around, I ran toward the laundromat counter as fast as I could, jumping over it like an Olympic high jumper. At that moment, I wasn't thinking about anything, just running away.
Luckily, crawling like a damn snake, I managed to slip into the back room. But not without difficulty: I tripped over a broom on the floor, which made enough noise to attract the predator's attention. I heard the sound of those heavy footsteps getting closer and closer. It was a close call, damn it! I shut the laundromat's back door just in time, barricading it with that damn broom. Lucky looked at me with those intelligent eyes of his, almost amused, as if to say, "You idiot, couldn't you have run straight in here?" I just hope the broom holds...
Finally, after who knows how many hours, that damn zombie stopped banging on the door. But I can still hear it moaning now and then, as if it's trying to lure me outside with that creepy sound, almost a distorted whisper. This isn't good... I'm stuck in here, with hunger gnawing at my stomach and water all gone. I'm getting impatient!
Okay, that's enough. I think it's evening by now... and I'm completely dry. I found some kind of metal pipe; it looks like a spare part from a washing machine or something. Alright, I've decided: I'm going out there and taking that bastard down! I hope I survive... Wish me luck, Lucky. I've loved you... No, that's not true...
February 28, 2053
Well, three mouths to feed... Now what?
No, it wasn't the damn zombie last night... That bastard had already left ages ago. When I opened the door to go on the attack, ready with my metal pipe in hand, I found Emy standing right in front of me! She was the one crying and moaning right outside the door. I think I'm like a cat because I've never lost so many lives as I have these past few days. Damn kid!
Now we've stopped at the famous right turn on the road I had planned. We're inside a bar. Emy is eating a chocolate bar we found behind the counter, but there wasn't anything else. Lucky looks at me with those hungry eyes, but of course, he can't eat chocolate. Ah, Emy spoke again... She gathered all the energy she had left after the scare I gave her by flinging the door open, and she said, "Help me." She's a damn burden, but she's human... I shouldn't have abandoned her.
We'll be leaving again soon. It looks like noon or something; the sun is high, and the road is clear. In the distance, I can see the pylons of the bridge; with a bit of luck, we should reach it in two hours of walking. I just have to wait for Emy and Lucky to recover a bit. I'll go stand guard outside.
It's night, but we made it. We're at the bridge! Or rather, under it... We found an open steel door right under the bridge. We're in a small room with some burnt-out machinery... It looks like the bridge is a drawbridge since it crosses a river, but who knows how many years it hasn't moved. It wasn't easy getting here, but it's something. The door is barricaded with the chair that was here and should hold. I'm exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. I feel like I'm going to faint, I have no more strength left. Tomorrow I absolutely have to find something to eat, or we're all done for. Night.
March 1, 2053
Yesterday was nothing short of miraculous!
We set off early in the morning, taking advantage of the fog that covered us. The houses became more sparse as we moved, until we found ourselves in the open countryside. An endless expanse of grass and dirt stretched out in front of us, as far as we could see. We found an abandoned farmhouse on the edge of a field and decided to stop and rest for a bit. And here's the surprise: a damn woodcutting axe! This is a sign, a sign that the hope of surviving a few more days exists! But that's not all. Poking around, what do I see out of the little window in the back of the shed? A freaking apple orchard! Full of juicy apples that seemed to be waiting just for me! I've never been so happy to have a heavy backpack. I filled it with all the apples I could!
Not knowing how to proceed yet, we're staying in the shed for now. It's still morning. In a bit, I'll wake up the crew and we'll get ready. We need to find a safe place to camp and gather resources. The area doesn't seem to have been targeted by zombies or cyborgs; no signs of their presence. My predictions were right, thank goodness. Now I'll take a moment to assess the situation:
- Food: Okay for at least 3 days.
- Weapon: HELL YES! (axe)
- Radio
- The kid and the dog are fine.
We'll continue heading north until sunset. Let's hope we find a safe place in time.
It's been night for a while. Emy and the dog are fast asleep. We managed to find an abandoned barn and set ourselves up on the upper floor. After getting up here, we pulled up the wooden ladder; this way, we should be safe enough from unpleasant surprises.
We searched all day for a better shelter, but the only two houses we came across were destroyed, half-collapsed, and uninhabitable. They offered no kind of protection. I hope tomorrow's search yields better results.
March 2, 2053
It's pouring rain outside. Just what we needed. Sure, it's not so bad in here; this barn offers us some protection. But we can't afford to waste our apples staying here in two days, they'll run out, and we'll be in trouble again. And let's not even talk about water... The apple juice isn't enough to keep us hydrated. I feel bad for Emy, but we'll have to move out in the rain. I'm going to wake her up.
That was a close call, damn it! Another second and I'd have been food for those monsters! We left the barn, and out of the corner came those bastards. They grabbed my backpack, and I had to slip out of it and run back inside! My heart is still pounding. I managed to close the barn door just in time; it's very thick and should hold, but now we're trapped here, and I don't know what to do!
Damn bastards, they don't want to leave! They've been outside for three hours now, still screaming and pounding on the door! Emy says she wants to get out of here, that she's scared, and I get it. Lucky is calmer; he looks at me like a little soldier waiting for orders from the general. I need to think of something... Think, think, think...
I can't do it; there are too many of them! More have arrived. I think I've counted at least twenty. Where the hell did they all come from? I noticed a small dog door in the barn door, and I decided to take advantage of it to peek outside. The backpack is too far away; I can't reach it from here. Those bastards, as soon as they noticed me, they lunged to the ground to grab me. Christ, what a scare!
March 3, 2053
It's quiet this morning. Thank God. I'm hungry, and I think the apples won't last much longer... We're definitely still trapped here. I noticed a skylight on the other side of the loft; I'm going to see if I can climb onto the roof to get a better view of the situation.
The good news is that at least it's not raining anymore. The bad news? I counted forty-three... They're still surrounding the structure, standing still and twitching. The situation is dire. They can wait out there forever, or even longer, but we can't. Our time is running out.
Okay, I think I have a plan. I noticed on the roof that there's one of those lattice-like wooden "nets" on the side of the barn, the kind used for ivy to climb. There's no way I can use it with my weight, but Emy can. At first, she didn't want to hear it; she started crying, saying I wouldn't be able to escape and she'd be left alone. She's calmed down now. I told her everything will be alright. The plan is this: I'll lure the zombies inside the building by making noise, while she climbs down from there and runs toward the trees about fifty meters behind the barn. I guess I'll have to jump from the roof. It's pretty high, but with a bit of luck, I'll manage.
I still don't know what to do about Lucky...