Dead Land Journal July 31st 2027

Could not have picked a worse time to be on the move. The moon was waning on the night we left. It is now just the tiniest sliver. It is like they wanted me out in the dark.

It did not take long to pack everything into the back of the jeep. Dee was upset because She like the house but she settled down when I gave her some Oreos. I was almost falling apart myself. I don't think I would have handled a tantrum very well at that point. To tell the truth I was scared shitless.

I drove the Jeep to the Wal-Mart at 39th and 291. I parked in one of the bays at the Tire & Lube Express at the north end of the building. I had to shove a car out of the way in order to close the doors. Like so many big stores like this Wal-Mart has its own backup generators and I wasted no time firing that mother up.

There was a big Grumman Olson stepvan parked outside. It's an old thing with a 454 big block V8 under the fiberglass hood. No wimpy 4 cylinder hybrid conversion, just a big hunk of good ole fashioned American cast iron. It even has a tow dolly already hooked up so I will be able to take the Jeep along.

The engine started on the second try. Good thing it's not the middle of winter or I would have had to thaw the battery before trying to charge it up. That can blow a whole day.

Spent most of the afternoon just throwing shit into the back of the van. Would be nice if it had a ramp, but you take what you can get. It has some deep shelves running along the sides. I loaded them up to capacity with food and supplies. I left a spot clear on the shelves on each side for Dee and I to sleep and laid out some pillows and sleeping bags there.

I grabbed a few rifles and every box of ammo I could find, as well as fishing gear. Not only do I want to be able to defend myself, but I would like to be able to get some fresh meat now and again. Never cleaned and dressed a deer, but I am going to have to learn.

I got a lot of stuff at Sam's Club next door too. Grabbed a portable generator which I will hook up later, if I get the chance.

Seriously considered staying here. There are probably enough supplies here to last a couple of years at least. But looking at those big glass doors convinced me not too. I was unable to properly secure one residential house against them. There would be no way to secure a place this big. I would be sure to miss something.

I did not want to, but it was dark before I finished loading the van, so I pulled it into the bay next to the Jeep and pulled the roll up doors down. It was a tight fit but it cleared the top of the doors, barely. The doors were equipped with a simple sliding bolt so they were easy to secure.
I had Dee lay down in back. I locked all the doors to the van and sat in the driver's seat all night. I don't think I slept more than twenty minutes all night. I was jumping at every little sound. It occurred to me that leaving the generator running and all the lights on might be a mistake. Those lights would act as a beacon to any nasties out there. But I could not bring myself to cut them off. I thought about it several times, but I just locked up each time. Could not make myself move at all.

So I spent that night sitting on that cracked vinyl seat, trying to peer out through the small garage door windows, almost wetting myself every time a bug bumped into the glass. The cicadas buzzing did not help either. My nerves were raw the next day and it felt like my eyelids were made out of sandpaper.

I am typing this entry in a farmhouse outside the city. It seems secure for now and I have not seen any sign of those creatures here.

© 2009 R. Keith McBride