Dead Land Journal September 16th 2027

Lost.

I'm lost again. I have been afraid of entering major cities for fear of encountering the wraiths the highways and interstates for the and the traffic snarls. I decided to take the back roads. BIG MISTAKE. I started out taking the South Outer Belt Road. This intersects Renick just down a bit from the house I stayed in for couple of nights. I took a wrong turn, back tracked a couple of times and wandered around for most of yesterday. Some of the roads I thought would lead me back to the highway actually turned out to be private drives. I must have backtracked on that road at least half a dozen times. I eventually ended up in a tiny little town called Kingsville. I spent a great deal of the day beating my head on the steering wheel of the Ford calling myself names. I hate being lost. I got lost a couple of times when I was a kid. I was too embarrassed to even ask for directions. I ended up wandering around crying. But that is not really an option for a grown man. Would probably hurt less than the steering wheel though.

I was relying too much on the Google Earth program on the computer. The jarring in the International did the hard drive no good and I have not been able to get it to load at all. I stopped in a filling station and found some actual folded paper maps.

State Route 58 will take me to highway 50 and I can find my way from there. But just in case I will keep a couple of extra maps on me.

I am staying the night in the Kingsville Baptist Church. It's about the most secure looking small building I could find. It's a small brick building. The windows are all covered in steel mesh and has steel gates that can be drawn over the glass doors. Feels like a good time to be in a church too. Looks more like a VFW post than a church from the outside.

I have found that I really like the sound of the typewriter as I write. It drives away the silence and stimulates my thought processes. At first I made a lot of typos (which will be corrected as I re-type them into the computer). But as I practice my accuracy improves. The sound echoes in the empty church though.

Going to have supper from some pop top cans before I turn in. I have about fifty candles going so every little nook and cranny is lit. Jumpy as hell since I came into town. Shot a raccoon about half an hour ago because it was snooping around the Ford. My aim is improving and the kick is no longer a problem for me. Getting used to it.

I think the feedlot rattled me. I saw it as I was coming into town on the east side. Kingsville Livestock Auction painted on the side of the largest building and "Court ordered foreclosure Auction Arpil 23rd" and yes that is exactly how the sign read "Arpil". Would have been the same day I stood on top of the Hyatt back in KC. The decayed remains of dozens of cows littered the property. The stench was still bad even after months. Not all of them starved to death though. Looks like a number of them were killed by predators. I can't say for certain what though. I did not stop and look for prints.

I'm worried about Dee, and Katherine too I guess. I also miss Emily. I will be praying for their safety.

© 2009 R. Keith McBride