fall

so much has happened since i was last able to write. i have a lot of catching up to do.

we made it to the park. the day was perfect. at least in the beginning. all the adults went armed. we kept constant guard. the children, so pale from all the time inside, loved the sun. i think we all got sunburns. we even had a picnic. three hours in the open seemed like a million years on guard. my mother and one other stayed behind at the house. my mother was afraid with her age she would slow us down and the other had a broken arm. we were packing up to leave when there was movement across the street from the park. we went into panic mode and loaded the children on the bus as quick as we could. two of the men took the truck to go check things out. we couldn't have zombies following us. they came back with a very sickly looking group of 4. a man, a woman, and two children. one of the children turned out to be my daughter's best friend that we had watched in horror as her home was attacked. i broke down and cried at the sight of that little girl. she was alive! it was truely a miracle! she was half starved to death but at least she was alive. we fed this group and welcomed them with open arms. fresh faces! survivors! hope!

our hope was short lived. we came back home to find the house had been attacked. not by zombies. no we were prepared for them. by scavengers. a band of renegades that attacked decent people and took all their food. selfish b*st*rds. evil men and women. we would have welcomed them. taken them in with open arms. we would have willingly shared everything we had with them. but NO! they robbed all that we had left at the house. they murdered my mother and the other one that had stayed behind. senseless MURDER. zombies i can understand. they are animals driven by primal need. men that have free will. that can think and reason. WHY???????? i wanted to go after them.

we decided that we needed a bigger place with our new found members. my house had grown entirely too small. we started scouting for a new place that could be fortified and defended easily.

we found a perfect house. it is slightly elevated so that the ground floor windows are approximately 7ft off the ground. we finally have a house where we can use the ground floor safely. we only have the bottom half of the windows covered so that there is natural light during the day. the house has a small basement. we have four generators that we run for power. gasoline has become a problem though. the house is two stories with an attic. lots of room for everyone. the backyard has not only a 6ft chainlink fence but also an 8ft privacy fence inside the chainlink fence. i suppose the previous tenants were worried about security as well. the children can actually go outside each day. everyone is happier.

we send out a patrol every two days. we have blocked the bridge from Tennessee at our end. someone blocked the bridge from the Tennessee end. i wonder what is going on over there.

we posted notices out at the interstate and at the city limits. from time to time we have gotten notices back from those traveling to who knows where. there are rumors of an organized "city" being rebuilt.

last month we found a stock pile of food and we took the bus over to load it up before someone else got it. we almost had everything loaded when the first zombie appeared across the field. i wanted to shoot it immediately but my boyfriend said the shot would draw more. if there were more. we kept watching it drawing closer. in fact ALL our attention was on that one zombie. we let our guards down. we didn't see the other zombies until it was too late. it was almost like they were organized. the others came silently. zombies aren't silent! we lost 7 members.