With Our Own Eyes

Day 61

Sept. 25th, 2013

Dear reader,

Once you've created your refuge, do nightly checks all over. Other survivors might creep into the place and steal resources.

So today, everyone chopped wood and cut it evenly. We were going to start fortifying the fence around the house, then build a fence around a large area of the forest so we can hunt without being disturbed.

Riley and Nate and I boarded the chain link fence with boards of wood on both sides all around the house.

"So, the zombies are preshishing everywhere?" Nate asks after telling him about the zombie that had spoken to me yesterday.

"I guess so." I say, although I really wanted to say more, but I felt sick just thinking about the other day.

Suddenly a bird swooped down. It dove right at me and I covered my head as more birds swooped down. They were all infected. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Was all I was thinking as I covered my head and placed the boards of wood over my body.

The birds were large and sqauked loudly and contenued to ram themselves into the blocks of wood until one board slipped away.

I grabbed a rock and threw it, hitting the nearest attacking bird. Riley and Nate threw rocks, saving their bullets.

More birds swooped down, diving at Nate next and then Riley.

"No!" I grabbed their hands and tugged them toward the house, but realized the birds were faster then us, so I drove them up the tree.

Nobody else was around. They were all working in the forest. It was really up to me.

The birds screeched and pecked at my arms. Then one very large bird dove and with its long gnarled talons scratched a long wound down my left shoulder.

Once Riley and Nate were safe inside the tree house, using their boards to blocks the windows and door, I climbed up, biting a chunk of wood to keep from screaming at the intense pain of bird beaks.

I knew I'd be infected in no time, but knowing that, I didn't care. I had to make sure my family was safe before me.

As I climbed my weight became heavier and heavier as birds clung to my back, pecking and clawing with their talons.

Bang! Bang!

Suddenly the birds chirped and flew from my back, lifting the weight. My shirt was torn and soaked with blood as I climbed. The birds weren't after me anymore.

Once I reached the top and was let inside the tree house, I fell to my side. I felt numb.

It was fear. Fear that wouldn't let me move. I knew my fate now. Nobody could save me now.

I felt my heart pulse through my body faster then it should. Soft hands touched my wounds. A blanket came next. But those weren't a cure to death.

Nobody can save me now. Nobody. Nobody can.

The cure. We ran out of it weeks ago.

~Juliana