Looking around some more to make sure I was alone, I gently pulled on the front doors of the school. It was unlocked so I made my way inside and gently close the doors behind me. I didn't know where anything was so I just started wandering around. Hoping I wouldn't run into anyone or anything.
Roaming around an empty school was weirdly relaxing. I was surrounded by classrooms and books. I always loved learning but hated school. I mean I am, well, was a college student but I could afford to go back to school, so I was leaving for the army but now it doesn't matter anymore. I was searching each room I could find that was unlocked. I found some more bottles of water and some other stuff that would be useful. I then find the library and was happy. I love reading; I picked up some random books and put them in my bag. I only took four; the rest of my bag was for medical supplies the nurse's office hold and some more food.
Wandering around some more I finally find the nurse's office. I smiled at this; this office was huge and was filled with everything I needed. It held painkillers and anti-bacterial cream and bandages or all sizes; I pack my Nike gym bag till it was almost full. I also needed to find the lunchroom to see if there was any food finding it stocked I filled my bag. I'll need to make a second or third trip to completely clean out the office if need be and the same for the lunchroom kitchen.
After a few more trips, I had cleaned out the school. I put a circle with an X inside it to remind myself that it no longer held anything of use in there. I was around four in the afternoon and I hadn't eaten yet. I know I needed food and I had plenty so I took out two granola bar and a bottle of water and had some lunch. I looked out the window wondering how my friends were doing if some were here or how they were holding up. I still had to go to home depot and do other things but there wasn't enough daylight to do it.
I didn't know if these things slept or were active at night and I didn't want to find out. So, I pulled up my rope and close the window. I wonder around the office moving things around and making more room to lie down on the floor. I needed to become stronger if I will encounter more of those things or in case people broke in and I had to fight someone.
I rolled over and started doing some push-ups. I hated push-ups but I knew if I did them it would help my upper body strength. After doing three sets of ten. I turned to the desk placing my feet securely under it and began to do sit-ups, three sets of ten and I am breathing a little bit hard. And now I needed to run. The fourth floor of the museum was perfect for running because it was a giant circle. So, I ran around there four times breathing harder than before. I hated running more than anything, but I was ok because I started working out like I was in the National Guard, I ran another four laps. After about an hour of working out, I change into some sleepwear and watched the sunset.
I stay up a bit to get some water and food in me. I wanted to look at my notes I had taken before and study them. I had a dry erase board so I wrote down what I had found out and tried to analyze from different angles. I studied anthropology so I couldn't really form something solid but I give it my best shot. I knew some human biology for some of the classes I took but not for a complete understanding of what was going one.
I knew that for anything to invade the human body the immune system would fight back and then you would get better. This is the simplest way to explain it. But for this it just not invading your body it is changing it from the inside out. It was like aids, H.I.V and AIDS is a virus that invades your body and when the white T cells attack it they died. So, when your T-cell count is super low you can die from a simple cold. Which then H.I.V turns into AIDs. Now if I think about this like the H.I.V and AIDs virus, I can then try and make a picture to better understand it some more. If I am looking at it this way I am also if this virus will mutate when it encounters more people.
I already witnessed two different types of these things. One is completely blind and uses clicking sounds to see where it is going like echolocation and has extremely good hearing while the other has extremely poor eyesight and hearing. So, if I look at it from a view of comparing it to something else I can make more sense of it but thinking too much about it is giving me a headache. It was now ten at night I needed to go to sleep. I curl up in my chair and close my eyes as I think that the city that never sleeps is now closing its eyes for good.
This time, when I slept, I dreamt. I dreamt of myself as a kind drawing on white paper with a favorite green color crayon. I was drawing a tree and a dog. I always wanted a dog growing up but my parent never wanted one. But my sister wanted a cat so they got her one for her birthday. I was sad because I wanted a dog but inside I got a belt to my backside for asking for one. I was going to take care of it and everything, I learn how by reading. My sister did not. All she had to do was ask and they got her one. She doesn't even take care of it I do! I clear her litter box and feed her while my sister didn't do anything.
I hated her. I hated my mother and stepfather. I didn't know why I dreamt of them. Maybe it was because on January 10th that was the last time I ever saw them and it was the last time they will ever see me. That didn't bother me at all. I was happy that I wouldn't see them again. They say you can never hate people that are blood-related to you, well they are so wrong and you can hate them. They also say you can't hate your mother but I did hate her. She is a bitch and she doesn't even care if I died trap in the city full of people eating infected things! I wanted this dream to stop because I knew where it was heading to. It was a dream that I would sometimes have repeatedly till I wake up hating my family even more. The dream was about a day I wish I could forget but couldn't. It was the day my stepfather dropped me off with his family and I got bullied and beat up by my male cousins. It was also the day they were thought it would be funny to throw me into the deep end of the pool.
I couldn't swim and they all knew that. I was struggling to keep from going under. I was fighting my way towards the edge of the pool so I can pull myself up. They didn't want that, they picked me back up and throw me further away and I was getting tired and scared. I was losing the fight and started to go under the water. I can hear the laughing at me as I try and fight to breathe. I hated them. I hated them so much. Then with one last breath, I went under. It wasn't like that long but it felt like it. I held my breath as long as I could and I was kicking my legs. I kept kicking but it was getting harder and harder. I was being dragged down by my clothes and shoes. I wasn't close to the surface anymore and I thought I was going to die. At that time, I was scared but at the same time, I wasn't. Yet, I still kicked and push my way to the surface. I was so mad and scare that I was using it to push myself. I broke the surface of the water and took the biggest breath of air that my tiny lungs could take. I almost died and at the same time, I learn how to swim.
My cousins just sat there laughing their asses off while I almost died. Then I thought about it I also saw my cousin in the shallow end of the pool because none of knew them how to swim. So, I made my way over to where they were and pull at the feet. I drop them into the water. I watch as he struggled and started to cry. The boys stopped laughing to go help him. I saw that as my moment to bring in another one and now they were scared. The deserve it, they pushed me in the pool trying to kill me and something inside me snapped. I could care less about then. I got out of their pool and started to fake cry and ran to get one of their parents. I told them that they pushed me into the pool and then they fell in after me. I told them that they were laughing and that's how they fell in, but I made my way out to get someone. The oldest one mom believes me the punished the boys hard. She was mad that they push me in but she was glad that they fell in and told them to never do it again.
She gave me dry clothes and told me to stay inside and go up to the playroom. I did what I was told but before I left I give the boys a smile that scared them and from then on, they never messed with me again. If they didn't I would just do whatever they did to me but worst and fake crying and tell something that I knew would believe me over them. With that, they learn their lesson and left me alone. But sometimes they would tell lies to my parents and I would face them and their belt. I hated them and I was glad I was never going to see them again.
I woke up pissed. I hated having that dream but I guess I understand why I had it. It's my own way of telling myself to keep kicking and don't give up. We were about four or five days into the hell of a place and it going to be hard to live for here on out. I wouldn't stop living until one of those things gets me. I woke up a few minutes before my alarm again because of the damn dream I had, I got ready and ate a light breakfast and half a bottle of water. I turn to the wall see my map and dry erase board. Since I was located in between zones A and C I want to explore more of zone A today. So, that meant making my way towards Harlem. It was cold when I open the window to check the temperature. I put on my long sleeve shirt and jacket with my hat and gloves and my backpack. I had my knife and my bat Max with me. I wanted to explore and to find some way to talk to people without having to go out all the time and to find a solar panel or a small generator.
I took one last glance at my map to memorize the route I map out to nowhere in particular. I tied my rope off and drop the rest outside and began to make my way down carefully. As soon I touch the ground and I try to hide my rope so no one can't see it. I look around to make sure I am alone which I am and I stealthily make my way to Harlem also known as zone A. I wanted to explore and take took what how our four-day post-apocalyptic city looked like and what was going on outside my new home. I needed to know, to stay safe and avoid places that are overcrowded and observe these things and maybe hear a name that someone has created for them or come up with one myself.
Making my way towards Harlem I see some people gather around a trash can fire. I make my way towards them. One of the notices me and waves me over. When I was near then I heard one of then ask me who I was. I told them my name was Jackie and that I was looking from some food. They one that wave me over smile and told me his name was Zac and the two-other people are introduced themselves at Jimmy and Erin. These boys were brothers and about a year or two older than me. I didn't smile back at them I just nodded at them. I didn't feel anything off from them so I stay with them and heard them talk. I told them of a place with gates and is fenced off it was the school I went to and clear out but I didn't tell them that.
They look extremely happy about finding a big place to call their own. I was glad I came out because I help some people out and I also got a share of the food we were going to go get. But let me tell you that these boys did not know what they were doing. They were all out in the open and didn't have weapons to defend himself if those things attack. So, I had to teach them and tell them what I know about the things because I killed one and studied it. They looked at me like I was lying. The laugh at the thought of me a 5 foot 3 girl with glasses and kind of small built took down one. Well with their laughing they attracted one of those things. The boys froze in place. I rolled my eyes and slowly made my way to what look like a teenage girl. She wasn't clicking her teeth so she was a type one of those things.
The boys watch me as I made my way to the thing. When I was close enough I took a wing at her. First, I hit her in the gut so she can blend over then I swung again and hit her hard in the hard. I hit her till she stopped moving. I was breathing a bit hard but I took her down. It was easy because there was only one. They look at me like the never seen a girl beat something so it wouldn't kill anyone to death even if it was already dead. I just shrug my shoulders as the boys started to take me seriously. The pay attention to what I was doing. They were fast learners. We made our way into Harlem leaving behind zone C in search of food. We were at west 110th street off of central park west. I didn't know the area that well but I was glad that I memorize the route I planned. The route we were going to follow would take us to west 116th street off of Malcolm X Blvd to a CVS that was there. CVS has canned foods and some medical supplies. I hoped it wasn't looted too badly where our trip was going to be in vain. However, I did meet some nice boys and help the find a place that was warm to sleep in at night.
As we made our way to 116th street it was now two in the afternoon. We were about a block away from the store where I see more than one of those things. They were growling which I hopped for. It thinks the ones that could hear are a bit more dangerous. So, I told the boys to stay close and to not make anything noise. They nodded in understanding. We made our way to the closest one and I let Max handle it. This was another teenager, it was a small boy maybe just about 13 years old and I was taller than them. So, I just swung as hard as I could and I saw his face cave in. I didn't let my emotion take over because I knew these were people anymore. So far, I only ran into five of these things beside the first two at the start of it all. The second one wasn't near us so we left it alone.
After slowly making our way into CVS I didn't relax at all. I stayed tense because I didn't know what was in the store besides me and the boys. Even though I just met them I wouldn't want one of them to get hurt. These brothers needed to stay together in order to live another day. I told them to stay close and to not make any noise. They again nodded in understanding. I was glad they were listening to me. I wanted to make sure that the store was clear and safe to explore. Slowly walking through the store from aisle to aisle making sure it was safe to gather things and then head home and to part way with the boys. After checking all the other aisle, I told them it was safe but to stay close and in sight of each other.
I took off to the medical aisle to see if they had Midol and different kind of painkillers. The next aisle over had pads and tampons, I knew I was going to need some soon so I took about four boxes of tampons and some pads. I told so bug spray as well and made my way towards to food aisles. I knew that the store was looted and there was barely anything left. So, I let the boys have it while taking four cans of my favorite soup and two other cans of soup. After getting everything we could carry. It was now four and the sun was setting. The boys and I made our way back to central park west and everything was going well till I heard it. I heard those weird teeth clicking sound and stopped. The boys notice this and paled a bit. I couldn't see where the type 2 thing was but I decided to keep moving but slower. It was about ten steps and that's when type two stepped out right in front of me.
I quickly stop and prepare myself to swing Max. It looked right at me. It was truly blind. I held my breath and with all my might I swung Max, hard and contacted its head, I watched as it fell to the ground lifeless. To make sure I killed it I hit it again. I let out my breath and continue walking back home with the boys right behind me. We were close to my home and to the school that was near me as well. I walked them to the school and they thank me for helping them. I told them it wasn't a problem. Before I left Jimmy the younger of the two give me a walkie-talkie. I look at him then the idea hit me. "We could use to find other people and share news," I said excitingly. Jimmy smile as if he had the same thought, I thank him and said goodnight to the boy while they made sure their new home was safe. I hit channel one and my talkie came to life. I pressed the talk button. "Boys you are coming with me tomorrow so we can find weapons and clothes for you ok" I release the button and wait for a response. "Alright Jackie we will, see you tomorrow," said Zac.