The Journal of Tom Barnett: Vampire Apocalypse Survivor

by Daniel S. Atkinson

  I can’t wait to be saved. I have to do this on my own. It’s up to me if I want to live.

  This house is safe. I can stay here but it can’t be my only refuge. I need to be mobile. I don’t want to be trapped in a corner with no options. I’m thinking I should explore a bit. Find some more safe houses. Get some more equipment, clothes, etc. Before I do all this though, I need to learn some things. I remember a saying from a novel. It stated, ‘the first step to avoiding a trap is knowing of its existence.’ I think it was from Dune. I need knowledge, I need to learn a few things if I’m going to continue. I’ve been lucky so far and I’m sure I’ll need to remain lucky. But I can increase my chances for success. Tomorrow I’m off to the Library.

  21st December. 10.00am

  I left my safe house early this morning. Now that I have some kind of plan I feel more motivated. I’m eager to get started. I kept to my customary back roads. The mountain bike doesn’t make much noise, which I’m grateful for. I even startled a dog as I rounded a corner. It looked mangy and feral. It could still run though. It disappeared in a flourish of dirty, grey hair.

  I approached the Box Hill Library from a back road that runs along the train tracks. I stopped at the Station Street overpass and looked down. Box Hill station sits underneath the shopping centre there. Three lanes of train tracks dive underground into inky blackness. I shuddered thinking about what might be down there. On a normal day there would be thousands of people here. All of them eating, meeting friends, shopping. The whole lot of them are probably down there sleeping with the rodents in the dark. Waiting for night to fall. Then this place would come alive again. Not that they are alive of course.

  I continued down the back alley to the Library. This alley is behind all the Asian restaurants. Dad and I had eaten here plenty of times, the food was always excellent. The bins lining the alley reeked of rotten vegetables and other things much worse. I saw a couple of cats milling around. They stopped their foraging and glared at me as I passed by. They didn’t look very friendly. I made it to the library and parked my ride in the bicycle stands. It was the only one there. The front doors are locked so I’m going to have some breakfast and then try to get in.

  21st December. 13.05pm.

  I had to smash a window to get in. A good portion of the front of the library is glass and I didn’t want to smash that. So I found a side door that led into a staff area. It had a small window. I pried a brick out of the pavement and aimed it at the little window. I threw it rather tentatively, hell I have never broken into anywhere before. What do you think I am, a cat burglar? My inexperience was proven because the brick just bounced off the window. I had to jump out of the way. I was lucky it didn’t break my foot. There’s that luck again.

  My next attempt was more successful. I gave it all I had this time. The brick passed straight through the window with a satisfying crash. Initially I was pleased with my handiwork but then remembered I was trying to be quiet. I had probably woken up any ghouls that might be slumbering inside. The staffroom was empty though. I reached through the window and unlocked the door, careful to keep the bare flesh of my arm away from the jagged glass. I found some assorted cream biscuits in a tin nest to the Librarians urn. They were a bit stale but more than edible. Even though I had just had breaky, I munched on them greedily.

  There were no sleeping vampires inside the library proper. The large open floor plan combined with the multitude of windows ensured there was a minimum of shadows. Still, I checked every last corner until I was satisfied I was alone. I walked over to the catalogue computer and sat down. I reached out my hands to touch the keyboard and laughed out loud. No power dumb ass! So I would have to do this the hard way. That was fine by me. I had all day to browse the aisles and I could never get bored in here. From an early age Dad would bring me to various libraries, including this one. I think he did it partly as a form of cheap babysitting and partly to encourage me to read. It didn’t matter to me. I loved it. I still do.

  After three hours I had pretty much accomplished my goal. It took awhile because the only reliable search I could do was by category. Finding the survival books was easier as they were in the outdoors/recreation section. But finding Dracula was bloody impossible. You’re probably saying, “Just look under S for Stoker.” But I didn’t know the guys name was Bram Stoker. What kind of name is that anyway? Bram sounds like a powder you drink to help you take a dump.

  Good thing I brought my big backpack. Here are the books I’ve got:

  1. SAS Survival Guide

  2. Dracula

  3. Myths & Legends

  4. Unexplained Phenomena

  5. How things work, vols 1, 2 and 4. (Volume 3 must be overdue!)

  6. Choprain’s Guide to the Occult

  7. A bunch of graphic novels. (I need some fun ones to read!)

  8. Few Buffy DVDs. Should be able to watch them on laptop.

  Oh, I also grabbed a Twilight novel. I saw the movie but can’t remember much, I was sitting in a packed theatre next to this hot chick and couldn't concentrate at all. The vamps in that were pretty weak though, just a bunch of emo tossers. But it was the only vampire book I could remember apart from Dracula.

  22nd December. 01.24am.

  I’ve decided I’m going to leave tomorrow. I have to get away from here. There are too many bad memories floating around, and good ones too. The good memories are more painful somehow. I know I can’t run away from them but maybe I can put some distance between them and me, a buffer if you will. I think I’ve gotten over Kelly and her dreadful spell but I don’t trust myself. I can’t be sure I won’t slip back into that dark dream again.

  Now that I have some semblance of a plan, I find that I’m quite excited. It’s not a great plan but it’s something to focus on. I’ll head towards Nana and Pop’s house in Richmond. I should only take a day to ride there but I’ll take it easy. Don’t want to get caught outside when the sun goes down. I’m going to pack my bag now and try to get some sleep.

  22nd December. 16.45pm.

  I thought it would be hard leaving the Box Hill area this morning. I’ve lived there most of my life. It’s always felt safe to me, even through all this shit. But I didn’t even look back.

  I had made it all the way to Camberwell by noon. It was surreal riding down the middle of Burke Rd. The old shops loomed either side of me eerie and silent. This place is always chocked full of cars and shoppers. Trendy types sipping their soy lattes with one leg crossed over the other. I whizzed by the cafes and bookstores until I reached the train station. The station is underneath the main road here. I stopped the bike at the overpass and looked down at the platforms below. A plastic bag was floating along the outbound train tracks. Other than that nothing was moving. I noticed a vending machine down there and my stomach growled in response. Suddenly I had an inexplicable craving for a crunchie. I left my gear on the overpass and made my way to the station entrance. I paused at the top of the stairs. You have to go down through the station itself to get to the platforms where the vending machine was. It was dark down there. I could vaguely recall the layout of the station. I would only have to walk through about ten metres of darkness to get through. I couldn’t do it though. I just lingered at the top of the stairs gazing down into that black hole. Who knows what could be down there? I imagined one of those moray eels, coiled like a spring, jaws full of teeth, hovering just out of sight, waiting for a stupid little fish to come too close. No chocolate bar is worth that kind of risk.

  Down the road a bit I found a seven eleven. The big glass door was locked but I could see row after row of treats just inside. My mouth began to water. I looked around in desperation, I was like a diabetic in need of a sugar fix. I found a small planter box outside a café and dragged it back to the store. I was heavy but I managed to hoist it up to shoulder height and hurl it at the glass door. The noise was incredible. I was half expecting it but it just sounded so loud in that empty road. I hurriedly jumped inside, careful of the broken glass an
d stuffed my pockets full of mars bars, crunchies and cherry ripes. A grabbed a few bottles of water as well. As I was leaving I noticed the cash register was open. I leaned over and looked. There was hundreds and hundreds of dollars there. I have never seen so much money in my life. I leaned over further, greedily scooping up a handful of bills. That’s when I saw a hand on the till. There was a man slumped behind the counter. A gaping hole in his forehead told me he had been shot. His eyes were wide open and staring, as if he had been surprised by the bullet that had ended his life.

  That’s when all hell broke loose. I heard the back door being wrenched open and heavy boots on floorboards. I scrambled to the front door and tripped over the doorframe forgetting that the door was still closed even though the glass was gone. I fell heavily on my back. I was struggling to my feet when I saw a large figure enter the back of the shop. It saw me and screamed, “God damn robbing sons of bitches.” It raised its arms up and even though I couldn’t make out any details in the gloom of the store, I knew he had a gun. The bullet shattered the window next to me. I didn’t wait for his aim to improve. I jumped onto my bike, sweets spilling out of my pockets and took off down the road. I tried to squash my body against the bike to make myself as small as possible. It was hard because I was pedalling like crazy at the same time. I think my assailant fired two more shots at me but it was hard to hear over my own thumping heart. I flew through the intersection of Burke Rd and Riversdale Rd. It would have been suicide on any normal day, but the place was empty except for my trigger-happy friend and me.

  I turned off the main road and wound through some side streets, trying to take a random path. I doubt whoever it was could find me now. I’m in the backyard of this little old house, enjoying a crunchie and some water. I’ve never had to work so hard for a chocolate bar before. I’ll search this house in a moment and see if I can stay here tonight. It’s too late in the day to push on to Richmond.

  22nd December. 20.26pm.

  The house is empty. I couldn’t find a key hidden anywhere so I had to break a window to get in. I’m becoming a regular vandal. The house is completely empty, no furniture or anything. I’m not looking forward to sleeping on the floor but it’s better than the alternative.

  I wonder who that psycho was in Camberwell. Why would he try to kill me for taking some crunchies? This whole ordeal has probably unhinged something in his brain. Still it proves that some other people must have survived. I just got to keep away from the crazy ones. You can guarantee I’ll be giving Camberwell a wide berth from now on.

  I found a heap of junk mail on the kitchen countertop. I spent half an hour reading every page. Before the plague I never even gave junk mail a second glance, but now I drank in every image. There were kids playing with toys, book sales, new release dvds and more. There was even a lingerie catalogue. That held my attention for some time. Ha.

  The Bunnings catalogue got me thinking though. There is a ton of stuff in there I can use. The store is just in Hawthorn, a few suburbs away. I think I’ll pay them a visit tomorrow. Might have to delay the trip to Richmond one more day.

  I can hear the vampires stirring outside. The night belongs to them now. It’s time for me to shut up shop and hide till morning.

  23rd December. 04.19am.

  Woke up covered in sweat. It has been a rather warm night. The thermometer on the fridge says 27 degrees. That’s pretty damn hot but it’s not the reason why I woke up perspiring. I was dreaming about that Master vampire. It wasn’t one of those dreams where you think it is really happening. In the dream I was watching from a short distance away. Sort of hovering over my right shoulder, like the perspective seen in Gears of War.

  I was back in my bedroom on that last horrible night. Funnily I could see myself but I couldn’t see what was happening outside. The focus of the dream was more on my reactions. That was the scary part, just seeing how terrified I was. I woke up with a start when the Master jumped onto my roof with a huge crash.

  I got me thinking about Him. Why is He different to the rest of the vampires? The lessers don’t appear to possess his superhuman strength. In fact they seem just as strong as a normal person. They also don’t share his blinding speed. I bet I could outrun the lot of them, the way they shamble along. Eventually you would get caught, but only because there are a million of them out there and you can’t run forever. But the Master and the lessers are connected. They share the same yellow eyes, the white fangs, the Wolverine healing factor and the bloodlust. And they both retreat from the daylight. It’s not a huge leap of logic to say that these vampires are connected in some way. When I combine these facts with all the reading I’ve done, I can come to only one conclusion. And that is the Master Vampires are responsible for this whole mess. I think this plague originates with them.

  Hear me out. All throughout history there have been legends about vampires. Most of the stories originate from Eastern Europe where the people were highly superstitious ( I read this in one of my library books). But interestingly, stories about vampirism were also known halfway across he world in Asia. This was well before we became a global society. There is no way these stories could have spread from the one location. I think now that these myths are real. Vampires have been stalking humans for centuries, probably ever since humans walked the earth. I’m reminded of the predator / prey relationships we learnt about in school. I can’t remember the exact figure but it was something like one lion per one thousand antelope. The natural balance is such that only a tiny amount of predators can survive in a given environment. That would explain why I have only seen one of the Masters (I’m not counting Kelly, I’m still not sure about her). It would also explain why these stories have permeated our culture, because they have always been with us. These Master vampires have been silently stalking us over the ages, always keeping to the shadows, culling their prey one at a time, avoiding detection.

  So why has this balance been suddenly and violently altered? It has to do with some kind of mutation or curse. I say the two options because I’m no scientist or theologian.

  If it is natural occurrence, then I think one of these Master vampires has mutated or undergone some mind of genetic shift. Somehow he (or she, I’m not sexist when it comes to the undead) has infected a person of the general populace. Instead of just killing his victim he has caused a different version of his condition to be passed along. This condition is extremely virulent. It had to be to infect the entire population in such a short time. Come to think of it, the virus (no idea if it is a virus, it’s just easier to call it one) must have been airborne or in the water, probably not passed by direct contact. Actually I can recall a science geek on TV saying the communicable rate was two out of three. So some people were immune. Makes some kind of wacky sense. So these Master Vampires are now competing with their bastard offspring for food. No wonder that Master was acting so disrespectful to his brethren.

  Now if it isn’t a natural condition it has to be supernatural in origin. From the literature I have read vampirism is the result of a curse. In Dracula the title character renounced the church after losing his lover to suicide. He made a deal with the devil to gain vengeance and was thus cursed to prey on the blood of the living. So these Master vampires are cursed humans wandering the earth feeding on us normal folks. And again according to the myths this has been happening for eons. But just like my other theory something has happened to upset the balance. The curse has gone supernova. Almost overnight two thirds of the population has been struck down, cursed to become the living dead. Why? Has God (or whoever is up there) become so appalled by our actions and morality that He has had enough? Instead of wiping out the populace with a flood, this time he has opted for a vampire plague. But why leave me here? I’m no Noah. I’m not a righteous, squeaky clean good guy. Maybe it’s the end times. The Apocalypse. This is how the revelation begins.

  I’m leaning towards a combination of the two explanations. This plague is the result of a mutated virus of supernatural origin. Because wh
y would only the continent of Australia be affected? If it were divine retribution, then the whole planet would be smited. Aussies aren’t that bad, are they? Plus I still believe (and always have) that humans are inherently good, even when you weigh up all the evidence to the contrary. But on the flip side, maybe the curse / virus has already spread from this island country. The last information I heard was we are under strict quarantine. For all I know the rest of the earth is now suffering too.

  So what can I do with my theory? Jack Shit. Ha. The only thing I can do is learn about them and use that knowledge to survive.

  23rd December. 08.08am.

  I don’t recommend sleeping on the floor. My back feels as though an elephant has trampled on it. The ride to Bunnings should loosen me up. I’ve got some idea about what I’m looking for. I’ve emptied the backpack except for water. I’ll leave the laptop here so I can maximize bag space. I’ll give you a report when I get back.

  23rd December. 15.59pm.

  It worked out so well that I ended up making two trips to Bunnings. I’m exhausted now. Trying to ride with a fully loaded backpack is hard work. I did well though. Here’s what I got:

  1. Hatchet.

  2. Camp Stove and five gas bottles.

  3. Steel camp cook pot and spoon.

  4. A bunch of slim wooden pegs.

  5. Mallet.

  6. Work gloves.

  7. Rope.

  8. A large fire axe.

  9. Blanket.

  10. Duct tape.

  11. Sunglasses.

  12. New car battery for laptop.