HOLD
Page 2
Cleanliness is next to Godliness, so they say, and our government has become quite “ holier than thou ” over the past five years. It wouldn’t surprise me if it were something they are responsible for.
I never wanted to brush my teeth more than after getting diesel fuel in my mouth as I siphoned it from the tanker. It’s awful, and I stink of it. I greatly need a new change of clothes, but fuck Wal-Mart. I’ll find somewhere else - something smaller - like a thrift store maybe.
The truck started without a problem. The keys were still in the ignition. The cab sits up high enough that none of those things could reach through the windows if they were broken.
My only complaint is lifting that heavy ass dog into the cab.
Why did he have to be a German Shepherd?
It took two tries, one a subsequent second trip around the block, but I parked the tanker right in front of the pawnshop - right alongside the sidewalk.
DAY - 8
I took the dog out early this morning for a short hunt. He seemed satisfied and didn’t mind not staying out longer. I began to go through the pawnshop and started singling out the most important things that we should take with us in the truck. I have basic tools set aside for any repairs needed to the truck. The duct tape I got will also suffice for wrapping any busted hoses. I only wanted the tape to wrap around cloth on a cut on my left leg - I had kicked the window out of my car when everything first went down. There was some duct tape here in the pawnshop that I have been using up. The wound IS healing - no signs of infection. I just couldn’t let myself walk around thinking anything airborne may infect it. I definitely want new clothes to take. I haven’t worn my shirt all day. Clothes and tools may just be enough to worry about - of course the sword is coming too - might have to install this gun rack to hold the sword. The cab of the truck is a nice size but will still limit us to basically a suitcase full of items. I intend to seatbelt whatever container we use on the passenger side. I want to keep the middle of the seat clear for the dog and keep the floorboard empty for him to sleep - or if needs be, for the both of us to duck down.
I slept the most of the afternoon. It was dark when I awoke and cooked us yet another meal on the electric griddle we have.
After that I chained up the dog and locked him in the pawnshop while I decided to test sitting in the cab of the truck at night. We may just have to hold up in the truck for nights on end - might as well test it - physically and mentally, so I did. I only sat out there for about four hours before I had to go back in the pawnshop. My fear is falling asleep. It’s going to take some time to get used to.
In the entire time I sat awake in the truck, I only saw one ghoul. It was calm and seemed in almost complete control of its mechanical wheelchair it was using. I couldn’t tell what the thing’s handicap once was, but it definitely had that retarded look on its face. It got me wondering again about this hell.
Chemical borne or religious, it has no ferocious effect on the demeanor of the handicapped. It must be something that reacts to a healthy brain or nervous system - disrupting conscious choice or maybe primal sin.
DAY - 9
There is a thrift store on Weston Blvd. That’s where the dog and I headed today. It’s not the type of place that I expected any of them to be inside at all. I was wrong. I guess that at the time any place to run to, to hide inside, was what sufficed. I know that most people tend to panic in situations of intense nature. I have never been like that. I have always been one to take quick control of my thoughts and step forward to do the correct and most helpful thing. My Mom always said because of that quality in me that I should have become a Doctor or Surgeon. After all of what’s happened, I’m quite glad I wasn’t working in a hospital. I can’t imagine how fast things went to hell in the hospitals.
We walked to the thrift store. I don’t plan to use the tanker until we are leaving for good, so maybe in a few days. I just want a few more nights in the cab for practice and getting comfortable with it all. But, once at the thrift store the dog started to tug his chain away from me. He wanted no part of what was going on in there. The store has a lot more windows than most stores, though, so I started to plan out things - watching the ghouls for a while - they mostly moved about in patterns.
I wrapped the dog’s chain around a concrete light post in the parking lot. I pulled my sword and readied myself. I had also taken notice of where the shopping carts were and exactly where the men’s section was and the shoes. I burst in, grabbed a cart and just started raking in shoes and then t-shirts and finally jeans. I cut one of those fucker’s head in half just below its eyes and had to disarm another, but that was the most trouble I had until I got out to the dog. He had apparently wrapped his chain in a knot. Three of the ghouls managed to get outside and come after us. I worked on untying the knot, but I shouldn’t have. I ended up having to cut the legs out from under those three, but the closest one managed to crawl just as fast over to the dog and took a nice bite into the dog’s tail. I cut that ghoul into at least ten pieces, and in keeping with my quick wit, I sliced off the dog’s tail.
He was already scared and yelping. I don’t think it made it any worse. He sure didn’t give me any trouble as we rushed back to the pawnshop. I burnt and duct taped his tail. It’s basically a two-inch stump. I now find myself hoping George Romero is right and that it’s all infection related. I think I beat the blood flow in the dog's tail.
DAY - 10
I didn’t fall asleep in the truck, and I damn near didn’t even fall asleep in the pawnshop. I watched the dog almost all night. I didn’t chain him up any different than usual. I didn’t want him feeling anything had changed - he might start to suspect my intentions towards him. So, after probably a few hours of morning daylight spent watching his mannerisms, I think he’s going to be just fine. He looks a bit odd without the bushy tail, though. Who needs a tail anyway? It was almost his demise - it may still be - I hope not.
It was nearly noon, and I cleaned myself up and put on a set of my new clothes. My very next thoughts were finding another small store for hygiene items. I have been reluctantly using the missing pawnshop owner’s left behind toothbrush and comb. Soap and water have sufficed for no deodorant. I unchained the dog, grabbed the sword and we headed out for our daily hunt.
After bagging us an opossum for the day, we dropped it off at the pawnshop and left it to bleed dry in the bathroom sink - the usual. I took us over to the closest gas station. There were actually none of those ghouls even around. I never even heard one. Inside the gas station I grabbed four sticks of deodorant and two tubes of toothpaste - it’s all my jeans pockets could hold. I noticed the dog sniffing out the sugar pastries and all of the Little Debbie snacks. I eyed him and scolded him about them, but despite their effect on us previously I gave in for the both of us. He definitely deserved a treat after losing his tail.
Imagine the
anguish he must have. I thought about how dogs love chasing their tails at times, and now, he doesn’t even have one. Hell, he doesn’t even have a name either anymore, so maybe it doesn’t matter. I’ll think on a name for him and nothing stupid like SPIKE or KILLER or BENJI - he deserves something decent. We made our way back home without any threat once again. It’s starting to make me wonder where they are all going to - surely they are only driven by their apparent cannibalistic natures - they must be going where there are more survivors like us. We are definitely going to have to leave soon.
I spent the afternoon with my sword and a sharpener that’s in the shop. This sword is the real thing. It’s not some fake Katana, Samurai sword like the ones sold in catalogs.
Someone had a sword made for use. Thanks.
DAY - 11
Sex is an internal beast of the human mind and instincts that rears its intentions no matter what you do to subside it. I hate even having to think about it with all that is going on.
My options are slim-to-none anyway as far as getting off goes - well in a respectable sense that is. I’m sure as hell not about to resort to banging animals. That’s just wrong. My other options include lotions and any magazine in a gas station, finding an adult store with contraptions a la Jenna Jamison or finding a fit and suitable mate. I just hope that there is actually a decent looking woman left alive. My luck would have it that she would weigh 400 pounds and look like a dog - once again back to how banging animals is just wrong.
Today’s hunt went less than usual. The dog could even tell something was wrong. I know he is just fine. He’s no different a dog than before. There are just no other animals in the area much. He sniffed out some groceries that were inside an abandoned car. The meat was beyond spoiled, and I instantly got sick to my stomach. I eventually dragged out all of the bags and found us enough to last a good while - peanut butter and jelly, snack crackers, cans of ravioli and various vegetables and most importantly lots of cereal. I think the person must have been stocking up for their kids.
After getting back to the pawnshop I decided to give the dog a good once over. There are no signs of any infection to his tail, nor has his demeanor towards me changed. If anything, he is getting more playful. Because of that I have named him Sid.
Sid was a guy I went to high school with that never said all that much, but he always seemed to be there when you needed some help. So, Sid it is.
By afternoon I decided to start packing the tools I want to take along with me, the clothes and shoes that fit, the griddle and of course, the sword and sharpener. I went ahead and loaded Sid and our luggage into the cab of the truck. Sid looks to be rather confused between snack crackers - almost looking like the Scooby-Doo character at times, but he fits nicely in the passenger floorboard and doesn’t look too uncomfortable. I on the other hand am forcing myself to try and be comfortable. I hope to get some real sleep in this truck for once. If I so much as hear anything odd, I’m going to crank the engine and drive.
DAY - 12
It was still dark when I awoke this morning. I figured the hell with it and cranked the truck’s engine. I was very sore from sleeping in an upright position. Sid was out. He tossed about a little, but his ass was quite lazy the entire morning.
It was just about daybreak that I had reached the suburbs of the city. There were cars everywhere. I must admit it was kind of fun dodging obstacles in the roads. It reminded me of the Grand Theft Auto game. Sid started whining as we were on the outskirts of town. He was in need of a good walking and relieving. I needed it too, so I chose a small strip plaza’s parking lot to pull into.
Domino’s Pizza - Dance Fusion - Tae Kwan Do - Miller’s Insurance - A plus Tobacco & Suds - these were the names of the shops in the plaza. I left the engine running on the truck as I stepped out and then helped Sid down. Sid immediately took off over to the bricked pillars in front of the plaza that were designed as part of the plaza’s awning. He wasted no time in marking each of the pillars. I on the other hand, just chose to wet down one of the tanker’s back tires. We both finished up quickly and both walked towards the Domino’s Pizza. No doubt, Sid probably smelled the pizza. I’m sure he’d eat even the oldest of them, but I was after something else. I noticed that one of the people was still at work though - quite undead and still lurching about at the counter. To be truthful, he probably looked about the same as he ever did - a dumbass stumbling about behind the cash register with that look that you know you are only going to receive half-ass service. I ran back to the truck and grabbed the sword - I had it placed nicely in the gun rack that I installed. Once back at the Domino’s Pizza, I laughed a bit and then burst inside real quick. The ghoul turned to me with outstretched arms over the counter and groaning. It was the last sound it would make as I swung the sword once cutting its head off right between its upper and lower jaw. Its arms still moved and it still stumbled about some, so I walked behind the counter and cut its legs off - job done.
I raided the freezer and got us a huge pepperoni log along with a big block of cheese - both of which took the afternoon to thaw out. I took their still cold 2 liters of Sodas too. We got back in the truck and I started driving.
Now we’re parked on the open, rural highway for the night.
DAY - 13
I got the most sleep in close to a week, last night. It’s definitely a mental thing with me. By being out in the rural countryside, away from so many buildings, I felt a lot more comfortable. I could easily see in every direction - especially last night under a full moon.
I started driving again by late morning. Sid and I had a lunch of more pepperoni and cheese and both downed some Sprite, which later had us pulled over again. There’s a clock in the dash of the truck cab that read 4:17pm by the time we reached our closest metropolis, which truly is bigger from the last time I had visited. There are two bridges that cross the river just to get to the city, and apparently I decided on the wrong one. There were so many cars on the bridge that I had to stop the truck about a third of the way onto it. A lot of cars had busted the retaining wall to the right side and had actually gone over. The rest of the cars were just setting in odd angles portraying the chaos that must have ensued. I imagine that many of them were trying to back off the bridge but just never made it. The cars had both broken windows and full of torn apart bodies or solid windows with ghouls inside them.
I made sure that Sid got out of the cab okay. I wanted his help with sniffing out the cars for possible groceries again. I was also looking for cars full of drinks. I secured the sword in my belt loop, ready for action. Sid sniffed out the trunk of an Acura - an unharmed Acura. I knew it would be a complication but decided, fuck IT! I pulled my sword for combat, opened the unharmed Acura’s door and its owner burst from the car after me. I actually missed on my first swing because the ghoul was q
uicker than I was expecting.
My second swing wasn’t any better as I got the blade stuck halfway into its torso. I fell to my side, as did the ghoul - on top of my sword. It was some secretary lady at one time, well dressed and was luckily stuck just out of reach from the handle of my sword. I had no help from Sid who was mixing growls and whines at my struggle. Finally, I kicked the dead pregnant dog off of my sword and beheaded her. I quickly popped the Acura’s trunk. Jackpot - Sid sniffed out a cooler with lunchmeats wrapped in icepacks, still cold and ready to eat, and beside the cooler - four jugs of store-bought, spring water. I told Sid that his nose had just saved his ass. We took our prize and then used the truck to slowly plow away cars and get across the bridge. I found us a spot beside the river to park for the night.
DAY - 14
First thing this morning it hit me. The sound of the river water struck that chord that says, “ please urinate, now.” I complied graciously. Sid, of course, whined because it hit him too. After only minutes, I noticed what I had only heard in fishing tales. There was a shark in the river, more than likely a Bull Shark. They’re known to swim up river and can actually survive in freshwater. No doubt, it was eating well lately.