Kellie's Diary: Decay of Innocence

by Thomas Jenner

  Dan said that we didn't see anybody else, and Sarah said it was just us. Why did they lie about that? We DID see two other people. I stayed quiet anyway, because it looked like the arguing was getting worse, and me saying something would probably make it worse.

  Sarah told them what happened to us, that our community is gone because the zombies invaded and everyone else died, and that we needed somewhere to go. The train people kept saying that they didn't care. Dan said that he'd offer to help work or do whatever he needed to do to let us all get on the train.

  The train guys talked for a minute, but it felt like a lot longer. They started pointing behind us, and when I looked, I realized why. The whole time they were arguing, the zombies were getting closer and closer. I was already really tired, and I know the others are too. I don't think any of us can run forever. We had to get on the train, or we were going to have to fight all the zombies. We can't do that forever either.

  Finally they told us to go to the middle of the train and go sit in the car that had a bunch of boxes stacked inside, shut the door tight and wait for a few minutes after the train started moving before even peeking outside. We found it pretty fast, so we all climbed in and closed the door behind us. I heard the train start up, and then after a minute I felt us moving. While we were getting faster, I heard a little banging and crunching outside. I wanted to see what it was, but they told us to keep it closed.

  A while went by and when it felt like we were moving really smooth, Dan got up and opened the door a little, and when he looked outside, he smiled and he opened the door farther. There was nothing outside except for the desert. We weren't in a town, or a shopping center, or anything. There was nothing around, and no zombies either.

  That's where we are now, and we've been on this train for a while. We haven't stopped yet, and we're all just kind of resting now. The grownups are still talking, but I can't hear them too much over the sound of the train. That's fine, it's giving me a chance to talk to you about things.

  Sarah needs to talk to me, she says it's important. I'll let you know what's going on when I get back.

  Chapter 40

  Hey I'm back. So this train is kind of interesting. The man that's in charge is named Mark. He took all of us around to show how things work. There really is a whole community living on here! This train is really long, like those trains that carry stuff around. There has to be about 30 cars all together, maybe more.

  The front part is the engine, obviously. The next two carry all the fuel to keep it going. I don't remember the order of the rest of them yet, but there were cars for the people to sleep in, a bunch for storing things, and a lot of them have water and food in them!

  But they didn't find most of the food, they actually are growing their food! They have big gardens in the food cars, and there's all kinds of food. Tomatoes, onions, lettuce, beets, squash... well, you get the idea. A long time ago I was picky about vegetables, but now that I saw all that, I can't wait to eat them. We tried doing that back in our old home, but it didn't work too well. A lot of the plants kept dying when it got hot and we didn't have enough water. But these train people are actually doing it. They also have two chickens and a rooster in one of the cars. Mark says they use them to get eggs, but that's it.

  The cars that have water are cool too. Mark says that they've been collecting rain water and putting it in these big barrels. He says they've been traveling all over the place, trying to find new foods and more supplies to keep everyone alive. They have some machine in there that helps keep the water clean, because if it sits for too long, it starts to stink.

  Since we're the new people here, we have to stay in the storage cars until they can make room for us with the others. Mark said that they already have a lot of people, so it may be hard to get used to more people.

  Everyone that lives on the train has a job. Some people take care of the food, some clean up the water, one of them takes care of the chickens, a lot of people help take care of the train itself, like making sure all the parts work and keeping the engine working, and even more work as guards or scouts at the train stops. I asked if there were other kids around, and Mark said there were some, and even THEY have jobs! He didn't say what, but he did say that if we were all going to stay on the train, we had to have jobs too. He doesn't know what we're going to do yet, but he said he'd tell us by tomorrow at their next stop. It sounds like we might actually be safe for a while.

  But I have to tell you something... I am a little worried. Earlier, Sarah, Dan and Jack all went to talk to Mark by themselves and left me and Lydia alone for a little while. When they got back, they closed the door and started whispering to us. Sarah was saying that they had to give their guns and knives to Mark! Mark told them that they don't allow any weapons on the train, unless you're a guard or you go out collecting things from towns. They said it was to make everyone on the train feel safe, since zombies have never gotten on the train before.

  Dan said he told Mark that they didn't want to give up their guns, that they were fine in the old town when people were carrying something to protect themselves. But Mark said that was the rule and if we didn't like it we'd have to leave. I guess they really wanted to stay, because they gave Mark what they had.

  I took my gun from my pants and handed it to Sarah, but she told me to keep it. She said that she needs me to keep it just in case it's needed. It's like back at home all over again, I can't tell anyone I have a gun and I have to keep it hidden. I looked at Dan and Jack, and they said that Sarah was right. I remember that I had to hide it from Dan before, but this time he knew about it, and he was okay with it.

  Dan actually said that he doesn't like Mark, and he's not sure he trusts him. He said he thought it was weird that even the kids were working, and some of them are Lydia's age. He says there's no teacher here, so they make the kids do stuff. He also really doesn't like that the people can't protect themselves if they have to.

  Jack says that as long as we follow the rules, we'll probably be okay, at least for now. He doesn't really like all the rules they have, and Sarah said she didn't either, which I thought was kind of weird. I always thought Sarah was pretty tough, but from what they say, it sounds like these train people are worse. But maybe they do it that way because they have to. If they really haven't had any zombies on the train before, maybe this really is the safest place to be.

  There's something else, Barbie. I'm actually taking a big chance by telling you this. Sarah said that Lydia and I can't ever say that we saw Kyle and Roger in the shopping center. EVER. She said that as long as we knew anybody on the train, we can't ever tell them what happened. I asked why, and she said that it would just be a bad idea. Mark was really upset that they were forced to leave before they got back to the train, and that we were there instead. He was asking them a lot of questions, but they all kept saying they had no idea who he was talking about. Now that I think about it, I guess it does make sense. If Mark was already mad that Kyle and Roger weren't there, he'd be REALLY mad if he found out that they tried to kidnap me and Lydia and Dan shot them.

  I still wonder if Dan really had to do that. Having to shoot zombies is normal, but these were real people he killed. Was it because they tried to take me and Lydia? I don't really know how to feel about it. I'd understand more if Dan had beat them up or something like that, but shooting them seemed to go too far. It's better to just shoot the zombies, I think. Zombies don't care who they hurt, they're just going around eating. It's not like you can talk to them and tell them what they're doing is wrong. Kyle and Roger were real people, even though what they did was wrong. I was thinking about asking Dan about it, but I may have to wait a while. He's talking to Jack over in the corner about something.

  Well, at least I have a little more hearing again. My left ear is getting better, but the right is still deaf. I have to remember that it might take a long time to get better, if it does at all. I think being on the train will probably work out fine, at least I won't have to think about zombies
for a while and it will give my ears time to heal up. Lydia looks like she's doing okay for now, she's just talking to Mr. Floppy. She promised to keep a secret about Kyle and Roger, and about my gun. I don't think she'll tell anyone. She hasn't really talked much about what she's thinking, so I can't tell how she's feeling about all this. She might still be calming down from everything that's happened the last couple of days. It's been pretty crazy.

  I'm kind of bored right now. I might take a walk around the train later. Mark had told us all to not talk with anyone yet until he can figure out where we will be. I don't really want to stay in here for a long time, so I'm going to go sit by the door and look around outside.

  I don't know where we're going yet, but earlier Mark said we were heading south. Dan asked what was south, and he didn't say exactly, just that there was another city a ways away that they haven't been to yet. Honestly, I'm not sure where we are now. After getting lost in the woods and having to drive around in the bus, I kind of lost track of which direction is which. We never saw any city signs when we were driving around, and we didn't find anything in the shopping center that gave us any clue. I'll guess I'll just have to find out when we get there.

  It's actually kind of a nice train ride. I'm just looking out in the desert, and even though it's hot, the wind from the train is helping me stay cool. It looks like the sun is going down behind us, and it's making everything kind of orange colored. It's nice, but almost a little scary. I wonder if

  Um, Barbie, did you see that? I swear I just saw Bag-Man. He was just standing there, doing nothing, just watching the train go by.

  I just looked again and now I don't see him anywhere.

  I need to go lie down for a while. I'll talk to you later, Barbie.

  ~~~~~~~~~~

  Authors' Note

  Sarah's Despair

  For fun, we wanted to explore and reveal a little more about some of the other people in Kellie's life. As you can safely assume, Kellie is not the only one to have suffered pain and hardship during this turning point in human history.

  Sarah, whom you met in Part 2 and got to know in Part 3, has become the “mother figure” for both Kellie and Lydia, providing them with protection and survival education. Due to Sarah's stern nature, Kellie often doesn't understand Sarah and why she decides the things she does, but there is much underneath her no-nonsense manner.

  “Sarah's Despair” takes place during the chaos of the first day of the end, and reveals much about why she is the way she is... along with how she comes across other key characters in the story.

  -------SARAH’S DESPAIR-------

  Chapter 1

  Night shift had turned out to be more silent than Sarah expected; only one half-awake, mild-mannered driver had gone through the drive-thru in the last two hours, which was a relief compared to the usual breed of wily customer that visited Cheesy’s before sunrise. She handed off the grease-laden meal and yawned as the driver pulled away. A quick glance at the wall clock across the walkway showed 5:56 a.m., a mere thirty-four minutes before Sarah turned over her managerial duties to the morning shift.

  Cheesy’s was short staffed that night with only Sarah, the night security guard Pete, and the brand-new girl Lisa running the show. It would only be a few more minutes before the others would show up for the breakfast rush. Outside, Pete made his patrols, staying diligent despite the cold he caught a few days earlier. In the kitchen, Lisa was busily preparing the food on the breakfast list, the splattering grease becoming more droning by the second. Sarah was hungry enough to consider ordering herself a combo meal, but she knew better than to eat what was made there. The only thing that kept her going was the impending bonus from upper management; the thought of her being able to finally get a new scope for her rifle improved her mood and willingness to deal with the drudgery. The empty night allowed her to daydream more than usual, her thoughts drifting to the upcoming weekend camping trip with her husband and daughter. She just hoped that little Stacy would get over her cold by then.

  “Am I doing this right?” Lisa called from the grill.

  Sarah lifted the microphone away from her mouth and found Lisa shaking oil from the deep fryer basket, filled with hash brown sticks. The sticks weren’t quite cooked, as they were still a light yellow color. “A few more minutes,” Sarah corrected. “They’re not dark enough yet.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Lisa replied, lowering the basket back into the oil with a loud popping sound.

  “While that cooks, can you get the coffee pots ready?” Sarah asked.

  “Sure thing,” Lisa said, heading to the coffee machines and filling them with grounds and water. Within moments the machine came to life, the faint scent wafting through the air.

  Sarah yawned again, and checked the drive-thru camera – nobody was there. Thank god, she thought. She decided to tally up the overnight sales so she could be ready to leave as soon as the day shift manager came in. It didn’t take long to print up all fourteen sales from that night, and she retrieved the $72 from the register.

  She was startled by a knock at the window, but was relieved to see that it was only Pete. She opened the window and smiled. “Hey Pete, how are you feeling tonight?”

  Pete shrugged, “It hasn’t gone away yet, but I’ll manage,” he said. “Sinuses are acting crazy for some reason.” His face crunched and he turned away in time to sneeze loudly.

  Sarah raised her eyebrows in mild surprise; “Wow, bless you.” She reached under the counter for a handful of napkins and gave them to him through the window.

  Pete thanked her and took them, taking a few to clean his face. “Sorry about that,” he said, glancing around the parking lot.

  Sarah picked up a Styrofoam cup and filled it with the just-finished brewed coffee and passed it to Pete. “Anything interesting going on?” Sarah asked.

  “Nah,” he said, sipping the drink. “Been really quiet tonight.”

  “So when does day shift get here?” Lisa asked, rubbing one of her eyes.

  Sarah looked at the clock again – 6:02. “Jim should be here any minute and there will be five other people here by 6:30 or so,” she explained.

  “Is morning shift as busy as the others say it is?”

  Sarah shook her head. “’Busy’ is an understatement,” she said, “Take it from me, it’s no walk in the park.”

  The back door handle rattled, and Jim walked in, hanging his coat in the nearby closet. “Hey Sarah,” he called to her in heavy Texas drawl, “how was it tonight?”

  Sarah shrugged, removing her headset. “Slow, but it worked out fine, it gave Lisa some time to get familiar with the equipment.”

  “Good,” Jim said as he took the headset from her. He turned to the window and waved when he saw Pete, who nodded back. He turned to Lisa, “How about you? Sounds like you had an easy first night.”

  Lisa nodded. “Yeah, it went fine. Some guy ordered a bunch of burgers, but that was it.”

  He stepped up to the register and started punching buttons. “Oh by the way, I got a call from Gary, he’s running a little late, but he’ll be here by 7 for sure. I’m still expecting the others, but can one of you stick around ‘til he gets here? Don’t want to be left alone when the stampede shows up.”

  Sarah groaned inside her head, but before she could protest, Lisa spoke up. “I’ll stay,” she offered.

  The sudden heaviness lifted from Sarah’s mind, relieved in knowing she’d be home in a timely manner.

  “Thanks Lisa,” Jim said with a smile.

  “I guess I’ll be heading out then,” Sarah announced. She headed through the back, picked up her purse and walked out the back door.

  Pete approached her as soon as she closed the door, “Sarah, there’s a couple of drunks over there down the way, want me to check them out?”

  Sarah looked, and there were two men stumbling on the far side of the parking lot near the coffee shop; they weren’t saying anything to each other, only walking aimlessly in their stupor.

 
“I think it’s fine,” she decided. “But if they get any closer, you can just tackle them,” she joked.

  Pete laughed, and then turned to cough. “All right, I’m keeping my eyes open. See you in a few days.”

  “Yep, see you later.” As she fumbled for her keys she looked east to see the sun just barely over the horizon. She took a moment to look around and appreciate the crisp, quiet morning, and then yawned again. I can’t let myself fall asleep at the wheel, she reminded herself, and quickly got into her truck and began the twenty-minute drive home up north.

  Chapter 2

  Sarah entered the front doorway, quietly locking it behind her once inside. She knew that Stacy was probably asleep, and it wouldn’t be long before Eddie would be awake, but she never made a big deal about getting home. She set her purse on the living room table, pulled the elastic band from her light brown hair and tossed it inside the open pocket of her purse; instantly she moved to the fridge and grabbed a juice box. A few moments passed as she sipped the drink, feeling a slight daze from her fatigue. The adjustment to the night schedule hadn’t been an easy one, even though it had been over two months since she changed over.

  Her kitchen window had a perfect view of the sunrise through the trees, casting gold shafts over the cabinets. The house was decent sized yet economically designed: it was an older home with dated wood panel design and wood floors to match; a mounted A/C unit in the living room; flowered, aged wallpaper that the landlord insisted on keeping; an unusable fireplace; three smaller rooms towards the back and one bathroom. It was far from the ritzy homes of downtown Austin, but she enjoyed the cozy feel and the overall safeness of the neighborhood. It was only a mile from the preschool that she and Eddie picked out for Stacy, and it was close enough to a store that they could walk. Far from perfect, but at least they could afford it.