Victoria's Journal

May 16th 2020

Today was one of those days, it started so smoothly. Easy even, a bowl of roman. followed by another sweep of my apartment for anything that might be useful. Packing everything I had found in a backpack from my school days. That was the easy part of the day, the easiest part, next the hallway started to make the noises that haunt your dreams. The moans and groans that go with the dead. It made my spine tingle, and the fear flooded my thoughts. The dead out in the hall were starting to get more annoyed with everything it seemed. I decided it would be good to listen to them for a while, let the moans and groans sink into my mind.

Mistake number one, it made it worse. That only built the fear up more as I sat there alone in the little one bedroom apartment I had called home for so long. Number two, I still can’t get the sounds out of my mind. There is nothing that could get those noises out of my head now.

Two hours of silence listening, burning the sounds into my mind. Letting everything soak in. Finally I was starting to calm my mind when the slamming against my door started. It was like it knew I was there, what in the hell? My mind and heart jumped when I heard the first word, “Help.”

It had been the simplest word in the world, but it was a word. At the moment I hadn’t been thinking, it was a word. What if the person wasn’t bit, what if they were fine? I had too, and with the smallest voice I could I answered, “Are you bit?”

The reply wasn’t what I wanted, oh no, it wasn’t what I wanted. The pounding on the door was enough to make me jump. Then the biter banging on the door started to scream, “HELP, HELP! HELP, HELP!”

I didn’t know what to think, what to do. My mind was at a total loss. It was a biter that was screaming. Then more pounding joined the first, I knew at that time that I had to get out of there, looking at my options I knew where this was going. Grabbing my pack and my brother’s gun I started for the fire escape. I hated it, this was not what I wanted to do today. Definitely wasn’t in my wish list, but in order to live you gotta do what you don’t want to do. Looking back at the door as it gave only to see a small horde break through and come flying at me in the window. Quickly I slammed it shut, then without thought started down the fire escape. My pack bounced off my shoulders, as I started down the fire escape.

When I reached a point that I thought I was safe I sat on the lip of the fire escape pulling my knees to my chest, it was one of those days. One of those days, that you wished life was back to the simple things. Back to when you could call up your mother. Tell her that you loved her, then call up your brother to do the same. My nightmares didn’t end there, it actually only got worse after that. Looking to the bottom of the fire escape there was another gathering of those dead things, all of them reaching up at me. How the hell did they know where I was all the time? That was my number one thought, there had to be a reason for it. These things seemed to know where we were, but what was it that made them know? I had to have sat there for a few minutes before the window next to me opened and a small girl stuck her head out with a softer voice, “Hello?”

I nearly jumped over the side of the fire escape when she spoke, turning to look at the girl. It was Robin Michaels from three floors down. “Robin? Is your family alive?”

She sat there for some time looking at me, I could hear the pounding on the bedroom door behind her. With quick ease I pulled the six year old girl, Robin out of the room and started down the fire escape again. My mind flooded with too many thoughts to think about. I was burning to ask all my questions, but stopped myself. I knew that if she had seen her family eat each other she would not want to talk about it, yet there were questions that I needed to ask. Needed to know, these were questions that could save our lives in the future. Reaching the last landing on the fire escape was when the nightmare only got worse, the screams behind us drew the biters out, drew them towards the center of the street. Ashley Marks, I had gone to school with her, and there she was being munched. I had no choice but to take advantage of her passing, I had to get Robin and myself out of there.

I had known the city well enough, and knew that our first stop should be some place to get food, and other supplies. My thoughts now on what was left in the store, I hoped that it was something useful. Using the ladder to quickly drop the final distance to the ground while the biters were consumed with finishing off Ashley. Robin and I made a run for the grocery store across the back alley a block over. The building wasn’t full of the biters, that I would be able to get something to use for Robin mostly. It was a short five minute walk from the apartment building to the store, which was on the back alleys and out of sight. Taking it slow to keep our back covered, making sure we weren’t spotted made the walk take closer to fifteen minutes.

For a child of six Robin is surprisingly silent, pointing at the biters that blocked our path instead of speaking. It made it easier to keep hidden from the biters. When we reached the store I was not happy, the parking lot was full. Those things were everywhere. It was literally my worst nightmare, come to truth. Taking in a deep breath trying to clear my thoughts at that moment. Trying to formulate a plan to make it across to the store. Robin’s arms grew tight around me, “Shhh.”

That was all I could find myself saying, all I could see myself doing as I held her tighter. She was scared and with good rights, I was too. Horrified even, but I still kept my head up as I looked at the store in front of us. The parking lot was full, not the store it seemed. That would have food in it, enough food that they wouldn’t need to worry for sometime. That was Pete’s Family Market, which meant that… I knew where I was, smiling at Robin I spoke in a calm quiet voice, “We got to get to the store, I know that you're scared. I am too.”

I was trying to ease her mind, trying to make her feel better, I could see in her eyes the fear, the pain of her loss. She was more than just scared, and there were no words that could help that. I just hoped that my words would help her to feel some comfort, that she would know she wasn’t alone.

Again she surprised me looking up. She spoke with a softer whisper, “Vicky, I trust you.”

Her little arms wrapping around my neck pulling me into a tight hug, the shock was there for a moment before I turned starting for the back alleys that would lead me to the back of the store. Ten minutes, each minute longer than the last as I walked with Robin in my arms. Finally the store’s back door came into view. I threw open the door and walked into the dark building, my eyes took a few moments to adjust, before I could finally see things. Nothing was moving, but I could see the boxes of food.

With a happy sigh I set little Robin on the ground pulling the heavy door shut behind us. It was quiet in the building, nothing but the sound of Robin’s sneakers on the floor. Watching her as she opened a box of granola bars, “Remember, Robin… We can’t stay here.”

My voice was calm. I knew that it was the truth, that I wouldn’t be able to stay here, no matter if we wanted to or not. Other people would be coming to the store, other people that might want to hurt us. Seeing as humanity wasn’t always nice, and now things were just worse. Thinking about that at that moment drove my mind into a tizzy of thoughts. Would we ever find a group that we could trust, that we could actually work with to survive? Or would I be alone with Robin and the undead masses forever? The thoughts here made me feel sick and stumble a moment before sliding down the wall. I could hear Robin calling to me, in soft whispers. She was more scared now that I was on the ground then she had been in my arms.

I knew that this child needed me and that everything was now on me. Looking at her I spoke over her whispers, “Robin, I need some water, can you find a bottle of water?”

The young girl nodded then turned starting off deeper into the store, I don’t actually know how long she was gone. But when she came back she did not come back alone. One of the people with her was a man, the other a woman. The woman knelt down over me and spoke in soft hushed voices, “Looks to be shocked, Jimmy.”

The man’s reply was short, “Let’s get them out of here then. Pack the truck.”

When I came too, I was sitting on a cot in the back of an ambulance. I knew it was, I had been in one once or twice in my life. Moving to sit up, my eyes shot around looking for Robin. The only person I saw was the woman, the one that had said it was a shock, “Who are you, where’s Robin?!”

Her hands here on my shoulders gently with a smile, “Robin is safe, in the front seat with my partner.”

Nodding, then looking around the ambulance with a heavy sigh I spoke with a heavier voice, “Who are you and Where are we going?”

The woman looked at me with a smile, “To a health clinic that my partner and I have locked down not too far from here. It’s safe, there are others.”

I didn’t want to say anything, I couldn’t even say thank you. There was no point in thanking someone yet we hadn't arrived at the safe place. I didn’t know if it was the truth or a way to trick me into falling into a trap. Really at this time I wasn’t thinking of this, I wasn’t thinking of what would come from me going with these two people. I did wonder now how Robin had found them. Had they found her, had she found them, had they hurt her? I wasn’t sure about anything as I moved to sit up again, “I want to talk to Robin.”

I was swift with my tone as I looked at the woman there in the back of the ambulance with me. She simply nodded, reaching forward, “Jimmy, she wants a moment with the girl.”

The man from before pulled off the road parking the ambulance, he then stepped out walking around to the passenger's side of the door and walking little Robin around to the back. Helping his companion out of the truck he put Robin in the back shutting the door. My eyes fell on Robin with a smile creeping across my face. She was beaming, for once I saw the sparkle in her eyes, the soft shades of green livid with happiness. Her soft pale complexion was slightly covered in dirt. Her filthy rich blond hair falling in curletts around her face. Her plain white shirt was covered in a light splatter of blood. The jeans she wore were torn at the knees. Looked like she had fallen, looked to have scraped her knees up.

“Robin? How are you?” My voice was calm as I lifted her to sit next to me. She nuzzled into me with a softer smile and a large hug.

“I’m fine, Mom.” Her voice was soft as she winked at me.

I looked at her in utter confusion, “Mom?” I whispered to her. She nodded then said the two people had wanted to shoot me. Until she had told them that I was her mother. Horror came over my face, they had wanted to kill me. End me right there without any thought, I had to get her and I out of there, “Okay Baby.”

Robin nodded with a small smile on her face, I nodded myself then stood up looking at her holding out my arms I lifted her into my arms starting to climb out of the ambulance. Both the man and the woman were outside the ambulance waiting, when I stepped out they looked at me and Jimmy said, “Where are you going?”

Looking at him I shook my head, “I’m going to find the rest of my family.” I hoped that my voice was stren enough to make it known that I wasn’t going to be here. It wasn’t long till me and Robin were sitting there watching the ambulance pull away. It was hard watching a bit of hope drive off. But after what Robin had told me I couldn’t take the chance in going with them. It was a longer walk back towards the outline of the city, but when we got there I was happy to find that the first building we came to was empty. The sun was starting to set in the sky and I didn’t know what the problems would be tomorrow. Getting inside and checking the house, I found the first bedroom and locked Robin and I inside.

Laying Robin on the bed I pulled out one of my packets of roman and started to crush it up. “We can sprinkle the seasoning on it and eat it dry.”

Robin nodded with a smile, “Then in the morning we can go back to the store.”

With a nod I smiled patting her head, “Yes, Get food. Very important.” My voice was calm as I lay back in the bed letting her eat what she wanted of the roman. In the morning I would check the kitchen to see what I could find. Maybe, Maybe I will find something. I found the flashlight I am using to write by, I might find something else.