December 21, 2012
Ch. 2. Our hideout.
As Lance started the fire, the kids and I put up the tent. It was cold out, and I was scared to death that one of those zombies had followed us, and was going to kill us. I couldn't shake their blood red eyes, and the way their necks were turned to the side. Almost as if they were broken. And, most of all, the way they had just stood in the road. They were terrifying.
After Lance got the fire started, he took over for us. We hadn't made much progress. I went to the car and grabbed the blankets. Cale, Lyla and I huddled around the fire, trying to keep warm. Lyla refused to leave my lap, so I had the blankets over our shoulder. We were nice and cozy. Soon Lance came over and sat with us. He sat Cale in his lap and pulled the blanket over their shoulder. It would be a lovely scene, if we were out here for different reasons.
It was eerie how quiet everything was. A constant reminder that we could be attacked at any second. We ate some beans, and hotdogs for dinner. Soon we were all exhausted. We all went and laid in the tent. I was expecting it to be cold, but we all cuddled together, the two kids in the middle, Lance and I on the outside. It was nice and warm.
When we woke, it must have been about noon. We were refreshed. But, we had no idea what to do now. The kids were fussing about being hungry, so we ate the left overs from last night. I soon realized that we didn't have enough food to last, if we had to stay out here for much longer. This was going to be a problem.
Lance went out, looking for food, while the kids and I drew. I was so worried that we would be caught. The fear was almost overwhelming. I could feel myself starting to have an anxiety attack, but I reminded myself that I had to be strong for my children. If I freaked out, they would freak out, too. As the sun started to set, Lyra asked me, "Mommy, when are we going home?" My heart broke. What was I going to tell her? I took a deep breath. "Soon, baby. I promise." Was this a promise I was going to have a to break? I desperately hoped not.
Lance came back. He didn't bring much. A rabbit. He skinned it, and I started slicing some vegitables. I wanted things to be as normal as possible. As we ate around the campfire, Cale asked if we could sing. I grinned. "What an excellent idea, son!" We sang the campfire song, Wheels on the bus, and then The Barney Song. After that, we decided it was bed time. Lyla was falling asleep. We all snuggled together, and soon we were fast asleep.
We awoke to snow. It was beautiful, but I am terrified that we will get sick. The kids and I had a blast making snowmen and snow angels. Lance went back out to find food, but came back with nothing. We ate some apples and grapes for lunch. Although, I gave most of mine to the kids.
Later on, a family was passing by. They have two teenage boys, and a little girl about six. We've invited them to stay with us, and they've agreed. They were more prepared, and brought games. They also have meats. Apparently, things are getting worse and worse out there. The government has issued Marshall Law. Anyone who is caught escaping is shot on the spot. I am now terrified that they will find us, and kill us. Dear God, why didn't we stay?
Tonight we ate deer jerkey, and some mashed potatoes. The kids loved it. We all sat around the campfires, sharing memories and other stories. I like this other family, they seem really nice. The two older boys are twins. They bicker a lot. Cale gets along well with their daughter. Hopefully things will be okay.