For the disclaimer see the Authors Note at the beginning of Chapter 1

The Journals Of Elizabeth Anne Green

Chapter 13

Thursday March 15th

We survived eating fish that (potentially) eat the dead. No one has gotten sick so far. That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm sure there are dead under the water that are not so far gone that they are falling apart. I think one grabbed a fish Sheriff Grimes caught. That means that there will be no swimming when things warm up. By then we will likely be absolutely sure. It would be awful for some one to get dragged under the water and bit.

The other thing is that there is a small herd on the bank of the lake around the marina. It wouldn't be anything to worry about if they were somewhere else. Any section of the shore where the tree line comes to the waters edge or the swampy area where Cob's Creek runs into it, or the far end with the rocky outcropping and beach like slope would be fine, probably. We are kind of stuck where we are. I am kind of nervous because we can't use the dock to get supplies if we start to run low on something. They don't seem to be moving on either. They have been congregating all morning. Everyone is pretty sure they started after us and just kept in this direction even after they lost sight or memory of us.

I was watching with an almost morbid curiosity. They never stopped walking and slowly waded further and further into the water. It definitely slowed them down and I kind of wonder how long it will take for them to re emerge on the other side. If they do, I doubt I'll actually see it because the fog rolled in thick and heavy after lunch and then the drizzle started.

I wasn't the only one to belatedly realize what the fish have been eating. Lori, put it together shortly after dinner, which was baked fish. She ran topside and began heaving into the water, and when she was empty, proceeded to yell and scream about not eating the fish. Carrol and Sheriff Grimes were able to talk her down and calm her. Maggie says we have all been eating it for two days now and no one is sick, so it must be okay. That is the general consensus among the adults so I'm going to go with that. Besides, there's not much else to eat.

Friday March 16th

Maggie found some farina in some compartments that she found in the benches in the dining area. It was nice to have with the non dairy powdered coffee creamer and raspberry jam.

The last of the stragglers seem to be gone, either down under the lake or places unknown. They were considerably slower while wading so who knows when, where, or even if they will emerge.

Maggie and Glenn took the duck boat out to the marina to get more fuel and bottled water. Just in case more of the dead come along and we end up unable to go to shore again. We also used a lot of fuel running the bilge pumps while it was raining.

I feel safe here. There's fish to eat and the dead can't get to us. That said, I really don't think this is going to work long term. A big enough storm and we're sunk. Literally. A big enough herd and we could be without water and fuel for a while. Also, light travels really far over the water. It's possible someone could see the lights and have the idea to do what we're doing, which would be fine, but not everyone is willing to be neighborly anymore.

Also, Lorri hasn't just been sick from the fish or histrionics. She gets sea sick. Bad. She and Rick went on a cruise on their honey moon and it was a disaster. I think he was hoping it would be different on a little boat compared to a cruise ship. She has been eating mostly crackers, sprite and dry cereal. I think we are going ashore in the morning and will find a new place together.

Saturday March 17th

Although the decision was made last night, this morning's incident kind of reinforced the decision. Some of the dead who walked into the water floated to the surface and grabbed hold of the boat and tried to pull themselves onto the Selma. Fortunately Carl saw and called out to Carrol in time. She used a mop to knock them back into the water. If it had happened 30 minutes earlier no one would have known any people were on the deck of the Selma and someone would probably have been hurt.

Before we left the marina, Glenn and T-Dog painted a sign on the side of the Marina Store warning that there are dead under the water, and can float to the surface.

We found a gated community about a quarter of a mile from the marina. We went to 3 houses and found an entire family of ill in the first house. Sheriff Grimes shut the kids back in their room and put a warning on the door. The second house had blood everywhere, there were several dead inside and so we skipped it.

We are staying in the yellow house. There are several wooded lots between this house and the second house. There was no one here, so I guess they all went to a refugee center. There are wedding pictures on the mantle and portrait of the couple with a baby. The pictures show her gradually growing into an adorable little toddler. She was so cute. I hope they are safe somewhere.

Tomorrow we are going to have to find a way to board up the windows and reinforce the doors. For now, everyone is too tired to do anything but crash out. Maggie and Glenn are cuddled up in one recliner, Daddy is asleep in the other one and Rick is on the couch. Lori is on a couple of giant bean bags. Carol is sitting on the love seat keeping watch with T-Dog's head in her lap. He had his legs hanging off the arm rest from the knees. It looks uncomfortable. Carl is curled up against my side on the rug.

The remains of the fire are still smoldering in the fireplace. It reminds me of the musty smokey salty smell of the cabin. I miss cleaning that little cabin. I would love nothing more than to make Daryl and Jim a pot of coffee, or to smell one of Daryls cigarettes wafting through the window in the dawn light. Aren't I silly. It's just been a long day.

Sunday March 18th

Maggie taught our Sunday meeting on the meaning and symbolism of baptism and the sacrament, and pointed out some interesting things from the old testament that point to the atonement of Christ, Like how when Joseph was sold into Egypt the dreams he interpreted for the Baker and the Steward were centered on bread and wine.

Shortly after that a heard came through and we ran out to the cars and were able to get away. We didn't actually end up going far. Just up the street far enough around the bend to loose sight of the herd. It wasn't many, maybe forty or fifty. Five or ten we can handle easily, but more than that can be tricky.

We are in a very average house. There were four in here, the last one Carl found hanging in the closet. As far as we could tell, her family got ill and then she was bit and she didn't want to get sick. Carl smashed her in the head with a lamp and then called for us to help get the body down. I hate to think what might have happened if the woman hadn't been tied to the closet pole.

I tried to talk to Rick about it, and maybe him teaching his son how to handle a knife or a gun. Rick did't want to hear anything I had to say and told me to mind my own business. Apparently I'm a busy body and need to act my age rather than interfering in adult matters. Sheriff Grimes loves Carl and is kind to him. There's his positives. I talked to Daddy too. He doesn't think a knife would be a bad idea, but made it clear that Carl is not my responsibility and I am not to go against his parents in any way. I still think he should have a knife.

It may seem petty, but I'm not babysitting any more. If I see Carl off on his own I'm just sending him back to his parents. It's clear that they expect respect by virtue of their age, which is fine and I will continue to give it. I'm just tired of their dismissive attitude towards me. Anytime I make any observations about our situation or try to point things out Rick and Lorri are the first to say, "This is tall talk.", "Honey, go play with Carl, adults are discussing things." or the one I hate the most, "Don't you have studying to do?"

If I have studying to do, it's because Lorri got herself knocked up. Lorri is….

I'll write her positives tomorrow. I'm just done.

Monday March 19th

Well, that herd came through the neighborhood and broke through the sliding glass door in the dining room. Everyone ended up grabbing whatever they could and ran for it. The cars were surrounded, so we ended up jogging on foot through the woods, then into some back yards and then to a little strip mall and past the Newnan Court house.

We finally ended up on the roof of a realty office. Mostly because about 15 or 20 came out of the conference rooms cutting off the front entrance. We ended up running up the stairs and that's why we are on the roof. There is actually a little loft up here with a studio apartment. Emphasis should be put on little.

Everyone has been keeping backpacks close so it's not too bad. We have enough water and food in our bags to last a few days but hopefully the ill will be gone by morning and we will be able to get back to the cars before we use up too many supplies.

Glenn grabbed the map so we will hopefully be able to find the house again. I think it was in Mill Run. My books are all in the truck except for "Foundations of Chinese Medicine" and I did make some headway in it. I finished chapter 18 and answered the chapter questions.

I've been making up poems and stuff to memorize the paterns. Everything comes in fives, five functions, five sounds, five stages of development, five colors, five flavors, five senses, five tissues and five emotions. They were going through my mind on loop as I ran, It's really starting to come together in my head.

I'm worried about Lorri. The run wasn't good for her. She spent way too long trying to get her breath back. Right now she is in the studio on the bed. Carl was reading to her but is sleeping with his head in what's left of her lap. It is still in the 70's but it will probably go back down to the mid 50's tonight. Not everyone had sleeping bags tied to their backpacks so we all ended up sharing. The twin bed and the couch take up most of the space. There were a few fleece throws and I snagged the red and black plaid one. Somehow I ended up between Carol and Maggie on the rug. Daddy is on the couch. T-dog was on the other side of Carol and Glenn was on the other side Maggie. Rick is on the floor between Glen and the bed. I suppose Daryl would call it "Cozy" in that sarcastic way of his. Anyway, it's getting dark and I don't want the ill to notice any light and stay longer so the crank radio will stay put away.

So, Lorri positives from last night, she's in pretty good shape for a pregnant woman. She knows a lot of dad jokes.

Tuesday March 20th

Glenn, T-dog and Rick climbed down the ladder on the outside of the building, and were able to get to the cars okay. They left super early and left me to keep watch. They were gone for about an hour and were back just as people were starting to wake up.

They were able to get the attention of the dead inside and lead them out a few at a time. It took longer to lay the dead to rest than to retrieve the cars. The glass windows made it impractical to stay there because there was nothing to board them up with. There was no soft furniture either, except for the roof top studio.

We didn't make it far though, just to a nail salon. There are nice massaging pedicure recliners though. Theres no power so the messaging part doesn't work, but they are comfortable, and there are 12 of them, complete with foot basins. The windows were already boarded up and the door too, it wasn't locked though.

Sasha the nail tech was wandering around aimlessly until Glenn opened the door. Then she just lunged at him in a slow staggering way and he put his knife in her head like it was nothing. When he pulled it out some stuff squirted on him, so Maggie gave him one of her bottles of water to wash up with. He is now wearing a pink Hot Nails t-shirt instead of the navy one with the breast pocket. That one was tossed in the back alley by the back door near where Sasha was laid down and covered in a towel.

Maggie, Lorri, Carrol and I did each others nails because we could. Mine are lavender with yellow daisy decals and have a pale green stripe along the tips. I did Carrols fingers and toes pink and put green and blue hearts on them with a stamp. Lorri's are blue and pink alternating with light purple bows and Maggie has dark green metallic with glitter on her ring fingers. We had a blast. It's the first actual pampering we've done since we were on the farm, probably since Shawn and Jenny got married.

The guys got their nails done too. Not painted or anything like that, just filed smooth and cleaned up a bit.

We had spaghetti-o's for dinner and orange crush. There were some granola bars in the break room that we divvied up into our packs too. It's late so I should quit.

Wednesday March 21st

We are in the Roses department store. It was a mess, still is really. There were no dead. I mean, none that could walk around. No actual walkers I guess. There were plenty of dead. We piled them up by the unloading dock in a stack. I was able to see the ID's for most of them They are listed in the steno pad. Tomorrow I will paint their names and dates on the roll down doors so if their loved ones come through they will know that they have departed without having to search through stacks of bodies.

There are mattresses in the home section, and linens. There is also a bunch of camping gear and food and vitamins and such. Basically everything we need. I would prefer the farm but this isn't so bad. I think the plan for tomorrow is to mop the floors and get rid of the meat and produce. It has rotted to the point that what is left is actually dried up and doesn't smell. Most of the meat we think was eaten by the maggots so the natural cycle of life did most of the cleanup.

The skylights provide a lot of natural light which is nice. The only windows are the automatic glass sliding doors. Rick and T-Dog went and salvaged plywood from other buildings to board them up pretty well. They chained all the other doors shut except the one door on the loading dock, just in case we need to get away quickly.

Thursday March 22nd

We got water because Glenn is a genius. He found a water tank at one of the farm stores in town and put it in the bed of the truck and then dropped it off on the loading dock. Then he went back and got another one into the truck and used an emergency hose on the water tower to fill it. When he got back with it he used a garden hose and a small pump to syphon all of the water from that tank unto the one on the loading dock.

We will have water for a week even if we bathe and wash things, and we are washing things. We swept the floors and mopped up the blood stains and other grime that I don't want to think about. We picked up things and put them back on the shelves neatly.

We can't stay here long term, but it's been a good stopping place. We even met some people who were looking for supplies. We let them have whatever they wanted, but Rick wasn't happy about it. They had a baby so Maggie and I showed them where the diapers and formula were. Thats really all they were looking for. There's plenty here. More than we'll be able to use. We'll be gone by Monday anyway.

Glenn and T-dog have been looking for another place and they may have found one. Daddy and Rick went to look at it this evening and they think it will be ok too.

I do like this bed.

Friday March 23rd

Daryl is here!

He was actually just passing through looking to hook up with Merle and saw me writing the memorials on the overhead door and wall. I will admit that I may have possibly ran at him and hugged him like a spider monkey. Daddy, Rick and Glenn came out to see what the commotion was just in time to see me with my legs wrapped around him. I don't know why I did it. I was just so happy and relieved and I just can't describe it. He hugged me back and it felt almost too nice. As soon as he noticed the guys pointing to the dead that had wandered out of the tree line he let go. If I hadn't been holding on so tight I probably would have hit the ground. It may have been me yelling his name that drew about a dozen dead out of the wood line, and I admit it was my fault, but no one got hurt. It did bring me to my senses though, and I let go of him real quick. They took care of the walkers in just a few minutes.

Daryl left the cabin because the heard destroyed the barn, the chicken coop and the fences. He was able let Bull and Dot out, and they outran the herd. He thinks they will be okay. He didn't have time to save much. The herd was feasting on goats, pigs and chickens when he got away. He barely had time to load Merles bike into the truck with his camping gear and got out as fast as he could.

He actually made it to the farm but ended up getting surrounded when he pulled over to sleep in his truck. He had to abandon the truck and took to the trees. He sort of accidentally found the tree house and ended up camping in it as he watched a sea of walking bodies pass beneath him. He found my copy of The Sea Hawk and read it to pass the time. My bookmark clued him in that he had made it to the farm. He lived off the snacks I had stashed up there when he ran out of food in his pack. He also appreciated the camp cot and sleeping bag.

He camped there for about two days after the herd because of stragglers. He said he ate squirrels that he roasted over a fire he made in his cooking pot by burning kudzu and dead branches that "needed prun'n anyway". He promised he tidied up before he left.

The whole time we were stuck in Shawn and Jennies house he wasn't more than 300 yards away. We passed him when we made our break for it, driving through the herd.

After that he got back to the truck and had been checking out the dives and bars Merle had frequented before the turn and visited what drug dens were accessible and not over run with dead. He had been on his way to Jerry's Bar when he happened upon me painting the names and life spans of the dead.

He left after lunch to check out a few more places. He did find a clue. Merle's milage book for the bike was at Jerry's pinned to the bulletin board with his pocket knife. The last page just said he will be checking in at "the ol'place" every third Sunday morning. Daryl intends to go tomorrow, and we are going to a motel. Daryl will meet us there with Merle. Lorri, Rick, Carrol, Glenn and T-dog do not seem to be very enthused by the idea, but didn't make a big deal of it.

Carl, on the other hand, thinks Merle is buckets of fun. He's excited. Apparently Merle promised to teach him to throw knives when he got back from the city. He just didn't end up coming back.

We will be leaving in the morning. Daryl thinks staying here is a bad idea. Too many people will try to come for supplies and may not be as friendly as the couple that came yesterday. We were going to wait for Monday, but I guess the adults voted.

Saturday March 24th

We didn't keep our schedule. We missed a turn trying to avoid a herd. It started to get late so when Carl saw this trailer it seemed to be a better idea than camping on the side of the road. We were settled in before dark. It's not very sturdy but it is out of the way so hopefully it will do for a bit. There are three bedrooms and a gas stove in the kitchen. There is propane in the tank, so we've been able to cook easily. The only issue is water. We have enough to cook with but unless someone can get the well pump to work, we will be leaving a mess when we go.

The Grimes have one room, Maggie Carrol and I have one and Glenn, Daddy and T-dog are camped out in one. The couch is being occupied by whoever is on watch. Right now that's me.

I have decided to start back in on the maternity book. I still have over 800 pages to read in Foundations. Really, its over 1300 pages, and honestly, I don't think I will finish it on time. I just have this sinking feeling of urgency. The Maternity book isn't that hard to understand now that I understand the basics. I've practiced checking everyones pulses. It was kind of weird but I was able to feel the differences in everyones pulse. I never figured there was so much you could tell from such an ordinary thing, But now I understand why the nurse always checked it when I had checkups. I also looked at everyones tongues.

So far I've seen a walker, a deer and a few squirrels. The dead guy didn't seem to notice us and kept on walking, so I just let it go. If there had been more I would have woken someone up.

Sunday March 25th

We had Sunday meeting after breakfast and it was on the Holy Ghost, and being in tune with that still small voice that warns us when we need it and are in tune with the Lord. That gentle feeling of comfort we get when we do what is right. I went to bed after that.

Daryl went to find his brother as soon as Sunday meeting was over. It didn't go as well as hoped. Merle never showed up at "the place" so Daryl is a week early or a week late. I guess his plan is to keep going back until his brother shows up.

Monday March 26th

A small herd came through and we had to abandon the trailer. We are at one of the camp sites at Chattahoochee State Park, sleeping in the cars. It's been cool to the edge of chilly and I really don't like camping. It's not the camping itself that bothers me. It's the idea that a string of cans is the only thing between me and the dead. The thing is, theres more dead the closer we are to where theres usually been lots of people. I guess being in unpopulated areas brings the hope of fewer dead. The problem is that state parks are kind of tourist attractions, and we have had to lay several dead to rest.

One of the perks is the showers are working at the campsites. Cold showers are better than no showers.

Lorri looks about to pop any day. She calculated that she probably has another month to go, so probably the end of April.

Tuesday March 27th

I'm in a tree. We both are. We didn't have time to run since I was measuring Lori's girth and the height of her fondus to try to confirm her due date estimate when we heard Carl sound the alarm. Lori was sure that we were going to be goners, because running is hard for her. I saw a tree and insisted that she go up. I pushed her and here we are. We told everyone to keep running and come back for us later. Amazingly we remembered to grab our bags so here we are. It's not the most comfortable place to spend a night, but we haven't been bit and have water and candy bars.

We also have our ponchos and I should put this away because I saw lightning and its going to rain. I think I'd rather be electrocuted than bit.

Wednesday March 28th

We didn't sleep in the tree, Lori did but I didn't. I have no idea how she did it. Maybe exhaustion and the patter of raindrops on our plastic tarp. The rain distracted the dead, but they continued to mill about our tree until almost dawn. As the sky lightened a deer passed by drawing off the ill. It easily outran them but they continued plodding in the direction it had been running in, mindlessly. I doubt they even knew why they were headed in that directions after the first 5 minutes had gone by.

A few hours after I lost sight of the last of the stragglers, the rain stopped and here I am. I was able to get out of the tree easily enough, but Lori is stuck, so as soon as I finish this entry I'm supposed to find someone from our group and bring them here to help her down. I would have thought they'd have come to check on us by now, and ordinarily I would probably stay put and wait, but its cold and in the wind. I worry Lori is going to get sick if she stays up there too long, even with her poncho.

Thursday March 29th

I should probably update about what happened yesterday. I found everybody in a semi truck surrounded by ill. I distracted the them by setting off a car alarm down the road. It worked until it attracted another herd that was pretty big. Fortunately the car was far enough down the road that they were not congregating any where near the Schneider National truck. I almost didn't recognize Maggie's backpack sitting behind one of the wheels. I lured the ill off so I could get the bag to see if it was really hers. I heard them having a very heated discussion about what they were going to do to get out of the semi trailer they were in, so I opened the door and yelled "Annyeongi Haseyo". That got everyones attention and after a bit of confusion and a lot of hugs and Rick panicking about why Lori wasn't with me, I was able to lead them back to the tree she was in. They were able to help her down and we were able to get back to the cars and finally got to the Old Peach Inn.

There's a pool with a waterslide that I'm not going down. There is a layer of mossy slime growing on the top of the water and it smells awful. I'm sure that with a major pumping, and cleaning it would be great, but for now it is a misquote resort and they are huge and everywhere. If we could wipe out the pool things would be great, but no one wants malaria so we are moving out in about 10 minutes

Friday March 30th

The saying about "failing to plan is planning to fail", isn't wrong. We slept in the cars last night and it looks like we are doing it again tonight.

Carl got a good sturdy hunting knife and Lori was horrified that her sweet baby had his first kill right in front of her. Apparently he "borrowed" it from one of the dead laid to rest, on the grounds that, "He isn't going to need it any more, but I do." That did not make it better. He admitted that he'd had it since the motel with the mosquito farm. He was motivated to take it because if Merle's coming back he will need a knife so that Merle can teach him to throw it. I think she should be thanking G-d. Maybe she should keep better track of him.

He was far enough away from anyone, that he would have been a gone'er if he hadn't taken care of it himself. Sherrif was a bit more reasonable than I would have thought. He spent about an hour teaching Carl to use it properly after we'd set up the tents and the tin cans out of sight of the road.

We pulled the cars up as close to the trees as we could and covered them in branches and leaves. It would be annoying to loose the cars and everything in them because someone thought they were abandoned.

On a happy note, Spring is officially here. I saw daffodils blooming along the road, all pale yellow and pale green. Some of the trees are starting to get their new leaves too. I hope we find somewhere permanent soon. I'm itching to get a garden going.

Saturday March 31st

We are with new people, but I will get to that in a bit.

We slept in cars again last night. It wasn't the best sleep ever, and it wasn't just because of trying to sleep in the bucket seats of a car, it was anxiety about being surrounded by a herd and itching from any of the dozen and a half mosquito bites I've collected the last few nights.

The Country Cottage Inn is around the corner from where Daryl is supposed to meet up with Merle tomorrow. It's not in the country, it's in the run down part of town. It's not a cottage either, it's an older, slightly run down, cheep, motel. There are three floors, elevators, a lobby and 2 convention rooms, gym, laundry mat, game room, guest offices and an attached diner that's been boarded up with dead stuck inside. It was pretty full, at least 60 I think.

There were some people living there already. We only discovered this after clearing out most of the first floor rooms.

We are all in 2nd floor rooms to make it harder for the ill to reach us even if we get surrounded. They can get up stairs, but the Sherrif and Glen reenforced stair well doors. The elevators don't work and are stuck on the bottom floor. Everyone has their own room with an air conditioner, a fridge, a microwave and a color TV with Pay-Per-View and Blu-ray players. Obviously none of those amenities are very interesting as they require electricity. Fortunately, it's not too hot out yet, and it does have well placed windows for capturing passing breezes.

They have nice balconies and so we are cooking with a charcoal grill that was in a storage room. There were linens and cleaning supplies and giant washers that were useless. and there was even one of those mechanical carpet sweepers so getting everything tidy was a cinch.

Adeline Pruet and Susan Linder from housekeeping and Cannon George the maintenance guy were also in there. Adeline was in the drier and was in much better shape than Cannon and Susan. I think she got in it to be safe from them and succumbed to the bite on her wrist.

We did have to clean several guest rooms of dead and not quite dead as well. There were only one or two people in most of the rooms. There was one room where the Bennet family was staying on the first floor. Joseph Bennet 3-5-77 and Karen Bennet 10-18-79, a little boy and two girls not much older than Carl.

The other room in the third floor had several people and a bunch of drugs. Sherrif and Daryl took care of them and told me not to worry to much about getting their ID's, so I don't know their names or anything.

There are 4 families on the 3rd floor. They don't want us here. They were keeping the people in the rooms to deter people from bothering them. They were hoping for a cure and are upset that we laid the ill to rest. Some of them were relatives of the people upstairs. They think we are murderers. I guess I can relate. Thats how I felt just a few months ago. I still wonder if we should be focusing on containing them rather than putting them to rest.

They want us gone as soon as Daryl finds Merle. That means we have to be out Monday. It took a lot of negotiating to get that concession.

I like the yellow and pink cabbage roses on the wall paper. It's homey kind of, and matches the bed spread, even though it screams the 70's. I'm just glad we got settled in before the drizzling started.

Sunday April 1st

We had a quiet Sunday, all told. We had oatmeal with jelly for breakfast, and stew made from squirrel and wild leeks for lunch and dinner.

We have the idea of leaving tomorrow in our minds. I should really be angry with the Grimes', but I don't have the energy. I haven't forgiven them for their family issues that led to the destruction of the farm, but I try not to think of it. Daddy says forgiveness isn't just for who we forgive, it is to take the burden of anger, resentment and hurt off of our own shoulders. I try. I really do. I think it's just one of those things that either heals or festers with time. I'm worried that it's festering. I wish I could do better than just changing the subject in my mind. It's times like this, when everywhere we go is just temporary, that I get frustrated and it bubbles to the surface again.

Sunday meeting was fine. The lesson was on Moses visiting Pharaoh. Daddy invited the people upstairs to come, but they are Hindu and declined.

Daryl left early to try to meet up with Merle. He's not back yet. I hope he's okay. If he isn't back before we leave I'm worried he will end up separated from us and alone again. We don't know where we are going so we can't leave a message. It's pretty late so I should pack up and get things ready, so we can leave in the morning without too much drama.

Monday April 2nd

Merle didn't show again. He said every three weeks, so Daryl should meet with him next week. That will be three weeks. He had a pretty exciting night. He almost got surrounded and ended up getting swarmed. I'm glad he was able to get back okay. That makes me worried though. He is probably the person best able to handle himself out there on his own.

We are in a clinic. We are 3 buildings down from the Country Inn. The exam rooms are okay. It was a pretty big clinic so everyone has their own room and there are still two rooms left. Theres no way to cook here so we are eating chips, crackers and trail mix. We ducked inside to avoid a large group of ill and will go somewhere better tomorrow. Glenn and Sheriff Grimes are scouting a few places and are supposed to be back soon. We may leave here tonight if they find somewhere better for us to go before it starts to get dark. In the meantime I have more reading to do.

On another note, Sunday will be Easter

Tuesday April 3rd

The weather still has a bit of chill to it but the skies are sunny and clear. It's probably going to warm up soon. Hopefully it will stay cool for a few more weeks. I found a super cute Hello Kitty hoodie and I don't want to ditch it just because of the weather.

We are in a neighborhood outside Peachtree. We are staying in a yellow house. We collected food from 3 other houses before we settled on this one. The others were just one story and we have been staying in 2 story houses because its easier to barricade a stairwell than it is to board up windows and doors.

There was a guitar in one of the closets and Maggie and I sat and played a few songs for everyone.

The two families across the street were nice. They are just resting for a few days. They intend to move on Friday. They met up with some soldiers a few weeks ago who told them there is a town near here that has walls and even a functioning government. It seems too good to be true almost. The thing is, we've been al over these parts. You'd think if there was a safe place nearby we would have found it by now. We surely would have heard someone broadcasting over the radio or something.

Wednesday April 4th

We moved over three houses because the blond lady Malone, was snooping in the cars. She's from one of the families that was across the street. Sheriff caught her tossing my books out of the car like they were just nothing while looking for medicine. She must not think too good. There are several books about foraging herbs. Thats as good as medicine, isn't it? Anyhow, he called everyone outside and explained to her family that if any of them came around again they'd be joining the ill. They had food and stuff. They don't have Tylenol so I showed them the bark on a weeping willow growing in the yard of the house on the corner and some feverfew, goldenseal, yarrow and angelica growing in the ditch. Then we packed up so we could get some distance.

I guess attached garages are now something we will be looking for in places we will be staying at so we can keep that from happening in the future. It's kind of cloudy and I'm full of ravioli. I think I'm going to use the rest of the daylight to finish the chapter I'm in and go to bed.

I've been looking to see if the people here had any Easter stuff for Sunday, but I turned up nothing.

Thursday April 5th

I showed those people how to treat minor aches and fevers and in return they set fire to the house we were staying in. Carl smelled the smoke and woke everyone up. We had a hard time getting the garage in front open because they had chained it shut. It's a good thing they were too lazy to walk around the back or they would have tried to chain the door in the back as well. If the cars had burned up we would have been in a bad way.

So, we stopped at a little park with a historic marker about a how General Mullen marched his troops across this little creek during the Civil War. The adults seem to be positive those people didn't follow us. We decided to just drive until we get to the first unoccupied farm we come to and here we are.

In a barn. It got rainy and the house was abandoned before everyone got sick. The roof was entirely missing in some places. The floors were saggy too. T-Dog managed to break one of the stairs while checking it out. We should be glad that was all he broke I suppose. It would be really hard if we had to splint his leg or something because he busted it.

Any way, it started to rain, and that makes it hard for who ever's driving to see what or who is in the road. The barn looked pretty sound and it was big enough to park everything in and has room for the tents and its pretty dry. The walls are strong and sound. The doors on each end are squeaky and didn't seem to want to slide in their runners but we managed to close them.

At least we know it isn't leaking light. I think I got a decent amount of studying in. I got Maggie to review the questions from the chapters I already read. She found the section in the appendix with the answers and I had a few things that I had to go back and review again. Not anything major, just some of the finer points.

We are only about 2 miles out of Peachtree. We're not going more than an hour or so away until Merle joins us. At that point we will decide wether or not to go to the Dixon farmstead in Tennessee or to go somewhere remote in the national forest and hunker down where we wont have to worry so much about herds. I know the Grimes are going to have a hard time going to Tennessee. Lori will likely give birth along the way, and traveling with a baby will present problems I can't even imagine. I suppose Mathew chapter 6 is kind of calming. It makes me feel better about our situation.

I should get to bed. Tomorrow will probably be busy.

Friday April 6th

The cars are going no where. The barn itself is on a stone and brick foundation. The barnyard is a different story. Its a bog. The Hyundai got stuck. Fortunately Daddy and Daryl were able to use the truck to pull it back in without making to big a mess. Hopefully it will dry out a bit so that we can drive the cars out tomorrow. We have supplies to last a few more days. Carl is bored and has been hyperactive. Carl and I rigged a swing from one of the rafters with a rope and a board we found lying around. It was fun. Carl, Maggie, Glenn and I took turns. After a while even Carol tried it out. Lori can't because the rope is tied in the middle. Her stomach is in the way. Everyone else was too busy being old fogies.

We played Yahtzee with some dice Daryl whittled and it was pretty fun. Lori won and Carl came in second.

Saturday April 7th

We are in a little suburb. I have a cat for today, it's been curled up beside me the entire time I've been studying. I'm sure its lived here since everything. His collar says "Mr. Flufferton". I can't say it without wanting to giggle. Mostly because he is very sleek and has short fur. He has been content to just sit and purr.

The best thing though, I found a box in the second of 4 houses we went to, with easter baskets and plastic eggs. I've been quietly tucking away candy to put into the plastic eggs. I think an easter egg hunt will be great to get peoples spirits up. I can hardly wait.

On another note, Rick finally decided to teach Carl to use a gun. He's real proud of it too. It's a Browning BDA. Rick got it off of an ill trooper. When they came back from shooting, Rick made him take it apart and put it back together about a dozen times and Carl can now take it apart and put it back together in about 5 minutes.

Lori isn't happy about it and spent the rest of the evening sulking and giving everyone the silent treatment. Mostly because no one was willing to say anything about how its a bad idea to give him a gun. I suppose I've already put forth my opinion on that. She was so sure I would back her up but I just said I was staying out of this. It's not like she or Rick have ever valued my opinion before, so what would it benefit them for me to put my oar in at this point..

Sunday April 8th

Easter is an odd holiday because it's not always on the same day every year. It is correlated with Passover. The plastic eggs were a surprise not just because no one was expecting to have an Easter Egg Hunt but also because no one else realized Easter was coming up.

That said, I'm glad we did the hunt. I'm glad I hid the eggs outside. If it had been inside we might not have noticed the herd coming upon us. Everyone found most of the eggs I hid and I scrambled to gather up the rest as soon as Maggie sounded the alarm. I suppose it was foolish but some of them had the round chocolate truffle balls in them. They would be such a shame to loose.

Sunday meeting was about the last supper, and the events leading to the Christ's death and resurrection. We did it in the car with Glenn, Maggie, Daddy and I.

That's how we discovered that the Ol' Place was a burned up house trailer with an old camper parked beside it. We are leaving in the morning. It's too exposed here and the camper only sleeps 6. Two on the queen bed, two on the fold down table and one on the couch. It wasn't to bad if you ignore the smell of years of stale cigaret smoke and malt liquor bottles.

Merle never showed up. That's the worst thing. Daryl is worried and is smoking like a chimney. Every Nervous tick he has is on display and I wish I knew what to do for him. I wish I had some valerian, St John's Wort or lavender to give him. Maybe then he could slow down the pacing. I'm going to try to distract him for a bit.

Monday April 9th

We left Daryl's childhood home. I guess his Mama fell asleep drunk or high with a cigaret and burnt it down when he was a kid. The camper is the 3rd or 4th one to sit in that spot over the years. His dad never saw the point of moving or doing better. Daryl seemed shamed of it, but it's not his fault. He wasn't just upset about Merle. He moved out when he was about 17 and vowed to never go back, and he hadn't until Merle designated it as where to meet. That was a big part of why he was so agitated. He said it was actually better with everyone being here. Less ghosts to haunt him is how he put it.

I gave him 2 sheets of paper from my study notebook so he could write Merle a letter. Just in the hope that Merle will come by at some point. I think Daryl intends to go back again every week until Merle shows.

We went through 3 houses before settling on this one, this one had an herb garden run amuck. It was full off elecampane, feverfew, yarrow, angelica, mint and licorice. There were a bunch of other things too, but Im not sure what all is there. I wish I had time to harvest more than I did. I don't know if we will be here long so I hung what I did harvest in the cars from the "Oh Dang It" handles.

I wasn't the only one busy. Rick made Carl a suppressor by cutting a section out of a softball batt and gluing baffles in it. It doesn't make it quiet really, just less loud. Carl didn't do bad helping to clear out the house. He found peanut butter too. It seems to be the first thing he sniffs out whenever we find a house that has any.

We used the chocolates from yesterday to make s'mores, just without marshmallows. It was like crunchy peanut butter cups. Lori is a genius and I don't appreciate her nearly as much as I should.

Tuesday April 10th

We moved twice today. We are constantly avoiding herds or looking for food and water. I'm just glad we were able to stop by a stream and bathe. It was cold, but I suppose we've all gotten used to it. I actually am starting to find it refreshing in a way. I used to spend 30 minutes in the shower breathing in the steam and called it a short shower. Now I soap up and get out in 5 minutes.

Speaking of fast, they cleared this house in under 10 minutes. It's almost routine now. We have a system sort of. Rick knocks on the door to see if anyone is already there and to attract any dead that might be inside to where we can see them right away. Then he and T-Dog fling open the door followed by Daddy, Glen or Daryl. Today they let Carl clear the house on the condition that he stays right behind Rick. Then they split into two teams sweep down stairs. If theres an upstairs they meet at the stairs and do it again when they get to the top.

We hit the jackpot. We had spam and Ma'am-wich and green beans for dinner with crackers.

Wednesday April 11th

We aren't the only nomads trying to survive by going house to house. You can usually tell from the dead stacked neatly by the doors, sometimes people write warnings on the doors or on the walls. We went through 3 houses and then this trailer at the entrance of the Cover Trail Mobile Home Community. It's overgrown now, but it looks like it was once well taken care of. The decks are all nicely painted and there isn't much stuff knocked over or lying around. I hope they evacuated. There's a playground and signs warning people to slow down for kids.

There was an ill little girl laying under the playground until we drove by. Then she tried to crawl after us. She didn't have her arms below her elbows. Daryl took care of her, but I could tell it really hurt him. I hate seeing dead kids walking around. It always hurts more when a child has to be laid to rest. The sadder thing, or maybe the merciful thing, is that usually if a child encounters the ill there isn't enough left to wake back up.

We went through the park and then back to the trailer at the entrance with office painted on the sign in the front yard. It is a double wide and so we have been able to have a bit more space to spread out and privacy. My sleeping bag is rolled out in the tub of the front bathroom. I know it sounds weird, but tubs have really smooth bottoms, curtains and people don't tend to bother you in the bathroom. It's got no water but everyone seems to have held onto habits from before all this. With all the moving around I really need the alone time, no matter how I get it.

All the moving is really starting to take a toll on Lori. She is pale in a dull pasty way, and she is more exhausted than she should be. She's thinner than she should be, like a skeleton with a belly. We aren't eating well and she is barely eating enough for one, let alone two. No one is sleeping well. I'm pretty sure everyone is sleeping light and having nightmares, but she is fading. Somethings got to give.

Thursday April 12th

The trailer park seemed like a good idea. We were able to use the gas stove to cook spaghetti and heat up sauce. It was a good dinner. Everyone ate their fill and a bit more. I think everyone managed to catch up on a bit of sleep a bit, as if G-d was making sure we would be able to have the energy we needed.

There was no one about. We had no idea there were walkers under the trailers hidden from view by the skirting. I don't know how we missed that the sun was going down. We didn't think about the flimsy blinds ability to block the light of the lantern we had lit, and you can guess the rest. We made it to the cars okay because Daddy looked out the window and saw people coming out from under the houses.

We were settled in. My sleeping bag got left because I didn't have time to go back for it. The ill got into the trailer and knocked over a candle I suppose, and the whole thing lit up in minutes. Trailer houses really do go up fast.

We are camped out at a little turn off with a historic marker for Starr Mill. It's on the other side of Whitewater Creek. It would be a great place to stay. It has four walls and I don't think anyone could cross this creek with the dam and spillover. I also worried if a herd approaches we will get to choose between drowning and getting torn to pieces.

Friday April 13th

We are camping again. No one wanted to move. Everyone is tired and wanted to rest a bit. At least we were able to find food, and cook over a campfire. I'm sleeping in the back of the truck because its better than the ground. I can sweep it out easily and I don't get poked by odd rocks. I can also sit here and study and write without anyone noticing me. Well, Daryl talks to me. He and Carl are my main social circle. I guess Maggie is too, when she's not to wrapped up in whatever she and Glen get up to.

Oh, the drama. T-Dog and Carrol are official I guess. No announcements or anything, just holding hands and going on walks alone, and Carrol kissed him on the cheek at dinner. Just casual like. The only one who seemed to not notice was Daryl. I think that they have been moving so slow no one noticed until that PDA, and I think people know but no one's brought it up till now. I'm glad they're happy. Daryl wasn't a bit surprised. I don't remember who started the congratulations but I sweat T-Dog blushed brighter than Carol. They were both embarrassed to be put on the spot but took it in stride. Everyone thinks its great.

We ate pretty well tonight. Some rabbits stewed with Cattail roots, wild chives, chrysanthemum greens and purslane.

Saturday April 14th

Well, as predicted we couldn't stay so exposed forever. We were motivated to move due to a smallish herd. We drove a bit and found a house on a corner, shortly after the truck ran out of gas. At first we thought it was an old corner store, but it had been remodeled into a small home.

Maggie and Glen went to get gas for the truck, but ran into trouble about the time they had the gas cans filled. That was what motivated them to get back so quickly. We were actually able to pick up and get out in record time. We are getting better from the practice I guess. We went through 4 houses and a convenience store and only managed to find a couple of cans of soup. This whole town looks like someone has already scavenged everything useful.

We were able to find an easily defended house that was already boarded up. It's better than sleeping outside, but my stomach is unhappily empty. I would delve into my bag, but over the past week or so I managed to nibble my way through it. I've also been giving Lori snacks because I'm worried about how skinny she is and the baby and all, and Carl because he's a kid and growing.

Sheriff Grimes is more gaunt from worry and stress, than the exercise and diet. If things don't improve and we don't find a better place before Lori reaches her time, he may go round the bend. His mental stability is wavering, and we can't afford for anyone to loose their hold right now.

Sunday April 15th

We are moved house again 3 times. Daryls shot an owl today and actually plucked it and cooked it. Carl wanted to eat canned dog food and his dad about had an apoplexy. We actually had a pretty busy day. I think Daddy is hoping we can have Sunday meeting tonight.

We didn't have time for Sunday meeting today. We had a group prayer before we broke camp, one in the first little white house we came to before we were informed that it was already occupied, and at the yellow house with the red carport. We were at none of those places more than 10 minutes.

Daryl was gone hoping to connect with Merle. He found a letter from Merle and he's been in a great mood since.

We ended up catching up with him at the secondary meet up place. That was by mile marker 2 on country road 10. Which is what lead to Ricks Great Idea. Maybe Daryl's great mood is from maybe finding a place we can settle down in.

I never thought I would go to prison. I've always tried to be good, but I can now say I've been to jail. We broke in and laid to rest 47 walkers. The only identification they had was on their jumpsuits, so I will have to find their records office if we ever manage to get inside.

We had Sunday meeting in the outer prison yard, once we had camp set up and the fire started. Daryl got us some rabbits and we had an ok dinner. It was a celebration of sorts. Its the first time I've felt safe since the first few hours at the marina. I don't know how many times Rick walked the perimeter like a big cat too restlessly looking for a mouse he might have missed. I thought he was done when we ate dinner and sang, but he's gone again. Even Daryl decided it would be okay to sleep instead of having a watch all night. I suppose I should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be busy.