Why am I writing this journal? Two reasons. One, I do this to maintain my sanity. Dwelling on the apocalyptic condition of the world is not good on one's psyche, and I've always found writing a great way to ease my mind, even if it's a direct reflection on said condition of the world. Two, it's to share my knowledge with whomever's reading this that they might survive longer than I have. I have seen much. Far more than anyone still living should have seen.
I honestly have no idea where I want to start. I guess I'll introduce myself. My name is Martin Fowler, and I have Class 3 immunity to the vivensmortua virus, or the Zombie Virus. If you don't know your Latin (and I don't, either. I Googled it), it literally translates into Living Dead. Yes, like George Romero's Living Dead. I'll assume you don't know about immunity, although you may, so I'll explain. Class One means you're vulnerable to the airborne strain, while Class 2 means you're vulnerable to the blood borne strain. Both Class One and Two are vulnerable to the saliva borne strain. Class 3, which is what I have, means you're only vulnerable the saliva borne strain. That's how I've been able to live for so long. I don't get bit, I don't turn. If you're reading this journal, there's a good chance you're Class 3 as well. If you are, God's given you a fighting chance. I'll save God for another entry, though...
The tablet you're reading from I found in a girl's room of the house I'm currently living in. A quick glance of the tablet you're reading will show you the solar panels built into the back. Do yourself a favor and let it charge whenever the sun's out. You never know when you'll need it. Obviously, I haven't password protected it, and I suggest you don't as well. No telling who else will come across this journal, and I would like future readers to have access to what I've written. You'll also notice patches of embossing have been removed from the back. They were flowers and Care Bears. I didn't remove them because they were challenging my masculinity; I removed them because they were too cheery. Just not in the mood for cheery.
I have no idea where this journal will be by the time you're reading it, but I hope that it's at least halfway across the country by now. I'm journeying to California, hoping to make it to the Sierra Nevada mountains to live with some family I have there. I'm currently in Scranton, PA, but I used to live in a small hideaway town in Maine called Beaver Cove. I moved there to become a night DJ for their local radio station. I never did like the big cities. Getting to know everyone in the community is something I always enjoy doing, and it's just much easier to do that in smaller towns. It's always been my experience that your neighbors are friendlier as well.
I still remember the day the news reported the outbreak. October 31st, 2019. No one took it seriously. Everyone thought it was a modern day take on War of the Worlds, a prank taken too far. I myself reported some of their stories like it was real to further spread the joke. Hell, even the news footage of zombies attacking people looked like it was drummed up by some Hollywood studio. No one took it seriously, and that's why things got as bad as it got. We were all in love with our zombie movies and TV shows and novels. We never believed zombies could actually... become real. What timing to actually air stories of zombies on Halloween! The CDC was even lauded for their incredibly believable warnings. When people realized this was actually real, however, it was far too late.
Not much charge left in the tablet right now, and the sun's setting, so I'm going to wrap this up for today. Before I go, I need to make sure you understand some things you need to do ensure your survivability.
- Stay fit - Can't stress this enough. You never know when you need to run. You don't know how long you'll have to walk. Don't depend on cars, because you'll never know when the next gas station actually has gas. You'll need to fight, and when you do, you don't want to be wheezing. Eat junk food ONLY as a last resort. Find bugs and eat them first if you have to. Don't drink, either. Don't take any drugs that will affect your mental ability. Stay in pain. Pain will keep you focused. Don't take pain killers. You'll become dependent and your guard will be down.
- Don't use guns - For obvious reasons. Not only do gunshots alert more zombies, it can also alert other survivors, and I've met some that were worse than zombies. Find sharp or blunt objects and swing at the head. This is why #1 is so important.
- No fires at night! - Zombies are predatory, but they excel at night hunting. They can pick up light in the dark far easier than they can in the day, and they will see your fire a mile away. If it's cold, pack on the layers. Two blankets on the ground for every blanket you have covering you.
- Keep clean - Your body odor attracts them. The less sweat you have on yourself, the less likely zombies downwind of you will catch your scent. Always stay next to a water source, and pack as much soap as you can. If no water is around, scrub yourself with dirt and rotting plant material to smell of the earth. If you really want to mask your odor, smear zombie blood over you. It will make you sick to your stomach, but trust me. It works.
- Listen - Zombies communicate. Listen to their moaning patterns. If they're low, infrequent moans, they're searching for food. Sudden rises in pitch and frequency means they've found something worth inspecting, and snarls mean they're calling in the horde to hunt. If the noises get louder, they're coming your way, but they're very easy to confuse. They will chase whatever noise occurs most recently, so find objects to throw around without exposing yourself to them and get to better cover.
Until tomorrow, if there is a tomorrow.
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