The Three Thousand Mile Journey

I left the city two hours before dusk. Before I left, I set a few guidelines for myself. I wouldn't drive at night. The lights would be a beacon to anyone in the area. It didn't matter if they were a threat. I wanted to reduce my risk as much as possible. I also plotted out my course. The capital was nearly three thousand miles away in an east southeast direction. I was going to cross nearly the entirety of the country. This was one of the few reasons I decided to go to the capital. I was more likely to come across people the longer I was on the road. I also felt that if there was going to be an emergency government response team, It would be in the capital. I planned for the trip to take two weeks. I purposefully planned some stops around previously high populated areas in hopes of meeting someone and finding a nice structure to rest in. I gave myself ample time to explore as many of the places on the route as possible to reveal the true extent of this disaster I found myself stuck in. After plotting my course, I set off.

I reached the first city on my route after about a hundred miles. Traveling at about sixty miles an hour to conserve gas, I reached the city slightly ahead of schedule and forty minutes before sunset. The city looked the same as mine. (One hundred miles away, and it's still just as bad...) Cars were still piled up along the sides of the road in large burnt piles. Many sections of the city were also charred, leaving me with a bit of a chill. Once again, I choose a parking garage to sleep in. Before I pulled in, I let Amy out to go to the bathroom. I relieved myself as well. "We're still all alone out here, too," I said to Amy. She gave me a questioning look.

I was going to feast tonight! An amazing package of instant rice, a "just add water" cup of ramen, and some mini cakes, which were probably filled to the brim with preservatives, for desert. I pulled out the hot plate and got started.

After dinner, I played with Amy, walked around a bit, mostly inside the garage, and stretched out. I realized that maintaining physical fitness would be important. I couldn't just become skin and bones. If I ever had to hike somewhere or run from a bad situation, I needed to be ready. At least I wouldn't get fat. I was already carefully rationing my food, although it was going to take a large amount of self-restraint on my part to not overeat. After going through my mental checklist once again, I decided to pass the time by reading one of the books I'd downloaded on my phone long ago but never got around to reading. After another hour, I decided to call it a night and begin my third night in a row sleeping in the front seat of a mid-size SUV.

I was awakened by the sound of Amy's low growl. She was standing at attention, looking out the passenger side window, which faced away from the garage's wall. Her tail brushed against my face a few times as I blinked off the grogginess which still engulfed me. Once I was fully awake, I grabbed my gun and flashlight and slowly opened the door. It was pitch black. The only noise was from crickets and frogs. I turned on my flashlight to figure out what Amy was growling at. I swept the light back and forth a few times and didn't see anything. Then I heard a loud crash. I pointed the light, and gun towards the direction I the sound came from.

There were three raccoons on the trash can where I had discarded my waste from my meal. One of them had pulled out a metal can and threw it against a car. (Well, that's the sound of the crash at least. Hopefully, they're what Amy was growling at, too.) I shooed the raccoons out and threw the trash to them as well. (I wonder if the lack of human activity has taken away their food source as well...) After they were out of the garage, Amy stopped growling. I was relieved, and went back to bed, much more sleeplessly this time.

I awoke to the sun peeking through the cracks in the garage. Still worried about what happened during the night, I got out of the car with the gun in my hand. After doing a thorough search, I found nothing of interest in the garage. It was just me and Amy.

In preparation for the day's journey, I set out a few solar battery packs to let them charge, brushed my teeth in front of my phone's rear camera, and made breakfast for Amy and me.

The absence of an internet connection felt so weird. I'd tried multiple times, subconsciously, to pull up an article, video, or TV show. I was frustrated at first, but now, whenever I did it, I just smacked my forehead and silently called myself an idiot. After breakfast, I felt energized and ready to go.

Before I set off, I had a nice, one-sided conversation with Amy. I had no one else to talked to after all.

"You know what's the most spine chilling thing about this whole deal Amy?" She looked away from me as I was talking like I had gone completely crazy or something. "There aren't even any bodies."