chapter 7

A small bathroom with a toilet and shower is on the far right of the room. A bed is on the top left corner of the room with a table in between the bed and the bathroom. I go towards the table. There is a lamp on the left and a single notebook on the table. I decide to take a look. Somebody has written inside it like a journal. I read the first entry. " 1st of March 2023. I am thinking of proposing to my girlfriend. We have been together for seven years. Lucky seven years. Tomorrow I am going to look for rings to buy. I want to buy the perfect ring for her."

There are more journal entries. " I can't find anything useful. How about you Andrew" asks Lily. " Nothing really" I reply. " same here," says Spencer. "Let's have some breakfast," I say. We walk down the stairs. I still hold onto the journal. I am intrigued. Breakfast is canned meat and a brass roll each. We decided that if we are going together, we should share supplies. starts a conversation with Lily about the target practice that he used to do with his dad. I decide to read the journal. "2nd of March 2023. I bought the ring. It is 4-carat gold. I Hope Finley will like it. I am going to ask her to marry me tomorrow. the 3rd of March. I proposed. She said yes. I am so happy. We are going to marry next month. I can't wait for days to go by. Life is going to be great from here on." The apocalypse started on the 25th of March. Life certainly didn't get any better. It just got worse. I see that the writer wrote up to the 24th of March. A day before the outbreak. I know my backpack needs to be only for supplies and my notebooks but for some reason I want to read this journal. I am too lost in my world to notice that Spencer asked me a question. " Hello. Earth to Andrew. I am talking to you. Are you alright?" " Yes. Sorry. I was reading" I say. " What are you reading," asks Lily . " it's someone's journal. For some reason, it's has caught my attention." I finish my meal with a still hungry stomach but I can't eat anymore. I get a very depressing idea. " I think we should skip lunch." This attracts Spencer and Lily's attention. I turn red. " we need to save supplies. I don't like the idea as well. Plus it's a suggestion. You can reject it." Spencer thinks for a moment. " I agree." Lily agrees as well. " Hey, Hey, Hey. It's not the end. We might find supplies on our journey. Let's not lose any hope" I say. This makes them both smile. " we should move soon" says Lily. " Let our food settle in first. Then we will go" says Spencer. I decide to read some of the journals. 4th of March. " we are going on a date to celebrate the good news. We are going to eat a bunch, a fish restaurant. Finley loves to eat fish. I guess I do too. Hope the night goes well." I close the book just as Spencer is telling me to get ready to leave. I put the book in my bag and get up. The shop too was a temporary safe place. Will I keep on saying temporary? The walk again is filled with silence. We have been very sneaky as we have been avoiding zombie mutants. I see a sign of a street collapsed. I will tell Spencer and Lily my plan in due time. I know Spencer might be against it but I have a plan and I must stick with it. We are now walking on Forlong Street. This was the house that I used to stay with Mary in my early years. I was ten years old. I wasn't the typical hyperactive child. I was well behaved and always listened. Even at a young age, I enjoyed reading. Mary was super excited about this fact. I could tell it made her happy. Her face would beam up and slight wrinkles would form on her face. We would watch old movies from the 60ths and 70ths together. Every Sunday it would be cartoon matharon where we would watch cartoons for most of the day. Mary would let me watch her cook but she never allowed me to cook until I was twelve. She loved baking. Her desserts were amazing. I always asked her to make extras so I could eat some during the night. She would bake chocolate cookies, brownies, cheesecake amongst others. A smile forms on my face. I have a sudden urge to visit the house to see if it is abandoned. I know we can't waste time especially since this part of the area is quiet with no zombie mutants. There is a comforting silence but Lily decides to break that. " Have you guys listened to the radio? Broadcast channel 5?" " No" reply both me and Spencer. Lily doesn't look surprised. " the radio was talking about what happened in another city. There was absolute chaos. People were looting. Shops were getting broken into. Zombies weren't the only thing to worry about. People were attacking one another. Even killing. Families were being torn apart. It became like the philosophy of survival of the fittest. The radio operator said that he has never seen so much carnage in his life. It was terrifying. The city that although had plenty of crime, turned into a midzone. I am glad I was not in that city although that is ironic as that is exactly what happened here." I decide to ask a question. "I know that this is a personal question and you both don't have to answer it. Before the apocalypse happened, what were your goals for the future?" They don't answer for a while so I consider my question too personal. To my surprise, they answer. Lily being first. " I was already an accountant but I was studying to become a teacher. I was also planning on having another child but that didn't work out obviously. Lily goes quiet after this. Spencer gives his answer. " I was accepted by the university through a sports scholarship. Even though I love Sports, sports was only my second option. I wanted to be a journalist. It's always been a passion of mine. It's all I ever really thought about." I am taken back. I thought that Spencer loved Sports to the extreme. I guess you must not judge a book by its cover. Wait, what am I saying? Spencer is a bully and a tormentor. I should not be thinking about him.