Zomblog: The Final Entry (16 page)

Las Vegas.

He said that he figured as much. Then he went on to tell me that most of the military in Winnemucca escaped from Vegas about eight months ago. My ears perked up at the use of the word ‘escape’. What I heard has me more curious than ever before.

The power was, in fact, on in Vegas. Another faction of our military is still there. It seems that two units falling back from California—one from Sacramento and one from Los Angeles—both retreated to Las Vegas. The one from Sacramento went through Reno where they initially planned to stay but were forced to retreat again. It was during that retreat that they ended up meeting the other unit.

Both were led by colonels who were activated by the National Guard in the first week of the outbreak. It didn’t take long for a pissing contest to start. The Sacramento group’s colonel was technically senior. However, the Los Angeles group had already secured Vegas to a certain point and had power running from the hydro-electric dam nearby. They’d established a secure perimeter and were actively expanding it. At some point, the pissing contest erupted into a fire fight. Several soldiers from both sides ran for it when one of the main walls was blown.

They quickly decided that none of them cared a lick about whose colonel was senior. They all stripped off their rank insignias and headed north. Cutting through the Nellis Air Force Range, they cleaned out every depot and kept going. Somebody suggested Winnemucca because it was fairly remote and had a water resource. It didn’t hurt that there was an ample amount of farm land and a fair distance between there and Vegas.

By the time they arrived, most of the locals were gone, or dead, or deadish. They did find some survivors, and over the past several months have been securing the town.

Of course that begged the new question. Why were he and his family
here
?

There had been survivors trickling in to Winnemucca on a surprisingly regular basis. At one of the meetings held for all of the citizens, the idea of trying to start settling the surrounding areas came up. Nobody even considered Orovada, but Candela, Jack’s wife, is from here. Good reason as any I guess.

The idea sounds okay, but there is a part of me that can’t believe that this will end successfully. There are simply too many of the walking dead and not enough of the walking living. Compounding the problem, not all of those still alive are what can be considered ‘good’. I give humanity a decade at the most.

My God. Is that why I, for all intents and purposes, abandoned my daughter? Did I do that because I know in my heart that she’s doomed? What does that say about me as a person? Am I really the heartless bitch that so many people believe me to be? (Hush! That was rhetorical.)

Saturday, July 10

Today was bittersweet. I left Jack and his family in Orovada. I also left Cody. He wanted to stay. He wants to help the Billings family. Also, I think he has a bit of a crush on the thirteen-year-old, Monica. I can’t blame him.

The good thing is that my trusty dog Sam came with me. He didn’t even seem to look back as we hit the road. I gave Cody a hug, but I don’t know why. I didn’t feel any particular attachment to him. I think I may be losing my ability to care about anybody. After all, none of them are permanent fixtures in my life.

My Life.

What will it amount to? I’ve all but conceded that life is hopeless. The undead show no signs of falling over. I took out a couple in the past week that could’ve been around since this nightmare became real. They didn’t smell much worse than some of the folk I’ve travelled with when we were forced to go for days and weeks without cleaning up. They were a little dried out, but still completely mobile. The ancient Egyptians couldn’t preserve bodies this well! I may not know much about science—specifically Biology—but I do know that these things should have decomposed months ago into puddles of unmoving goo, or dried up like a corncob left in the sun. Simply put: they should not be!

Yet, there they are. I left one about a mile back in the middle of the washed out highway that I have been walking on all day. I couldn’t tell if it was a little girl or a little boy. I also couldn’t tell you how many bullet holes were in the body. I can say that most of its permanent teeth were broken and that it still had several baby teeth when it died. I know this because of how empty the mouth was. Funny, the things we observe now.

Sunday, July 11

I slept in a giant earthmover last night. I found it to be strangely comfortable. I watched a summer storm pass through, enjoying the lightshow while I played my iPod (thanks for the charge up, Jack). Laura Gibson goes well with thunder and lightning.

I was thinking back to when all the girls and I left Irony in search of our own adventure. Did we really stop at an adult bookstore to load up on vibrators and such? While I’m on the subject, I’ve been ‘tending my own needs’ for quite some time now. When I get to Winnemucca, I may have to get just a bit slutty.

Why do guys think that they have the market cornered on sexual urges…or playing with themselves for that matter? Fellas, let me tell you something, women love sex. And if more of you did it right, you’d be more aware of that little fact.

Monday, July 12

Well, I’m in Winnemucca. It’s pretty much like Jack said. The outer-perimeter security is highly impressive. They’ve got fences and moats and towers (oh my!). There are a lot of civilians mixed in with all of the soldiers and everybody seems to be working and doing their share.

The best thing that this place has going for it besides the people is the wind and solar power setup. They don’t use it for trivial things like lights. In fact, all the fixtures and such have been removed. What the power
is
used for is keeping the wells pumping. Everybody gets a warm, five-minute shower every other day. Also, some of the juice is used to keep the electrical fence hot. The biggest draw on the power comes from the five greenhouses (a dozen more are under construction) that keep these people well fed and something about a factory, but I didn’t really pay attention.

This place has a police force, a fire department, and what has to be a first…a college. It’s broken into six specialized trade schools. There is medicine, agriculture, construction, and military/security. The other two are a streamlined K-12 setup. They’re segregated. Boys at one, girls at the other.

When I arrived, I was taken to a quarantine room and given a full visual lookover, then a physical that included all of the standard bodily fluids, pokes, and prods. I can’t say I was treated roughly, but there certainly weren’t any kind words or smiles.

I’ve been interviewed three times; twice on video and once on audio recording. There were various questions, but I noticed a core group that was repeated just using different words. If nothing else, this place is very thorough

When I made it clear that I do not plan on staying, nobody tried to convince me otherwise. I was told that I am welcome to stay for however long I wish, but must sign up for the work pool each day. The good news is that if I work for five days, I get a two day weekend. I was strangely impressed by that.

This place has actual entertainment. In fact, when I first came through the final security checkpoint I could see a softball game taking place off in one of the open fields. I’ve been told that there is a library, a movie bar—apparently there are several booths with big screen televisions and you can check out a movie.

Of course, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I am watching everything with a suspicious eye to the point where I refused to let them isolate me from my dog. I told the nice soldier that we were a package deal. If one of us were infected, both were. Some gruff-sounding sergeant told the guy escorting me that it was okay. So, I’ve been present for all of Sam’s checkups as well. Tomorrow I will be allowed out. I was even given a work detail.

Sanitation…hmmm…

Tuesday, July 13

Today I swept floors, hauled trash to a burn site, sorted trash that could be sent to the compost yard, mowed lawns with a push mower, and hung clothes to dry. I met a lot of people, but couldn’t tell you the names of most. There was one girl, Ronni. She is sixteen, and perhaps even more of a hard ass than I am.

I guess she was swept up with the army unit that bugged out from Sacramento and tried to hold Reno. She is the only survivor in her family and had the unpleasant task of putting down her mom, sister, brother, an aunt, and two nieces one by one over the past year. I noticed that she didn’t mention a dad, but when she was flipping through pictures, I did notice two with a man in them. There was no mistaking the eyes.

Anyways, when they handed out work details this evening for tomorrow, I was kinda happy to discover that she and I will be working together at the greenhouse construction site.

Other than that…this place is frighteningly normal. Maybe I was too pessimistic. Maybe we can survive…the unconquerable human spirit and all that.

Wednesday, July 14

I talked to my supervisor today. I can actually “buy” a quality mountain bike and a rugged little trailer. There is no restriction on me. I can leave any time I choose. I’m also welcome to stay as long as I like. If I live here a year, I get to move from my hotel room to one of the private residences. It’s all very structured here.

This evening, I was visited by Betty Childs, the governor. Winnemucca has a governor. And get this, none of the military are eligible. She called it a “conflict of interest” and something about avoiding a police state. They
really
have it going on here.

Betty’s visit wasn’t strictly social, though she did say that she made it a point to stop in on every new arrival to the community. Her main reason was that she’d read Sam’s journal and wanted to have a copy made for the library. I was happy to oblige. She also wanted to talk to me about my intended trip to Vegas.

I totally forgot about that being in there. I knew it was in mine, but I don’t remember every single thing I wrote or when.

Here’s the deal: Betty didn’t ask me any specifics about my plan. She simply said that if I didn’t like what I saw there, that a team of her people was in Indian Springs and that they would want to meet with me. She didn’t tell me how I could find them or anything. Just that there were some folks there. I wasn’t really able to ask her too many questions, and she was very good at leading me away from subjects that she didn’t want to discuss. She repeated a few times how much she enjoyed Sam’s journal and that I must’ve been through “quite an experience.”

People are already on a waiting list to read one of the five copies they made. I think it’s just because the book is new.

Other than that, I’ve been given my work detail for tomorrow: food processing. I’m a little bummed that Ronni wasn’t on the same list. She was assigned to foraging. She leaves with an armed escort team for one of the nearby towns and will be gone for two days. When she gets back, she gets four days off instead of the usual two. I guess that you have to be nominated to make one of those runs by a member of the military unit after you complete a series of courses that they offer at the military/security school.

Thursday, July 15

Pringles were made here. Who knew?

Today I learned that interesting tidbit of trivia and was able to work in the converted facility that now processes the non-meat food for the community.

The Pringles factory has been modified and set up to handle more than just potatoes. Also, it is the major draw on electrical power. It houses a considerable amount of food reserves. This place has it all figured out.

Sunday, July 18

Hung out with Ronni today. After talking with the folks, I decided to stay put until August. That will give me time to earn enough in credits—bonuses that can be used for luxuries—to get my bike. Also, July is the hottest month of the year, and in these parts…that’s really saying something.

Today we went down to the park and watched a double-header at the softball field. The agricultural school beat the military team both times. They served frozen fruit-juice Popsicles, popcorn, and as an added treat, water with ice cubes!

The kicker was some bootleg vodka made on one of the potatoe farms. Alcohol isn’t forbidden, but it is discouraged. Apparently the same holds true for pot. I caught a few whiffs of it today at the park, and nobody was trying to hide it. I guess there are bigger problems in the world now. The police here walk foot patrols all the time. I’ve seen one arrest so far; the crime…the person was skipping work. The sentence? Two weeks on ditch digging with no bonus credits and no weekends off. (Ronni said that that is the standard penalty.)

Today I also met somebody who is, how shall I put this, interesting.

In between the two games of the double-header, I went to get us another round of ice waters. When I came back, there was a woman in her late thirties sitting on my blanket and talking to Ronni. Her name is Chelsea Jones. I hate her.

She was trying to ‘recruit’ Ronni for a job. Winnemucca has a brothel. At sixteen, apparently Ronni is of legal ‘working’ age.

At last! I found the dark, seedy underbelly of the New Civilization. I was only moderately surprised to discover that if she was medically certified as a virgin, her ‘first customer’ is chosen through what amounts to be nothing more than a perverse auction. The ‘benefit’ is that Ronni would receive all of the bonus credits in the transaction. However, she would have to sign a one year contract to work the brothel.

I’m certainly not the morality police, but I found the whole thing to be obscene. I was able to keep my mouth shut because it was none of my business and Ronni was doing fine on her own telling Miss Jones how she wasn’t interested.

The woman made her real mistake when he asked
me
if I’d ever considered working in the world’s oldest profession. I made it very clear that if she ever spoke to me again she would find out how such a “tiny thing” like me has managed to survive on her own for so long.