CHAPTER 18 - Home Alone Traps Are The New Trend

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On the next day as the sun slowly rise early in the morning on Z-city, Eden woke up from her deep sleep last night before, fully awake and alert, like she's been completely energized and needed to work it off by starting to work on the home-made traps she needs to do, and after that, she'll check out on the possible matter of the intruders or incoming threats that might come near Safe Haven.

Eden turned to look at the children, who are still sleeping along with the puppy Archer on the big mattress bed, and she nodded silently with satisfaction upon seeing that they are still in a deep slumber for a while, so that she'll work on the traps as fast as she can.

She gently and carefully removed herself from the bed, making sure she didn't make any slight movement that will stir the sleeping ones awake, and she patted Luna's head, quietly ordering the adult canine to look after them while she's gone and busy to do the chores and tasks she'll be doing for the day.

Luna nodded its head at her like it understood and followed her orders as it relaxed and lay down with its head on her paws, watching its children with alertness, despite that it will be taking a dog nap soon after it stayed up all night awake, looking after the young ones and her master when they were asleep.

After Eden was satisfied that they'll be alright while she was gone, she went off quickly to do the first batch of traps she needs to make. And it looks like it didn't last long when she went downstairs to get into the storage units and grab the materials that she needed to make the traps and put them around from inside and outside.

It took about a few hours, two to three hours precisely for Eden to be busy working on them, and it was a good thing that she started at an earlier time because the kids were starting to stir from their sleep. Just as little Michael and Annie were about to wake up, their eyes adorably blinking open and wide awake, Eden returned in time to greet them good mornings with a few slightly noticeable cuts and scratches on her hands and some bruises on her arms.

Luckily for Eden, her young charges didn't notice them, and she also distracted them away from the wounds and injuries she got on herself by announcing that she already cooked and set up breakfast for them. She added in the enticement that she made pancakes, and her idea worked as Michael and Annie looked at her with beaming bright eyes and jumped off of the bed in a hurry to get to them before they grow cold.

Eden shook her head with an amused chuckle at the sight of them darting off like that, before she followed after them, leaving two dogs behind as the puppy Archer whined and nudged against its mother Luna when it suddenly fell asleep, exhausted from her duty as a guard dog for the kids.

When Eden saw the kids happily eating their breakfast, scarfing down the pancakes with eagerness, she brought the dog bowls of food and water for them back into the bedroom and placed them there so that they'll have their meal when Luna woke up later.

After she did that, she was standing by one corner, holding her plate full of her breakfast share, watching silently like she was thinking about something deeply. But then she snapped out of it when Annie cutely pointed out to her that her food is going to be cold if she doesn't eat it too.

Eden smiled at the little girl with gratitude, making her blush a bit with embarrassment under her gaze and Annie continued eating with her brother at the table, as the adult woman still stood by in her corner, watching them.

It seemed that she is thinking in her mind of the decision she made firmly inside, to keep working on the traps she was making and placing them in Safe Haven. And it needs to be done without the children knowing so that they won't interfere with her work and hurt themselves in the process of helping her when they want to, but she won't let them.

It took about a few days later that's gone and passed by already, five days actually, that Eden managed to complete and fulfill her mission of setting up the traps in Safe Haven. She was also successful in getting her kids distracted from her while she was busy during those days, and she was very glad that she was finished before they start getting curious about what she had been doing before.

Once she was done with all the traps, Eden told the children the truth about them, pointed them out with markers or signs she had placed, and reminded them to be careful and watch out for them so that they won't get hurt upon triggering them by accident or not.

They were surprised that their guardian did all that and pouted a little complaining that they weren't there to help but Michael and Annie were reassured by Eden that she will ask for their help next time if she truly needs it. After that reassurance, Eden carefully showed them where she had placed the traps and reminded them once more to remember where they are, so they won't stumble into them and activate them, causing them harm. And the two kids obediently followed her stern words and obeyed them, promising that they won't trip up on the traps Eden has made and put around Safe Haven.

After that, Eden watched as the kids settled to bed when nighttime came, and it didn't take long for them to fall asleep with the puppy following after them too, and the only ones awake are Eden and Luna. When Eden watched over them as they instantly fall into a deep sleep, she lit a candle for some dim lighting to see clearly, just as the woman reaches out for the journal and started to write a new entry into it.

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JOURNAL ENTRY: DAY UNKNOWN, 8TH MONTH AUGUST, YEAR 2XXX

Hey, it's Eden again.

It's been almost half a week or so since I finished setting up the traps and placing them inside and outside Safe Haven. I know it took a while, but I didn't realize that making these homemade traps from materials that I have gathered so many from the runs, would take a long time to do so.

Still, I managed to complete and finish the tasks that I needed to do in creating and placing the various traps around the building, both inside and out.

And most of them I took the liberty of being inspired to make these traps similar to the home movies I've seen about a child left home alone and had to defend himself against intruders.

However, in the harsh reality and difficult cruel kind of situation we're in right now, in this state of the apocalypse, I had to make the traps more lethal for the worst kind of intruders, both the living and the undead.

Obviously, for the undead zombie types, I had to make the traps the most dangerous and lethal to take them down, from the knowledge that I got about them, even if it's still little and few that I've known so far. But they're enough to hold them back until I dealt with them on my terms before they even think to try to get to me or my kids.

For the Beta-Z and Omega-Z types, I discovered that they have similar weaknesses, and listed them in the zombie knowledge on this journal, that they get slowed down or easily weakened by HEAT. Specifically fire or something that burns fiercely blazing like the sun itself.

I found these facts out, during my previous supply runs around Z-city, when I noticed and saw that most of the Beta-Z would walk or roam about slower than their usual gate when they're stuck within range of the rays of sunlight. As well as the Omega-Z instantly running or sprinting away and they hide in any corner of darkness when they sense that they're nearing sunlight range and such.

So I set up traps in case of those types of intruders or threats by using battery-fueled ultraviolet very-heated sun-lamps for surprising and startling them, but if that doesn't work, I added in modified fire blow-torch extinguishers, strapped and tied up high by various openings with thin-string trigger trip-wires.

As for the Alpha-Z dangerous zombie types, their only weakness was the COLD, and I mean--super-frozen ice-cold temperatures. Or getting sprayed at by something super-cold and icy, like the fire extinguishers.

I admit it was surprising when discovered this fact, but strangely enough, I was fortunate to find out about this, even though I haven't found out or know the exact reason for it. But I'm sure that in the future runs, I might be able to find out more about the cause or discover the source of that weakness.

Anyway, the traps I set up for the Alpha-Z threats, are the same process I've done for the Beta-Z and Omega-Z, by strapping and tying up fire extinguishers into place over the possible break-in openings in Safe Haven, and carefully putting trip-wire triggers to them.

Finally, for the humankind of intruders or hostile threats, I made up the first stage of traps that will notify me of the difference between human and undead, by carefully putting battery-fueled baby monitors that will be triggered and turn-on activated from trip wires, positioned exactly at the possible blind-spots or places around Safe Haven or near the vicinity, to notify me and make me know the difference between human and undead upon approach or arrival.

For the next second stage of traps, once I confirm by the sight that they're human, I placed and set up traps that will capture or subdue the living intruders, just so I can deal with them myself and assess whether they're truly good or bad kinds of threats. I put up strong nets or thick ropes to string them up high like they're animals suddenly caught and trapped without warning.

If those type of traps doesn't work or in case the second stage might be noticed by the smart-type of human intruders, the final third stage of traps will be the ones to take them down, by slightly injuring or maiming them enough to hold them back until I come out to check and confront the threats myself.

The kind of lethal yet not too fatal type of traps I set up and made around Safe Haven, inside and out, are carefully placed and triggered the same with thin-string trip-wires. And they are heavy-weight random books stacked in sturdy medium-sized boxes or big heavy vases or ornaments that will fall over right on top of intruders to knock them out cold upon triggering them.

There are also nails, spikes, or very sharp utensils or glass-shattered pieces hidden beneath covered floors which their feet will slip into the openings, making them fall over from the painful subduing traps. Then finally there's the transparent super-glue or instant-sticking wet cement carefully placed and going to be poured on shadowy dark corners or blind spots to subdue the intruders into tightly stuck traps.

Though most of the human traps seem to be painfully lethal in other people's aspects and such, they are enough to hold the intruders or threats down, just as I'll come out and go to deal with them.

After I finished all that and made sure that the battery-operating hearing monitors were placed neatly into one so that my group and I can hear and know anything or anyone that might come at us, I became relaxed and relieved that the modified and improvised "home-alone" traps were made to hold back and take down the dangers enough to be checked out first or give us enough time to leave if necessary when the situation becomes desperate or worse.

It took a lot of work and effort for me to do all these, not to mention that I suffered almost many cuts, wounds, bruises, and other injuries on my person while I was setting them up. Fortunately, my kids didn't notice this as I treated and bandaged them all up before I was accompanying them, and I made sure to keep my wounds out of sight so that they wouldn't worry until I was finished with the traps in Safe Haven. Archer the puppy did a good job of distracting them upon playing together merrily, and Luna managed to hold back her whining when she noticed my injuries and tried to lick them to comfort me or make me feel better.

Once I was finished, I told the children the truth, showed them where they are, and explained gently in tamed versions about what they can do against bad guys and pointed them out for them to remember and memorize so that they won't stumble into them accidentally and get hurt. Both Michael and Annie were disappointed and a little upset that they weren't with me to help out in setting the traps, but they easily understood when I told them about it and both nodded in unison, promising that they'll remember and be careful and mindful of the traps so that they won't cross upon them and such.

And that's it that I have to write down on this entry until the next time I do. I might not know when will that be, for the next kind of chores I need to do for my new routine, besides looking after and taking care of my group and myself, are that I need to rise my survival training, do more improving and modifying of my weapons, and increase the watch and look out for any threats and dangers of both zombies and hostile enemies if there are.

I know that I'm being overly paranoid and such over these types of matters, but as the rules of survival, I made up go as I need to follow and remember them well. Especially with RULE #3: Don't ever relax, always be alert.

And RULE #10: Practice makes Perfect.

And that is what I will be doing right then and there from now on.

Until then, this is Eden signing off.

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After Eden finished with the entry on her journal, she breathed out a tired sigh, and tilt her head slightly to the side to get rid of the cricking kink on her neck, and then she blew out the candle and settled herself to lie comfortably on the bed, wrapping an arm gently around her sleeping children, and slowly goes to sleep.

She reached out with her free hand to rub and nudge Luna to sleep too, as she had already placed and turned on the monitor alarm, the same as usual as she had done in part of her new routine for survival in Z-city.

Now that Eden was done and finished with the traps, she is going to rest so that she will be ready for the next few days that she will be prepared for and taking on, to increase the training and watching for her group's survival in the future.

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