CHAPTER 19 - Survival Training and Watching

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Time has passed by, almost fast like a blur, but in reality, it's only been two weeks that have already gone by and it's now the new month in the apocalyptic Z-city.

The children Michael and Annie were happily playing with Archer the puppy in Safe Haven, and they were mindful of the traps that their adult guardian had placed around inside, while also being watched and guarded over by Luna, as the big female wolf-dog relaxed in one spot, lying down but eyes attentively looking after its pup and the two human kids.

Meanwhile, Eden was busy exercising and training herself on top of the rooftop, enduring the heat of the sun shining down over her, despite the tarp covers tented up to block the sunlight. She was sweating heavily but not stopping at all on her tasks into completing 50 lift-ups on a make-shift exercise bar.

After she was done with the lift-ups, Eden gracefully landed on her feet and moved to do 50 push-ups this time, still not stopping to take a short break, even as the loose exercise clothes are almost completely soaked with her sweat and she's starting to pant and breathe heavily with exhaustion.

Just as Eden felt her arms and legs trembling with slightly painful cramps from the push-ups, she had reached up to thirty before she decided to stop and moved to sit on her bottom and rest for a short moment, even though she looked very tired with a sound sigh released from her mouth.

She sat there, legs outstretched and sitting upright with hands flat behind her back on the floor, taking deep breaths like she's trying to fight the exhaustion and fatigue she's starting to feel within her so that she'll continue her grueling exercises to get stronger and faster to survive.

It seemed that she was doing all her best and effort to increase the training more to do so, even though it looks like it's taking quite a toll on her since it's her first time going through this kind of harsh and very hard training regime.

Almost a few feet away from her, there is the same baby monitor she turned on, to hear and watch out for any intruders or dangers about, and there's also a music-player device beside it, but it is playing music at a very low volume like a whisper, to make Eden feel a little soothed and energized from the music while she does the exercises.

It seemed strange for Eden to listen to music with soft murmuring sounds while listening sharply alert at the monitor device at the same time, but it looked like she was used to this and was firm on her new lifestyle choices to deal with it.

After a few minutes of whatever short break there is, Eden swiftly continued her exercises, moving to finish the push-ups she hadn't done yet and when she's done with that, she'll move on to the special kind of exercises, which are wielding her hand-made weapons to better use.

After Eden was done with the basic warm-up exercises, she changed her clothes up there on the rooftop and didn't bother to wash up since she is going to continue up there and wore slightly body-tight fitted clothes to start on the special exercises with weapon-wielding.

When she picked up the double-bladed modified spear, it looked newer than the previous one before and it seemed that Eden has improved her skills in weapons-crafting as there seemed to be more hand-made weapons nearby her feet, and there are also other weapons she obtained from the previous runs, such as a new long-bow and a quiver of very sharp arrows, as well as a swift strong-looking crossbow lying there, beside her home-made ones.

Eden took her position and inhaled one deep breath, brandishing her new spear held up by one hand outstretched in front of her, before she started twirling and spinning it around, jabbing and striking at invisible enemies and such, trying to wield her spear weapon into the expert level.

The soft playing music from the radio seemed to help Eden to concentrate and focus as she did her weapons training on the rooftop of Safe Haven. And it took about a few more hours of the woman staying up there on the roof to do her training until she deemed it time to stop and continue on the same exercising the next day again, as she had done and gone through this extreme training regime the weeks before at the new month of the apocalyptic year.

After she stopped and finished exercising and training for the day, she went downstairs to check on her kids and then smiled at the sight that they were still playing around in a game of Tag with their puppy, and was glad that they didn't get into trouble like stumbling themselves into the traps or something.

Eden patted Luna on the head when it perked up on seeing her master, and she went off to make lunch and call for them when it was ready, and then have a break throughout the afternoon and night, as well as making dinner later before going to bed at the time.

It was hours later that passed by almost in a fast blur once more, and Eden was just settling into bed with the completely tired and wiped-out kids as Michael cutely yawned and Annie snuggled under the blankets while Eden tucks them in with a warm gentle look on her face.

Eden held back her amused chuckle when the puppy Archer jumped in between the children as it usually does, wriggling in to be held and cuddled by both of them contentedly. As for Luna, she took her place beside her master as usual and looked serious like she was going to take her usual post as guard and watchdog for another night.

After Eden watched the children and puppy easily fall asleep into a deep slumber, she set up the same monitor, that she brought down from the rooftop and always carried around with her, as she placed it firmly by her side. The device was still turned on and battery-fueled so that she can hear anything throughout the whole night, so she decided to stay up with the adult female canine lying beside her. She had made up her decision firmly to be alert and awake that night, despite how exhausted she felt from the heavy exercises and tiredness she has gone through on that day and previously.

She turned her head to look and check on her kids, seeing that they were sleeping peacefully, before she settled herself to sitting upright comfortable on the bed beside them, and reached out for her journal to write another new entry into it. She lit up a small candle to make a low dim light as usual, before she started writing with Luna quietly watching her, ears twitching to keenly hear any other noises or sounds alertly.

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JOURNAL ENTRY: DAY UNKNOWN, 9TH MONTH SEPTEMBER, YEAR 2XXX

Hey, it's Eden again.

It's been two weeks that have already passed by and gone. And...oh, ooh, ouch. I think I have gained and gotten more cramps and bruises over more of them after what I've been doing and going through those previous days.

You're wondering why I'm writing such things like that and the reason why the passage of the recent entry in this journal seemed shaky like I'm writing drunk or something.

That's because I forced myself to go through a very hard and difficult new kind of training regime, to better myself in the future and become a much stronger and faster survivor than before. So that I can protect and look after my group better than ever.

At the time long ago, right when the zombie apocalypse just broke out, my basic warm-up exercises were only about 20 to 30 counts so that I can move faster and be agile to outrun the zombies, as well as be strong and swift to lift the supply loads I gather and hoard during the runs then.

But from then on and right now and for the later future, I have increased the counts and laps into 50 and more, so that I'll almost become a super-human or something, to protect my group better and survive through this harrowing ordeal to provide and look after my group.

I have also modified and created more hand-made weapons, as well as gathered more and improvised them better so that I can fight more enemies and other threats easily, and wield them much more expertly than before without any problems or difficulties.

I have obtained new wicked blades like katanas, machetes, and swords, as well as sharp wicked blades, such as the army and hunting knives. And I've also gathered more guns, all hoarded from abandoned police or military posts, or mafia gang spots.

But most of all, the kind of new weapons I've gathered and obtained, and then started to favor more, were a Barnett Ghost-type crossbow, and a Holt-type re-curve long-bow, complete with the set of a quiver full of sharp piercing arrows.

As for the modified and newly improvised hand-made weapons I made, those were the swinging-round type of long chain attached with a wicked hook-like double-scythe blade on one end of it. And the double-bladed spear from before has been changed and modified with a sturdy thick wooden spear with super-glued and duct-taped attached dagger-pointed blades on both ends.

For my new harsh training regime, I added in the special kind on wielding my weapons more and utilizing them to better use and ensuring that I rise to an expert level in wielding the various types of weaponry that I have in my arsenal.

I admit for granted that I was truly tired to the point that I would sometimes collapse with exhaustion and fatigue during the time I went through this training. But I never stopped nor did I even give up to have a break, because I need to do this, not only for myself but also for my charges.

As I go through this training regime, I used a combination of relaxing, soothing, and upbeat types of music to motivate me through this, but I made sure that I listen to it at a very soft and low volume. So that I won't miss anything upon alertly hearing through the baby monitors that I'm also watching out for any dangers or threats outside and around Safe Haven that might be prowling and lurking about.

It wasn't all that distracting on doing the training and listen to music at the same time, for I already had the traps set up to alert me when something does and I got my weapons on hand and be ready to face and fight against anything and have some real practice with all the work and efforts I made through.

It's now the last day of the second week, and I might plan to continue for more, as well as watch out for any possible threats, even survivors that might be living and wandering in Z-city maybe. I don't know whether there might be possible living survivors out there, but I'm not losing hope or optimism about the matter. Still, I will keep being on guard in case any survivor I might come across, turns out to be very hostile and bad for us.

And as I finish writing this entry in this journal, I'll be writing for the next time, which I might not know when will that be, as I continue to my new kind of routine of survival here in Z-city, as well as taking care of my group and providing them more to live on and survive through this.

Until then, this is Eden signing off.

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After Eden finished writing the entry in her journal, she hid it away and stretched her arms up to keep alert and stay awake for the entire night. Even though she knows that she'll be going through another repetitive exercise the next day, she will continue doing so until she's stronger and faster and becomes more than she used to be before so that she can survive and look after her small group well in the future.

She turned her head to look at her sleeping charges before she turned to look through and out the window, thinking that gazing at the stars in the clear night skies above from outside the slightly high building would give her comfort and ease from some of the troubles she has in her mind.

Luna seemed to have sensed the uneasy mood from her master and whined a little at her, but not too loud for the kids to stir from the sounds. Eden blinked as she snapped out of her dazed trance from staring outside and reached out with a free hand to rub Luna's head to ease and calm her, before continuing to look out, like she's anticipating any kind of dangers or threats that might come at them into Safe Haven.

Little did Eden know, there are going to be some surprises in the later future at the time, and she'll be making some tough decisions as it will concern the safety and security of her group.

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