CHAPTER 20 - More Possible Survivors

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It was four days later that has gone and already passed by in Z-city. Eden had just returned home to Safe Haven from another supply run she went out and then come back after she gathered more supplies and various things her group needed.

Eden gave out a tired sigh soundly as she pulled down the cloth masking the lower part of her face and pulled back the hood from her head. She brought home a light load this time so that she won't go down the ladder for another return trip from the motorcycle she used to drive around the streets that day.

She carried the light load as she went inside and downstairs to put them into the storage units before she goes to check on her group. It didn't take her long to put them in there and went to look for her kids and then she stood by the doorway, smiling at the sight of Michael and Annie trying to complete a big puzzle quietly on the floor, with a few scattered puzzle pieces around them and about, and saw that Luna is lying beside them, nuzzling at her pup Archer to behave and holding it back from disturbing the children's game.

Eden watched them for a few minutes before she left to make them their afternoon snacks since she's been gone from the safe place for about half a day when she left after breakfast in the early morning. She came back with one hand holding a plate of sandwiches and the other one carrying a small box of dog treats.

The woman called for their attention and Michael and Annie looked up and beamed on seeing their adult caretaker that came home Archer quickly bolted to scamper around Eden's feet when it saw the dog treats on one of her hands, jumping on its hind legs and barking excitedly to get it.

Eden grinned fondly, putting up the hand of the dog treat box out of reach from the puppy, stepping over carefully so that she won't trip over until she reached the two kids, sat down beside them on the floor, and reached out the plate of peanut butter bread sandwiches at them.

Michael and Annie grabbed each of their shares and ate them, and Eden swiftly opened the box and fed Archer that jumped right at her with eagerness, making sure she pushed it away so that it won't take a bite from their sandwiches and get sick from eating the human food. Then Eden gracefully threw some treats Luna's way when the mother dog just stuck itself on its spot and it lifted its head and caught the treats by a snap of its jaws with good moves.

While they were having their snacks, Eden was talking to the kids a little, asking them if anything happened while she'd been gone that day or anything else, and as usual from before when she was out during the previous four days, Michael and Annie told her that nothing bad happened and they also report to her that there weren't any intruders that pass by or came to Safe Haven when Eden trusted them to be left another baby monitor so they can be safe and watch out for any dangers and threats.

Eden nodded, but she glanced to her monitor strapped by her side like she was checking to hear if there are any, but when she heard none except silence, she was a little relieved at that, still, she was not letting her guard down in case anything else happens out there near Safe Haven.

After they finished with their snacks and Eden helped the kids with their puzzle on completing it, Eden ushered them to have a nap for a while until dinner, and they obeyed her obediently as Michael and Annie went to their shared room to have a short rest.

Archer quickly chased after the children, and Eden tried to stop it from being exuberant to wanting to play with the kids more but the puppy was already gone before she could catch it. Eden sighed with slight annoyance and looked straight down at Luna who gave her an exasperated look like the mother has been trying to teach her pup to behave but to no avail.

Eden shook her head at this and motioned Luna to follow her and it got up and was instantly by her side, almost taking the human woman by surprise before she went to the room to check on her kids with the canine following beside her.

When Eden looked inside the room, she saw that Michael and Annie were instantly asleep for their nap and Archer was whining, nudging its nose against them like it was trying to wake them up so they can play but they were not stirring from the small pup's pleads. Eden swiftly caught the little dog and hushed it softly in her arms, before she went out of the room with Luna still following by her side as they go to the rooftop where Eden will be taking the rest of the time doing lookout at the watch-guard post up there until it's night and dinner time.

She sat down on the chair placed on the north side of the rooftop, still holding Archer and sticking it on her lap, and she reached for the binoculars beside her to look out and watch the scenery before her like she was trying to spot something else beyond her sight.

When she saw nothing, she let down the binoculars from her eyes, stroked the puppy on her lap, trying to calm it from wriggling to get off her, reached out to pat Luna on the head, and finally, she grabbed for the sniper rifle gun that is there and bring it nearer by her side, in the case to be ready to shoot at something when necessary.

After an hour or so, and nothing has happened yet, Eden went to pull out her journal which she brought with her up on the rooftop, and write a new entry into it about the events that happened during the previous days she was gone from Safe Haven and went out. Before she did, she took a quick look again through the binoculars to check if anything was lurking about. There was nothing still, so Eden set them down and started writing.

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

Hello again, it's me, Eden.

It's been four days since the last time I wrote the previous entry.

And I'm sure you're wondering what's been going on and what--hey! Archer! Stop that!

Sorry, I accidentally wrote this down, when the puppy Archer decided to be mischievous and prance and wriggle about on my lap while I'm writing this new entry into the journal.

Fortunately, Archer's mom Luna decided that enough was enough and gave a firm bark to her pup, and surprisingly, the little dog behaved, instantly going quiet and went down to lie on my lap with a small whine and had an adorable kicked-down look on its eyes like it still wanted to play instead of lying around and doing nothing.

I ignored the cute expression from the small dog and continue to write on this.

Now, where was I?

Ah, right. Like I said, or written on this before, it has been four days since then and I'm going to explain what happened during those previous days.

Here's how it goes, despite that nothing much has happened during that time.

During the first two days from the time I had written the last entry before, I went out into Z-city to check out the area and see what had caused some static noises from my security baby-monitor that I heard from that time.

It made me nervous, thinking that I might end up finding some hostile threats like the time long ago when I encountered those horrible types of human survivors and managed to hide from them and get away so that they'll never realize that I was there and had seen them.

I hoped that it was not the same people from before or it might be something worse.

But as I got to the very spot where my monitor had given out those noises that I heard, I relaxed when I found that it was only electronic interference and that a few Beta-Z had stumbled and tripped over the monitors that I placed there, and that caused the static noises that I heard from before.

I righted them back into place but I put them out of reach from being stumbled over and tripping by anything else so that it won't happen again and I went off to see if there's any more stuff around that I can gather and hoard and bring them back to Safe Haven.

I haven't found anything much during my covert runs until I finally found another place, that was filled with more goods and new useful stuff that I can gather and bring back to my safe place and provide for my group.

It was a thrift store, added with a small market beside it when I spotted it on the third day. But I didn't bring a pack or bag with me on the third day at the time, so I came back with one on the last and fourth day before I returned to Safe Haven with my load.

I used the motorcycle again to drive around and maneuver through the streets in Z-city. And it was a good thing that it was only a light load at the time when I gathered the stuff and brought them back home to Safe Haven.

However, on the fourth day, just as I was riding through the roads on my motor-bike, going down the direction back to Safe Haven, I caught sight of something that instantly got me to step on the brakes hard and got off the bike to move it swiftly to hide in the shadows before it might catch sight of me from where I saw it.

At first, I thought it was some possible survivors, going through Z-city to forage for food or find any weapons and stuff to provide for their group. But a little bit to my disappointment and much to my dismay, it was a medium-sized group of Omega-Z, wandering about and roaming at a slightly fast pace, like they're sniffing out for more living prey.

I know that I can escape and get away with my motorcycle, but I can't take the risk of doing so, in case there might be more of the Omega-Z lurking about, and I might end up bumping straight into them and they'll mob around me in a trap.

So not only do I have to outrun them, I need to out-wit them too.

And taking a deep breath in with anticipation and nervousness, I take out a smoke grenade I brought with me, fortunately, in case of situations like this, got myself ready in position upon getting on my bike and wait for the right moment until I found my chance and threw it to explode and blow off smoke, taking the Omega-Z by surprise before they snap out of it and react.

I drove off with a sound rev of the motorbike and rode like hell-hounds were chasing behind me, and I didn't dare to look back just so I'll get even more nervous if I find the Omega-type zombies running fast after me.

But I was prepared with an escape route ready in mind as I went down the road which led straight into an 'Orange Zone' --that is the place that I marked with bright orange spray paint to indicate that the area is a construction area or building project that's been long abandoned since the zombie outbreak and apocalypse.

Upon going through it, I can strike or hit at anything as I drove through the Orange zone, to make any leftover materials, such as pipes hanging up or debris piled over, to make them fall over as I struck at the right weak spots and have them block the pursuers chasing behind me and give me the advantage on running away and escaping from my enemies.

I made it alive and I can distantly hear the slightly loud snarls from behind as they fade away when I continued driving on with my motorcycle and I didn't stop to check because I knew I lost them and turned my way to the path on going home to Safe Haven.

After I survived through it for another day, I was very glad when I got home safe and sound. And now I'm finishing off this entry with an added note that I'm still planning to go out and check to see if any possible survivors are out there in Z-city, and evaluate whether they are the friendly or the hostile enemy kinds.

That and I'll also need to watch out for any zombie threats or other dangers before I go out again on the runs in the future.

I don't know what I'm going to find out there in Z-city, but I'm prepared to take the risk and get the chance to find out more if I can.

I'm not sure when I will be writing another entry again, but don't worry about me. I'm still here and pushing on through it. And that is thanks to my newly established routine of training myself to be better so that I can survive through this and look after my group.

Until then, this is Eden signing off.

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After Eden finished writing the entry, she tucked back the journal away onto her person, tucking it beneath her shirt and into the pockets, so that she can put it back in its hiding place later, after her watch and when it was time to make dinner for her group.

Eden almost jumped in her seat upon seeing something shine or glint by the slow setting of the sun going down and she swiftly pulled out the binoculars and looked through them to see what made the source that she saw.

When Eden saw that it was only the reflective light that glinted upon being caught by some of the light rays of the sun, she relaxed a bit but didn't let down her guard in case something else catches her sight or something might come out from lurking in the shadows or something stalking.

Just as night time has come and many stars were blinking in the skies above the silent zombie-infested city, Eden deemed it time to make dinner for her group and set down the puppy from her lap and ushered the two dogs to come and they obediently followed her downstairs as she goes to cook dinner for the group before they all go to bed and rest for another day.

After Eden finished making dinner and went to wake up the kids from their nap, she seemed to be thinking of something deeply to herself, like she was wondering what else is in store for her as she plans to go out again into Z-city to check some places out and find possible survivors that might be out there.

Eden is not sure what's going to happen, but she won't be unprepared to face whatever is going to happen next or anything that will catch her off-guard by surprise or something else.

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