CHAPTER 35 - Dangerous Zones

*****

It was exactly two days later signaling the end of the second week and the beginning of the third week of the month as the time passed by right on the dot there in Z-city.

It seemed that everyone in Safe Haven is happy and peacefully content, all except for Eden over there, being tense and cautious, and she's glancing about outside and around like she's expecting something bad to happen or appear out of nowhere that will come and endanger her group.

Even though Eden tried her hardest to keep it to herself so that the others wouldn't notice her anxiety and nervousness, while she is busy making plans and sharing ideas with the selected members of the group who will go with her on the incoming supply run they're planning to go out into Z-city for, it looks like the only one who noticed this, was the same person as before, and that is Ryu.

When Eden got up on the next day after the day before when they had the meeting previously about the supply run they're planning on for the next few days they're making up on a fixed date or not, Ryu secretly went to Eden after finding an opportunity to talk to her alone and abruptly confronted her on what is her problem about the planned trip they were going to go out there into the streets of Z-city when the time comes.

Eden was almost taken aback and caught by surprise when Ryu confronted her like that but it looked like she understood how he feels towards her so suspiciously so she had to confess the truth and told him why she's been acting weirdly like that and being overly paranoid about it like another second wave of a large zombie horde is about to come run over them into their safe place.

It wasn't long for an hour or so to pass by as Eden told Ryu and talked to him about her worries and concerns about the planned supply run they will be going to very soon, and Ryu now understood why Eden was being like this and he nodded to her and responded that he's sure that with him around, everything will be fine.

Eden tensed and looked like she was going to protest over what he just told her in reassurance and comfort for the run but she instantly held it back because she looked like she didn't want to break Ryu's trust in her because of her overreacting paranoia, even though it's very reasonable in her case.

After Ryu said his piece just as Eden said hers in explanation of her strange actions, the two of them went back to check on the others, who are specifically the chosen people made up to go onto this supply run soon on the next days later on, and these people, besides Eden and Ryu, are Daiyu, Sahara, Homer, and Mark.

It was agreed among them that Talia, Nadia, Mother Ying, and Ole Bessie will be left behind along with their six children and two dogs in Safe Haven while they go out on their supply trip to get what they need in the future then. Though Homer protested a little that he wanted to stay behind, Mark deftly pointed out to his friend and work partner that they needed extra hands and eyes to get what they need and make sure that they don't miss anything else and be left out during their run out there in Z-city.

It took about a minute or two for Homer to finally agree to go with them, even though he's not pleased with it, despite that he's also a skilled fighter at a mediocre level or so. His sister Sahara, on the other hand, seemed excited to go out on the planned run and eager to fight against any kind of dangers out there, whether it's a zombie or a living hostile survivor.

Daiyu shook his head a little upon noticing Sahara's excitement over this, making Ryu look at his brother suspiciously like he thinks something is going on between him and the former soldier African woman. Eden seemed to have some idea but she didn't voice it out or show it on her face as she looked over the Map Room again, staring at the specific spots of the area that Homer had pointed out before where the supply run is needed to be dealt with and gone to over there.

It seems that Eden is deeply thinking about how to get this mission over with when the time comes and it needs to be dealt with very swiftly and fast as it has to be so that they won't bump into any more dangerous threats or face surprises when it comes at them without warning, even though they're getting themselves prepared for it.

Ryu and Daiyu are the ones looking over and choosing the right kind of weapons needed for this trip they're planning to prepare for, as well as Sahara is looking over the right kind of equipment and supplies they need to bring in case they might be out there longer than expected or something might happen to them that they can't return home to Safe Haven.

Eden and Homer didn't like the kind of scenario if that happens, so the two of them worked together into planning and point out routes that will be their shortcuts for their supply run, as well as prepare for backup escape routes in case they needed it to get away from any unexpected or unforeseen threats and dangers that are going to come at them when it does.

After they were done with the needed preparations and finished with the made-up plans and fixed up the date and time on their incoming supply run, they dispersed to set the things and get them ready and be prepared when the exact date comes for them to leave Safe Haven and go out there to get what they needed for this mission.

It was already nighttime when this group had finished discussing with one another, and Nadia and Ole Bessie were the ones who cooked and prepared their dinner as they gathered around again and ate their meals until they finished it all up, saving a few leftovers, then cleaned up and settle in for bed to rest for another day.

Just as Eden tucked in her two kids into bed, Michael and Annie not noticing their guardian's anxiety and worry for her future run she's about to leave them in Safe Haven and go out too soon as they settle in comfortably under the soft fluffy blankets and go to sleep. Archer just jumped in to join the kids to sleep with them as well and then the little ones fall straight to sleep.

Eden just lies there on the bed, watching her kids silently with a blank expressionless face like her mind is in a distant space or something, until she snapped out of it when Luna nudged her nose against her side with a small whine like it sensed her emotions and the dog was concerned for its master.

Eden sighed and rubbed Luna for reassurance and comfort before she reached out for the hidden journal, took it out, and went on writing another new entry into it about what's going on and the finished plans and readied preparations were made and everything such as that.

*****

JOURNAL ENTRY: DAY UNKNOWN, 10TH MONTH OCTOBER, YEAR 2XXX

Hey, it's Eden again.

Remind me again why did I bother volunteering for this kind of 'suicide' mission? Even after I saw the foreboding ominous sign of the 'Bad Moon' right then and there?

Oh right--because Mark told me before that the parts for the modified improvised devices for the security measures in Safe Haven are necessarily important.

Sometimes, I hate myself for being selfless--not to mention, foolishly reckless!

Even though I know that I'm overreacting and being superstitious about what happened before, exactly a year ago, I knew better than to dismiss it after what I experienced and had gone through back then.

I have to say, I'm nearly got myself running ragged into working busily to being prepared and getting ready for this supply run when the time comes. But I didn't think that it would become noticeable for Ryu to catch onto it and confront me about it because he's suspicious of my sudden strange actions and worried for his group too.

I didn't want to, but I had to tell him the truth about it, including about my superstitions and precautions against the 'Full Moon' when it comes to the exact date and time in October and everything that happened to pertain to it.

He understood and instantly reassured and comforted me that everything will turn out fine in the end, and I felt like not wanting to argue with him more about it just so he might think I'm some sort of crazy paranoid survivor who was alone for too long on her own back when the zombie apocalypse first happened and broke out into the entire world then.

After Ryu said his peace, the two of us went back to the others and have our meeting together to finalize our plans and preparations needed for the supply run we're all going into. And the ones I chose wisely and selected to go on this run, already including myself, are Ryu, his brother Daiyu, Sahara, her brother Homer and lastly, Mark.

Talia and Nadia will stay behind and look after the two old women Mother Ying and Ole Bessie as well as look after and take care of our six kids here in Safe Haven. And I decided to leave Luna behind with Archer along so that they'll be additional guard dogs to watch over our group left behind in Safe Haven while we're gone on our supply run.

Luna didn't seem to like it and begged me to come along but I commanded it firmly to stay and it obediently followed my orders reluctantly. Homer is also the one who didn't like that he's chosen to come along for the run and protested about it but it was Mark who pointed out to his friend that they needed him along for the ride and needs an additional set of eyes to spot something more useful than the necessary important materials they have to retrieve and scavenge for.

It took Homer to finally relent and accept on going along after a few minutes or so, upon being talked to and convinced by Mark. After that Homer and I worked on marking out suitable routes on the Map room, pointing out good shortcuts during our supply run, and also escape routes in case things went sideways or something happens that will derail our planned mission or so.

Ryu and Daiyu were the ones who prepared and settled the kinds of weapons good enough to bring along and use for the run, to defend and protect our group against any threats or dangers. And Sahara designated herself to settle on which kinds of equipment and supplies to bring for the trip while searching around for the important materials we're aiming to look for and retrieve them back to Safe Haven.

Sahara seemed eager and excited for this incoming supply run in the future, and I know what was going on when Daiyu smiled amused over her antics upon noticing it, even though Ryu wasn't aware of what is truly going on with his brother when he noticed this suspiciously.

As it turns out, much to my amusement, there seemed to be some sort of romantic interest going on between Daiyu and Sahara. And Daiyu is hiding it from his brother Ryu from knowing about it, even though I saw and learned that Ryu isn't biased when it comes to mixed relationships, such as Talia and Mark when I noticed that these two are a couple romantically and hiding it from their group, and only found out about it when I caught them kissing secretly passionate in a dark corner inside Safe Haven.

Mark helped out as well, switching from each task among us to add in his opinion and ideas about it before the meeting was over after we finished our preparations and finally made up our plans and we went off to our separate ways to try to relax and be prepared for the coming date and time of our planned trip going out there into Z-city.

I hope that nothing bad is going to happen because the specific area we're going into…is at the 'Danger' Zones which are the places where the most dangerous zombie types lurk there wandering about as their hunting grounds or the spots where I had marked as their nests, which I know full well that those are the places I need to watch out for with all the hyper-awareness and on high alert and on guard against it as they are truly the dangerous zones in that particular area.

I had warned them about it when I pointed it out in the Map room and reminded them again while we were discussing in our meeting together for our incoming planned supply run, and they all understood the dangers of it but they're determined to see this through to ensure our safety and security here in Safe Haven.

And none of them seemed to voice out their opposing decision when it's alright to change their mind if they want to, but they didn't. So I reluctantly accepted them into my group and get myself ready and prepared when the time comes for that supply run we'll all be going into.

And I truly hope that we're ready and prepared to face it and pray that nothing worse comes at us without warning or unexpectedly catches us off-guard by it.

So on the next time for the new next entry for this journal, I'm not sure when I'll be writing next but I hoped that the mission we'll go out on turns out successful in the end, without any of us killed from it and we'll survive through it until we return home to Safe Haven.

I deeply hope and pray that something good will come out at the end of this eerie foreboding dark road we'll be going into and going through it all.

Until the next time then, this is Eden signing off.

*****

After Eden finished writing the entry into her journal, she put it away back in its hiding place when she nearly forgot to put it back the last days before, safely kept and hidden from sight, and then she settled herself to comfortably lie down on the bed and join her children to sleep and rest for the night until the next day.

Before Eden closed her eyes once more, she hoped and prayed internally to herself that nothing bad will happen when the time comes on the fixed date of the planned supply run comes and some unexpected threat or danger will come at them and endanger their lives during the trip they will be going to in Z-city.

*****

*****