CHAPTER 37 - Unexpected Surprises

*****

It was two more days later that gone and passed by on the third week of October in Z-city. And even though everything has been silent and peaceful there, it looks like something happened surprisingly, almost as Eden had predicted upon thinking about it before.

But this kind of surprise cannot be fully figured out whether it is good or bad when they found it by chance or accident. And it looks like the adults in the group turned to Eden like she's the one who holds the answers and final decisions towards the indecisive questions they have upon discovering this particular surprise.

Eden was still not comfortable with the way how they turn to her like she truly holds the answers to whatever they wanted or seeks for, but she knew that she was the only one who knows well enough whether it is safe or not to put trust in her and find out whether it's the real deal or not.

This particular surprise, everyone is all worried and anxious about, is that Mark had finished fixing and working on the improvised CB radio so that it will take in any messages sent out from somewhere, and it became a success apparently when it worked, when at first there was static upon turning it on that one day and then on the next, there was suddenly a faint voice on the other end somewhere beyond out there, sending out a message for any living survivor to hear this.

Eden was one of the people who listened to this message and was silent about it as she, Mark, Homer, and Nadia heard this message played out from a recorder or something through the radio until it was finished. Mark, Homer, and Nadia were discussing to each other excitedly over this the knowledge that there might be more survivors out there, offering shelter and safety and such, but Eden was still quiet and still like a stone statue, as it's like she doesn't believe this no matter how convincing the message sounds.

After Mark, Homer, and Nadia finished with their discussion and arguments over the message they heard, it seems that only Mark and Nadia seem to think that this survivor message might be a hoax or a lure that will send them into a trap of living hostiles from the scary experience they went through before, but Homer believes that this message might be legit and there are other people out there who are surviving in a safe secure place such like this one in Safe Haven and it seems logical enough to go out there and check it out.

Upon being outnumbered from two to one, the three of them turned right to Eden and looked questioningly like they were asking for her opinion after they shared each other's out, and once again, Eden was a little uncomfortable being a part of this kind of argument and have to make her final decision over it, but her mind has already made up overthinking deeply about it and shared it out loud to them.

It seems that they all agreed with her decision and Homer and Mark left to tell the others and share the news about the radio message and also tell them what Eden plans to do about it. As the two men left, leaving Nadia and Eden alone, it was silent for a little awkward moment before Eden broke it by telling Nadia to check on their kids and also settle on dinner, since it was now late and they need to eat and then rest for another day.

Nadia nodded and went to do just that, following her orders, which Eden is still not used to somehow being chosen as the group's impromptu leader of sorts, but the lone survivor-woman shook those thoughts off for later and took out the journal she hid upon her person and it looks like she made a new habit of taking it almost always with her when it is needed or so.

Eden glanced about and around, making sure that there was nobody near her or something and when she made sure that everything around the area upon her is clear, she started writing the new entry as fast as she can, not stopping until she was finished with it.

*****

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

Hey, it's me, Eden, again.

Have you ever wondered or wished that something might happen whether it is expected or unexpected?

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, but then it did whether you want it or not to happen.

And here's how it started and happened on that very day when the unexpected kind of surprise came to us in Safe Haven.

Like I said before, I was very glad and relieved that nothing happened to me and some of my group members when we went out on that supply run before.

But I guess it helped when I had Luna along as our guard dog during that trip, and the only skirmish we got tangled into is when Homer nearly got himself bitten and attacked by a lurking Omega-Z which I quickly killed and saved Homer from it.

Anyway, we got the materials that we needed, and swiftly as two days have gone and passed by, Mark and Homer got busy working on fixing the security devices, improving the other devices to ensure our safety and survival in Z-city, as well as modifying and fixing up the CB radio that I put it aside for future use in case when I need to communicate and send out messages to find out if there are more living survivors out there in the world, beyond this zombie-infested city.

First, it was important that Mark and Homer work on and fix the security devices, to increase the security and ensure our safety in our safe place here in Safe Haven. I told them so as I thought about it, and the two men agreed with me over this as they also believed that it's important to ensure our safety by fortifying and securing more of Safe Haven's defenses so that we won't get caught off-guard or attacked unexpectedly by surprise.

I'm glad it worked out in the end by the time they're finished with them, and I have to admit, I'm a little jealous and impressed with the way how they made improvements on the security measures they fixed up for Safe Haven. It felt like I went back in time back to my days in school as a student wanting to learn everything that I can but I'm slow in catching up with it, getting mediocre grades as the result over it.

Anyway, what the surprise that came to us in Safe Haven happened like this.

Mark and Homer were working on and fixing the CB radio, providing the chances of the results in hoping that someone out there might get our message once we got it working on and fixed well. But after they finished modifying and fixing it and then Mark was given the honors of turning it on as we stand by and listened with crossed fingers, it disappointed almost all of us when on the first day we heard nothing but static.

It didn't upset me at the least over it, since I knew that it was going to be a long while and time to pass on for us to hope that there might be living survivors out there and beyond, besides us.

But then it became much of a surprising turnout when on the second day from the previous one, there was a voice faintly speaking in the noisy static background, and Homer and Mark had to twist and turn and do some more fixing on the radio until we can hear the voice clear as it can again.

Needless to say, Homer, Mark, and Nadia, who are the ones listening to this message that's being played out by repeated recordings from a living survivor, were very much shocked as we listened to it, as the voice sounded out and spoke on the message, giving coordinates of where they are and that they're offering food, supplies, security, and safety from the location they're at.

It sounded too good to be true by the time the message stopped playing its repeated recordings and the radio went back to static and I was deep in my thoughts about it while the three others discussed and argued about it.

I agree with Mark and Nadia's opinions when they said and talked to Homer that this message might be fake and set up as a lure to some kind of trap by the hostile kind of survivors, given what they've gone through and badly experienced before. But then Homer held out on the hope that others like there were like them, trying to survive through this hellish zombie apocalypse, and found a safe secure place just like Eden's and were sending out messages for others to hear and get to safety into theirs.

Same as I would have done after I assessed first if the survivors I encounter or seen are good people or not.

It made me a little uncomfortable with the fact that they unwillingly voted me as some kind of the leader of their group or someone to turn to that is holding the answers or making the final decisions over the matter. And I knew better upon following the list of survival rules that I make up, which are, RULE #42: Be Neutral in a fight, and RULE #44: Don't be the middleman.

Specifically means that I should not be the tiebreaker in an argument such as this or be caught in the middle of something that I have no knowledge or control of.

Still, I know very well that this survivor message is worth checking out, so I was forced to make up my mind and give the final decision as I share it with them, that this needs to be checked out and it's worth looking out for in case it might turn out good or it turns out to be a threat to us.

Homer was disappointed over my decision as I gave it as it is, and he became more so when I also told him that he'll be coming along with me to check it out as well as his sister Sahara coming along too.

Even though he wanted to hold out on the hope that the message is legit and good, Homer didn't like to go out again into Z-city, as he was still a little traumatized about what happened before when he nearly got attacked by an Omega-Z back then on that previous supply run.

I glared at him for good measure silently that there's no backing out on this, so he reluctantly agreed to come along, even though he's not pleased about it.

I knew that Sahara, on the other hand, will be excited and eager to go with us on this survivor check-out as we plan to go there the next day soon. For I already knew that she regarded me as the same as she had done before like I'm her idol or super rock star of sorts.

I'm not comfortable with the way how she regards me like that, but at least, Sahara is also someone I could trust and rely on as a good fighter and survivor with me on this planned trip.

And so that's all there is to it and the kind of plans I made up then and there about what's going on next.

The next time the new journal entry, it will be about how it turns out in the end from checking out that survivor message, but somehow deep down in my gut, I figured that it will turn out something good in the end, whether it's nothing or not.

That we might find some clues or signs that there are other living survivors like us out there and it might give us hope and the chance to take on the impossibility of embracing something even more that will guarantee our survival for a long time throughout this zombie apocalypse.

Here's hoping it might come to that as it will turn out to be when Sahara, Homer, and I check it out by then on the next day.

Until then, this is Eden signing off.

*****

After Eden finished writing the new entry into her journal, she swiftly hid it away on her person and her hands nearly lost grip and let the book slip from her grasp as her heart nearly stopped when she heard something coming and she was going to get caught with her journal, but then she relaxed when she saw it's only Luna who came in with a small whine and nudged its body against her legs as if worried for her like it somehow sensed her anxiety and came looking for her.

Eden sighed as she patted reassuringly her dog Luna after she put the journal back into its hidden pocket on her person, tucked inside carefully and well-hidden. Once she was done comforting her dog a little, Eden gestured Luna to follow and it did as the master and dog walked side by side to check on the others and see if they were having a discussion over the radio message that she and the few others heard before and find out on what are the opinions are shared and given from the remaining others.

So far, most of them also agreed that Eden should go and check it out first if the survivor message is legit, but it still disappointed Homer when he heard from Eden as she said that she still stands on her decision upon having him and Sahara come along with her to check out on that message at the particular spot or possible location that it sends out coordinates of where the message came from.

Homer doesn't look very pleased about going out into the dangerous streets and roads of Z-city again, but Sahara seemed excited and very eager to go, and she beamed even more brightly when Eden announced that she's coming along like how a favorite fan would react when called upon her rock star idol.

Eden gave a pointed stern look and warned firmly that they should follow her orders and commands when they go out to check on that location on the next day, and the two of them promised to do so without hesitation, which got Eden nodding with satisfaction.

It didn't take long for them to gather for dinner, eat it, and then clean the mess up and themselves as they settle in for bed and sleep for another day. Just as Eden settled into her room with her kids and her dogs, she wondered how it will turn out on the next day when two members of the group and she will be preparing to go out and check on the message to see if it was legit and good, or it might be something really bad that's going to lure them straight into a trap that they can't escape from.

Eden hoped and prayed that it won't be the latter part when the time comes upon going there into that location and checking it out. She closed her eyes and slowly surrendered to slumber, her mind drifting away from the concerning thoughts she was thinking about deeply over it.

*****

*****