Day 268: Rough night last night. Another firestorm rolled through, but we got out just in time.
I found an old teddy bear in an abandoned apartment complex yesterday. I gave it to him and he took it, but after a while he noticed that it didn't have any eyes. When he asked me why they were missing, I couldn't think of anything better to say than, "He's blind." After a few minutes, I had to give him his gasmask because the fumes were starting to come up out of the ground again. Just before that, though, he had started talking to the stuffed animal.
"It must be hard, not being able to see," he said. "But I'll take care of you. Just like papa takes care of me. You're fine. Everything's gonna be fine."
It struck me then what I had been reassuring my son of every day for the past year. That everything would be fine, nothing bad would happen. I wasn't sure if that was true, but it looked like it comforted the boy, so I kept saying it. If I only knew then what I know now.... I don't know what I would've done.

Day 270: Another one of these easier days. I'm not sure why things are going so well.... they really shouldn't. I've still been having a hard time breathing when the fumes come. I need a new gasmask. The boy's is fine, nothing a little duct tape won't solve. Mine's rusty though.
I had to bring out the shotgun last night. Something was moving in the trees, and I could tell it was getting closer. We've only got a few shells left. I can refill them, sure, but there's only a few of them. Just enough to fill up the magazine. That shotgun's been indispensable to us for self-defense and hunting. God help us if it gets stolen.
I'm not sure how many more miles it is until we reach the desert (I saw a "Welcome to Nevada" sign about twenty miles back) but I get the feeling it'll be soon. We can only pray that the fumes won't be so bad there, hopefully the sand'll keep them below ground.
Tonight we're bedding down in an old rest stop plaza along the highway. I'm hoping we won't have any contact with raiders, but one can only hope.

Day 276: Haven't written in a few days. Nothing to write about. We've found food when we need it, haven't seen any raiders or hijackers, fumes haven't been so bad. I still haven't found a new gasmask though. I refilled the shotgun shells the other night, loaded them with pebbles and sealed the fronts with wax. We've got ten left, more than I thought. Enough to fit in the magazine plus one extra. I'm going to keep that one in my pocket.
We don't need coats anymore. It's gotten a lot warmer since we reached Nevada, so we've just been wearing our t-shirts and tied our coats around our waists. I found the boy a new pair of boots the other day in an abandoned farmhouse, along with some canned beans and a bag of rice.
Other than that, nothing bad's happened to us. I'm beginning to think Nevada's the place to be.

Day 277: I had to write today, not because of any trouble, but because of something good. Very good.
We found another survivor.
I'm so ecstatic right now I can barely write, so please forgive my lack of handwriting skills. He says his name is Joe Pesky, and he's from south of Montana. He has a limp, so I was really wary at first, but when I found that he had a Bible in his backpack, I knew he was a friend. He's armed with a glock and a little revolver (which he gave to the boy) and he had a lot of food amongst other supplies. I thank God that we found him. The boy wasn't having the contact with civilization that I wanted him to have, but now he has it. I do too.
Over the past few hours, since we found each other in an old gas station, I've told him our "history" and he's shared bits and pieces from his life, along with the fact that we're headed for the same destination. I can't see anything suspicious about him, so I'm assuming he's not one of Them. His hands don't shake, his tongue's the right colour, so are his eyes, teeth and fingernails. All in all, he looks like a nice sort of guy, and he's around my age (maybe a bit younger). I'm looking forward to our journey together.

Day 279: We're doing so well I can't even believe it. Joe went hunting and brought back an un-tainted jackrabbit, so we had some pretty good dinner last night. What was better, I read him and the boy a few chapters from John, and we prayed for a little bit. I think that's why we've been doing so good lately, praying. God's obviously looking down on us all the time, but now it feels like he's really working with us. Well, that being said, we're spending the night in a bluff off the road (I'm getting first watch) before we head into a little town further up the road tomorrow. I saw a few buildings that looked like they used to be grocery stores, so I'm hoping we'll find some food and maybe even a shopping cart for our stuff.

Day 280: We're heading into the town today. I'm looking foward to it, but I've got some worries. I really hope there won't be any raiders there. We're going to pray before we go, but I've been doing that all morning.
Joe and I talked last night just before he took over watching. He said he'd been married once, to a woman named Leslie. I guess he just wanted to get some stuff out of his system, so I listened. She died even before "the beginning of the end" (that's what Joe calls it) of some sort of virus. He said that she was a great person, and that he was still dealing with sorrow. It didn't surprise me, so I prayed with him. I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but he's a Christian just like us. That's good. Real good.

Day 281: Our trip into town was mildly successful. I'm really glad it worked out--otherwise Joe wouldn't have been happy. We got a bunch of cans of soup, a few Pepsis, some spaghetti sauce, a few boxes of noodles, and surprisingly enough, some apples. Funny story though, they weren't from the grocery store. There was a little apple tree growing right up out of the floor, and there were a bunch of apples on it. That made Joe and the boy happy.
Only one thing's been troubling me. The boy doesn't want a name yet. I remember (what was that, a year ago?) when I found him, he said he didn't have a name and didn't want one. I told him that that was okay, naturally, because he was a wreck, and let it slide. I only just started asking him about it when we got to the border, but he just says he doesn't want a name. "I don't need one," he said. "I know I don't."
He named the teddy bear though. Methuselah Brockhurst. Where on earth he got that name I'll never know. He said he saw it on a billboard once, but he can't even read. There's something to that kid. I think he's a genius. He even used tactical maneuvres to get us through an alley "without being spotted." I love that kid like a son, but he can be kind of wierd at times. I'm not sure what to think.

Day 284: We're making bad headway. I don't like how slow we're moving. Joe's not in any hurry, and the kid's not either. I want to get to the coast though, and soon. It's been two weeks since we've reached Nevada, and we've barely made seventy miles. That's only about five miles a day. I don't know what we'll find there. I'm almost afraid of what we'll find there.
The fact that we found Joe is incredible, finding a survivor in a once well-populated area like San Fransisco is almost impossible. I pray every day that we'll find someone else. Anyone else......

Day 286: I passed out yesterday from the fumes. My gasmask is shot, and I don't know where we'll find another one. Joe offered me his a few times, but I didn't want to inconvenience him. For now, I'll just have to either hold my breath or put a cloth over my nose and mouth.
I'm not comfortable with the idea of not having a gasmask. In this atmosphere, it's almost impossible. I need one soon. Hopefully we'll find some sort of military base or surplus store where we can get another one.
Joe and the kid are getting along really well. They even cracked a few jokes back and forth for a while, and it gave me a good laugh. Joe's a character all right, and a good one at that.
The thought's been coming into my head lately of getting a car or a truck or something, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Even a moped or a motorcycle would be nice. At least it would make us go a bit faster.

Day 288: Well, maybe going slow isn't so bad. The kid's doing fine, and Joe's even better. We've still been praying, and reading from the Bible every now and then, and that's good. Long, warm nights. Even sleeping outside isn't that bad anymore. I still need a gasmask though, and that fact's inescapable. I've been using a scrap of wet cloth lately--oh, that reminds me. We found a spring. It's not a creek or a river or anything, but it's water, and untainted at that. I'm really glad we found it, because when the fumes come up, they don't come out of the water. Water seems to be the key here, but I'm not sure why. That's one of the reasons I want to get somewhere where there's a library or some internet or something, so that I can find something out about these fumes.
That brings me to wonder what causes the fumes, and if there's an antidote or some way to solve this problem. Not sure if there's any way that's gonna happen, but I'm not in as much of a hurry anymore, except to find a gasmask. Anyway. That's what I've been thinking about lately.

Day 290: I finally found a map, thank God. It was laying under the clerk's desk at an old Pilot. Turns out, we're not even on Route 66 like I thought. Not even anywhere near it. Turns out, we're on NV170. We completely bypassed Mesquite, and we're pretty far away from Bunkerville (must have passed it in the night, can't imagine how though). We've actually only got about eight more miles to walk tomorrow before we make it to I15, which'll take us all the way to Las Vegas. Not quite sure what we'll find there. Not sure at all.

Day 291: We reached I15 this evening, uneventfully. Ate dinner under a bridge near where we "merged." Nothing interesting's happened lately, although I passed out again earlier. I'm getting really worried about this whole gasmask thing. I really need one.

Day 293: I'm sick. Got a fever, Joe says. He used to be a doctor, you know. Pediatrician. I can't write very well, I'm feeling really woozy at the moment. Might not write again for a while.

Day 296: A little better today. We haven't moved from under this bridge, even though there was a firestorm last night. We heard loud chanting up in the mountains north of here, and the kid claimed to have seen someone "slinking" through the sagebrush near where we were. This put me off a bit, but I'm not at all up to running, much less walking. I'm still passing out every time the fumes come, and I'm pretty sure it's making me sicker. I'm considering sending Joe to the nearest town (I'm not sure where it is, I haven't been able to see straight to look at the map) to see if he can dig something up to use as a gasmask, then maybe we can get going. Still feeling like crap though. Coughed up blood last night.

Day 299: Things are looking up. I'm feeling a lot better than before, and I even got up for a walk a while ago. Had chills last night, but that was because of the cold. The fumes came again, and I didn't pass out, surprisingly. I even had one of those Pepsis we found at the grocery store (there's five left) and that made me feel a lot better. The kid watches me all the time, and I can tell he's worried. I keep trying to tell him I'm getting better, but I don't think he believes me.
We'll leave the day after tomorrow, if nothing happens, and by my estimations, if we keep going at the rate we've been going at, we'll be there in about two weeks.

Day 300: Three hundred days. Has it really been that long? Leaving tomorrow. We read from the Bible all day today, and prayed for about an hour. God's going to see us through this, at least until Vegas, I know that much. Well, that's all I have to say for now.

Day 301: Left this morning. Made a good ten miles today (which surprised me), hoping to do twelve tomorrow. The fumes came again last night, and I didn't pass out. I'm really, really, genuinely surprised. Ever since I've been sick, the fumes have come about five times, and I've only passed out once. Guess I've got all that owed to God.

Day 304: In three days we've made about 36 miles. It's going great, although Joe's been coughing lately. He says he's fine, but I'm not so sure. I haven't passed out since the second fuming since I was sick. That's wierd. Just plain wierd. God's really getting us through this.

Day 305: Walked 17 miles today. There's a record. The kid's wore out, and Joe says he doesn't want to do that again. He chuckled when he said it, but I'm not sure if he saw any real humour in it.
I'm going to make it a point from here on out to write more, since I'm really feeling good. It's fuming right now, and I'm not even sweating. Joe and the kid are both wearing their gasmasks and coughing every now and then, but I'm fine. Completely fine.
The kid walked next to me earlier and said, "You're immune to them." That really surprised me. He's an odd one, but he might just have something there. I didn't talk for a while, but he reached up and held my hand for a few more miles. That was nice. He constantly has his teddy bear with him, and he talks to it a lot (although sometimes I can't really hear what he's saying). I overheard him talking to it once while he was tying some cloth around a rip in its leg, and he said, "Steve's a good guy. I don't know if he knows where we're going, but he's nice. He takes care of us really well, doesn't he?" The teddy bear didn't say anything, naturally.


I'll be updating this frequently, so check back a lot!
Cheers,
~Oreo

Wow, awesome! I guess this is post-apoc, right?

GREAT STORY NOW THAT I READ IT!!! Ahem, I mean, 'twas a delightful piece of art that filled me with great joy as I examined it on the screen of my electronic device.

Day 306: We're almost in Las vegas. Only a few more miles to go, and we'll be in the city. You can't see any lights at night, but I can see buildings in the day. We'll be there tomorrow. I've told Joe to start keeping an eye out, and I always do. The kid seems to do that too, and he's tapped me a few times lately and said he's seen something, but I'm not sure. He might just be crying wolf. Although.... I am a bit convinced that I've seen some things myself.
Anyway, I've reached a conclusion about the kid. He's autistic. Autistic with a few other factors thrown in. Shock from a pretty young age, rough lifestyle, maybe a touch of dyslexia.... something's not right in his little head, but something.. something's just plain great about him. I love that kid like my own son, and so does Joe. We're never going to let him go, never. If They find him, and if They try to take him, they'll have to take him over Joe's dead body and out of my cold, dead hands.
They'll never get him. Never.

Day 307 (morning): It's morning. We're going down into the city today. I considered tying us all together so that we wouldn't get seperated, but that only means that if They get one of us, They'll get all of us.
I'm worried. We prayed after we all got ready, and read some out of Exodus (which the kid seemed to like). Right now Joe's loading the glock and the revolver, and he's showing the kid how to aim it. God help us if we have to use our guns.

Day 307 (evening): Nothing's happened. I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm glad nothing happened. We're in an old hotel right now, locked in a sixth floor room with barred windows. We passed quite a few collapsed casinos, but most of them are still standing. Trash littered the streets and there were a few car wrecks. Joe said he thought he saw someone in a third-floor window, but he wasn't sure. That worried me.
The kid did great. He used his "tactical maneuvres" again. He likes doing those, especially because he thinks it helps us. It's almost like he thinks it's a game.
I could have sworn I saw someone (or something) darting through an alley out of the corner of my eye, but... I have my doubts. It seems like this whole city's abandoned.
We found some food in one of the storerooms of one of these casinos, and the kid picked up some dice from some sort of game table. Joe grabbed a few decks of cards and put them in his pack, as well as a few bottles of whiskey from one of the bars. I told him not to because of the boy, but Joe said he "needed it" and the kid didn't seem to mind.
We still haven't found something to carry our gear with, but it won't be long now. We almost got lost a few times, but my map fixed that.
The best thing that happened today was that there were no fumes. That surprised me, but it was a pleasant surprise. The concrete or blacktop must stop them from coming up out of the ground. It didn't really make a difference to me, because I don't even smell them anymore. It's like what the kid said. I'm immune. Maybe I'm used to it, or something. I really don't know.
For now, though, I'm going to get a good night's rest. Joe said he'd take the whole night watch. I saw him sneak a few bottles of beer under his shirt as he went to the window and pulled up a chair. He looked set enough, so I agreed.
Joe also said he saw a car that almost looked driveable. We'll have to check that out tomorrow morning, if nothing happens.
Just before the kid went to bed, he prayed with me and I read him a few chapters of 1 Corinthians.

Day 308: Nothing happened today either. We mostly hung around the hotel looking for food, which we found plenty of. I hate to say it, but I caved and drank some of Joe's whiskey. It tasted awful, but it made me feel happier than usual. I'm not going to have any more though. The last thing I need to deal with right now is an alchohol addiction.
We didn't check out the car today, or really anything else. Joe and the kid and I played cards for about a half an hour, and that was fun. The kid liked it, and that was really all that mattered.
The beds in this room feel fantastic. I haven't had such a good night's rest in a long time. If we get that car fixed up, I'm definitely taking one of those mattresses.

Day 309: We actually did see someone today. It was one of Them. Standing right in the middle of the road, in broad daylight (which freaked Joe out) in a long, hooded black robe. I don't know where on earth They get those things.
I told Joe not to shoot, at least not for now. It didn't move (I couldn't tell if it was male or female) for a long time, but just looked at us. When I tried to talk to it, it shrieked and ran away into a building.
The kid didn't seem scared at all, but Joe was pale and sweating and I have to say my heart was pounding pretty good. However frightening an experience that was, we're all fine now. But I know now... we're not alone here.

Day 310: We checked out the car today. It's a bright red SUV, still shiny, with completely undamaged black leather seats inside. I think it was new before all this started. It's got some scratches and a dent in the back bumper, but other than that it's fine. Getting in was an issue, as the original driver had apparently locked the keys inside. Joe wanted to bust the window, but the kid for some reason had a skeleton key in his pocket, with which he somehow unlocked the door with while Joe and I were arguing. We got it running after a few tries, and found a cyphen in one of the nearby casinos that we used to get gas out of all the rest of the cars around there. I'm planning on us driving out of here in about 3 days (I don't want to stay here too long after seeing It) when we get some more supplies and gas. Right now the SUV's parked outside our hotel, locked (I have the keys) and waiting to be loaded tomorrow. For now, though, I'm getting another night's rest on one of these fantastic mattresses.

Day 313 (morning): Uneventful fumings (Joe coughed a lot through the last one, which concerned me) over the past few days. We found some absolutely fantastic supplies (not the least of which was a freezer full of unexpired, untainted meat) and got the SUV loaded up and ready to go (with the mattress squeezed into the back with the seats folded down underneath it). I saw another one of Them, but It didn't see us, thank God.
We looked for some spare gasmasks for Joe and the boy, but didn't find anything. There was enough gas in all the cars in the city to last us for a long, long time, so we filled up a bunch of little buckets, lashed them together and tied them to the top. Joe had the bright idea of taking the miraculously intact mud-tires off a Jeep that had been almost cut in half by a falledn street lamp, and putting them on the SUV, which we assumed would pay off soon.
The kid still doesn't want a name. "Although," he'd said a few times, "If I absolutely had to have a name, I suppose I'd want to be called Paul, after that guy in the Bible." That almost brought tears to Joe's eyes, and it choked me up a bit too. I tried to call him Paul once, but he looked at me like I had offended him, so I haven't since then.
We're heading out in a few minutes, after we read from the Bible and pray for a little bit. I'm really looking forward to the feeling of driving a real car again.

Day 313 (afternoon): Joe's taking over driving. We've been driving for about three hours, and, according to this map, we've got about six hours left in our trip. This is almost too good to be true.... we've been trying so hard to get to San Francisco, and now it's handed to us. Just that easy. It's almost like the calm before the storm.
I'm not at all sure what we'll find in Frisco. Not sure at all. I hope we'll find another survivor, or a survival village, or something. I just don't know.

Day 313 (evening): We're about an hour outside San Francisco. We've passed some suburbs, all abandoned. No lights, no people, none of Them, nothing of interest, although everything seems to be blackened by something. Ash. Burnt fumes. Fires. I'm not sure. We've got the headlights on now, and we still haven't seen anything. We'll keep going deeper into the city until we find somewhere to park and bed down for the night. If I were superstitious, I'd be really nervous right now since it's day 313, but I'm not. It's in God's hands. Sure, I'm nervous, but whatever happens it's for His glory. God be praised.

Day 314: Haven't seen anybody or anything alive. Spent the night inside the car in a parking garage in downtown Oakland, slept on that awesome mattress (I was on one side, Joe was on the other and the kid was in between us). There was a fuming in the middle of the night, and Joe passed out. He said his gasmask was shot, so I tried to fix it up, but that was unsuccessful. The kid's gasmask is holding up, miraculously, even though it's from World War II. Probably because it wasn't "Made in China."
We drove around the city today, looking for anything alive, but there wasn't a sign of anyone. We found a grocery cart though, as if that would help. We'll try again tomorrow.

Day 315: We're going to Alcatraz tomorrow. Found a boat down by an old pier, fixed that up to get us out to The Island. I'm not sure, again, what we'll find there, but I just have a feeling we'll find something. Today we checked out most of the rest of the city, but we didn't find anything else. Well, we found an old mall and went in. Got some new jeans and some shirts for all of us at... I think it was either Abercrombe and Fitch or Aeropostale. The sign was all worn out. Got some Pepsis and a few Mt. Dews out of a broken vending machine. I've decided that, if the water's untainted in the bay, we'll all go in and have a good wash (I found some soap in one of the bathrooms at the mall).
We haven't seen any of Them or anything else alive here since we arrived. It's making me feel apprehensive, don't ask me why. It seems like we should at least see something.
If I were over-dramatic I'd say... it's quiet. Too quiet.

Day 316: We're in Alcatraz tonight. Haven't seen anything yet, but Joe claimed he heard yelling on one side of the island. That concerned me, but it took us most of the day to get out here by rowboat, so we were all exhausted. We'll have a look tomorrow, and see if we can dig up some coffee around here somewhere.
Something interesting to note: It doesn't fume here. I saw fumes coming up all over the city earlier, but we were on the island and there wasn't anything here. Of course, I'm not worried about fumings anymore save for the safety of Joe and the kid, but it's interesting. Alcatraz would almost make a good location for a survival village.
Joe's sick. He's got a fever, and he's coughing. He passed out every time the fumes came on the mainland, but now he just stays awake and coughs. I'm just glad we're in a place where there aren't any fumes. He was talking about needing to be where the fumes were, but I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, he was probably delirious.
Tomorrow, the kid'll stay here with Joe and I'll go ahead and scout out the rest of the island, maybe even take a look at the jail cells.

Day 318: I haven't had time to write over the past few days, but now's a good time to because we've settled into a lull. But first and foremost: We found another survivor. What's better, it's a woman. Her name's Lindy Flynn. She's my age... which worried the kid for some reason. We found her locked in a jail cell yelling and shaking the bars. She said so many profanities I almost reached for the kid's ears only to remember that he wasn't with me. This was the first time we've been separated since it started.
Anyway, I got her out, and she tried to attack me, but I wrestled her to the floor and did my best to calm her down. After I did that, she just started sobbing and fell apart. I didn't really know what to do... it's been so long since I was around a girl. I made a vow then and there that I would keep her alive, no matter what. She's just as important as Joe or the boy to me now.
Once I got her calmed down, she fell asleep and I carried her back to camp. Joe said he'd watch her and the kid while I went to look for other stuff. Apparently, we're not the only survivors here. After I came back from scouting (which proved futile), Lindy was coherent and told me that her boyfriend, Vick Corbin, is here somewhere, but she didn't know where. That kind of worried me. What boyfriend in his right mind would let a girl like that get locked in a cell--Lindy still hasn't said how she got there--and leave her to hide out somewhere? It doesn't make sense. That guy's got nothing on me. He's not the guy for her.
I also found some coffee, which was good. Gave that to Joe, and he said it made him feel a bit better (although I saw him take a few swigs of whiskey before I gave it to him). The kid really likes Lindy, and that's a good thing. They get along real well, and I'm glad of it. It took a while for the kid to get accustomed to Joe, but Lindy's something else. She can cook too.

Day 319: I found Vick today. He's bald, and his eyes are a wierd shade of light brown (almost yellow, which made me suspicious) but that's all I saw of him before he took a shot at me with a nicely-maintained M1A1 he had and ran away. I don't like that guy. Lindy said, "He scares me a lot... and he hit me once," as she felt a bruise on her arm, "but he's really good at survival, and he protects me."
I wasn't happy about that. We're the ones who'll be protecting her now. Vick's not healthy for us. He's gotta go.
I gave Lindy most of our food, because we always seem to find more here. She ate it like she hadn't eaten in a few days. I didn't like that. The more I think about this Vick guy, the more I don't like him. Next time I see him, he's going to get a talking-to.

Day 320: Lindy's not a Christian. The kid suggested that we pray and read from the Bible, but when I checked with Lindy she said she didn't want to. Later, I told Joe to pray for her, and I have been too. Hopefully God'll work something out.
I haven't made any contact with Vick, although, I must admit... I've set up some man-sized booby traps that'll cause some trouble for him. It's only a matter of time now.
My scouting was successful today, because I found an old M16 in one of the guard houses hidden behind a locker with a false back. It had a full magazine, and a few extras. I cleaned it earlier, and it looks like it works. I'll be taking that with me on my scouting tomorrow. The only problem is, you can't refill M16 rounds.

Day 321: I saw Vick again today. That guy's really good at hiding, but at the same time, he's not very vigilant. I saw him relieving himself off the edge of one of the cliffs with his back turned to me and his M1A1 sitting on a rock beside him. I could've sneaked up behind him, but I didn't. If he got ahold of that M1A1, he could've, and would've killed me.
I also found some antibiotics in a first aid kit, and gave them to Joe. He's really sick, and it just seems to be getting worse. I'm worried about him.

Day 322: Lindy and I talked last night. I told her about how I found the kid and Joe found us, and about our journey here and the SUV. I asked her what her past was, but she didn't tell me a whole lot. She said she was from Oregon, and when it hit she was coming to visit relatives in Los Angeles with Vick. Apparently they've had little to no contact with Them, aside from a few run-ins that Vick "took care of" she said. I told her that she was safe with us and she thanked me. She also said that Vick wasn't welcome in this group, and that if we took him in she would leave. They must not have been having the best of times. Of course, I was all to happy to say that Vick wasn't going to come along with us, so we agreed on that.
There was a steady wind blowing from the mainland today, and when there was a fuming on shore the fumes blew over here and Joe passed out. He was out for almost five hours and talking incoherently pretty much the whole time. He kept on calling for somebody or something, and he didn't seem happy about it.
The kid watches Joe day and night now, and he hardly pays any attention to Lindy anymore. I'm worried about him too.
Another piece of useful info: Lindy's immune to the fumes. She said that she always has been. I'm not sure what's up with that, but I intend to find out. She said that Vick doesn't have a gasmask, but he puts a cloth over his mouth when the fumes come and he coughs. That made me wonder. I tried the cloth technique and it didn't work at all. I passed out every time. Vick either has strong lungs or he's immune too. I'm definitely going to talk with him the next time I see him.

Day 323: I heard blood-curdling screams and some chants last night from the mainland. Joe was incoherent, and Lindy was shaking. The kid was, as usual, unphased, and I was scared to death but I didn't show it. I kept telling Lindy to be brave, but she kept on burying her face in her hands and sobbing. I'm worried about her, but not half as worried as I am for Joe. He hasn't eaten in days, and I can't hold a normal conversation with him. He seemed a tiny bit better after that one fuming, so I'm led to believe he needs to be near the fumes. It only makes sense because I was sick just like he was, and after I got better I was immune. I'm going to take Joe, Lindy and the kid back to the mainland early tomorrow, then we'll come back before dark and after a few fumings. I'll have to make sure to bring the kid's gasmask.
Today we hung around our camp (we're snugly camped out inside an office. Might've been the warden's at one point) and didn't go out for anything. I tried to get the electric going, but the whole power grid must be completely shot. It's been cloudy the past few nights, but sunny in the day. That wierds Lindy out for some reason.
I don't like it being so dark at night.

Day 324: We just got back from the mainland, and it's already after dark. Three of Them chased us back to the boat after the last fuming of the evening. Joe was perfectly coherent, although he was sweating and coughing. He didn't pass out after the last fuming, thank God. They chased us all the way back to the dock, screaming all the way. We heard loud chanting from a building pretty far away, and that freaked Lindy and Joe and I out. The kid wasn't afraid though. He just eyed them passively.
I think that Joe's going to be better soon. I was only sick for about four days, although it's been a bit longer than that. He talked to Lindy today, and she seemed to like him. She gets startled a lot, and she shakes and talks fast when she's scared, but she's been pretty calm since we got back to Alcatraz.
Fact: They can't swim, and they're scared to death of water. We're safe here, unless they find some way over.

Day 325: Vick got trapped today. I found him trussed up in a hallway, hanging upside down by his foot from the roof by a thick rope snare I had set up. He had dropped is M1A1, so he was completely harmless. I asked him why he had been hiding, but all he did was snarl. I didn't want to aggravate him further, so I just looked at him for a while.
He's really thick. Not fat, just thick. Stocky. Not the kind of guy you would want to go up against in a fist fight. His eyes were watering, and he seemed to be repulsed by the light coming in the windows. That made me even more suspicious than the fact that his was foaming at the mouth. When I tried to talk again, I'd hardly got out the first word when he screamed so loud my ears were ringing. I picked up his M1A1 that very second and backed off.
I was faced with a moment of indecision. I didn't know what to do. I don't mind saying it, I was seriously considering shooting him and ending it right then and there, but I didn't. I just walked away and left him there. I'm going to check on him tomorrow, and if he's any worse off, I'm going to shoot him.

Day 326: Vick's gone. Completely gone. He must've had a knife on him or something, but he cut himself down somehow and now he's loose. He doesn't have a gun though, and we have five, so we've got him outgunned and outmanned. I barricaded the door to the office just in case though.
Joe's doing a lot better today. He's still coughing, and his temperature, I guessed, is at about 99, but he says he feels much better. The kid counted, he got a good five fumings the day before yesterday. We might go to the mainland again tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I want to risk it. If I can kill or get rid of Vick, this is the perfect place to start a survival colony. So long as we find other survivors.

Day 327: I saw Vick again today. He was sitting on a rock sharpening a long stick with a switchblade. He's obviously arming himself so that if we have another run-in he'll be able to defend himself. I couldn't get a clear shot at him though, so I let him be.
I'm not going to leave Vick and Joe and the kid alone anymore, it's too risky. We can't go to the mainland, because we've been hearing the chanting and screaming all day and all night, so we'll stay here. They must be getting more bold.
We've still got the boat, though, and unless Vick takes it, we'll go to back to Oakland to get a few more fumings for Joe tomorrow.

Day 328: The SUV's in downtown San Francisco, and we're spending the night in Oakland tonight as it appears to be safe. We've all agreed that tomorrow we'll go back to Alcatraz and load everything up, collect some food supplies, search for ammunition, and then row back to Oakland. Lindy, the kid and Joe'll stay there while I go over the bridge to downtown San Francisco and see if I can get the SUV. If I make it, our next destination is Los Angeles.
Lindy said that the boat in which she and Vick came to Alcatraz with was moored on the eastern side of the island, and that it was bigger than the rowboat. I'm planning on smashing up the rowboat before we leave and deserting Vick there.
We're going to pray whether Lindy likes it or not.

Day 329: We left for Alcatraz again today in the rowboat. Lindy said we could pray and that she hoped it would help. "It will," the kid said, "it usually does."
We heard chanting from downtown Frisco in the buildings while we were rowing, but it stopped abruptly. I feel like they knew I was coming. We loaded up the stuff from camp and found a few boxes of M16 ammo in a locker, then smashed up the rowboat and took the other boat back to Oakland where I left Lindy, Joe and the kid. I didn't see anything of Vick, and the chanting didn't happen again that day.
I walked all the way across the bridge to downtown San Francisco, trying to remember where I put the SUV. I finally found it after a short run-in with one of Them (it ran away yelling when it saw me) and I got out as fast as I could. There was a fuming just after I left, and I heard the chanting start up again. When I got back to Oakland, we loaded everything up and cyphened some gas out of the surrounding vehicles. The fumes don't seem to taint gasoline, so it all worked out fine.
Right now, the kid and Lindy are asleep in the back, and Joe's driving, giving me a chance to write about today. It's after dark, but we're going to drive all night and hopefully make it to Los Angeles by dawn. We can't go nearly as fast as we did from Vegas to Frisco, because all the roads are really bad. There was a dust storm earlier, so we had to stop and wait until it abaited. I'm going to catch some sleep until Joe's ready, then I'll take over.
I need a good watch.

Day 331: Didn't write yesterday. We got to Los Angeles yesterday afternoon, but had lunch just before we went into the city.
Lindy seems to be doing a lot better. At one point Joe went to the back to get some rest while the kid played with his dice in the back seat and Lindy moved up to the front with me. We had a good talk for about an hour, and I even made her laugh. That felt good.
We haven't seen anyone since we got here, although I think I might've spotted something in a window at one point. We went to another mall, and I got Lindy a purse and filled it with some stuff I think she'll like (I'm not going to tell her about it until tomorrow night though. We're going to have a party for Joe because he's better) and she got some new boots, jeans and another shirt. I also got the kid another stuffed animal (it's a big giraffe) and Joe a good-looking plaid jacket. I got the necessities too, some more jeans, shirts, soap, toothpaste and some backpacks for all of us.
It's really amazing how God's provided for us, although Lindy said it's just luck. Any time we've needed food, He's given it to us. Any time we need clothes, He provides them. He gave me immunity to the fumes, and He gave us Joe and Lindy, and the guns, and the SUV, and all of these things we hold dear.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow night. It should be fun, and that's something we haven't had in a long time.
There was a fuming yesterday and the kid forgot to put his gasmask on. I should've payed more attention. He passed out and woke up gasping for air. That really freaked the rest of us out, Lindy the most. She seems to like him a lot. I don't know what I'd do if he died.

Day 332: The party was great. After we found a huge, huge mansion in Beverley hills, we all got washed up and put on our new clothes, we headed over to a nice place to look at the Hollywood sign. The fumes had yellowed it a little bit, an one of the 'L's was lopsided, so it was barely visible. As I was building a nice big bonfire with Joe, the kid said, "Look, Lindy. It says Holywood. That's what The Cross is. It's holy wood."
That brought tears to Joe's eyes, and I have to admit I had a lump in my throat. I didn't see Lindy's reaction. Later on, we drank some Dr. Peppers I found in an almost empty grocery store, and exchanged presents. Lindy really liked the purse, and I was glad to see a smile cross her face. She really is pretty when she smiles.
Joe got me a baseball cap at Aeropostale, a nice, sturdy-looking belt and some tall hiking boots. The kid absolutely loved the giraffe, and he promptly named it Mr. Tobias Ringley. That kind of wierded Lindy out, but Joe and I just laughed. We all had a really good time, and didn't get to bed 'til late. Lindy and the kid are sleeping now, and Joe's just looking at the stars. What a great night.

I usually don't enjoy diary entries, but these are good. I can't wait to see more!

This is a great story so far. It is quite engaging and very well written. I can't wait to read the more and see where this story goes. The cynic in my can't help but assume that something bad is on the horizon.

There is one aspect that I have a question about. Is the whole Christian thing an important plot point or is it an important part of the characters? As I am reading I can't decide whether they story on a whole is a "Christian story" in the vain of the Left Behind series or just a character point (or "flaw" perhaps?). I also may get hung up on this point as I am not a Christian so it sticks out to me as a bit odd and even forced in some areas. Doesn't detract from the story on a whole, as I said it's a great read. Just something that had me wondering.

Good question. Christianity is as much a part of the plot as it is the characters. If you have characters who believe in Jesus Christ, then that usually adds something to the plot, big or small. I usually like to add Christian themes in the characters, and that naturally effects the plot because of the different moral aspects of Christians and non-Christians. And, since it's Easter, I thought it might be appropriate to do something like this. I'll probably follow up on this later because I've gotta run at the moment.

Wow! I can't believe I haven't read this yet! I try and make a point to read everything you guys have been writing. (Everyone writes great stories and are all VERY different in style) I am more then impressed with this! I kinda get a "The Road" vibe with Father and Son... but its all really good. I know its a trend these days to kill some/everyone off... but I miss the days when you could count on the "Hero" surviving and the "Villain" dying, without the sacrifice of the "Hero". Keep it up!

(I enjoy the feel of humanity the Father has and the ability to maintain his faith)

Thanks! Actually, it's not a father and son. Steve actually found the kid in a box by the side of the road.