24 December 2012
25 December 2012
We arrived at the tower around 5AM. We parked the armor vehicle about six blocks from the tower, and went through a tunnel underground. At the end there was an escalator (generator operated) that would bring us to the floors. We ran as fast as we could out of the truck. I held Jennifer in my hands, and Steven ran along side me. The floors were very interesting. Most of the space was used for bedding, and there was a small area where the leading survivors strategized. Most of the people were families, and occasionally you will see a grieving mother reminiscing over her child or loved one's death. This reminded me of Janet, and I asked the front people if there was anyway I could find out if she was safe. They said that in Europe they were suppose to be recording all the survivors (the Americas were still trying to get that all organized), and they said that an updated list was due tomorrow. So I will wait one more day in misery if that will reassure me that Janet was well. We found some bedding in a corner, and I started to chat with some people as Jennifer and Steven rested. Today I met Tyrone Smith, a former overseer of projects in the Parks and Recreation committee in Milwaukee. He was actually attending a funeral when the apocalypse happened, and I was surprised to hear that there were no bodies to rise from their graves. He believed personally that the virus needed living flesh alone to live, and he told me he gave his opinion to the lead people here, but they were exploring all options at this point. Another was a woman named Melissa, a regular house mom in Chicago. She had a similar encounter as I did. She was leaving to drop off her kids at school when the zombies came, and she actually had to abandon her car and find shelter in an alley before rescuers found her. She had twins in third grade. Most of the day was spent in this manner, and I was able to chat with my kids, reassuring them that their mother was alright. They were curious, but they believed my false hope. Steven kept to himself, and I wished to let him know that everything was alright, but I didn't for some reason. A man came up and asked for everyone to pay attention. He addressed himself as Myles Landstrom, and he was telling us that President Barack Obama was going to address the situation tomorrow in a private secluded area to only official survival bases. He urged us to attend it, and kept telling us that everything was going to be alright. Through all this drama I forgot about the Christmas holiday! The kids presents were under the tree at home, and it really felt bad to not be able to give my children a gift, but could anyone here? I had bought Steven a new phone (not a smartphone yet), and Jennifer one of those new Ferbies (which I believe are ugly as you know what, but all the kids like them now...). I hugged them for a good fifteen minutes though, because there were the only gift I had now. Big things were going to happen tomorrow, and I am curious to see what happens. It's not a playful curiosity though. It's one surrounded and baffled by the uncertainty if the bleak situation. I hope answers will be answered tomorrow, but until then, if there are holidays in the future, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!
Seth Conley's Journal Entry 5 • Opuss № I