Chapter 2

I decided to check on Julie's parents though I was pretty sure I knew what I would find.

I pulled up in their driveway and got out locking the truck. I went inside and found Roger dead in the living room and his wife, Mary, in the bedroom also dead. I decided to bury them and found a shovel in his garage and dug a shallow, wide grave in the back. I wrapped each body in blankets and placed them side by side. I covered them over and left the mound without a marker. I prayed for them and that they and Julie and my children would be together in heaven. I drove home. I went inside and cleaned up. I stoked up a pipe and mixed a drink and sat in the den after turning on some quiet music. I smoked and drank until the glass was empty and the tobacco was ash. I got up slowly and went into the kitchen and prepared a light supper from cans. I ate and went to bed.

In the morning, I rose with the sun. I showered, shaved, and dressed for a day at the house wearing shorts, tee shirt, and sneakers. I had coffee and a light breakfast. Thinking about the situation, I decided to look around the neighborhood. I walked out the front door and began walking down the street.

I had packed a pipe and lit it from a lighter while I walked. I enjoyed the smoke in my throat. It knew it was a bad habit but I enjoyed it. I knew I was smoking more because I rarely smoked around my children and not often around Julie though she always said that she liked the smell.

The street was silent. I heard no noises that one would expect. No cars, no kids, no people, no other sounds of a normal neighborhood. I stopped in front of the Wilson's house. They had been our best friends and he had called about Florida after I left. I knocked on the door and received no answer. I tried the door but it was locked. I went around back. The back door wasn't locked and I went inside. I found all four of them dead. Ben and Patty were in their bedroom and the kids were in their beds. I left quickly.

I guess that finding them dead brought home to me in a very real way that no one had survived. I walked further down the road and eventually made the full circle. I had walked a mile. I had measured it few years ago. Julie and I had run and walked laps for exercise. I went into my house and tried to figure out what I wanted to do.

I've always been organized so I grabbed pad and pencil to make a list. I decided that, for whatever reason, I was not going to catch the Slick virus. My plans needed to be both short and long as I dealt with an empty world. I thought a moment and then decided that it might not be totally empty. If I survived, others might also. What should I do about meeting people and determining if they were compatible with me? I thought about that for a while and then decided that planning for my future would work for any additional people or the plan would have to be revised anyway for the changed circumstances.

I spent the remainder of the morning and worked through lunch developing a list. The first was collecting food. I was almost out at the house and the camper had nothing but staples left in it. I would keep my truck. It was four years old and low mileage. Also, I was comfortable driving it. It already had a hitch and camper shell on the back with good mirrors. The king cab was comfortable for me and for passengers.

I had more on the list but decided that the afternoon would be well spent gathering food if I wanted a good supper. I put my lunch dishes in the dishwasher after rinsing them and walked out. In the distance, I heard a gunshot! I went back inside, found my holster and put my pistol in it on my belt along two clips. As I walked out of the house armed, I realized that the gunshot resolved any question about other survivors!

I went back outside, climbed in the truck and left for the local grocery store. I arrived at the strip center where the store was located and saw no cars or people. I parked the truck close and went inside.