CODE: ZOMBIE - A Survivor's Diary

CHAPTER 4 - NG065JT

March 14, 2053

I can't complain about how things have gone in the past few days. We've managed to secure the shack pretty well by reinforcing the front doors. I also took a look inside the old radio, and as I suspected, there were no batteries in it. Emy seems calm and is recovering; I see her more energetic and carefree, spending her days playing with Lucky. It’s nice to see some light in her eyes after everything we've been through.

I've managed to gather a small stockpile of firewood, which should last us a few days for the old wood stove we have here. It's not bad at all for cooking; in fact, we're getting used to this little comfort, and I must say that food tastes entirely different when prepared this way.

I found something interesting behind the shack: there’s a water pump that seems to be connected to a well or some similar source. Probably, the former owners of this place used it to get their water supply. However, there’s a problem: the pump lever won’t move. I need to figure out how to unlock it, and once I do, I'll also have to check the water source to ensure it's not contaminated. We can't afford to risk getting sick.

It's night now, but I can't sleep. Emy is sleeping soundly in the old chair at the reception, and Lucky is curled up next to her. I keep thinking about the dead woman in the attic, the one I found with the child. I think I should move those two bodies from there. It could be helpful to have easy access to the attic in case of danger, and I don't want Emy to ever have to see that horrible scene.

I think I'll take advantage of the fact that she's asleep now. I’ll take those poor bodies away and throw them in the pond. It’s the only way to feel a bit safer in this place.

March 15, 2053

I managed to unblock the well pump, but unfortunately, no water is coming out. There must be a problem with the pipes going down into the well. Well, I suppose not everything can go smoothly, right? I'll have to keep boiling the lake water and filtering it using a sock filled with charcoal. I saw this trick on TV many years ago, and it seems to work quite well. At least, so far, none of us have gotten sick, although it is a bit unsettling to know we are drinking water from a lake full of decomposing remains.

It’s afternoon, and Emy fell asleep after lunch. To pass the time, I went to the back of the shack to flip through the magazines I found in the cabinet. One of them is about hunting, and I found some interesting pages on how to disassemble and clean a gun. Looks like I just found my new hobby for the next few days. I should also do some practice since I've never fired a gun in my life, and it worries me. But there's a problem: gunshots could attract a lot of "unwanted guests." I need to find a safe way to practice without risking getting discovered.

March 16, 2053

This morning, I woke up with one thought stuck in my head: supplies. It’s true that we have enough food to survive well for at least twenty days, but then what? What will we do when the supplies run out? I picked up the hunting magazine again and tried to draw some inspiration from the pages to see if I could build a trap.

I worked on it all day, but I think it was worth it. I managed to dig a couple of fairly deep holes near the woods, about a hundred meters from here. Not having a shovel, the holes aren’t very big; at best, they might trap a hare or small animals. I covered the holes with leaves and placed some pieces of canned peaches on top to use as bait. Now we just have to cross our fingers and hope something takes the bait.

I feel a bit better knowing I’m doing something to improve our situation.

March 17, 2053