Luke's Diary: An unlucky man in a zombie apocalypse. Days 601 - 756

Day 667: Sunday 24th June 2018

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Day 667
Sunday 24th June 2018

Mike's gone but so has Tara.

I woke up this morning and there was a note on the kitchen island; 'Sorry for not thinking and sorry if I upset everyone. I'm going to find the kids. I'll bring them back. Wait for me.'

Trudy was happy that Mike had buggered off as she was still in a mood with him about yesterday. "I bet he's taken one of the bl**dy vehicles too," she complained. "The mini bus and the car are still here," I said, "It looks like he's gone out on foot." "Well good riddance," said an angry Trudy, "He's a bl**dy liability." "Oi, that's my brother you're talking about," said TJ. "Oh shut up," snapped Trudy, "You've spent most of your life arguing with each other." "He's still my brother," said TJ, sounding uncharacteristically serious, "And he adores those kids. He's trying to put all this right." "And how's he going to do that?" snapped Trudy, "The kids could be anywhere." "I don't think they're too far away," said TJ. "And what the Hell are you basing that on?" snapped Trudy. "Richard came here, took the kids, left and then came back," said TJ, "He wouldn't have wanted to travel too far, so I think that wherever he was based, it won't be too far away." "That does make sense," I said. "I just want the kids back," said Trudy. "I know you do," I said, "I want them back too. You never know, Mike might find them. He's pretty good when he puts his mind on something." "I hate to be insensitive and bring this up," said Tara, "But I think we should all go to The Base." "If you keep going on about this bl**dy Base, I'm gonna hit you so hard in your face you'll be able to see backwards," snapped Trudy. "We have been trying to get to The Base for months," said Tara, "This is getting ridiculous now." "My kids are out there somewhere," snapped Trudy, "That's all I care about." "Trudy, think about it," said Tara, "You have no idea where the kids are. You said it yourself, they could be anywhere. Mike's looking for a needle in a haystack." "He's trying," said Trudy, through gritted teeth. "I know he is," said Tara, "And that's very admirable but I think it's time we faced the hard truth. The kids are gone." Trudy want to slap Tara, but she grabbed Trudy's hand and stopped her. "Trudy, stop it," said a firm Tara, "I don't want to fight you but we have to face facts. We've got no idea where the kids are. We've been out looking for them. What is Mike going to be able to do that we couldn't? There's a big Government facility out there with food, water, supplies and survivors. That's our best chance of long term survival. Isn't that what you all want? Luke, think of your Auntie. Mia, think of your Dad, he'd want you to survive." "All I'm thinking about are my kids," said Trudy. "And I can't just go when I know my son's out there somewhere," I said. "I'm sorry Luke but your son could be dead," said Tara. "I know that," I firmly said, "But he could also be alive." "So are you just going to wait here on the off chance that Mike comes back with the kids?" asked Tara. "I guess we are," I said. "And how long are you going to wait for?" asked Tara. "I don't know," I said, "But we can't go now. It'd feel like giving up. If I stay here there's a chance I'll see my son. If I come with you, there's more of a chance that I'll never see him again." "I'm sorry," said Tara, "But I can't stay. My boyfriend is at The Base and it's been too long – far too long since I last saw him." I nodded. "I understand," I said. "We've got the mini bus, so you could take the car," I said. "No it's OK," said Tara, "You keep the car. I can go back to the compound. I've got the keys so I'm sure I'll be able to get another car." "You said you didn't want to be out there on your own," said Esther, "You said you wanted us all to stay together. Why the sudden U-turn?" "I've seen you all lose people," said Tara, "The kids, the dog, Esther lost Dotty, Nicola lost Joe; it brings everything into perspective. I want you to come with me but I can totally understand why you'd stay. There's a better chance of you seeing the kids if you stay here just like there's a better chance of me seeing my boyfriend if I leave." There was a moment of silence. Tara had a point. We could all see where she was coming from. I let out a defeated sigh. "OK," I said, "When are you going to leave?" "No time like the present," said Tara.

Tara grabbed her bag, packed a few things and got ready to leave. We all gathered near the front door and started to say goodbye. Tara turned and gave us an optimistic grin. "Well, I guess this is it?" she said. We all started exchanging hugs with Tara. "I really hope Mike gets the kids back," she said. "I really hope you get to The Base and find your boyfriend." Tara said she'd drawn us a map of how to get to The Base and that she'd left it on the kitchen island. "I hope I see you all there," she said. "Look after yourself Lois Lane," said TJ. "Yeah stay safe," said Esther. "I'll be OK," said Tara, "If I don't bump into any trouble I should be there this evening." "Are you really sure about this?" asked Mia, "It's really dangerous out there." "Don't worry Mia," said Tara, "I can look after myself." "Yeah you can," I said, "But nevertheless, look after yourself. Thanks for everything." "We had a blast didn't we?" said Tara, with a smile. "We sure did," I said, reciprocating the smile. "Well, I won't say goodbye," said Tara, "I'll just say – see you soon." "Indeed," I said, "If Mike comes back with the kids we might be joining you sooner than you think." "I hope so," said Tara, "Look after each other." We then said our final goodbyes and watched as Tara exited the house and started to walk off. "I can't believe she's gone," I said. "Who was that then?" asked Auntie Meryl. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. Part of my felt very sad to see Tara leaving us but I could see her point. She's been with us ages, helping us out and getting us out of various tight stops. I'm not sure I'd have hung around as long as she did when I knew my partner was out there somewhere. I hope she'll be OK and that we'll see her again.

It's been pretty weird being in the house with twenty versions of Mia. I have to keep looking at all of their ears to find the injured ear so I know I'm talking to the real Mia. I'm starting to wonder if some of us should go out and see if we can find the kids. I don't know where we'd even start looking but like Trudy says, it'll help us feel like we're doing something and it might increase our chances of finding the kids and then getting to The Base.