Valli : Personal Journal of Valli Pillay, a Living Dead Pandemic Survivor

Entry 29

We did not have enough space at the farm to keep everyone, so Dad sent them to the Marais house. Dave and Satish offered to stay at the farmhouse and told Dad and me to stay at the house. We ended up agreeing on doing alternate days. It didn't last long. We soon all ended up at the Marais house because it was more comfortable.

It's funny how people fall into routines, even people who barely know one another. Mrs. Kalichurn was an immense help, she showed us how to take better care of the crops.

"I used to be a vegetarian," she told me one day when we were gardening.

"You're not anymore?"

"No, I don't have a choice. I must eat whatever I can get. If this garden works out I might be able to go back to being a vegetarian."

"I hope it does."

Dave showed Murali and me how to fish.

"Only take the big fish," he said. "Release the small ones, and kids, only take what you need."

Stephan and Maya had been teachers before the outbreak. Using the copy books Dad had brought to the farmhouse they gave Murali and me lessons. They also helped Dave improve his Creole. At night after dinner Dave and Satish told Murali and me stories of their adventures. Dave had been mining in exotic places and had plenty of stories, like finding himself in a cave with a hibernating bear in the wilds of northern Canada, or getting lost for almost two weeks in a jungle in Papua New Guinea. Satish told us about his underwater encounters, like the time he came face to face with a friendly blue whale when diving off the coast of the North Island of New Zealand. He promised Murali and me he would take us to see the moray eels on the reefs of Albion on the west coast of Mauritius. One night when we were all at the Marais house, and were about to turn in Dave said, "I have a surprise for everyone."

Dave, like Dad, was an engineer and a couple of times we would see him messing around with the wires and what not around the Marais house. That night he asked all of us to sit in the living room after dinner and he wheeled in the TV, with a couple of wires sticking out, making it look like an alien contraption.

"Did you....?" Dad started to ask.

"Hold on, Mani," Dave said. "Don't jinx it, man."

Dad stayed quiet. We all watched Dave turn on the TV. Static came on. We waited. The screen started to flicker. An image, a voice came on. We gasped. The image stopped flickering and became clearer.

On the screen we saw an Indonesian/Malay man in uniform, sitting behind a news desk.

"My name is General Dato Mohammed bin Ahmed, Commander-in-Chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces. This message is on a recorded loop. I am talking to you from Penang, Malaysia. We are turning the tide. It is a slow and difficult process, but it is happening. Wherever you are, try to fight back. Please, for humanity, you must fight back. Do not give up hope. We are trying to link up with other governments around the world. Those of you who have military and police experience please put it to use. Do not give in to depravity and do not turn against one another. We have one common enemy: the living dead."

All of us watched with our mouths open.

The General was replaced by a Chinese woman, Melissa Huang Tang. She read a list of how to deal with the living dead, the now famous Tang Presentation. The list was displayed on the TV. Although many have argued they already knew about these points, Tang helped confirm it. We were, after all, still a people who needed affirmation by a government authority. She, paused as she read, repeating each point slowly and deliberately.

1. The weakest point of the Living Dead is their head, especially the temple which is as soft as tissue paper. The rest of the skull is extremely fragile too. Use whatever weapon you can, but you must hit them hard enough to get to the brain. It is best to use sharp tools.

2. The Living Dead hate water. To fully stop them you need to have a body of water to protect you. Simply throwing water at or on them will not help. If you are in or near a body of water, they will keep their distance. However, they will not leave. They will wait for you to come to dry land.

3. You can outrun them on a short distance, but they will not stop. The hunger drives them. Even if you cut off their legs they will keep coming. Get them in the head.

4. They have very strong teeth and mouth muscles. Keep away from their mouths.

5. They don't seem to breathe or need air. The only thing that keeps them going is their brain. Destroy that and you stop them.

6. They are easily distracted, but not for long. Use loud noises, like fireworks, lights and whatever it takes to get their attention to get away.

7. If there are several hundred or thousands of them and there are only a few of you, unless you have firearms or you are in a well defended place do not fight back, escape. Live to fight another day.

8. If you see them, and you can't defend yourself. Run.

9. They are always hungry.

10. Do not give up hope.

The tape ended, and the general came back on, repeating the same statement. It was translated into another language. Dave turned off the TV.

"It's not over yet," he said.

"We can't give in," Mrs. Kalichurn said. She stood up. "We have to be smart."

"This is war," Satish said. "And in war you have to take calculated risks."

"We can't give in to despair," Dad said. "No surrender."

"Yes, Mani is right," Stephan said. "No surrender."

Soon the adults were all discussing what we had watched and started planning on fighting back. Watching them talk made me feel hopeful that we might yet survive.