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

Entry 39

We were not the only ones to find family among the survivors. Camille and Lucy found their father's cousin and his son. Satish found his brother-in-law. Maya and Stephan met a few people they knew but no family members, and poor Dave had only us.

Although Camille and Lucy could have gone with their dad's cousin, they stayed with us, as did Satish. We were family now.

When we had settled in, Uncle Nevin told us what happened to Tata and Tati. At first, he wanted to know about Mom and Vani, but Dad said later. Uncle Nevin told us things took a turn for the worse pretty much the day he left Rose Belle. When he got home, he realized it might have been a bad idea to be in Flic-en-Flac and suggested they all head back to Rose Belle. Tata and Tati agreed, but getting to Flic-en-Flac had been a nightmare and driving back was going to be just as bad. They decided to wait things out. The wait ended up lasting for several days, during which they saw their neighbour get eaten. Uncle Nevin had the foresight to keep the lights off at his house and he told Tati and Tata to keep quiet. However, they were running low on supplies, so Uncle Nevin went out to see what he could get. He ended up having to go far, all the way to Bambous and the outskirts of Quatre Bornes in the centre of Mauritius. He told the folks he'd be gone for a few hours at the most, but ended up gone for three days. When he came back, he found them both lying in bed holding hands. Tati had written a note. Uncle Nevin showed it to us. I recognised her elegant handwriting. She used to say it was important to have nice writing because a young lady's handwriting reflected her personality as much as her attire. The note said "We have lost everything. Without our family, we are nothing. God save us all."

Uncle Nevin left the house that day and survived on odds and ends until he made his way to the camp in Ebene hoping to find us there. I had hoped Tata, Tati, and Uncle Nevin were okay, but to be honest I thought they were dead or had turned. Dad and I didn't really talk about it. We just held on to the hope, beyond all odds, we might see them again.

Around the world, it was the same for so many people. They thought of someone they knew or had known—a loved one, a friend, a colleague, a distant cousin, whatever. At some point, the questions come to mind, when we think of these people: Are they dead, alive, or have they turned? And the joy you feel when you find someone you know alive cannot be described. Thankfully with the Global Council taking control, a lot of people were finding someone they knew allowing them to have some hope and brightening their day even if it was for a short while.