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

Entry 41

Our new camp was in a precarious position. It was far from the highway in the middle of the sugar cane fields, near a lake where the previous owner had raised tilapia and abandoned the project for whatever reason. We had plenty of fish and fresh water which was good, but we did not have a lot of shelter. Some folks were staying near the Bagatelle dam, but the adults in our group felt it was too close to Ebene. At the fish farm, we had to stay outside in makeshift tents. Some families, those people who were lucky enough to be together, crowded under some plastic sheets. Others slept in cars, buses, and vans. I shared a tent under some trees with Camille and Lucy. Maya, and Murali were in a tent next to us. The men slept outside and when it rained they went into the pharmacy truck, which still had supplies in it. We were far removed from the comfort of the lodge or the farmhouse. But we were alive as Maya liked to remind us.

We had been a group of about four hundred, but many had left, and many more were missing. Now there were about two hundred of us left. At night, guards were stationed around the compound in case the living dead or bad people tried to sneak in. During the day, people went foraging for supplies and checked on any possible masses of living dead that could be a potential threat to us. Although the water kept the living dead away, they weren't far off and a lot of folks were ambushed when they were out getting supplies. We did not want to get surrounded. We were after all not far from areas that had once been densely populated. It was a constant menace and it weighed on us all. I couldn't sleep a full night. I was always half awake. I had a hand resting on a machete. Every little noise woke me up. It was hard living on the edge like that.

One night as the adults were discussing what to do, a young guy named Jensen came up with an idea. He got so excited he wasn't making any sense until Uncle Nevin told him to calm down. We were all sitting outside our makeshift tents, waiting for the sun to go down so we could turn in. Dad had found a camomile plant and had made a large pot of tea, so people were going and coming, helping themselves. Jensen joined in the conversation with Dad, Uncle Nevin, and the other adults. They had been talking about heading to La Nicoliere or Piton du Milieu reservoirs and the logistics of moving everyone and so on. Then Jensen came up with his idea, which he spelled out when Uncle Nevin told him to calm down.

"I worked at the docks in Port Louis before all of this," he said. "There was a boat there, one of those huge car transporters. It had just arrived in Mauritius from Thailand. When things got bad they unloaded the whole ship and got her ready to leave. The crew never took her home. They left her there and flew back to their countries."

"So?" someone asked.

"Well she is fully bunkered and full of provisions. Granted it's for a crew of about 20 to 30 people. But it has its own desalination plant and there's plenty of space. The cars are no longer on board. We could get everyone on board and sail to wherever."

"Who would sail it?" Dad asked.

"I can," Satish said.

We all turned to Satish.

"I worked as a harbour pilot before I joined the Coast Guard and started diving fulltime."

"Don't harbour pilots make more money?" Dave asked.

"Yeah," Satish replied. "But I had a passion."

I remember the exchange clearly. Dave and Satish started talking about following their passion in life, until Maya, who was frowning, used her teacher voice to call everyone to order.

"So, we sail it where?" she asked.

"Nowhere," Jensen said.

"Why do we get on the boat then?" Maya asked.

"It's on the water. We just need to keep it afloat outside the harbour, until we figure out what's going on and—" Jensen was interrupted.

"And it will keep us safe from the living dead!" Dad said. "That's genius, son!"

"Exactly."

"What about supplies? Food?" Stephan said.

"We can get some from the warehouses that are around the dock. They were full of supplies when I left," Jensen said. "And there's a huge supermarket close to the Freeport."

"The one that sells stuff to the sailors?" Satish asked.

"That's the one," Jensen said. "They had a lot of supplies right before the port shut down. It should still be there."

"How do we know if it's still there and someone hasn't taken the boat and gone through the warehouses taking the supplies?" Stephan asked. "It's been months since you left your job, right?"

"It has been," Jensen said. "About a week before everything went to hell in Ebene and everyone retreated to the office building, we went foraging for food and supplies in St. Pierre. We went up Le Pouce to get a clear view of the harbour, in the off chance some naval force had landed in Port Louis. It was a silly idea. The ship was still there. The harbour looked normal, untouched. I didn't see any living dead on the docks. Unless between now and then someone has taken it, which I doubt I am convinced that ship is still there, and those warehouses are still full." He stopped and sighed. "Lost a couple of good people on that foraging trip."

"Yeah," Uncle Nevin said sighing heavily. "So many good folks...."

For a while no one said anything.

"To be safe we should do a reconnaissance trip," Satish suggested.

"Le Pouce is not far from where we are. I can go check it out tomorrow morning," Jensen said.

"Let's say the ship hasn't left," Dave said. "The problem is getting to the ship. Isn't Port Louis the most populated place in Mauritius?"

"It is," Stephan said. "And technically it's the only city in Mauritius."

"The place would be swarming with the living dead," I said.

"Not necessarily, most of the people in Port Louis left," Jensen said. "A lot of them went on the cruise liners. Those who remained went south to the airport or to Ebene. I'm from Baie du Tombeau. My family were among the last to leave. And by the time we left, the city was pretty empty."

"The roads should be relatively free of the living dead?" Dad asked.

"I can't say for sure," Jensen said.

"Which is why we need to do a reconnaissance of the area first," Dave said.

The adults kept talking long into the night. I fell asleep like I did every night with Camille and Lucy on either side of me and Milou at the entrance of the tent.

The next morning a group of people went out to check if the boat was still there and which road was best to take. Dad didn't go with them, but Satish and Dave went. They came back that afternoon, telling us the boat was still there and the best route was to head north and go around the Moka Mountain range. It was decided.