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

Entry 42

I sometimes think we should have stayed at the camp we had set up and tried our luck inland or we should have gone to one of the reservoirs. But, maybe if we had done that I would not be here today. Others would be here instead. Fergie says given the situation we're in sometimes making the right decision about staying alive can be hard. You keep thinking ahead and anticipating what can go wrong. It wasn't easy before the outbreak and it is even more difficult now.

It was either on a Saturday or Sunday that we left the camp. We drove along the highway heading north until we reached the highway heading to Port Louis. We had to decide what to do next. The adults debated driving along the highway or taking the local roads into Port Louis. Regardless, we were going to be in an area that used to be heavily populated.

We made up a convoy of 200 people spread out in cars, vans, SUVs, buses, and lorries. Our little group was still in the pharmacy truck. We also had to make sure nothing happened to Satish because he was the only one who could pilot the boat. Although, by his own admission he had never piloted a boat that big before.

It was decided the best route to take was the local roads, through Port Louis, although, only after a couple of guys on motorcycles went to check them out first and found them to be clear. Satish said if it had been a normal weekend, traffic would have been blocked up and the highway would have been the best choice. But this wasn't a normal weekend. Normal weekends were a thing of the past. I had never been to that side of Port Louis before and as we drove past I suddenly felt sad. I imagined the place full of people shopping, visiting family, and doing all those normal things. Now it was empty.

Getting to the port was even easier. All we had to deal with was the occasional abandoned car or truck.

At the port, several ships remained docked. At the car transporter, the entire group split up with some going on board and the rest of us going to look for food and supplies. Our immediate group was also split up. Camille, Lucy, Murali, and Maya went with Satish aboard the ship, which had to be cleared of danger first. Dad, Stephan, Dave, Uncle Nevin and I were on scavenging duty. Jensen had drawn rough maps of the area and we were to go to a warehouse that was supposedly stocked with rice, pasta, and flour.

It turned out the warehouse was on the edge of the port and close to Roche Bois, a residential area. Dave stopped the pharmacy truck outside the warehouse. I stayed inside as they did their usual check of knocking on the entrance to see if anything stirred. All was quiet. They used a crowbar to open the door. It was the first time I had been into a warehouse and the first thought that came to my mind was "warehouses must be cheap to build because it was mostly made up of corrugated iron." The men asked me to stay put as they explored the place. Once I was given the go ahead I went in and helped as best I could to load the sacks of rice into the pharmacy truck. We did two runs to the boat.

At the boat, Maya told us they were still checking for any living dead hiding on board. It was a huge ship, like a high-rise apartment building laid down sideways on the water. With the right amount of supplies it could hold thousands. The good news was Satish would be able to get it started. She said Stephan had to stay behind because he was needed in the engine room. People were coming and going bringing supplies on board and we all felt happy and hopeful.

We went back to the warehouse and kept loading the truck. When we were almost done, the name on the warehouse next to ours caught my attention; it said, "Hassamal Organic Importers." I asked Dad about it. At first, he said it must be an organic produce importer, I saw his face change and his eyes open like when he thought of something brilliant.

"Let's check it out," he said and called Uncle Nevin and Dave over.

We made our way to the door of the warehouse and looked through the window.