Affliction Survivor: The Diary of Kit Lassiter

May 2022 Entries

May 01, 2022 - 16:02 PST:
The computer screen flickers to life, this time Kit's holding the laptop and is outside. "So, we're on the roof today. Over here I have an old water tank I painted black, then surrounded with some old insulation sheets with the shiny foil stuff on it pointed at the water tank and wrapped it all with some of that industrial plastic wrap to kinda insulate it". Kit turned the laptop to show her work as she continued to speak. "The old satellite dish on top catches the water, then runs it through this tube that has a make shift filter in it here to keep crap from getting into the tank and messing up my shower. Then it runs into the tank and gets heated, sometimes, and when then down this pipe here to the shower under it. I busted up some milk crates  to use as a floor and put some of that astroturf carpeting over that. The milk crates are in a kiddie pool with a hole in it and a pipe I ran outside through an old vent. Presto, shower, kind of". She turned the camera giving a quick view of make shift walls surrounding the top of the building before it focused in on a short and crudely constructed windmill. "That's made of some old fencing and copper tubing mounted on a TV aerial tower I cut off and put a swivel on top, the windmill's mounted in that so it can turn with the wind. Windmill turns and spins the gear on the back, then there's a belt going down to three alternators. I extended the leads and tied them together and they run into the shop underneath it". The screen flickers off and turns back on, it's much darker and illuminated by strings of low wattage incandescent bulbs. "Here's where the line comes in and runs to these four banks of car batteries that I hooked together like I saw on that show and it runs up to this converter deal here. I was pretty lucky I found this but I hit an electronics store I saw the second day and got like five of these bad boys. Anyway, this takes car electricity and turns it into house electricity, in noob terms, cause I'm a noob. Then it goes to this bar and as long as I'm careful I have enough electricity to get by at least for now, thanks for making me watch all those lame survival shows Dad, I really hope I can tell him that one day. Anyway it's been slow today thank god, but I could use some more rain, the tanks getting low and I hate hauling buckets up there. I'm going to see Shades tomorrow so I'll give you a shout when I'm back. Wish me luck". The laptop wobbles as she puts it down and the screen turns off.

May 02, 2022 - 19:27 PST:
The computer turns on again as Kit sits down. "So I'm going back to get that used oil ... all of it. Shades is going to give me a couple chickens and a rooster and some other stuff if I get enough. I don't think he knows how much is there though so I'll hold some back to trade later. I can't really do anything with chickens here though, someone will hear them and they'll be gone and I'm not about to keep them inside. I need to find someplace out of the way and securable. I've been thinking and scavenging won't last forever so I have to start looking at the big picture so to speak, god I miss being a normal irresponsible teenager. The Rotters don't bother animals and I haven't seen any that have have been infected so that's a plus. I can only guess but I don't think fish would be affected either and I'm on the coast so I should be able to catch something. It would help if I knew how to hunt and fish though, right? And I need to figure out how to keep the meat from going bad if I get something big like a deer or a bunch of fish, but I'm betting Shades knows all about that stuff, I'm sure I can trade something to pick his brain. He put new shocks on the truck, heavy duty ones and it only cost me a set of brake pads and a couple rotors. Got some more soap and canned food too, still have most of the stuff I cleared out of there to trade with or use later, whatevs I need to do. Maybe he's got some fishing stuff too, I'll have to ask, and I wonder if he'd like do a consignment thing with some of this stuff since he's like the Wallyworld of Zombiefornia and I'm not dealing with the fucktards running around here. Maybe he knows of a place I can move into and set up something a bit more stable, not that anything is really stable anymore, right? So tomorrow I'll go and double check the junk yard again, check all the buildings and haul that used oil out of there and get as much out of the scrap cars as I can then see what Shades can hook me up with next week. I got enough food to chill now until then and keep out of sight but I think I'll do a little scouting for some places to fish that are kinda out of the way. Anywho, that's it for now, I'm going to grab a shower and have this wonderful can of ... whatever the hell is in here" she said waving an unlabeled silver can in front of the camera "I'm outtie for now, wish me luck". Kit leaned forward and the computer switched off.

May 09, 2022 - 21:57 PST:
The camera on the computer turns on as Kit flops into her seat. "Well that oil was a gold mine and I only came up off about a third what I got outta there, and that shit took me all day just in case you were wondering. Shades is gonna bring me some fishing stuff and give me a crash course in Fishing 101 on Thursday but I didn't tell him where this place is, I'm meeting him down at the wharf. I mean he seems cool enough and all but I'm not about to start trusting anyone at this point. It'd be nice to have someone I could call a friend but with all this going on, that's risky as hell. Oh, I didn't start out like this, it's built up over time. At first I hid, cried, threw up a lot, I just wanted my family back and stuff you know? Like seeing the Rotters eating people wasn't bad enough ... the people that didn't become afflicted, well society as a whole went straight down the shitter which is amazing considering what total cesspool it was to begin with. This is what they decided made me maladjusted, the fact I saw people were selfish assholes and wasn't afraid to say so, downside is this just made the remaining ones worse. You try watching people being beaten to death over a couple cans of corn or being raped for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and see if you don't get a little twisted by it, worst part is eventually you accept that shit as the norm. So yeah, not trusting anyone that hasn't earned some serious points with me. Shades is a good contact though so I'll keep it friendly, not that friendly but you know what I mean. And hell, if he's willing to give me a few pointers that will like, you know, keep me alive longer, I'm going to happily take them. Granted, he wouldn't be a bad choice of a friend if he turns out to be one of the few people left around here that's not a total scum bag. So, today's lesson is don't trust anyone without damn good proof they're worth it but don't burn any bridges you might need later and the norm is as far as you can get from what used to be normal. Well, I have my pseudo-date in three days, wish me luck". The computer goes black.

May 13, 2022 - 10:22 PST:
The computer flickers as the camera focuses on Kit. "Hey there boys and girls we're back again with another installment of 'This World's Fucked'. I'm your host, Kit Lassiter. Actually it's slightly less screwed than I first thought, at least by one person. Shades is turning out to be pretty cool. We found a couple secure fishing spots and he hooked me up with some gear and basic techniques. From what I gather the key to fishing is needing a nap or having no life, fortunately I fit both those criteria under the current conditions. But he showed me a few ways to fish without being there too and we found some good places to put out lines and keep them hidden. Next time I go see him he's gonna explain to me how to get them to keep longer so I'm not wasting food, which is like the cardinal sin these days. And he's going to look around for a place out of the way that's securable for me to use as a homestead and then keep my smaller places as crash houses in case I get held up avoiding people or weather or whatevs, right? I mean I'm not gonna go all farmer Rick like on the old TV show or anything but it's time to expand those horizons and start planning for later on. On the flip side I'm not about to go all anime psycho and cut Rotter's heads off while I'm flashing my thong to the world either. I think my best bet is walling up, keeping my head down and running like hell when it gets deep if I have the option, if I don't then I guess I play it by ear and pray, not that it'd help or I believe in any of that. So yeah, finding a new place to set up and actually make more of a home is on the top of the to do list. Anyway, I'll fill you in as things develop. Gonna go see Shades next week and get some more redneck survival training and see if I can maybe talk him into a fishing trip since he's the only person I feel comfortable talking to without a loaded pistol pointed at them. Till then follow me on Twitter, yeah that's a joke. Wish me luck". Kit stands up and the computer powers down.

May 16, 2022 - 21:02 PST:
The computer tuns on and Kit comes into focus sitting in her chair. "Shades traded me a book on preserving meat and fish for a quarter box of sugar packets, then had to explain it to me. He said he didn't want to take my stuff to trade so there woudn't be any mix up in who owned what or what his share was ... something about not putting too much stress on a new relationship ... I'm missing when we got into a relationship". Kit giggled a bit before taking a drink from her water bottle. "But he said I can come down on Mondays and chill with him and see if any deals come along as long I don't undercut him and I think two people will be less likely to get jacked than one, right? As far as keeping the fish and meat I might get from spoiling too fast I guess the idea is to soak the meat in salt water for a couple days, then hang it in the sun to dry and package it up and keep it dry till I'm ready to use it. Salt is a bit of an issue but I'm gonna have to find a good amount if I want to have any kind of substantial food store. The hanger part will be easy enough to build with some screen window and door parts, whatever screen I can find, some lumber, string or something and some hooks ... I know, sounds more complicated than it is. I'd kill for one of those vacuum sealers, and a fridge would sooo kick ass. I'm going to check my lines first thing in the morning and see if I have anything on them, they were all empty the other day I checked but I only had two out and not in the best areas, I've made three more lines with ten hooks each on them since then so I'll have fifty hooks out, I should get something with that. Shades gave me two rods and reel rigs too, he's gonna show me how to use them later but one of them is massive, I don't think I'll be whale fishing but whatevs, he seems to know what he's talking about so I'll find out. He says he'll look for a place for me to set up a stable homestead as he called it too, then I look into a garden and shit like that ... and my chickens. I think I'm gonna need more books, I should look at the library and see if there's anything left that's useful information wise. I'll do that after I put out my lines if everything looks slow and do a bit of looking around for screens and stuff, figure I'll put my meat drying hut on the roof so it's out of reach and with my cheesy wall it'll be out of sight too for the most part, less attention I draw the better. Building it in sections might be good if I'm gonna move it though. Anyway, that's it for now, I want to get a jump on things kind of early since I'm taking the bike to scout and if I find anything useful I'll come back for the truck. This is Kit Lassiter signing off, wish me luck". The computer screen goes black once again.

May 20, 2022 - 03:13 PST:
The screen lights up and Kit's screaming with excitement. "Dude, fishing, Shades ... we caught a shark ... how awesome am I? A fuckin shark for real. OK right, so we checked the fish lines and I had like 18 redtail perch and a big ass striped bass. So we take that big ass rig shades gave me and he hooks one of the smaller perch that's still alive through the back, right? And its all flopping around and he tosses it in and just lets it do it's thing, it starts getting dark and ziiiiip, line starts ripping out like crazy. It took me like an hour to get that thing in and Shades is all drill sergeant mode telling me what to do and I get it up close and he grabs this big mofo by the tail and drags it up on the beach. His best guess is it weights around 140 pounds, that's aloooot of fish, fortunately he's trading me half the shark meat and all the liver ... yuck ... for him drying the fish for me and he's gonna do something with the teeth and some other parts I guess, whatevs .. I got food. So the little rod and reel is for the normal fish in the alcoves and stuff and the big ones for these beasts. He did tell me not to try for one without him for a while though and not to use bait bigger than my hand or I'd get something I didn't really want to hook into. But yeah ... a shark ... wicked cool, right? So we had that bass for dinner instead of cans of mystery stuff and I brought a couple perch home with me to have tomorrow, I'm keeping em in a bucket to keep em alive over night so they don't go bad. Oh yeah, he also showed me the tidal pools, they fill up at high tide and then when the tide goes out it traps fish and stuff in there until the tide comes back in ... easy pickins with a net and the little crabs and stuff I can use their meat for fishing bait so all good. There's a sharp drop off by the one set of cliffs here so I'm going to try a couple traps and see if I can get some crab or lobsters or something ... and some shrimp traps in the shallower water, as soon as I get the stuff I need to make the traps .. and figure out exactly how to do it ... once I can move my arms again. A boat would be nice, I should look for a small one ... and then figure out how to sail it ... just enough to do my traps if it's something that will work. I'm thinking I can even trade some of the fish and stuff if I get enough, of course I need to throw some Shades way since without him I'd still be having mystery meals and wondering exactly when I'm going to run out or be out scavenging every day. This is gonna give me way more time to get other stuff done ... and if I find a new place I'm gonna need it. I mean I'm thinking trying to catch animals to raise and breed is gonna be time consuming, then a garden and stuff and fixing the place up. Can you say total time sink? I mean I know there are animals still out there, maybe even cows and pigs, who knows? The Rotters don't mess with them that I've seen and it's not like they can run down anything that moves faster than a jog. I'm still a little cautious around Shades since I don't know him well but I should do something nice for him anyway since he's helping me out. I mean he's getting something out of every deal but I'm learning a lot of shit I didn't know and he hasn't tried to take my stuff or anything ... which I'm pretty sure he could do with like no effort. So maybe he's just a good guy, I think this one time I'll be a little optimistic and hope for the best. Well, that's all for now, my arms just got enough feeling in them for me to realize they hurt like hell so I'm off to bed and tomorrow I'm relaxing and working on the walls of my meat drying hut thing. Wish me luck". The computer screen blinks and shuts off.

May 24, 2022 - 9:37 PST:
The computer turns on and Kit sits down as she rubs her eyes and yawns. "So, slept in today. Hung out with Shades for a while yesterday but not many people came to trade and I'm not coming off anything too valuable yet since I have a new source of food. Oh yeah, he brought me that dried fish and shark, its a decent amount too, he says it looks like less than what it is cause it's dried and needs to be rehydrated and it'll poof up or something. He made me a necklace out of one of the teeth too since it was my first big fish. TADA!" Kit holds up the large tooth that's attached by an improvised fitting to a rawhide cord around her neck. "I guess it's some right of passage or something ... I dunno, I just tease him telling him if he gives me a ring he'd better have a job. He just grumbles and walks away when I do that which is the best part of it. He's doing something with the skin too, I guess you can use it like leather or something and I guess he's using part of the liver for that, something about the oil. He gave me some of it dried cause I guess it's good for you too so I'll choke a bit now every few days just to keep him from going all nursemaid rage mode on me. I did find a couple books on basket making and net making at the library. I think between the two and a little help from redneck boy I can figure out how to make those traps later and see if they work. I also found a half roll of toilet paper ... actual toilet paper ... total luxury item anymore and not one I'm about to trade, a girl has to have her pampering moments, ya know? I got some paper, mostly scraps and a bit of copy printer paper but it'll be useful anyway, and some used pens and pencils too. Rotter activity is picking up around here again, it's like they migrate randomly if something doesn't draw their attention, so I'm staying inside or on the roof. Feeling a bit run down so it's a good thing, probably just too much running around and excitement lately so I'll take a few days and rest up. That's pretty much it for now, taking a couple me days to recover then I'll go reset fish lines when these Rotters clear out. Wish me luck". The webcam turns off.

May 30, 2022 - 18:04 PST:
The camera turns on and Kit sits down, looking a bit pale and wincing as she takes her seat. "I think I got the flu or something, this is balls. Forced myself to go out and see Shades for a while but between the stomach cramps and the puking I wasn't the best company. I got a bit of a fever too but I'm sure it'll pass. The worst part is the pains in in my right side but those come and go so it's bearable and I'm taking a fever reducer now and then to try and keep my temp in check, ya know? Anyway, I'm like totally drained so I'm gonna lay down again and try and sleep this stomach bug off. Wish me luck". Kit's hand shakes as she reaches forward and turns off the computer.