Chapter 64- Blinded by the light

I can't sleep when I'm too warm. As I turn over in bed I see the sunlight streaming through the cracks in my blinds, casting rays of light across the room. I reach my hand up and make the dust particles dance as I swirl my fingers playfully through them. It's a beatiful image, one that distracts me from my reality.  

From the angle of the sun through the blinds I'd say it must be 10 or 11.  It's impossible to know for sure, since all the clocks are dead.   You don't realize how much you look at the clock until you can't anymore. Without power I've lost all ability to know the date and time, and I hadn't bothered to keep track when I did know. 

I rub the sleep from my eyes and sit up. The sun's rays are hot. I can literally feel a difference between their shoots and the rest of the air in the room. I look around, feeling comfortable in my familiar setting. Part of me wants to stay here, safe and secure in my own home, but without stockpiles of food here that would be impossible. If only I'd left behind at least some of the stores I'd put away in the containers a few blocks away. 

That's the interesting thing about the end if the works I guess. Once you are in it you think of all sorts of things you should have done. I should have had a 3 month supply of food and water in my apartment. I should have rigged a solar panel to the shower and dug my own well or something. I should have taken Tracy down into that bunker with me. I should have kissed her when I had the chance. 

I push what might have been from my mind and focus on what I'm doing now. I need to get up, get armed, and get out. I swing my legs off the bed in my usual morning routine, and stand up, stretching high into the air to pull my tightened muscles out. It feels so good to have had a good nights sleep. I wonder about Tracy, about Oliver, the people I tried to help but lost along the way. I can't let myself be distracted by sorrow or what might have been. I need to focus on here and now. 

I walk to the closet and shed my dirty clothes.  I was tempted to use the last bottle of water to give myself a little shower, but knew I might need to drink it later. "Dirt I can handle. Thirst I can't" I said into the mirror. The man standing before me was significantly different from the last time I saw my reflection. Crusted blood caked inside my ear and ran down my cheek. A series of cuts, bruises, and scabs covered various parts of my body. I should have kept a first aid kit in the house too. How could I have assumed I'd always have access to that storage unit?  Foolish. 

I pulled on a pair of clean jeans and reveled in the softness of a familiar tee shirt.  I slid on a belt and reached inside my sock drawer for a clean pair of underwear and a set of grey athletic socks.  After donning them I removed a key from from the drawer and unlocked the small safe up on my closet shelf. Opening it carefully I retrieved the small pistol and two magazines of ammunition from its dark interior. I loaded one, thumbed on the safety and stuffed the pistol in the holster and clipped it onto the back of my jeans, tucking the spare magazine in my front pocket. Then I reached into the back of the safe and felt a small canvas pouch. I grabbed it, pulled it out and lifted the Velcro flap. I knew this multitool would come in handy one day. I grabbed the last item in the safe, a box of 100 rounds of hollow point ammunition, and carried it to the kitchen.

I looked through the cupboards for something to eat. A box of soup crackers would have to do. I stuffed several in my mouth and cracked open the water bottle to wash them down. I retrieved an old shopping bag from under the sink and filled it with the box of ammo, the rest of the crackers, and my half empty water bottle.  On a whim I tried to turn in the TV, knowing there wasn't any power. I looked at the red light flashing on the remote and pressed the button several more times. Even though it didn't do anything, just seeing that red light comforted me somehow. 

I walked slowly to the door. There's one spot in my floor that always creaks and the last thing I needed was to arouse the attention of the walkers outside. I peered through the keyhole and saw one dark shape a few feet away. It stood there silently, swaying back and forth in a rhythmic fashion. Was this how they slept?  Did they even need to sleep?  I backed away softly and moved to the window over the couch. Lifting the blinds slightly I looked down at the parking lot. Three more walkers shambled aimlessly down the street in opposite directions. They looked up at the sun, moved around cars, but didnt seem to have any purpose to their movement. 

I turned and sat back on the couch, shifting my weight so my didnt dig into my back. I knew my objective was to get to my storage unit safely, but that would require more than just getting past these monsters roaming through my parking lot. I needed a safe route through the streets all the way to A-1 storage solutions, over 3 blocks away. An easy jaunt in a car, not to bad of a walk, but add the complications of my infected adversary and, well, I needed a solid plan.