May 10, 2012

Before I get started, let me highlight the subscription button there on my sidebar. I've decided to do it that way, on the honor system because a "subscribers only" blog would require Google registration, which I know some of y'all don't want to do. So that's my solution. If you don't want to use Paypal, shoot me an e-mail. Both stories will be posted here, and I will migrate the links tonight or tomorrow morning. Thank you all for your support and encouragement. Now back to the story!

10:45 P.M. We stumbled across a military installation today. It was wide open, and deserted. So we went in to scrounge around for supplies, only to be disappointed by the confounding lack of.... Anything! The place had been stripped clean. There had been a significant fire fight as well, there was brass lying everywhere. And bones. Human bones, fragments of uniforms, all of which had been stripped clean by scavengers both two legged and four.

There were no weapons to be found, no ammunition. Not even a knife, a belt, a canteen... It was all taken after the carnage ended. What we did find was a hidden entrance to an underground facility, with a large "biohazard" warning on the door. The door was sealed somehow, and without electrical power I think there was no way to open it short of several hundred pounds of explosives. It was one serious door. And it was literally covered with dings from gunfire. Very little paint remained, and hundreds of deformed slugs littered the surrounding concrete passageway which led to the door. Somebody was desperate to get in there it seems.

The whole scene creeped us out, and we left in a hurry. Something just felt weird. Dangerous. On the way out, I noticed an odd structure which I just had to investigate before we took off. It appeared to be the ventilation system for the underground facility, as far as I could tell. It was a small building with louvered panels on all four sides, which appeared to cover large filter elements. Rising from the center of the roof were two stacks about 24 inches in diameter and at least 50 feet tall. I can only assume they are the ventilation exhaust. The building is surrounded by fencing and razor wire, which also struck me as odd, being inside the military installation. They were keeping their own soldiers away? Strange...

The three of us loaded up and pressed on. We're heading generally north along the mountains, bypassing D.C. as best we can. Then the plan is to turn east and head for the coast. From there we'll head north again, until.... Well we really don't know. I guess my train of thought is something along the lines of maybe the disease can't thrive in colder climates. Kinda like how there's more diseases in the tropics, but you don't see malaria in Canada. But then again, summer is approaching. Not knowing much of anything, I suppose it's as good a plan as any.

We stopped at a nice wooded spot for the night. Kevin and I bagged a feral piglet for dinner, which roasted up very nicely over the open fire. Josey rummaged through the food stash and came up with some baked beans and a vegetable medley which went well with the pork. Now if only I had a shot of hootch to wash it down...