Running: Day 1

Today I ran on the first paved trail that I have seen in a long time. This small city used to have 66 thousand people living in it. Of course now there is only me. Me and my shambling friends of course.

The trail was smooth and surprisingly clear. No abandoned  bikes like others I've ran on. Others were littered with all kinds of bikes and skate boards. The occasional discarded body part. You know, the normal thing I see everyday.

The home I have been using was situated right next to a park. It must have been the gathering place for summer fun. There was a large wading pool and lots of picnic tables with charcoal grills next to them. There was also a very large jungle gym set up like a castle. It even had towers. Very impressive. I could almost see the lively children running and screaming as they played around and within it.

Now there is nothing.

As I ran today the trail weaved in and out of trees and past houses. I passed a sign that indicated I was on the Ice Age Trail. I supposed that there would be a historical marker further down the path that would explain what that is. Maybe not. As I came upon a highway overpass, I could see a small creek that ran though the woods next to the road and running path.

Under the highway there was a fence that kept you from falling into it. As I ran under I saw two of my friends sitting, of all things, on the small shore of the creek.

I normally leave them be when I come upon them but something made me stop and look at them. My friends normally do not interact with one another. Oh occasionally they bump into one another or in rare instances, they are in groups.

It is not like the movies I used to see when such things were being made. Hollywood got it wrong. There are no writhing masses waiting in the mall. There are no leaping monstrosities hunting you through the streets. No. It is much sadder. More sickly.

I find many of my friends lying down, twitching, gurgling or simply, rotting. Of course there are those that wander around the streets or trapped in there homes behind closed doors. I guess they forget how to turn a door knob.

It's not like they know of each other. They don't gather in mass on purpose. It is more like circumstances will sometimes bring them together in groups. Corralled like cattle. It could never be a conscious effort.

What caught my attention with these two was that they seemed to be just enjoying the day with each other like people used to do. They were just sitting together.

As I came to the fence they noticed me. Of course they got up and started coming toward me and that was when my next surprise happened. They were holding hands!

They were once a young couple. Teenagers I would say. A boy and a girl. They both had tattered shorts and roller blades on. Of course they could no longer sail along on them as they once did. Both walked on the sides of their feet. Each had a broken foot that they dragged along.

The boy was shirtless but he had a mp3 player hanging on his rotting arm. The earphones dangling down to the ground as his ears had probably rotted off some time ago. He had once been very fit. Perhaps a wrestler or a football player.

The girl was a bit taller than him. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She had on a sports bra that may have once held beautiful full breasts. A sign of her blooming womanhood. But now there is only rotting flesh.

As they came to the fence I stared at the interlocked hands trying to figure out if maybe I was just seeing things. It was obvious that they had died together and suddenly, like the rest of the world. But they had been dead long enough for rigor mortis to have released their grip.

As Romeo and Juliet came to the fence, (It seemed fitting to name them this. I must really be getting lonely if I am naming pets!) they weakly pushed against it. Juliet put her free hand against the fence and just stared at me. Romeo pounded the fence like he was only trying to get my attention.

They looked at me like they were lost. Like I could help them. I put my hand against the fence where Juliet's was. I looked at both of them and shook my head sadly. They seemed to understand and looked at one another and slowly turned away from me to return to the creek. "I'm sorry." I said as they limped away.

I shook my head to clear it of the craziness that was filling it. None of my friends ever acted like they were capable of seeing me as more than a warm meal.

It is because of this encounter that I decided to make this diary. I run from place to place to survive. I run to run to keep a grip on sanity. Now this happened. I need to do more to keep it together.

I have written enough for today. Good night to...who the hell am I kidding? There will be noone ever again that could read this.