Monday, August 29, 2011
8:59 AM
Somebody is running around outside with one of those ridiculous old-fashioned dinner bells calling out about "all hands" meeting on the main road in one hour. Sounds like they've even called in the fishermen. Whoever is out and about hunting is just going to have to catch up later. I'm bringing my notebook with me, so I can take notes. Ed says the boys will have to come with us, we can't leave them in the camper even if Jason has become a lot more responsible in the last year. There are too many idiots with guns just sitting around, so why take the chance?
4:30 PM
"This is what we know ... "
Livvy has asked me for a copy of my notes, so I'm going to try and assemble them into some kind of order, and write them a little neater. This is the first time I've ever been worried about not reading my own handwriting.
I don't know who the man speaking was, but word went around the crowd that he's from Dorion. That's really close to Thunder Bay.
He says they quarrantined the city 10 days ago, full armed perimeter and all. Everybody in the road got really quiet when he said the army was actually shooting people when they tried to get out or even in. They can't do that! Can they do that? This is Canada! This kind of thing doesn't happen here.
Yes, it's a virus. No, nobody seems to know how it's transmitted, and nobody knows why some people get sick and not others. You just get sick. You run a really high fever (how high is really high?) for a day or two, and then you very quietly expire. All very civilised.
Until he starts talking about what happens next. And I'm sorry but there seems to be a huge gap in my notes, I think I spaced out after he said the second part, because I know, and everybody knows, that once you are dead, you are dead. Full stop. you just don't get a second chance, and you certainly don't get up and start hunting!
No, no, that can't be what he really said, I'm sure I must have misheard him, I thought I was close enough to catch everything. Maybe not.
I remember him saying they were hunting though. Okay, deep breaths. Hunting ... yes, definitely I heard hunting. Hunting for a cure before the virus kills everybody maybe. Oh hell, I feel dizzy. I think I'm going to go and lay down.
Where did Ed go with the boys?
11:30 PM
Okay, I feel a little better now. Had a nap, ate something, and helped the boys clean their fish. everything's been tidied up, and I feel like I can get back to assembling notes on the meeting.
Now, wait a minute. This isn't my handwriting. Who wrote these? I don't even remember giving anybody my book, but I must have at some point. I can't even remember who I was standing beside. So let's see what there is.
"Mass chaos ensues, everybody is yelling questions at the same time. The most important questions:
How dangerous are these dead people?
Answer: Extremely. They kill anything in their path.
Question: How do we kill them, if they are already dead?
Answer: Sever the spinal cord, or destroy the head.
Question: How do we know if somebody has the virus, or if they are just sick with a regular kind of thing?
Answer: I don't know."
This must be where I picked it up again, because I remember this. It was alot of planning, and what are we going to do. And then, my favourite, "who's in charge," because you simply can not have this many people gathered together without putting somebody in charge. Good grief.
Looks like we are going to start rationing our resources. some resources, most of us have enough for our families, plus a couple of gas cans for generators. Oh right, no more running the generators at night; firelight or lantern-light only.
We're all seasoned campers, we can do this. All we have to do is wait this out through the fall, and once winter hits, most of the dead will freeze up, and that really should take care of the virus as well.
"But where are the rest of the people? We can't be the only ones who left town, where did everyone else go? There are 6 different communities represented here now!"
This question haunts me. Yes, he had an answer for it, but it was ambiguous at best. "Some left. A lot of them are already dead. You people came up here, a lot of others headed out into Lake Superior, to the islands, I suppose. I just don't know."
And this is where all hell pretty much broke loose. I found Ed and the boys and headed back to our motorhome before a riot started.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
4:52 PM
God help us all, what kind of madness has infected these people? Emily Reinhold's little boy developed a fever overnight, and Emily looks ill herself. People are actually talking about killing them, because they might be infected. “For the greater good.” Bullshit, I think we are all paranoid now. They can't be serious, please, for the love of god they can't be serious. These aren't dogs, they are people for Christ's sake!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Why can't everybody just leave me alone? Let me just sit here and read. I'll be okay. Just go away.
