chapter 40

I know I will fall short of this record, I don't have the words and you don't have the imagination. I remember the beginning when they locked people in their homes using fear against an invisible enemy.

There was a vaccine people fought over and then a lot of people just died from it, the news covered it up until they couldn't and the people who didn’t die became what would be called

Alphas and Bates. Nobody was ready but a few had prepared.

A spike protein spliced with k9 DNA that's how you got the infected alphas and betas never trust anything made in china, outbreak after outbreak and this wasn't an invisible enemy anymore.

They are stronger and faster better they , the alphas organized them that's the scariest part, they hear like dogs I killed one with a necklace of human throats he used as calls for the tribe Some people of Viking descent are immune and others become alpha. We don't know why, I don't know why.

They don't fully turn, they have a power over the other infected. It's like they lose their soul and fill with hunger and cruelty.

They roam in groups usually 35 to 1 and I've seen bases as high as 400 or 500 to 1. tribes will work with other tribes t, sometimes they fight it's always been that way they fight more now that they have killed off most of the people and the game the last few years has started using people to farm livestock. I've seen a lot in my rifle scope, I haven't fired it all winter, now it’s late spring and I'm praying I didn't bump the sight. I hunt the alphas and whack him or her from a mile, the bates hearing isn't anything special.

Eventually they starve or join another group it used to be easier but as humans adapted to survive so did they .

Making their own bows and swords, it was bad when they had ammo I say that but I really don't know if it's any better, fire fighting fire or stick vs stone I've reloaded the same 7 rounds countless times.

Alpha cover their faces hiding among the bates but this alpha is sloppy I've been hunting him all winter and all spring they trade with another herd every half moon I see him make the deal 7 months ago

He has a thumb size sun stain where his cloak ends and his hood begins

He slows down in the garden almost everyday where there is a pregnant woman. He plans on eating the baby, she is the reason I’ve spent so much time on this. I've never met her, I've only ever seen her in my scope. She has a heart shaped locket that looks like the same one my mother wore.

The last 9 days were spent finalizing my plan and worrying she’d have the baby before I could save them. I've read every book on childbirth I could find.

9 days, making gasoline out of wood chips with old paint cans and copper pipes.

I filled empty laundry soap bottles with gas, tied 70 feet high trees also running them along the ground 2700 yards poking a small hole in the bottle and removing the glass from the Christmas lights for the spark an old garages motion sensor and solar panel for the trigger

Thankfully when doomsday came people didn’t think they would need Christmas lights.

I can't just shoot the alpha they will stay till there no food , without the alpha they will feast like dogs eating till they throw up fighting over every last scrap 73 bates 9 prisoners 48 pigs 30 sheep 7 lambs 97 chickens or so 4 horses and a donkey

I looks down at my watch 6:50 closes one book and opens another much more used broken in like a preachers bible.

It's filled with equations I flips pages quickly shuts the book I didn't need check.

168gr load 300 yard shot in a 10mph full-value wind 3x10=30 … 30/12=2.5 MOA of correction.

I un tape 7 308 win bullets for a hot thermos the heat expanse them making them tighter in the barrel for a more accurate shot I examine the the them hoping that brass will hold for another.

Reload before I needs to melt them down and re cast yet another time.

Sound travels 343 meters per second 17km 49 seconds my shoot in 300yards sound to reach camp .8 seconds.

Check my watch once more and he reaches into my bag and pushes a potato onto the end of my gun before settling into the scope.

Drawing fan timer with small solar panel gun with rope and brick fan cuts rope setting gun off and drooping vinegar and baking soda boom'

I set solar panel with a fan and a timer to cut a rope holding 5 vinegar and baking soda water bottles and a brick tied to the trigger of a zip gun I made the water bottles might or might not pop in 7 minutes pop in 17 km away

I hear nothing but alpha stopped then and erupted in cheer FRESH MEAT!! a few dozen take of into sprint north orders of the the alpha he follow on horseback 17 km traveling 25 to 30 km an hour 34 to 40 minutes to reach the trap I calmly count the remaining infected 15.

It was a good attempt but in 40 minutes the alphas will have scent and know I'm still hunting him he will likely escape my trap and in hour and 40 minutes he'll be back hopefully fatigued I grabbed the locket around my neck and pushes my head into the dewy board of the tree stand.

I knew there’s a time crunch to save the baby look through my scope to where I stashed the bow 50 yards from the camp I've debated sneaking in and out before.

I've watched their behavior for months preparing studying the land ... waited for the alpha to be far away 23 minutes and picked off 7 Betas who wouldn't be seen or missed if they took a little nap putting a new potato on the gun each time, I realized this wasn't the best plain of action but it was the only plain climbed down the tree stand left my seconder gear and rifle cover them with leaves taking my hatch knife and a pair of bolt cutters

I ran to the camp stepping over and around avoiding the hidden bear traps that I had previously spotted over the month that I thought about it.

I don't think where there for the bears I reach the narrow meido before south side of camp crawl for the bow it’s still there my heart is pounding crawling to the wooden fence 15 arrows hands start to shake.

The words in my head you can shake like a leaf after peering through the south fence I see a semi blind spot. I had studied a man on his knees working and a guard standing my hands.

Now steady I pin guard’s head to the shed17 yards to my surprise the prisoner picks up his iron weight changed to his leg pulls the dead guard off the wall into the shed then calmly comes out.

Holds up both hands 6 then tucking the my arrow into his pants I want that back I thought I felt strange crawl down the fence to the last post south west side I counted 8 left behind my scope behind my scope mines him that’s 7 I look at my watch 32 minutes.

I push up the west side fence going north I find my next target I can’t take anyone else first it has to be him I knock an arrow there is a alarming ruckus he starts to move to slip an arrow thru the back of his head 35 yards falling into the corn undetected.

An ox built women beats an infected face down in the mud with her slave weight and chain drags him between the to builds and comes out calmly and continue her work on replacing the rotten boards on the shed “ do these people even need rescuing “ I muttered I crawl through the fence making my way east to the corn she pears back at me holds her hand in front of her chest 4 “tell you what guys I'll just go get the boat ready “ I mutter crawling into the corn and check my watch 34 minutes pop out of the corn looking for smoke from the north I quickly pop back in beta sharpening a kukri shot him thru the side of the head.

“ you can come out now” a man yelled

I could see he was human thro the tightly knit corn stand up and see 7 people 2 women 5 men holding their chains including the strongest women I have ever seen.

“what’s the plain now Rambo “ he said

I Checking my watch my watch ignoring him 40 Minutes I look to the north hoping to see smoke.

“Where are the others “ I say “ they went the way your looking ” says one of the men

” where are the other the people” I say pulling out my bolt cutters and walking toward them

“Heather go get Kim and Jess tell them it’s safe “

“Well not yet “ I mumble I pinch the chain with the bolt cutters the handles are closing but not it’s not sinking into the chain I hold them up to see what's wrong the mettle on the clippers had buckled around the chain everyone is quite and then I see it.

“ made in china “ “ PIECE OF SHIT” I growled as I beat them off the ground repeatedly “ok ok “ new plain I look to the north smoke it worked , well something did I thought as I held up the badly bent pair of bolt cutter we have 30 to 50 minutes.

You tie your weight to the horse and go get the truck it 1.5 km down that road , don’t steal it you Know what , I’m going to get the truck “

I take off on horseback when I return 10 minutes later they had gather up everything they thought would be use full I assured them that they wouldn't need it I have everything and the boats already full.

I sit in the back of the truck writing the events of the day with ox women and 4 men no word spoken until I closed this joule and handed it to one of the men.

It felt unfinished so I add the last words he said to us , if the alpha is still alive if I don't kill him , he will hunt you till his last breath I looked at the joule filled with drawing and writing “ it’s everything I learned senses doomsday this is my last chapter, that book is that unborn child's property, your just borrowing it" "he said He gave me a map marking a sailboat “he said there are 23 books on child birth in the boat said read them "wait I don’t know how to sail "I said see chapter 17"of the journal , he banged the side of the truck picked up his bow before we came to a stop he said

“I am the sheepdog I am a tool of my good shepherd when I die I will dwell in the house of the lord forever I will be home" we came to a stop he jumped and started running the way we left.

Jess hollered jumped out of the passenger sit ran over and hugged him

(8 years in future)

“The end? what happened to him”

"we never found out sweetie, but he saved you from the alpha, he saved all of us. what happened to the alpha we never found out."