White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)

[wa5]

I reminded Lisa that I would be using the shot gun shortly and that she probably shouldn't watch that "You could hold Max, just in case he gets a bit upset, give him a hug", she nodded her agreement. As we headed towards the shipwreck and the caravans, I heard the Fog horn go off several more times. Glancing around I caught the little girl in the act of signalling the ship, which dutifully replied, she gave me a cheeky grin. I gave the ship an exaggerated two thumbs up. and got my own blast in return.

The monsters were already stirred up, by the ships horn, they were gathered by the waters edge roaring and snarling at the ship. I stopped, unnoticed about one hundred metres south. retrieved the rifle from the drum and pocketed several shot gun cartridges. Using the rifle, I lined up the biggest one in the group through the telescopic site. Too far away and not a good enough shot, I missed. Manipulating the bolt, I got him with the next one, hitting him in the upper back, well, that caught their attention. They began sprinting towards me. The biggest one wounded but not appreciably slowed.

I think there were ten of them. letting the clutch out, I began closing the distance between us. Picking up the shot gun and hoping the tractor would track fairly ture, I waited til we were about twenty metres apart, the first shot dropped the two in the lead. I pumped another shell through and pulled the throttle all the way down, yelling "Hang on" as we bounced nearer.

The next shot took out the second in line, somehow the leader dodged the shot. Another shell, another shot, another fallen., by the time the fourth shell was in the chamber, we had passed the group. The heavy sand meant they could never match the tractors speed. I travelled about a quarter of a mile up the beach before turning and reloading both guns.

None of those I wounded were dead, they were all up and limping towards me as we neared, the amount of blood leaking out of them meant they probably wouldn't be in the game for long.

Another four shots as we passed through them. two wouldn't be getting back up, three others wounded that I could see. reload and repeat, careful not to get too close, it wouldn't do to have them get too close to the precious cargo patting the dog behind me.

Five runs and still two left standing. The sixth one was the charm. hit the first runner in the leg, and the second mid section, a slow turn and deliver the coup de grace to them both. making sure to do the same to the rest of them, laying in the sand. Reload one last time and head for my beach side home. taking the time to make a lap around the outside of the vans so as to spot any stragglers or encourage them to show themselves, the area appeared empty.

The area under the awning at the front of the van stunk like a pub toilet. Lisa made an "EWW" sound. thankfully they hadn't figured out how to open the door. the inside was unchanged from three days before. All of the battery alarms were buzzing, I fired up the attached cars to charge the batteries and returned to tend to the hungry and still thirsty child.

After feeding her, we shut down the idling cars, Lisa wanted to explore the other vans, she found a lurid pink doona with some little girl emblazoned over it. "Dora" she yelled happily and insisted on bringing it back to the home van. She and the dog curled up on the bed, Lisa insisted on sleeping under the dooner, even though it was already thirty degrees or more, I activated the vans air conditioner. After she drifted off the sleep, I slipped outside to restart the battery charging land cruiser, knowing that the a/c would eat the batteries very quickly.

Back inside the cool van, I opened a coke and began to update this diary. Should I have mentioned her rather than simply hinting at the beginning of this update? Maybe, but maybe not. I would not have found either had it not been for lots of misfortune and a hell of a journey. I felt no malice towards whoever had shot at me on that ship, without them, I'd not have saved the two new friends that slept in the next room.

One of them has woken up, More later.

[wa5]

For a dog that I'm fairly sure never lived in the house, the newly christened "Max" was very well behaved. He trotted outside, returning a few minutes later, signalling his desire to return with a small "yip". He bypassed me, returning to his new friend. as he jumped onto the bed beside her, Lisa awoke. Giving the dog a hug, her face buried in his back, her muffled voice asked "what's to eat, I'm hungry".

As the dehydrated Pasta and Chicken came to a boil, we talked, it seemed she had always lived in Stockton with her Mother. Daddy, it seemed had a girlfriend and she wasn't very nice. Lisa became a little weepy when she told of how her Mother had "not been feeling well" the night that the fireworks were supposed to be on (I took that as being new years eve), and had left the little girl to "go to the doctors". Lisa told of how her Mother had been very angry all through that day, but was crying when she left.

I felt an urgent need to stir the pasta when she asked if I thought Mummy was ok? "I don't know", I wondered if she would judge me poorly for the lie in years to come, assuming we were ok in years to come.

My watch said it was three PM, I had really wanted to return to the lifeboat and contact the ship, there was plenty of time, but I now had a small child to think about. a small grubby child.

I told her that we might be able to talk to the people on the ship by radio, and asked if she would like that, it seemed that she would "Is the radio like a mobile phone"? she asked. "Can we go see them"? "Maybe" I replied "Can we take Max"? "of course". I gave her head an affectionate pat, her hair was knotted and dirty. given the lack of running water, hardly surprising.

"I think you might need a bath young lady" "do I haaave tooo" She dragged out the words, I chuckled a little. The biggest disaster in this little girls life was facing some clean water, kids are resilient I guess. I told her that her lovely clothes needed washing too, so they could look pretty for the people on the boat.

I gave her one of my clean T shirts to wear while I washed her clothes, While she showered, I did my best impression of Charlie Buckets Mum. Scrubbing the bight pink scraps of cloth in the kitchen sink. When I returned from hanging them in the bright afternoon sun, she had emerged from the shower, completely non plussed about the small car cover she was now forced to wear. She looked rather comical with the massively oversized T shirt almost touching the floor.

I told her she looked nice and clean, but her mood remained a little dark due to the yucky shirt. picking up her used towel intending to let it dry with her clothes, I spied a hair brush in the small bathroom. Lisa's mood brightened somewhat when I promised to brush her hair. The sun was losing some of its sting as we entered early evening. So, I suggested we go outside, we could wave to the people on the boat as I brushed....... yes, for as long as she wanted.... sigh.

Perched on the bonnet of one of the 4x4s she was busy waving as I gently brushed AKA pulled her hair and tortured her over the next hour. Max sitting happily soaking up the afternoon rays. After about half an hour, the ship must have noticed us, it gave a short basso toot. Lisa gave her chain pulling gesture, and two more toots came.

They obviously had some pretty powerful scopes as we were about four miles distant. I decided to send them a message and see just how powerful their optics were. Doing my finest Marcel Marceau impression, I used my outstretched thumb and forefinger to make a telephone, holding it to my mouth, I then pointed directly at the ship before extending my arms to the twelve and nine positions.

After my third performance was over, nine short sharp toots carried across the water. They got it, I would be in touch at nine... I gave them an exaggerated two thumbs up . and went back to the extremely important task of brushing Lisa's hair.

[wa5]

It seemed I was now a "Dog in the house" person, I'd generally held with the belief that dogs live outside. There seemed to be no question right from the beginning, that where Lisa went, Max followed. With the sun not yet over the horizon, and the three of us fed and watered. Lisa and Max retired for the evening.

I took the opportunity to visit one of the other vans where I quickly showered, so as not to disturb the sleeping duo. I took the time to search through the small wardrobe, quickly finding what I was looking for. On the way back my home van, I picked up Lisa's now dry clothes.

Taking the very pink satin nightie that I had found in the other van, I cut it down to make a hair ribbon for Lisa, I laid it , along with her dry clothes on a seat, ready for her to look her best for our meeting (hopefully) with the ships crew tomorrow.

It was just after sunset, maybe 8.30 at the latest, but had been a very long day. I spied the half bottle of Scotch on top of the shelf, but really didn't need it or want it.

Relegated to the rather less comfortable folding bed nearest to the caravans entry door, I am nodding off as I update this diary. Goodnight possible future reader.

[wa5]

I wasn't quite asleep when I heard the sounds. First two soft little feet heading my way, then the click, click of toe nails followed.

For the first time in what seemed like years, the "bump in the night" didn't have me cowering or clinging to my gun, backed into a corner with every light blazing. petrified of the monster that I knew was hiding just under the bed.

I knew what was coming next. The little girl, moving by the dull light that came from the bathroom light that I had left on, padded to my bed, without saying a word, she climbed in and cuddled up to my back. No sooner had she got comfortable than I felt the "bump thump" as Max landed on the bed, circled once and found his spot.

Never one to surrender to sleep easily, I was a little shocked when a second later, I woke to the soft yipping of Max, keen to go outside into the already bright morning. After a quick check, I opened the door. Max squeezed through the gap and was gone.

Checking my watch, I found it was already 7 am, we had to get moving if we were to be at the life boat by nine.

I quickly dressed, picked up my gun and joined the dog outside. Moving slightly to the right, so the Jolanda wreck blocked the carriers view of me, I watered the sand. I thought it probably that they had a watch posted on Lisa and I, what can I say, I'm a little shy.

Gave my imagined observer a wave as I headed back to the van, planning on waking, feeding and readying Lisa before heading south to the boat.

As I laid my hand on the door, I heard it, a hollow "thop thop" that grew to a much louder constant "thump thump" as the big military whirly bird quickly closed the distance from the ship to my part of the beach.

The dog was barking madly, looking up at the approaching chopper. My right hand, laid on the door handle, forgotten, until the handle moved from the other side. Lisa burst out, eager to see what all the excitement and noise was about.

They hovered, just off shore, waiting for something, though I wasn't sure what. It took me a moment to think of the shot gun, still clasped in my left hand.

Maybe that was it, I walked slowly toward one of the 4wds parked near the van, and carefully laid the gun on the bonnet, before backing way. They came closer. Hovering overhead, they lowered a bright orange box from the open side door of the helicopter.

As it hit the ground a few metres from where we stood, I was about to unclip the package, when the whole lot came down. Taking no chances on infection I guessed.

The chopper retreated out over the water, then turned side on. The crew enthusiastically returning Lisa's waves. I held my finger up to them, "One minute", as I retreated to the van, returning with Fords Large binoculars. I held them up, so the crew could see what I was holding. before handing them to the little girl, she giggled as she got her first good look at our neighbours. Picking my much smaller scope from around my neck, I got my first up close look at them as well.

It was a bit hard to see the pilot, hidden by the birds canopy, but the two crew in the rear were easy to spot throught he open door. they were waving at the little girl like crazy.

Giving them a thumbs up, I went to check the box, the size of a small esky, I was pretty sure of what I would find.

A fairly large and very rugged looking hand held radio, a car charger, judging by the black tape, made from somebodies phone charger. One final item was looking up at me from the bottom of the box, a small, palm sized pale pink teddy bear. No, make that two items, a small case was hiding under the bear, a hard plastic case, with tape around it, and the word "STOP" written in large letters on the outside. I held up all the items, walking over to the over excited little girl, I handed her the soft pink bear, she hugged it to her. It would have been hard to speak over the noise if the big military bird, harder still with the lump in my throat at that simple act of kindness, I pointed to the chopper and mimicked waving, Lisa got the message. She waved with one arm, holding the bear with the other. Yelling "THANKYOU" to them, of course they wouldn't hear, but I think they could guess. Lifting my scope as I stood behind the child, I pointed at her, then gave a single thumbs up followed by a rather exaggerated bowing of my head. The crew returned the thumbs up, there was even a hand jutting out of the small sliding window from the pilot. Then they turned towards the ship and were gone.

"Hello, Hello, do you copy" came a rather insistent voice from the walkie talkie.
I keyed the mike and told the little girl to answer them.
Not a very professional way to make contact, I can only imagine the looks on the hardened military crew as they heard "what do I say? tell them your name. Ok, this is Lisa...... Hi".
The same voice that had warned me off a few days earlier came onto the line "Well, it sure is nice to make your acquaintance little lady", I could hear his voice cracking amid the cheers and excited voices in the background.

I was about to introduce myself when Max started barking, we had company. and lots of them. Still some way off, they were obviously following the noise of the helicopter. I grabbed the girl, scooped up the gun and called the dog as we returned to the safety of the van.

"We've got company" I informed our new friends, A moment later the radio squawked, "Yep, got em, big group, around a hundred, still about a hundred yards from you, moving slowly" "Ok thanks" I returned.

To many do deal with from the not particularly solid confines of the van. we had to get mobile.

[wa5]

Was it Garfield that said "I don't like Fridays", maybe that was Mondays, but it should have been Fridays. Into my Fridge car, Turn the key "Click" dead battery, the little fridge had been running all this time. No time to spare, into the almost Forgotten Territory, Turn the key and she purrs into life. I can understand why Jim loved this car so.

I had been planning to run over and or shoot the monsters from the sturdy Patrol, The Territory was more car like, no bull bar on the front to protect it. the sporty SUV just wasn't made for that sort of thing. The group of monsters was almost upon us, I selected drive and we headed south. My loader, my kill dozer, was parked near the blockade at the airport. I only hoped that I could get Lisa, the dog and my other gear into it before being mobbed by the locals.

We headed south, down the beach to Stockton, I took a small detour past the lifeboat and the old plumbers van, both exactly where I had left them. We turned North, trundling along the main street. Just as we were about to leave the little town Lisa pointed out her home, quietly she asked if I thought her Mother might be there "No, I don't think so" I said, she answered with a crestfallen "ok" and the car wen quiet. Max rested his head on Lisa's knee from his position in the passengers footwell. I reached over and took her hand.

The sniffles began as the houses ended, probably long past time. she held it together until we reached Stockton bridge, as we passed the bright pink Charger, the first tiny sob escaped her. Once the dam started cracking, that was it, the one tiny leak, that one sob, was soon a torrent of howling, tears streaming down her little face, and unintelligible words trying to sneak past her sobs.

I wanted to stop, to hold her, but this was not the area to do so. I held her hand and continued to make soothing noises as we left Fern Bay. Turning onto the old road, I pulled over, no idea why, its not like anybody was going to come up behind me, and sit there, blowing their horn, Old habits die hard I guess.

The Territory idled quietly, its air conditioning keeping the interior comfortable, the machine had no clue that the inhabitant of its front passenger seat was having the worst day of her life. The realisation that she would never see her Mother again. Max stayed at his post, as I hugged her to me. her wet face buried into my shirt as sobs wracked her body. We sat there for over an hour, as that little girl faced up to things that no child of that age should have to. Stuttering through her tears "MMMummy isn't cccccoming home, , , is, is she"? Sometimes Adulting sucked so very, very much "No sweetheart, she isn't". We sat for another hour or so as her sobs ran out. Was it good luck or divine intervention that no monsters had forced me to abandon Lisa when she needed me the most?

The sun was getting high in the sky when she let go of me, The car said it was a little after ten AM. I'd packed a few emergency supplies into each of my vehicles, I fished out two warm but still wet bottles of water. According to the cars' display, the temperature was already in the low thirties. it was going to be another hot day. Hopefully any monsters near the blockade would have left for somewhere shadier.

"Mummy is dead, isn't she" came a small, broken voice from the other seat. One of the hardest thing I have ever done was to give that one word answer, my voice cracking, and breath hitching as I did.

The only people who had survived the virus were those that had avoided contact, like the Kidman Family, or those like Josie, Me and of course Lisa, who were genetically pre disposed to being immune. The chances of her Mother having the same condition were slim to say the least.

My train of thought was derailed somewhat, by the radio, The captain was enquiring about our whereabouts.

[wa5]

"Captain Burke isn't it"? I asked, he answered in the affirmative. I informed him of my plan to use the loader to dispatch the group of monsters. I needed to know, so I asked "Why did you shoot at me on Monday"? "They were warning shots" he countered "why didn't you contact us by radio"? I informed him that I heard the warning just once, started turning away and was about to answer the calls when the radio malfunctioned, He enquired about the nature of the malfunction, I answered "Lead poisoning". There was barely a pause before the captain answered "I am very sorry about that, I gave orders that they were to be warning shots only". "It was just a misunderstanding , not anger related, you don't have the virus on board"? I asked. It seemed the USS Ronald Reagan was a clean ship, no trace of the virus. I offered the opinion that one of the captains sharp shooters was obviously a little too keen to keep it that way.

The Captain promised to get to the bottom of the incident, I informed him that without that bullet, and the others that pierced the hull and damaged the engine, I would not have found the girl or the dog, so there were no hard feelings, though they did owe me a new boat, that elicited a chuckle. I offered the opinion that since nobody got hurt, it might be better to leave it alone,. The Captain didn't sound convinced. I signed off

Lisa seemed a little closer to her normal self, her sniffles were fading away. I asked if she was ok to carry on, she nodded. We rolled down the road at my driving miss dairy speed of about forty kph. I told Lisa my plan and what I expected of her, she understood.

The group was still crowding the smashed and broken fast food joint as we rolled past. it seemed to draw them in like a magnet. The area around the loader was deserted, though I could see some monsters through my scope heading our way from the RAAF hangars.

Pull up beside the big Swedish bucket out of the car, up the ladder and open the door, back down the ladder, grab kid and dog, help the girl up the ladder and send the dog up after her. grab my bag and gun, and get into the machine.

There was enough room beside the drivers seat for Lisa to sit comfortably with the dog a little squeezed in at her feet.

Turning the key for the first time in a fortnight, the glow plugs cycled, the orange warning light extinguished and the machine was ready to start. Two turns and the engine fired, settling down to a friendly grumbling idle. Checking the gauges as my personal killdozer warmed, I noted that the fuel gauge was below half, a little lower than I would have liked. whilst it was true that the loader had a big fuel tank, I really didn't want the fuel level to get much lower. Fords fuel tank was almost full, I could refill the big machine there.

[wa5]

As I raised the bucket and released the brake, The monsters from the nearby RAAF base arrived. "Hold on" I told Lisa as we began to roll Heading South for a while to lure them onto the road, I turned and charged at them. The group moved as one towards us, never faltering. all nine or ten of them fell. I used the bucket to deliver the final blow to all of them. then turned South again as the group from McDonalds moved our way en masse.

Hundreds of them flooding the road, all with their eyes fixed on the big yellow Volvo. I'd not thought of Lisa witnessing the slaughter until now. "Honey, you might want to close your eyes for a while, what I have to do here, isn't very nice" She looked at me and said, "I saw you shoot them yesterday, this isn't any different you know" .... a little shocked, all I could say was "ah, ok". there was no time left to discuss it, the group had arrived.

Flooring the accelerator, we rolled forward, The oversized forks poking about 5 metres ahead of the bucket caught quite a few of the crowd. those skinny pieces of hardened steel virtually cut those they encountered in half. but they were very narrow and only caught one at a time, as the buckets sharpened cutting edge met the group, I lost count of the number of monsters that got cut down.

Those that weren't in the buckets path crowded towards the sides of the machine as it passed, the closest ones went under the tyres, I barely felt the bumps from my position high above the road.

For the next hour I rolled up and down that section of road, turning at the roundabouts at either end. The monsters numbers dropping from close to five hundred, maybe more, to less than one hundred. With each pass, the number that I swiped diminished, they were beginning to get a little shy. The road was like a slaughterhouse, with broken bodies everywhere, some still moving, most not. I parked near the McDonalds store, hoping to entice any stragglers out. I pointed to the horn button and had Lisa blow it a few times, that did the trick. More of them piled out of Ronalds place. I backed away and came at them again, Lisa sounding the horn the whole way. My watch said one twelve before I had made a big enough dent in their numbers. Feeling that all the easy picking on the ground might stop those that remained from following us. I made a beeline for Fords farm and his diesel fuel tank.

No monsters in sight as I neared Fords gate. get it open and squeeze the big loader between the gate posts , before shutting the gate and pointing the thirsty Swede towards the tanks.

The dog was overjoyed to be out of the cab, I took a more detailed look around before lifting the girl to the ground, realising only now that she was still in my t shirt and had no shoes.

"I need to go to the toilet" Lisa told me, as she tugged on my arm. I had just started filling the loaders tank. "Cant you just go over there" I asked pointing at a small bushy shrub "No" she said, sounding horrified that I would even suggest such a thing.

"OK" I said resignedly. as I released the lever to cut fuel flow, taking her by the hand and heading towards the house. "bindis" she squealed. arggh, I piggy backed her the rest of the way. Max seemed happy to be back at the familiar food and water bowls as Lisa disappeared behind the bathroom door.

I took another coke from Fords dead beer fridge and sat enjoying its fairly cool sweetness while I waited. No roars or screams from monsters, just regular sounds, a loose bit of tin flapping in the breeze, some crickets chirruping, a few cows mooing in the background and a chook clucking in that excited way they do when they are laying an egg, just then the toilet flushed and Lisa emerged.

"Can I have one of those"? she asked, indicating the drink. "They're not real cold" I warned, pointing towards the old rounded fridge that Ford had kept his beer and soft drinks in for as long as I could recall. She selected a lemonade and joined me on the sofa. We sat enjoying our drinks with a panting dog taking the seat between us.

Eggs? chooks? that would need to be looked into.

[wa5]

It occurred to me that not only had Lisa missed getting dressed this morning, she had also missed breakfast and now lunch.

I moved to the front of the house and scoped the distant road, No movement, time to investigate those eggs.

Why hadn't I checked Fords chooks when I was here before, why hadn't I heard them? maybe I had and it just hadn't registered, it was a common enough sound around the area.

Piggy backing Lisa, I returned to and finished fuelling the loader, then walked past the machinery shed to the chook house.
Sure enough quite a few healthy looking chickens scratching in their large enclosure. If any chooks were going to do ok uncared for for the better part of a month, it was going to be Fords. Their water came automatically from a separate rain water tank, fed from the roof of the machinery shed. Their food, pellets and grains, came from large bins that Ford refilled every month or so. it was a simple but great system that saved him having to repeat these tasks every day. All he had to do, was walk in, pick up the eggs, that was it.

Lisa was not keen to set foot in the chicken coupe, I insisted. she stood grumpily near the gate, as I checked the food bins, still better than half full, The water was automatic and the troughs made in such a way that it was almost impossible to foul them. Inside the hen house were many eggs. I picked some of the fresher looking ones on top, careful not to break the older ones underneath, they would stink to high heaven.

"Like eggs"? I asked, as I emerged from the henhouse, Lisa nodded enthusiastically. Back at the house I found a bucket in the laundry, outside I was able to fill it directly from Fords rainwater tank, bypassing the dead electric pump. I had Lisa check the eggs to see if they were ok or rotten, instructing her to keep only the ones that sank to the bottom, any that floated were no good.

We scored six good out of the eight that I had picked. find a big frying pan, in ten minutes we were tucking into eggs, sunny side up. Generally I was more of a scrambled eggs kind of guy, but I was hungry enough not to be picky. Checking my watch, it was almost three pm, we still had five hours of daylight, but it was better to get things tidied up around the caravan with plenty of light to spare, just In case things didn't go to plan, as they so often didn't in the last few weeks.

I retrieved some more water from the tank and cleaned our pan and plates. I had an idea that we would be back here on a semi regular basis and wanted to leave the home clean, I thought about caching a few supplies there.

Before we left the farm, I did a little house keeping in the chook house as well, finding a large plastic tub, I collected the remaining eggs and dumped them some distance away. Some broke as I tipped them out, The stench was stomach turning. That task took a few trips, I picked a few more fresh looking eggs and had my chief egg tester try them, all were good. Thet came with us cushioned by rags from Fords shed inside an old ice cream container.

Back in the loader heading south. The monsters were feeding on their fallen comrades, as I suspected. Some charged, some continued tearing at their departed friends. Some evaded the big yellow machine, I had guns with me, I could have shot them, but had neither the time nor inclination, There would still be plenty inside the RAAF fence, maybe leaving a few here would draw them out, the more I could wipe out with the loader, the better.

Left, onto Lavis lane, with the crowd that had been gathered around McDonalds now thinned out, I could pass through this road with little or no risk. Onto Owens, where I found another large group of monsters gathered at the water hole. I was a little frustrated that the group had multiplied , after I had taken the time to cut their numbers down earlier in the month. This group was not scared of the big Volvo, and they were soon chasing after us. Lisa asked why I wasn't "smooshing" them "Just getting them out in the open so they have nowhere to run", I answered "oh" she replied.

The big wheeled loader was a powerful machine and with its anti vandal shields fitted over the windows, was the next best thing to a tank, it was tough and just about unstoppable, what it wasn't, was fast. The monsters could keep up to the big yellow machine in the short term, I moved towards the pit face that backed onto the sand dunes leading to the beach. Near the face, we turned, and waited as the group continued to come at us.

It was a bit concerning to hear the little girl giggling as we ploughed into the monsters, we would have to talk about that later. My watch beeped "4" as the last of them went to meet their maker.

Up onto the dunes and down to the waters edge, the damp sand made for much easier going for the heavy loader. The radio squawked as we straightened, heading for the caravan.

A different voice asked if it was us in the tractor, I confirmed. "There's about a hundred of them near your van", "tell him we are going to "smoosh" them" I instructed, before keying the mike in front of the little girl, she parroted the comment "Go get em'" the unnamed officer enthused.

By five PM, we got em'. It took another half hour or so to clean up the monsters bodies that I had dispatched over the last two day. The forks attached to the bucket made lifting the bodies a little more difficult, but I managed ok, dumping the bodies further up the beach in the surf. the fish and sharks could have them.

Before we exited the loader, I did a circuit around the van, checking for any stragglers I might have missed. Almost back to van and that damned do made yet another attack on our tender senses. Throwing the door open, the furnace like temperatures hit hard. We rolled to a stop. I got the retching girl out of the confines of the cab, Before lifting Stinky to the ground. As the dog wandered off to take care of business, I retrieved the reminder of the gear from the big machine. Its cab still reeking of Eau de Max. Shutting it down, I left the door open so the odour could hopefully dissipate.

I saw Lisa into the van, she was planning on getting dressed. I wanted to attend to the flat battery in the Patrol that had almost doomed us this morning. Using my again befouled quad I jump started the big Nissan, before starting every other machine and charging every battery, I disconnected the fridge from the back of the car, a cold drink is not worth my life.

[wa5]

The damaged Landcruiser, attached to my van sputtered and quit at around six thirty. I hoped the Vans battery would keep the a/c running for a wile yet, it was still hot.

"Never put off til tomorrow what you can do today" Old Fords voice echoed (boomed actually, as he said it before I discovered his ruse). Lisa and I had been enjoying a cool drink, just discussing what she wanted for tea when the giant dented battery charger, aka the Land Cruiser had died. Lisa was not quite ready for he evening meal yet, so I suggested we go for a drive, so I could get some more fuel .

The Patrol sprang into life and we set off, empty fuel drums "bonging" against each other in the back .. even though they were all water tight, they still made the inside of the car smell like petrol and diesel.

We didn't have to go far for our first fuel donor, a bogged Rav 4. Even though it was cool in the Patrol, Lisa accompanied me as I milked the little Toyota. While the "Jiggler dangler" My name for the siphon hose did its thing, transferring the fuel into my drum, we had a look inside. Two cases of water and some canned goods, we took those, but left the cheap tent and associated camping gear.

As lise ferried he items into the back of our car, I changed drums, as the first one was almost full. With the second drum half full, the jiggling noise from inside the tank went silent. I carefully removed my siphon, careful to avoid the copper valve with the marble at its end, the source of it noise and name, catching as I withdrew it from the tank.

We were soon on our way North again, looking for other donors, when the radio came to life. Captain Bourke was back on the radio "you don't wwant to let the highway patrol catch you milking cars" he chuckled "Only way Lisa and I can make it to the drive in tonight" I joked back. After telling him about the van I was in and how the charging system worked, we got onto other things, Namely how we both ended up still being here. I gave the Captain a condensed version of my last month, then it was his turn.

Coming off tsunami aid work near Japan, "the Gipper" had been headed for scheduled maintenance back in the states when she was ordered into lockdown under a secret programme known as "Operation Noahs Ark".

It seemed that "Noahs Ark" was a policy by which Naval assets would be quarantined in the event of a threat to Humanity, it wasn't exactly a secret, but neither was it ever really made public. As Captain Bourke told it, at the first sight of trouble brewing, ships would be chosen to enter quarantine. These ships were chosen according to the type of emergency, if it were nuclear for example, Ships that were in out of the way location might become the ark, since this was a pandemic, ships that had been at sea and not had contact with others since before the probably start of the infection were chosen. It seemed there were two Carriers and four Submarines selected for Ark duties in the current emergency. When I asked about those other boats, the Captain told me that he was "Not at liberty to say".

Fuel drums all full as we headed back to the van, or "Trailer" as the captain referred to it. we both had one more question of each other. I went first "Why are you here"? it seems they had encountered my friends on the Drake and the Captain had told them of just how helpful I had been, and wouldn't you know it, they had a shopping list as well. We agreed to discuss that later.

I knew what the captain was going to ask "why aren't you d'.. infected"? he corrected himself, probably thinking of the little girl. I explained about my medical condition that was shared with the only other survivors that had been exposed to the infected. He informed me that his ships Doctor had come to the same conclusion after speaking with the Drakes Doctor.

As I refuelled the broken and bent Land Cruiser, and fired it up so that we could run the vans air conditioner, I asked if we were going to meet, face to face "undecided" came the reply "but my Doctor feels that something can be arranged, which brings me to the plastic case ou received this morning". I'd forgotten about it. A bright orange hard shell, about the size of a screwdriver set, with tape wrapped around it and a big "STOP" written on it in black marker pen. "In that case is a finger pricker and some test tubes, my Doctor would like some of your blood, there is a test that will determine if you are infected", "and if we are carriers"? I asked "then I will lose half a years pay, I'm betting you aren't...." " neither of you" he added. "Put me down for a Hundred, I'm good for it", "will do", I signed off as we entered that cool "trailer" eager for a meal a wash and a sleep.

[wa5]

Another excellent and easily prepared dehydrated meal. followed by a quick wash, I was afraid the tanks would be running dry, Lisa and Max went to bed, I updated this journal and was under the covers by ten PM. The land cruiser dutifully idling away outside my window. I would have shut it down, but the power hungry Air Conditioner would not be getting turned off this evening, When Max had ventured outside, just before bed time, it was still way too hot.