Entry 18

At first light I started getting ready to go into the next apartment. I checked to make sure the spear was still sturdy and put on heavier clothing in hopes it would protect me. Also, I had made another set of boards with a brace so I could barricade the bathroom door quickly. I had gone into my neighbor's bedroom and was moving the trash bags out of the way when a loud boom rocked the apartment.

After sitting there stunned a moment, I decided it must have been an explosion. It felt almost like a sonic boom but much, much closer. I ran to the window to see if I could find the source but the streets were mostly empty. While I could not see what had caused the noise, I did see quite a few of them walking the streets. Over the next few minutes more and more seemed to come from every alley and door, stirred up by the noise. I watched as they stumbled about the streets; they did not seem to be going in any direction so they did not know the origin of the noise either. It was then I noticed movement right below the window and realized they were right outside my apartment on the walk! I moved back a bit from the window and slowly pulled the curtains closer so I was peeking out between them.

The ones on my walkway were pacing back and forth as though they were trying to get to the street but did not know how. A couple found the stairs and stumbled and fell down the stairway. Slowly the streets cleared a bit as many wandered outside my view, but the ones on my walkway remained. After awhile they lost interest in the street and had begun to wander aimlessly. I was worried they would eventually see me peeking through the window, so I quietly stepped down and moved away.

With so many so close I knew that any noise could attract them. Even after checking that my barricades were in place and intact, I did not want to risk them trying to get in. It was not worth going into the next apartment yet. Even if my barricades held, the next apartment would need barricades and I do not have enough to barricade the door and window. I do not need food badly enough to make it worth the risk. Hopefully by tomorrow they will have gone elsewhere so I can go into the apartment.

I wish I had some idea what had caused the explosion. So many things could be going wrong now that no one is around to maintain anything. Other than lots of them wandering the streets there was no sign of what happened. I just hope it is not a fire which is burning towards me. I have no idea what I would do if my apartment building caught fire.

After I had completed checking the barricades, I quietly got a bite to eat, shut the doors to the bedroom and resumed trying to open the safe. I have been working on the gun safe for the last few nights. I can reliably keep three pins in place and can sometimes get the fourth pin. The problem is the last two pins simply refuse to click into place. Perhaps tonight I will finally open it and have a gun. Not likely, but I can hope.