Entry 21

I have added looking through the windows to my morning routine. I don't like to look outside, but knowing what is going on could be important. I also try to look out the windows again around lunch and before I pack up into my bedroom for the night. This morning my window check left me feeling much braver when I saw the ones outside had finally left.

I decided to risk it and see if the one in the other apartment was really dead. I went to the door and knocked on it. I took turns knocking and listening and after almost an hour I was pretty sure it was not inside. I took down the barricade and with spear in hand I flung open the door.

Before the door was even open the smell almost staggered me. I held my spear at the ready as I carefully stepped into the hallway. This time I made sure the bedroom was empty before I moved to the front room. As I finally came into the front room I could see it was still lying where it fell.

The smell was overpowering. I had no idea how to stop the smell so I could carefully go through the apartment without vomiting. All I could think of was to plug my nose with some tissues and cover my mouth with a shirt. The smell was still bad, but it made it tolerable enough to work in the apartment. I also made sure to shut the bathroom door to keep the smell contained.

I was quite anxious to see what was in the apartment. I started in the bedroom as I had seen the front room and kitchen already. There was a desk which held a computer, a very large king sized bed, and two dressers. The closet held a lot of shoes and clothes as well as some pictures and similar keepsakes. I checked under the bed and found some dust and a pair of slippers. The nightstand held some magazines and socks. I suspect it is a pretty common mix of stuff normally kept in a bedroom.

The bathroom had more stuff as it appeared there were two people living here. If I need more toothpaste or toilet paper I know where to get it. I was walking out of the bathroom when my thoughts caught up with me and I realized I had seen a clock. I almost yelled out in excitement when I realized it had a radio. I decided against turning it on there and brought it back to my bedroom where it would be quiet.

I spent some time going through all the stations I knew of, and then slowly went through every frequency. Several frequencies seemed to be dead air, but still broadcasting on FM but otherwise there was only static. I had a moment of hope when I heard a voice on an AM station. There was a person in a shaky voice who said, "We are aware that many people are experiencing more severe symptoms from the flu. Medical teams will be coming to help you shortly. People need to stay calm and not panic. We ask everyone to remain where they are until authorities advise them it is safe to leave." After a pause it repeats.

I listened to the same hopeless speech over and over again. The sound of a human voice, even recorded, sounded almost alien to me. It's been so long since I've heard someone talk. I am pretty sure this was recorded a long time ago and whatever help was coming is long gone. If some sort of government service was still around I think the message would have been more relevant, instead of something which was probably recorded before they even knew what was going on.

I finished searching through the apartment, my almost optimistic mood this morning was replaced by a miserable one thanks to the radio.

I walked back out to the front room and noticed a note on the kitchen table. It was a man telling his fiancee he had to work late and how much he loved her. It went on saying how much he was looking forward to getting married in a couple weeks and going to Hawaii for their honeymoon. His fiancee is dead in the kitchen, I killed her.