Entry 9

Entry 9

Morning

I woke up rather early this morning anxious about today. I tried to get a bit more rest but I was too nervous to be able to fall back asleep. I decided to write this while I waited for the sun to come up. I have my spear ready and there is not much else I can do to get ready. My bedroom door opens into the room so even if I put something in front of the door it would not help much. One nice thing about using the saw as my spear tip is I will have my weapon in hand when I am cutting through the wall. Now to just wait for the light so I can start. I really hope this is worth the risk.

Evening

Once it was light enough to move around the apartment I set up and got ready. I put on shoes and a long-sleeved shirt. I was going to wear my jacket for protection but it was rather large and cumbersome. I doubt the shirt will do much if I am attacked but I feel a bit better without bare arms. I debated a few minutes about leaving the bedroom door open or shutting it. If I left it open I could quickly get out to shut the door if pursued. However, with it open, the noise from the saw might carry outside and attract one of them. I ended up leaving it open because having to open the door might take too long if one is chasing me. Worse, I could end up trapped, unable to even open the door since it opens into my bedroom. I also came up with a couple ways to help barricade between the apartments. I put the hammer and nails right next to the door in the hallway so I could easily reach them if I needed to nail the door shut. Also, if I cut low enough, I could block off the hole with my loveseat. I was able to drag the loveseat into my bedroom without making too much noise and moved it close so I could quickly push it in front of the wall where I was about to cut.

With all the preparation made, I gathered my courage and began to work the saw into the drywall about three feet from the floor. Once it finally was through I began to cut as quietly as I could. I cut until I hit a stud and then cut in the other direction to find both studs. After the first cut was done I listened a moment to ensure I had not stirred up one of them before I resumed cutting. I made the two vertical cuts to the floor along the studs and then pried the top of the drywall towards me. Once I could get my hands around the drywall I simply pulled it towards me and broke the last bits still holding it in place. Another moment spent listening then I began to cut the drywall on the other side the same way. With the hole complete I looked and listened through the hole. The bathroom was empty and what I could see of the hallway through the open door was also empty. I took a deep breath and with weapon in hand, walked through.

I decided to move quickly and carefully, hoping if one of them was in the apartment I could surprise it. From the bathroom door I looked into the bedroom as best as I could then out the hallway to the front room. I moved across into the bedroom and after a quick scan turned to face the doorway. I took a deep breath then moved out into the front room and then walked around to see if anything was behind the kitchen counter. I relaxed quite a bit after seeing the kitchen was, like the rest of the apartment, empty.

The first thing I noticed was a phone sitting on the kitchen counter. My heart sunk when there was no dial-tone. I tried dialing 911 and random numbers but the receiver remained dead. I even checked to make sure it was plugged in. I dropped the receiver and began to search for a radio. I was met with further disappointment when I could not find one. I wish I had not gotten my hopes up.

Without any luck with the phone and unable to find a radio, I went to see what food there was. The refrigerator was a mess, most the food was spoiled and only a few unopened packages looked like they were still good. The freezer had a few items which all looked perfectly fine. In the cabinets I found some cans of soup and chili, dry oatmeal, crackers, and a couple unopened jars of peanut butter. I moved all the food that was still good into my kitchen and then went through the rest of the apartment's drawers and shelves. I found his tools in the hall closet which I took to my bedroom. Overall, the apartment was orderly. He must not have been lucky enough to make it back when it all fell apart.

I spent the rest of the day going through everything, still hoping to find a radio or anything particularly useful. Once it started to get dark I headed back to my apartment. I locked the bathroom door in his apartment and pushed the loveseat across the hole in the wall. I made a sandwich with some salami from his fridge. The bread had gone stale but since it was not moldy I felt it was safe to eat. The mustard I had found helped cover up the flavor of the bread. I was still disappointed by the phone and radio, but the tools and food are sure to help. At least today things went well for a change.