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| 15 kinds of wild berries grow here. The deer and coyotes eat them. |
For the most part we're comprised of over indulged vacationers from places like southern California and Arizona. The median age of our residents makes me a young runner at 38. On any given evening you can get ambushed into a conversation about arthritis. Our population almost are all medicated to some degree. We've tried to ship as many out as we can to proper refugee facilities but still too many remain.
"He sold his soul to get that drop here today." - Hero 13, heart throb darling of the camp.
"Everyone needs meds" I replied. He smirked. I blushed. Okay maybe the commander likes me - but I'm sure my brain injury and kidney problems weren't the reason for the drop - or were they? Time to change the subject.
"What song are we doing today?" I asked.
"What do you want to do? Something thugish of course." I nodded.
"So you want to be a rock super star and live large" I sang
"Big house and 5 cars" he replied and we started out our run with very old school Cyprus Hill and not being very serious.
I was serious this run however - I had strapped on my quiver of arrows and bow to my back and ran a little self-conscious.
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| Banana Slug - They Get Large Here |
I saw a lot of berries unpicked but ripe on the trail that I would report back in. There are a ton of various berries that grow wild in Oregon.
"No zombs today" I commented.
"It's too bright out, they're in the undergrowth" Hero 13 replied. I nodded. "So are you going to tell me what is with the bow and arrows?" He grinned - so he had been laughing at me the entire time.
"Can you keep a secret?" I asked him. He shrugged looking bored. I stopped to walk a bit since we were far ahead of schedule. "There have been wild dog packs in the neighborhood. When people left their pets behind they reverted back to pack behavior and now large packs drift killing whatever poor creatures they can run down even young elk - and people." I shivered.
"The commander and a couple of deputies have been setting traps and going out at night shooting them..."
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| The Pacific Ocean from 1A |
"Wait" Hero 13 said, "the fresh meat for the last week has that been....""If we get down on the sand we're perfect targets. To get to high ground we have to climb the dunes - we're too slow." He nodded somberly.
"We should have brought a couple of deputies with us with weapons." Hero 13 said. I nodded.
"Commander said it wasn't necessary particularly during the day." I said uneasily.
Soon we were at the dune leading up to the ocean and all was quiet, not even a bird in the sky.
"I don't like it" I muttered.
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| Small Jellyfish |
We were quiet as we descended to the beach it was twenty minutes before the chopper was due - and then we heard the blades. There it was. Early.
"Crap it's early!" I shouted.
"Not only that but it's landing at 2A not 1A" Hero said starting to run. Hero can manage a mile in five minutes, probably 7 on the sand so I let him fly along and soon I was far behind him looking over my shoulder for zombs or dogs. True to the Commanders word though, no dogs approached.
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| Large Jellyfish, South Jetty Fort Stevens |
Zombies between us and home. No more easy three mile jaunt, we would have to go around. So around we went, the fall afternoon sunshine drenching us in sweat as we carried the pharma back.
"Wasn't the commander going to put a park bench out here?"
"A water fountain? God I would kill for some water right now."
Through spider webs and past copses of ferns we made it back to camp. First requests: the morphine of course. Sciatica complaints and more moans about aches and pains then an entire pack of zombies.
The Commander took me aside and told me good job - about the most he'll ever say and handed me my meds first. It was a good day, and check out the enormous jellyfish we ran past.
