Meeting in Mad Town
The woman driving the other car stares back in stunned silence. Eventually, she rolls down her window just a crack. Still shocked, she stammers out a reply. 'I'm....I'm fine. Fine.' Her voice changes a bit. She's trying to sound confident, but it doesn't mask her anxiety. ' You alone? Or what?' She cranes her neck, trying to see into the Harry's car.
The long trip from Union Grove to Madison was intriguing for little Tim. He hadn't been on many trips, none since the end days. Now with the countryside rapidly growing to a verdant garden of sorts, the landscape is breathtaking. Even amazing enough for a little kid to appreciate.
Madison was just as amazing, with its impressive buildings and structures far surpassing what Racine had to offer. Timmy had just begun to drift off to sleep, the endless ride lulling him into a restful slumber with the near accident happened. He jerked himself awake, and slid down in his seat to avoid being seen.
After hearing the man in the other car speak, Timmy gulped quietly and tried his best to hide even more.
'Tina.. I'm scared.. We should get out of here,' he whispered, in a slight panic.
Dawg grabs Tina's sleeves and plucks at it to get her attention. 'Tina, what does the man want?'
'I don't know, honey,' Tina whispers, anxiety apparent on her face.
She takes her hands off the wheel and starts flapping her hands wildly back and forth. 'Ohhhhh,' she whines, her voice high-pitched and rising even higher, 'I don't know what to do!'
After a few seconds of flapping and whining, she stops suddenly. Talking to herself, she seems calmer. 'Now, Tina, just calm down! You'll be fine. The boy will be fine. Just find out if he's friendly.'
With a resolve that almost appears schizophrenic given her panic attack just a second ago, Tina puts the car in park, turns off the engine, unbuckles her seat belt and gets out. She strides over to the other car as if she isn't afraid of anything.
'Hi,' she says, smiling. 'I'm Tina. What's your name?'
As she walks over I try not to make it obvious that I have my hand on the gun. She seems friendly enough. Plus I don't want to scare her off.
I put a nice smile on my face and say: 'Hi, the name's Harry. You seem in some sort of hurry?'
Any quick movements from her and I'll swing the butt of the gun at her through the window and floor it if neccesary.
'Oh, uh, well....we've seen some bikers. Some tried to follow me out ouf Illinois, but I think I lost 'em.'
Obviously trying to change the subject, she rambles on. 'Maybe we could spend the night together. Wait! Not like that! I just mean, for protection. I've got this kid with me. He's not mine, but this is no place for a kid all alone. So he's with me. Maybe we could find a safe spot for the night. And in the morning, maybe find some good stuff to take. If there's anything left around here.'
'Whaddaya say?' she asks, smiling her prettiest smile.
She seems sincere, and she either didn't notice the gun or it didn't bother her.
I'll accept her sincerety and stop being so uptight.
'Ok, that sounds fine by me. Where have you two been staying or did you just get here? We should probably find a safe place to stay and some food. I would hate to assume that you've lost those bikers. i'm also curious as to who this 'EN' person or group is.'
If either her or the boy is hungry I'll offer them some of my food.
Getting impatient, Dawg gets out of the car and tugs on Tina's sleeve.
Tina looks down and Dawg and smiles. 'Dog, this is Harry. Harry, this is Dog.' A smile on her face, she looks at both of them and continues, explaining the plan to Dawg. 'We're going to find a place to stay together, for safety. And Harry offered us some food. You hungry, Dog?'
She takes some of the food Harry offered and gives it to Dawg.
Picking up the thoughts as they ramble into her brain, she answers the rest of Harry's questions. 'I have absolutely no idea who this 'EN' person is! Or what it is! But it certainly likes to put its name all over the place!'
Pausing for breath, she grows a little less animated and some tension creeps back into her voice. 'Let's find a place to stay. Somewhere those bikers won't find if they show up.'
Accommodations
You are in Madison, the capital of the state of Wisconsin. Or what was once Wisconsin. People still think of land in the old political divisions, but who knows how long that will last.
'The Blues' and 'The Greens' have been busy here, as elsewhere. Many buildngs are decaying and overgrown with vegetation. These places must have been abandoned for most of the Tribulations.
Some of the buildings, however, appear to be in good shape. Not surprisingly, most of them are centered around the center of town, where the State Capital and University of Wisconsin are located. At least the places worth searching are not far apart.
On the other hand, the highest concentration of the 'EN' graffiti is in the same area. Obviously, 'EN' knows where the decent structures are--and probably haunts one (or more) of them, too.
In the area of the capital, the actual Capital building and one of the adjacent office buildings appear to be in good shape. At the University, promising locations include the Library, the State Historical Society, and Bascom Hall, which was apparently the main 'administration' building for the University.
The only question now is to decide where to look first.
'Ok, well let's get started then. Let's at least find a place to stay in case things turn out sour with this EN person. I don't like the possibilities of people geting the idea that they can take whatever they want, including women and children. We'll need to find a place to stash these vehicles. I think one will suffice should we decide to stick together. And for our safety i think we should stick together.'
Then i will check out Tina's car, not that i know much about them. But i can tell what's a junker and what will run. I'd also like to have 'Dog' assist me with that. To try and find out what his deal is. Maybe get his real name out of him. The last thing i need is a snapped kid tagging along.
Then i'm going to scope things out for a place to sleep at least for the next couple of days. If i can find something with a second story that i can watch out of with a first floor intact that they could stay in that would be perfect. I'll also do some scrounging while i'm about. If i notice anything designating 'EN' territory i will stay plenty clear of it.
Dawg just lets the grown-ups take charge, nodding silently and doing what he is directed. He tries to stay close to Tina whenever possible and doesn't talk.
The EN graffiti is definitely concentrated around the university. There is some in the capital area, but not as much. The one office building that looks to be in good shape has very little graffiti on it. A few interesting marks are there--just the letters 'EN' as if the artist (or artists) never finished spray-painting.
In the university area, the graffiti is everywhere--but the library has the highest concentration of tags, with the most elaborate designs there as well.
Unfortunately, all five decent buildings that are close have been marked. It's now dark, and you must decide quickly where to stay, or risk dealing with whatever comes out at night. You are currently right in the middle--the capital to the east and the university to the west. You can get to either choice in just a minute.
As for the cars, Harry's car is in much better shape. Tina does not have many supplies, just some food and water jugs. Dawg has a backpack filled with items. It takes only a few minutes to consolidate everyone's stuff into Harry's vehicle.
'I'm tinking that we should go stay in that office builing for the night. It's got fewer markings on the walls. I don't know if this EN person or group are bad people, but i don't really want to take my chances tonite. What do you think Tina? Son?'
I'll grab any blankets i might have from my car as well as some food. I'll also do my best to quickly conceal my car as something other than a working vehicle with some goodies in it.
'Now, Dog, don't be rude,' says Tina with a nervous smile. After waiting a few seconds, she sighs in frustration. 'He doesn't talk much. The office building sounds good to me. Lead on.' She smiles at Harry. She's tired, and the smile is a bit wan, but she seems sincere in her efforts to keep everyone together and in a positive mood.
As you enter the office building, the first thing you notice is the mess. Everything has been tossed around, though there are no bodies and no signs of human death anywhere. Just furniture overturned, paper everywhere, and small office supplies under your feet constantly--pens, paper clips, staplers, etc.
For security reasons, you decide to check out the second floor. The first staircase you try is blocked--someone has piled furniture into the stairwell, making it pretty much impassable.
Same for the second stairway.
But the third one is clear. Perhaps someone has made a defensible home up there, and this is the only entrance.
Cautiously, you proceed up the stairs. Harry first, then Tina, and finally Dawg, pulled along by his hand in Tina's.
You get to the second floor landing, and notice that the way up is also clogged with furniture. The only new path available is through the door to the second floor.
The second floor--more of the same. Debris everywhere. But you also notice something a little different. You can actually pick out a path, if you stare long enough. This is definitely a well thought-out residence.
You follow the path to another stairwell. This time, the way down is clogged, but the way up is cleared. Onward to the third floor. And a faint odor.
More debris. Another, almost invisible path. Another stairwell. The way down, clogged; the way up, clear. The odor grows stronger....and familiar.
The fourth floor.
Someone definitely lived here once. The odor is quite pronounced, and it's a smell you all recognize. Death. Given the events of the past few months, this does not bother you. People die all the time, in all sorts of ways.
Still, you shy away from the odor. At one end of the floor, someone has fashioned a living space. There are a couple of couches, dragged here from other offices. You see another room with a futon bed. And another room filled with books, a television, a dvd player, and a lot of DVDs. There are all simple office, but they have been changed into a functional--if bland--living space.
The odor comes from the other end of the main hall.
Investigating cautiously, you find a couch, with the decomposing remains of a person on it. There is a desk in the room, and no other furniture. On the desk, are a small book and a pen.
...
By now, it is quite dark outside. You will be staying here for the night--at the other end of the floor, of course.
Outside, a wolf howls. But it is far away.
A few minutes later, another howl. But closer.
A minute later, a third howl. Even closer.
You hear something else, carried on the night wind. You're not sure what it is, a sound of some sort, but not a howl. What?
Another howl, closer, but not by your building. And then a gun shot. The howling stops.
...
You settle down in the 'living area' for the night, and try to rest. It's hard, but the night is quite and there are no other sounds. Just the wind, which provides some relief from the oppressive summer heat.
The next morning you wake up. You survived the night. While exploring the rest of the building, you don't find anything unusual on the floors above you.
But on the ground floor, on the door you entered, is a note. It says, simply:
Well first off i'm going to grab some of the dead guys' books. To me these things are like gold. If I find anything of a juvenile reading level I'll offer it to the boy (I really don't like calling him 'dog' seems rather mean). I also would like the book he was writing in as well as the pen. If I can find a blanket to drape over the body I will. Otherwise I will just say a word of thanks for the things I took.
I'm also going to break the dvd discs into small blades. possibly as a weapon but also as a cutting tool. I'll wrap a few strips of cloth around one end to hold on to. if there is anything else I can find that seems at all useful I'll grab it.
I'll ask of both: 'Did you sleep ok?' If they haven't already seen the note from EN I will show it to them. 'I think we should at least check it out. All of us. I would hate to belittle and insult this person's intelligence by trying to convince him there was only one of us here. This is an invitation, this person could've easliy taken us by force if they wished to.' Then I will wait for their (although i'm sure it will just be Tina's) opinion on the matter.
Dawg stays behind Tina, shying away from the mark on the door as if it were a physical threat itself. His big eyes take in everything and give him the appearance of abject terror, even though by all other appearances he is quite calm. Lately, he has gotten into the habit of rubbing his shoulders where the backpack straps rub his skin. 'Why does EN want us to go there?'
With a slight look of shock, 'I don't know kid, but EN knows we're here and EN has invited us over. If you want to stay behind with Tina i can go check it out alone. If that would make you feel more safe i'll do that. I can just tell EN that you two are scared, if they ask. I can leave this gun behind, just in case. I really don't like the idea of using it on another person anyway.'
Noticing you rub at your shoulders: 'Is that pack bothering your shoulders? If it is i can wrap something around the strap to make it more comfy.'
'Leave us? No, that's not a good idea,' says Tina, her voice starting to rise into hysterics. She takes a look at Harry's face, and it seems to give her pause. Tina takes a deep breath and seems to calm down; whatever fit was building is now gone. 'Safety in numbers. Let's stick together. Don't split up.'
Forcing a smile on her face and a very fake upbeat tone of voice, Tina adds, 'We're a team! Don't split us up!'
You easily find something you can drape over the body.
There is nothing for a younger audience in the 'living area' book collection. Mostly fiction, and of a fairly light variety at that. What people might take to the beach on summer vacation.
Timmy is actually wearing a shirt that says 'Dawg' on it, and has never given anyone his real name. You noticed that Tina says it as 'dog' as opposed to drawling out the 'aw' in 'Dawg' as some might.
The dead man's book appears to be a diary of some sort....
The diary is a depressing read. If someone decent had made it to Madison in time, perhaps the author would be an asset to your group.
Instead, he's decomposing on the fourth floor of an old office building.
You can't help but wonder, if only for a few minutes, what happened to this person's soul after he died. Heaven and Hell are barred, you assume, so what happened to him? After a few minutes of solemn reflection, a disturbing thought enters your mind: Heaven is closed, but who says Hell is? This man might know the answer, but there's no chance he'll be telling you.
August 1, 2006 - Decided to stay in Madison. Thought people would come here. They did, but not the kind of people I wanted. Much to do, more later.
August 2, 2006 - Lot of crazy people here. Madison was weird before, but now they're not just eccentric. They are crazy. Crazy! Nuts! BONKERS! Still, hanging out with them is better than being alone.
August 3, 2006 - Jesus that EN fucker is nuts! I got real excited when he invited me to check out his website. I thought maybe the internet was still working! He took me to the library, sat me down in front of a PC. And that was it. No power, no connection. Nothing. After a few minutes, I said, 'Well?….' and looked at him. He pushed me out of the way, and started 'typing' and clicking the mouse like the computer worked. 'See! Isn't it great!' he yelled. I just said 'sure' and got the hell out of there!
August 4, 2006 - A few of the less crazy people and me decided to live by the capital. We wanted to live in the capital, but some of the crazies didn't want that. A big fight started, so we just dropped the idea. We're gonna take over one of the buildings next to the capital. We'll be in Madison, but a little apart from the real crazies. They all stay at the University.
August 6, 2006 - Crap it's hot! We've started to move stuff around in the office building. Someone came up with a really good idea. We're gonna fill the stairwells with junk to keep people from going up and down. You gotta know which stairwells connect which floors. Should at least give us an edge if some crazy chases us back into our building. Might confuse them for a few seconds. Too bad the elevators don't work. Lugging food and water up here is a real drag.
August 9, 2006 - Got the stairwells filled. It was tough work with only four of us. I think we're all getting into shape. Climbing stairs all day is good exercise!
August 10, 2006 - Bad news! We were starting to move furniture in. Not much, just something to sleep on. We got one futon up the stairs and practically collapsed from exhaustion. Four flights, no elevator, having to go up one stairwell, down the hall, up another, back down the hall, &c., &c. was a real pain. We put the futon down and sat down. We decided to move some of the stuff around that was already here. A little later, Jenny went out scavenging. She never came back. We're all nervous as hell. None of us have guns and we have no idea what happened to her.
August 12, 2006 - Well, some news. Not bad, so I guess it's good news. The crazies are helping us look for Jenny. Guess that EN isn't too bad, after all. He came over to talk to us. Asked where Jenny was. We told him and he got this funny look on his face. Said, 'That's not good,' and then got real serious. That just made us more nervous. What the hell could scare a crazy person?
Later - That EN is some leader. He got the crazies all organized into search parties, they had maps of the city, and split into groups to search different areas. They had five different groups and there were only three of us, so we wrote two notes for Jenny so she knew it was safe to go with the crazies if they found her. Then we set off searching for her. My group didn't find her. After about an hour, we heard this weird sound--sounded like a tropical bird or something. The leader of my group grabbed my arm, shouted, 'Let's go!' and took off. We ran to where the sound came from. It was some kind of signal, because it led us right to another search party. They found some evidence of where she was scavenging. There was blood there, too. Eventually, all the search parties showed up there. We got real lucky—someone spotted a shoe print on some soft ground. At least we knew which direction she ran. But she didn't run far—we found a motorcycle track nearby. Guess someone on a bike grabbed her. But for what?
(here, some pages are ripped out of the diary; it picks up mid-sentence)
believe he's dead! At least they told me. Not knowing is worse, like not knowing about Jenny.
August 23, 2006 - Just two of us left. Don't know when they'll leave us alone. Probably never. We're all dead.
August 30 - Forgot about this diary. Still can't believe what happened. Don't wanna write about it. Only one left.
SeptemberSo damnlonely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sept I win! I'm the sole survivor!
(here, part of the page is wrinkled, as if it got wet; writing continues on the next page)
To whoever finds this: I hope you have better luck here than I did. If you bury me, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks.
John T. Patterson
After reading the diary, you understand why there is an empty pill bottle in a desk drawer in the living area. John must have killed himself with an overdose.
I don't really say much about the diary but my frown says enough to know that this situation is more worrisome than I hoped.
'Don't worry, I won't split us up. But we're going to have to decide what we want to do. Obviously those bikers you encountered caused some trouble for that poor man upstairs. If we go meet with EN we have to be careful that he is in cahoots with them. Better safe than sorry.'
'I want you to each take one of these,' handing them each a "DVD knife." 'I know the idea of what these represent might not sound too pleasant but it might come down to having to use them in defense of our own lives or those of each other. Ok?'
I want to take our things back to the car and if we decide to go to EN then I suggest the following:
'I think we should drive there, I would hate to encounter those bikers on foot. Tina, would you be willing to drive? If we do encounter any trouble I'd like to be able to fire this (the rifle) at the trouble.' Squniting at the word on the kid's shirt, 'Dawg, if we do get into some trouble be sure to keep down. I'm going to give the rife to you so that no one sees it if we have it. Keep it under the seat by your feet, ok? If I need it I don't want you to hesitate to get it to me ok?'
Tina takes the improvised knife, gingerly holding it in her arms as if it might hurt her. 'Um....okaaaaay.... I'll carry it if you really want me to. But I could just use this.' She pulls a switchblade out of her blouse and clicks it open. 'It's less likely to scratch me when I hide it,' she says demurely, folding the knife away and putting it back in its hiding place.
'I can drive. No problem.'
Tina's face suddenly looks startled, as if she just rememberd something. 'Dog! Um... you... uh... Can you do what Harry asked?' Tina nervously asks the child, her face starting to blush with embarrassment.
Perhaps she had never shown 'Dawg' her blade, either.
Dawg takes one of the improvised knives and hides it in his baggy shirt. When Harry mentions the rifle, Dawg frowns, looking bitter. 'Yea, yea, bad people can be lying, I get it.' After these words suprising for one of his apparent age, Dawg tries to relax and reverts back to being a scared-looking kid.
The car is still there, apparently undisturbed in the night. It does not take long to cautiously approach it and get loaded up.
Though you have all been in Madison less than a day, you all remember where the university is. It's close to the capital, and once you get to that area, the library is easy to find. It's one of the buildings not covered in ivy, and it's got that 'EN' graffiti plastered all over it.
Tina drives up to the library, parking as close to the main door as she can.
So far, so good. Nothing untoward has happened. Now, you just have to wait for this mysterious person to make his entrance.
The operative word here is, apparently, wait.
You sit in the car, windows down to provide some relief from the stifling September heat. And wait.
Far off, Dawg hears something. Sounds like an engine of some sort. But it's too far away to tell what kind...
Dawg cocks his head, perking his ears, looking almost like a squirrel. A small meep issues from his mouth and he whispers 'I hear an engine, coming closer.'
Tina looks at Dawg. 'An engine?' She audibly gulps in fear. 'Should we leave, Harry?' Her knuckles start turning white as she grips the steering wheel tighter.
Dawg sees some movement--on the roof of the library. He's not sure what it is, though.
'Something's on the roof too. Movement. Could be an animal, but I dunno.'
A voice shouts out from the roof of the library. 'Stay in your vehicles! You, in the Hummer, pull up to the door, by the other car. Hurry!'
The urgency in the voice is unmistakable.
The engine sound grows louder; you can all hear it now, approaching from the east.
A beige colored Hummer pulls up to the door. Since it's right next to your car, it's easy to see inside.
You see a man at the wheel--he's middle aged. In the passenger seat, there's a woman holding a pistol.
The engine in the distance grows closer.
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