Rise of an Empire

Chapter 2 - Surviving

August 25th, 2012
It’s been almost two weeks since the bombs fell, and I’m just now starting to realize everything that has happened. Brian and I have been out every day looking for food to add to what we already have. Anthony and Henry have been everywhere collecting up other various supplies. One of their best finds today was a couple first aid kits. Brian and I are guessing we’ve got enough food for five or six months, but we’re going to continue getting whatever food we can. I just hope we’ll be able to survive through the winter.

September 9th, 2012
Today, my father Paul started gathering wood to burn for the up coming winter months. Everyone stayed at the house getting it ready for the cold. We pulled all of the blankets, rugs, carpet, and anything to keep us warm into the basement. We have a fireplace in the basement, but like always, better safe than sorry. We boarded up all the windows and put extra locks on the front and back doors. Going through the house one last time tonight made me feel better about our chances of survival.

September 28th, 2012
I killed a man today. We were out doing our daily search for food and supplies and came upon an old convenient store. We went inside to look for anything worth taking. As I walked inside, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something coming at me. Out of reflex I ducked just as a metal bat swung past my head. The man who tried to hit me lost his balance or something, almost to the point of falling over. Just as he caught his balance, Brian come flying in through the door and threw his body into this guy. My brother sent him hurdling to the floor, but this dude was quick to get back up. He picked up his bat and came charging at me, but he only made it a few steps. I had enough time to pull out my pistol from my jacket, and put three rounds into his chest. Whenever I went out, I carried the pistol on me. Never thought I would have to use it. All I could do was sit there and stare at the body of this man. Brian got me up and we just left not saying a word to each other the entire way home. Brian and I are the only ones who know what happened that day. I intend to keep it that way.

October 22nd, 2012
Henry had the strangest idea today. He wanted the four of us, Anthony, Brian, himself and I, to go out to the libraries in the area. We had no idea what was going on in that head of his, and he wouldn’t tell us until we got there. The entire time we’re walking up to the library, the only thing I could think of was that he’d use the books for fires. We walked through the doors of the library and that’s when Henry stopped us. He explained what were doing there, and thought to myself, “Why didn’t I think of that”. He wanted us to find any books we can on farming, first aid, sewing, building construction, and whatever else might be useful. All and all, the way he looked at it was the more we knew the better chance we had. Besides, it took up a lot of the time reading all those books.

November 18th, 2012
We finished our preparations for the winter last night, and we’re all confident that we’ll make it through the winter. Well, we have no choice but to be confident, we have to survive.

December 9th, 2012
Someone broke into the house earlier today, but we scared him off, fortunately. People are starting to get desperate, and it’s going to get to the point to where the next time, we’re going to have to fight them off. I only have a few rounds left for my pistol and once that’s gone, I’ll be down to my fists.

January 11th, 2013
Well, it’s a new year but nothing is getting any better. Yes, we’re all still alive, but we just had our fourth break in last week. We decided that once winter is over and weather permits, the four of us are going to find a better place to live, away from everything, even if we have to build a new home. Henry and I, have been going over ideas as to how we can bui

January 12th, 2013
A young man, I’d say in his early 20s, broke into the house last night which turned into a bloody mess. Every one was downstairs in the basement, and I was upstairs in a back room. This guy went straight to the basement, so I assumed he had broken in before knowing where to go. When he found my family, he got them all up and forced them outside and told them if anyone went back inside he’d kill them. My pistol was downstairs and I couldn’t risk trying to get past this guy to get it, so I began to look for anything that could be used as a weapon. That’s when I found it with a glint of light, my fathers’ sword hanging on the wall. It was only a novelty claymore, but it was the best thing I could find. I grabbed it off the wall and headed to the back where my family was taken. To my good fortune, the man left the back door open and was facing away from me when I snuck up on him. Just as I raised the sword above my head, he turned and once he saw me raised his pistol to my chest. Before he could pull the trigger, I forced the claymore down on him with everything I had. The blade cut into the top of his right shoulder, continued down his body, shattering every rib in the blades path. The blade stopped at his stomach when it couldn’t cut through the hip bone. I held onto the sword as this man, now a corpse, sled off of it and fell to the ground. My father got everyone back inside and calmed down as Brian and I got rid of the body. It’s getting easier to kill, is it a bad or good thing?

March 3rd, 2013
The winter finally broke; we have survived and are well. My mother started planting a vegetable garden to get an early start on next winter. The four boys, as we were now referred to as, began our trips to find a good piece of land to build our new homes. Brian and Anthony are to head west for awhile, turn to the southeast, then eventually head north back home. Henry and I would mirror their track by going east, northwest, and then south back home. If we’re gone for a week, I’m pretty sure we’ll find something.