Wanderer (Book 1): Wanderer

it in with the other items. I put one each of a fork, spoon, and knife that I stole from a flight to Hawaii, before they took away metal utensils. Lastly I put what canned food I had left into the pack, along with other provisions, before topping it off with my book, and zipped it up. Underneath the pack I strapped a small sleeping bag and my heavier jacket.
I slipped my journal into the inside pocket of my jacket.
The 45 pistol took its place on the right side of my belt and the knife is on the other.
I didn’t really have a set destination, all I knew was I couldn’t stay here, but I figured the radio tower was a good bet. My only hope was running into a search and rescue team along the way so they could take me to the camp, as I had no idea where it was.
It was a hard decision, but we don’t have much room in the backpack so I left the vegetables behind, plus I think they would spoil.
With the threat of unwanted visitors any minute now, my home, my safe haven in this wasteland, had become unfamiliar and unwelcoming. It was hard to leave. Mandy reciprocates that feeling by sitting at the gate leading onto the fairway of the golf course. I stood at the bottom of the hill while she defiantly sat at the top, begging me to stay. I called her, but she didn’t budge. She tried with all her might while I called her name, but I knew she couldn’t resist long, she didn’t want to be alone any more than I did. It breaks my heart to know we can’t stay here. It takes a great deal of coaxing and a handful of treats to get her to follow me onward.
We headed east for a while, occasionally turning south, following the golf course. It’s a lot longer walking it than I would’ve thought, then again it’s hard to tell were the golf course ends and begins in some places.
The sun was high over our head now, it must be around noon. Even though it’s winter it was suddenly hot.
Mandy was trailing a bit behind me sniffing out some invisible smell.  We went on like this for hours until we eventually come to the edge of the course, at least I thought it was the edge. There was a little limbo area before we reached what was definitely a park. I could make out the rusted over and decayed playground equipment. The sign was worn down and covered with vines, but I could make out some of the words, it read “Memorial Park,” I hope it’s Memorial Park and not a memorial park.
It was now getting dark so I made camp inside a drainage outlet. It didn’t stink anymore and it was also dry which meant the rains didn’t affect it. I laid out my sleeping bag and my jacket for Mandy, it’ll be cold and I can’t let her just sleep on nothing.
We ate cold beans. They were good, but we went to bed hungry, we need to ration what we have.

Entry 16
The world isn’t as inviting as it used to be. It takes us hours to move a few miles. Empty cars have littered the roadways, makes you wonder if there are any roads that aren’t littered with cars. The small spaces between these cars have filled with debris and plants. Mandy has no trouble bounding from car to car, but I have trouble making my way through, I’m not as limber as I used to be.
I see the occasional boarded up house which may or may not contain people and possibly help. It also might be a veritable death trap. I like to stick to places with easy exits that I know, like the hardware store.
We pass shops and markets and fast food restaurants. I never knew how bad I would miss a McDonald’scheeseburger.
We stopped for a break and a small lunch, and I use that term loosely, under a tree across from the solar generating plant. The plant used huge satellite dishes plated with solar energy catching mirrors. The city got funding from the federal government to build the plant and it ended up being a huge money maker for the city as they were able to sell the energy generated to surrounding cities.
We didn’t get the power though because we were in the unincorporated part of town.
We finished our delicious lunch of beans and water. This was getting old, couldn’t the lightning have burnt more of the beans?
As I was packing up I noticed something wrong with the satellite dishes. When we had stopped it was about noon and the sun was over head and so were the satellite dishes. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but now that the sun had slipped further down to the west so did the satellite dishes, almost imperceptible, but they did. They were following the sun! How could they still be working?
I quickly shoved the rest of my gear back into the pack and hurdled over the empty shells of the cars towards the compound, leaving Mandy napping under the tree.
The compound had a huge wrought iron gate covered with a thick mesh blocking the entrance. Surrounding it was an eight foot tall block wall topped with razor wire.
I banged on the front gate shouting for somebody, anybody, giddy with anticipation. Usually in the movies people wander until they are on the brink of starvation before they are rescued, I’ve only been at it for about a day.
I banged again thinking that maybe they couldn’t hear me. I thought that anyone able to maintain these would be smart enough to occupy the underground facility that the engineers used to use. After a few minutes of no answer I decided to scale the wall.
It was hard climbing the wall. I remembered it being so easy as a kid. Looking over the top