Adrian's Undead Diary Enter the World of AUD

July 3^rd.

                I am in…  a fucking awesome mood.  It’s super late here, practically July 4^th.  Well, by the time I finish this, it will be July 4^th, which is America’s Independence Day.  Mr. Journal, if you’re American, or what used to pass as an American, I hope you can celebrate it with more energy than we can.  We all agreed that there was no real need to celebrate it this year.

                Not that nationality matters for us at the moment.  There doesn’t appear to be an American government really, so it doesn’t seem to have any bearing anymore.  I guess what matters most is our values, morals, and how we conduct ourselves on a day to day basis.  We aren’t defined by nationality so much as we are defined by the people we are individually, and the small community cultures we’re creating.  One day, people might claim to be an ALPAN, which would be kinda neat.

                Although… that sounds dumb when I say it out loud.  ALPAN. Alpan.  Alpanite.  Alpanese.  Alpish.  Alpanlander.

                Gonna need to work on that.

                Blake and Kim are back!  Westfield didn’t get overrun or blown up.  Yay!  They were simply dealing with a mess of domestic issues, and in the meantime they simply collected the rainwater we’ve been inundated with.  Because there was no real danger involved, they didn’t send a message.  Plus, there was no sense leaving to return until Kim gave birth… and she did!

                Baby boy.  Apparently the lil bastard weighed 10 pounds 8 ounces, which means Kim’s vagina is probably permanently the size of a fucking hallway now.  I’m excited Blake and Kim have a son, but I’m also concerned that Kim’s junk might never recover from pushing out a spud that size.  I’m told that the vagina is a miraculous thing when it comes to recovery from giving birth… but there’s got to be a limit.  That child’s head is a fully formed pumpkin.  She’ll need a miracle to tighten that thing back up.

                Poor Blake.

                So Mike, Blake, Kim, and LaFrenz came today to get water, drop off the parents and child, and to do some basic trading for some basic stuff.  Nothing of note really.  Mike said that the problems they were having had to do with the generator at the school.  I guess something fairly important broke, and they had to mount a serious parts scouring mission to find enough stuff to fix it.  Of course no one over there is a mechanical genius when it comes to fixing large backup industrial style generators, so just figuring out what was broken took a day or two.

                It took them a few days of hitting businesses and homes that they thought would have parts until they found whatever it was that they needed.  Mike said they did manage to collect a shitload of parts for repairing.. lots of random shit, which will be good in the long run I suppose.  I guess while they were out hitting previously abandoned areas of town they managed to draw the attention of quite a few undead.  He said they managed to drop somewhere around three hundred of them of the course of a few days, which strikes me as a goddamn huge number.  When you think about how many they’ve already killed over there during the past year or so, it seems like a conspicuously large number to randomly just… be around.  Especially considering we are on the side of the city.  Any undead wandering to Westfield would have to march right past us to get there.  He apologized for not getting a message to us to explain the delay, but honestly, everyone was so fixated on the baby, it was an instantly forgiven oversight.

                I guess the labor and delivery was a bitch, which makes sense with a nearly eleven pound baby.  I keep getting the mental image of trying to squeeze a watermelon out of a hole the size of a nostril.  Or that shitty sfx scene in the old Total Recall movie where Arnie yanks that sphere out of his nose.  Just… painful looking.  Kim will probably get PTSD before post partum depression.

                Anyway, Lisa and Kim worked it like a fucking champ, and despite not getting an epidural, she plopped the kid out, and after a few days of rest and relaxation, they’re all good to go.  Blake’s freaking out over being a dad, but from just watching him fawn over Kim and the baby today, it’s clear he’ll be a good dad.  He and Kim are both survivors, and they care tremendously about each other and that kid.  It really puts the pain that Blake was in the whole time in perspective.

                The whole time, he’s felt this way about her and that baby.  Makes me wish I’d listened to him more right when we met him.  I mean shit, everything he said bore true.  Hindsight sucks balls sometimes.  I’m just glad he’s happy now, with her, and their bouncing baby elephant.

                Speaking of the little turd…  They hadn’t named it until they returned this evening.  I guess they were thinking about it since he was born on the 23^rd (ironic, eh?).  He was born just after midnight too, which coincides almost exactly with when Abby did Gilbert in.  Very odd.  One life leaves this world, one life enters it.  In order for us to survive this we need to start bringing two into the world when one leaves.  I shall double my efforts.

                When I told them about Gilbert dying, it turned the previously happy moment into one of profound sadness.  Blake didn’t cry, but he looked really fucking distraught.  Despite Gilbert putting the barrel of the .45 he died with under his chin at one point, Blake loved that old man nearly as much as I did.  They bonded quickly, and it pained him to learn that Gilbert was gone.

                On the bright side, after asking me my opinion on what I thought about what they should call him, they gave their boy his name. 

Adrian Gilbert Miller. 

I’m not sure how I feel about having a kid named after me. Blake and Kim said it was only appropriate because I was largely the one responsible for their being together again, and without Gilbert and I there would’ve been little chance their family could be what it is today.  I know he’s right, but knowing that a child out there will bear my name for his whole life is just a strange thought.  Flattering?  Sure.  Weird? You bet. 

I just hope he lives his life a little better than I’ve lived mine. 

I hope we can give him a life he deserves.  The dilemma of a good parent I suppose.

Abby and Patty thought the name couldn’t be more appropriate.  They were all smiles about it.  I guess their judgment should be listened to.  I can’t change Blake and Kim’s mind, and I guess as long as Gilbert’s name is in the kid’s name, I’m satisfied.  Gilbert was a good man, and any kid bearing his name is bound to be a good shit.  Really happy about that.

Happily, I can say that little guy has cheered us up dramatically.  Gilbert’s death was casting a huge shadow over the lives of those of us that knew him well, and seeing that little meatball of a baby sleeping in Kim’s arms has really helped.  He’s a handsome little fella.  Really a gift.

What else is going on?

Sadly, Hector and Mallory went back to Westfield with Mike and LaFrenz today.  I think that’s good.  She seemed to be at her wit’s end with being cooped up with me, and to be honest, my energy has been a little taxed with having her here all the time.  I like her and all, but I have a lot to do on a daily basis, and I feel like a dirt bag when I skimp on my duties to spend time with her.  However… shit it is fun.  I’m sure I’ll see her in a week or so when they come back for more H20.

I already kind of miss her.

Work workity work work Mr. Journal.  We busted ass on two projects yesterday and earlier today before the Westfield folks showed.  I did wall stuff, and the other folks that split off managed to figure out how to get the hydro gear hooked up to that generator we found the other day.  We lucked out when it started right up without fucking with it too, which was sweet.  I think it was Hector who hooked it up for us, which was pretty nice of him.  Useful fella.

We didn’t quite make fifty feet of wall yesterday or today, but between the two days, we did about fifty feet in total.  We’ve still got an assload of wall and berm to build, but we’re making great progress.  It should also be noted that we are clearing a gigantic amount of area in front of campus along Auburn Lake Road.  It looks really weird now.  Just a huge gathering of stumps.  I am happy to report that there is fuck all for cover on the opposite side of if the river, so if anyone approaches us from that direction, that’s good for us.  I like my enemies in the open, and exposed.

I’m thinking we’re maybe … 40% done with wall construction?  If we can focus on it heavily and god forbid get a few more people to help, from say, Westfield, I think we can really hammer it out.  Now my original estimate of late summer can be seriously moved up with the additional labor in the form of the MGR people.  Now I think we’re looking at maybe two more weeks of work until it’s done solid.  Keeping my fingers crossed on that.

That’ll be a huge relief, that’s for damn sure.  Not only will it be welcome rest, but it means us focusing on clearing houses, finding other people, and getting things done other than chopping down trees, digging holes, and putting said trees in said holes.

It’s after midnight.  Officially it’s July 4^th.  Happy Independence Day America.  Neat.  Wish I had fireworks.

And a country to celebrate.

Spilled milk.

-Adrian

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