Damn Fine Espresso.

I made the next meeting with Jan on time. We met at the coffee shop as planned. I gotta tell you Jan makes a mean espresso. Probably the best I've ever had. Maybe that's because I haven't had any for quite some time. I am sorry for the length of time between posts. Things got a little crazy after the espresso.

Jan and I were finishing our cups in the cafe when a couple of zombies wandered up to the gate. Not a big deal. Just a couple of draggers right? I went over with my pick/hatchet and decided to dispatch them quietly so as not to attract any others. It seemed simple enough. Don't underestimate these things. I stepped up to the gate and swung through a gap and struck the nearest one square in the head. It went down before I could pull the pick free. As I struggled with the pick the other one had a surge of speed and grabbed me! It started pulling my arm towards its' mouth. I put my foot on the bars and tried to pull back. I heard something pop and felt a tingling shoot through my ankle and foot. As I screamed in pain Jan's shotgun rang out loud and clear. The zombie fell to the ground headless and I pried its' cold hand off my arm. Jan helped me up. I tried to put weight on my right leg but pain rocketed through my ankle.

"We gotta get you to my place and fast. That gun shot will draw more of them."

Jan was right. Her place was closer than mine and she had to take care of the girl. I couldn't ask her to help me all the way to my apartment. We headed out the back door; which she had a key for; and through a couple of alleys. We could here a crowd of them moaning and gathering at the coffee shop as we put distance behind us. We made it to Jan's apartment without encountering any more of the undead. Once there she got some ice for my ankle and took a look. It seemed to be just a dislocated bone in the ankle. At least that's what she thought from her time spent at the doctors from sports injuries sustained over the years. Jan had been a competitive soccer player in her younger days. We decided - or rather she decided and I was in no condition to argue - that I needed to stay there for at least two weeks to let it heal completely so that I could run if need be when I left.

The stay did give me time to get to know Jan a little bit. As I said she was a competitive soccer player. Apparently she even played professionally for eight years. She gave it up because her knees and ankle were taking a serious beating and she wanted to quit before she permanently affected her mobility. She ended up going into video editing - working mostly on sports videos. She had a partner who had owned the coffee shop we were at. Her name was Launa. Launa had come home from work early a few months ago and said she had been attacked by a crazed homeless man outside the shop. She had a bite wound. She rapidly deteriorated. Launa was the first zombie Jan had to dispatch. I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for her. Jan has just been trying to stay alive ever since. I can still see the competitor in her. She will never give up until the final whistle blows.

The girl living with Jan was another story. She is thin and pale. Must only be about 12. I wasn't able to coax anything out of her as far as words but I did eventually get her to sit with me. We even drew a picture together. It was a bear with a hat and thick glasses. It made her smile a little.

I healed up enough that I was able to convince Jan to let me head back to my place. We are planning to meet again this Tuesday. After much debate she has convinced me that I should stay with them. I will gather my things over the next couple of days and we will move them on Tuesday. The last thing I did before leaving was to tell Jan about this blog. We will continue to report anything we learn. Hopefully the next post won't be so long coming.