I awoke in a start. I couldn't get the images of my parents corpses out of my mind and it finally made me break down and cry. I had no one to talk to, no one to question. I was on my own, and I didn't really know what I should do.

"Wake up, you idiot! You're alive and the only way that you'll stay that way is to get busy surviving."

First order of business is to get food and water. That should be easy because my father's supermarket has canned food and bottled water. If I want to find out how extensive this problem is I'll have to travel to other cities, maybe other states. I'll need something that I can live in, and that means a trailer or a motor home. That'll have to wait until I stock up on food, water, clothing, and weapons. You never know what's going on. This could be an invasion.

My father's delivery truck was conveniently sitting out in front of the garage. I started it and drove to my father's supermarket on Grant Street. I saw cars parked on the side of the road and stopped to look into a few of them but found no one. My father's market was intact and I had no problem using a key to enter the front door. I didn't need to disarm the security system.

The store smelled of decaying meat. I expected that because the power outage would have killed the freezers. I began filling up a large cart with canned goods, bottled water and boxes of cereal, packages of pasta, jars of pickles, and anything else that wouldn't spoil over an extended period. The only meat products that would meet that criteria were things like Spam and canned meat from other manufacturers.

I didn't try to lock the door. Rats had already invaded the store and were running all over the place. That would be a problem in the future. Without people, rats, insects and feral dogs and cats would take over.

In fact, I saw packs of dogs running around when I walked to the truck. I'll definitely need weapons. That would require a trip to Shafer's Gun and Tackle.

Shafer's is on South Main Street. The entire town was deserted. There were a few cars parked on the street but no bodies were in them. Nothing was parked in front of Shafer's, so I pulled right up. I didn't have to feed the meter. No cops around here.

I had to break into the front door. It was protected with a steel gate, but I had a heavy crowbar in the truck and that did the trick. I broke the glass and opened the door. Again, I didn't have to worry about an alarm. I went to the main display and selected an AK-47 assault rifle. It's probably an Eastern Block knockoff but the Russian designed gun has a reputation for being rugged. I also obtained as many boxes of 7.63X39 mm ammunition and 30 round magazines as I could carry. These weapons were not set up for automatic fire, but it didn't matter. I needed something reliable and rugged.

I opted for a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum revolver. It's rugged and won't jam like the automatics. I also took as much ammunition as I could, and I selected a nice hip holster for it.

I chose a 12-gage Ithaca model 37 pump with a fixed choke. It would come in handy for shooting wild dogs and rats.

Having obtained good weapons, I also selected a hunting knife and good hunting duds. I have some at home but I decided to get the best.

Having loaded the truck up with everything I could, I headed to Sears. They had odd items, such as motor driven pumps that would run off batteries. I would need them to pump gas and water into a motorhome's tanks. I also needed propane tanks for portable stoves and generators. Other items included flashlights, batteries, tools and a collection of screws and bolts.

Now it was time to go pick out a motorhome, and that meant a trip to Al Kline's RV's on East Exchange Street.

Al's lot contained mostly RV's, essentially trailers or units that mounted on the back of pickups. I decided to go to the max with a fully loaded motorhome, and Al had the latest A-class Winnebago models.

One unit caught my eye because I realized that it was a customized model. I broke into Al's office and obtained the keys. This 27-foot unit was mounted on a truck chassis and had a V8 454 Chevy engine. The inside had been customized and had a stove, fridge, mini washer and dryer, air conditioner, furnace, and a shower. Since it could sleep six, it had plenty of storage room for all my stuff.

My next hurdle is to fill it with gas and load it with water. I checked the engine and it had oil and antifreeze. The power brake reservoir had fluid and there was washer fluid in a plastic tank bolted to the firewall. Now all I had to do was make sure it would start.

It did, and that meant that it's time for a fill-up. I drove it to a nearby gas station. Since there was no electrical power, I had to pump the gas directly from the gas station's in-ground tanks. It takes a key and a special wrench to open the tank fill cap, but I found them in the station. I had to rig a portable pump to do the job and it took me nearly an hour to fill the motorhome's seventy-five gallon tank.

Next, I had to find a source of clean water. The only hope I had was to find a well, and that meant driving out into the country. Before I did, I drove back home and got my radios and portable generator. I also picked up a few personal items, including a picture of my parents when they were younger. I wanted to cry but it was too late for that now.

I drove up 91 and then out on 422 until I got near the Ladue Reservoir. I stopped near a farm just on the other side of the bridge over the reservoir. I had been past here dozens of times and I knew that there was a well. The guy who owned it had it capped and there was a feed pipe coming out of the top. All I had to do was open the inspection cap and pump away.

After an hour of pumping, I was ready to go. I began driving East on 422 in the hopes of finding someone. I passed many homes, small towns and farms without seeing anyone. I began to think that I was wasting my time, but I decided to go on.

All I have left is the hope of finding someone.