Oct. 16th

What a day.

I’m a little banged up, but other than that I’m OK.

So, about staying a week in one place… turns out I was right. A large Flock went through the area I’d been camping in just hours after I’d moved. I think they found the remnants of my last campsite, so they probably knew that a Runner was in the area. Thankfully, I was already on my way over.

Before that group of Runners tried getting across, I had no idea on how I’d get over. And, though I hate to admit it, their deaths helped me in a way. The Guardsmen had let their boat just wade near the shoreline, and didn’t even bother checking it. Lucky for me, I guess. I had to swim for a minute or so, but I eventually got into the boat. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, that’s for sure. The smell was the worst part; I almost threw up several times, but managed to keep it down.

Getting the boat to the other side of the Mississippi isn’t hard; it’s getting there without suffering any injuries. After watching what had happened to that other group, I knew that I’d be spotted within seconds. So… I Trojan Horse’d it, in a way. Steered the boat as much as possible towards the other bank, gave it a little boost in that direction, and then…  laid down amongst the other Runners. Played possum.

What followed was the most harrowing hour of my life.

There were times when I could see the guards in their stations, staring down at me – and I thought for sure they’d see me, gun me down where I was. But they didn’t. Most just went about their rounds, others kept lookout.

Eventually, I landed on the opposite shore. I’ll admit, I was much too eager when I got out of that boat. Led to me almost getting caught, actually; had to dive into a ditch to avoid a spotlight. That led to the sprained wrist and some bruises down my leg, actually. I’ll probably need to find a change of clothing, too; some of it’s ripped, and… well, it smells like death.

Other than that, though… I can’t complain. I made it.

Now, I need to figure out where I’m going.