Dear diary, it is Patricia…

I never knew I would be writing it like this. However, there is important news to tell you. I hope you find it as positive as me.

This morning, Pa went to the mall along with me. Trees have overgrown there, and the entire place has been conquered by sprawling vegetation. While it felt like a completely awe-inspiring setting, it also felt like the old world. There, Pa found a sight most peculiar.

You will not believe it, and I wouldn’t have either, especially if Pa hadn’t dragged me to that place. Too bad he grabbed the wrong arm, and I was wincing all the way, too afraid to reveal my bite mark to him.

Call it a miracle…or call it whatever you want to. Miracles are non-existent now…

Our eyes met a store. It was perhaps a shop for farmers and gardeners. The cracks and fissures in the earth had split open the floor, and due to some reason, a few seeds had been poured into the floor cracks. We also found rusted guns and a few skeletons with broken limb bones. One of them had a rotten half side of the head, indicating its status as a converted sick man.

What awaited us next was a peculiar sight I was talking about. Last year when Pa had visited this place, little Lucy was still alive. He had gone to loot the seeds so that we could start our own farm. However, I stopped him from going there. Malls had become attractive spots for all manners of cutthroats and lowlives. And when I heard gunfire from there, I begged him to go away on the walkie-talkie and come straight home. Just because our mother is no longer with us doesn’t mean he gets to be reckless again. I fill the role of my ma.

He went there despite my bitter judgment much later, and thankfully, when he did, the storm had settled. He found corpses, and the grains were all stolen along with the seeds. The rest were drenched in blood, and the packets were all torn, with the seeds all spilled on the ground. Father salvaged whatever he could, and we made our own attempts at farming. But…nothing happened.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Today was when we realized that we lacked the proper conditions. A corner of this store was torn due to weather extremities, and sunlight peered through. Water dipped from the ceiling, and the earth became fertile. There were blood patches where the crop refused to grow. But, there was an entire crop of grains, including wheat.

Not to mention, we found several fruit trees on different levels of the mall. We have an idea now to protect the place. Pa is going to place some of the dead animal entrails here. I worry, though. Pa says there is nothing to worry about. The city is dead, and only graves fill this place. However, if he found two graverobbers, there are bound to be more. And a place like this mall is nothing but a hot spot… These days, humans are like flies who are attracted to shit, and they will kill for it. And this mall is honey. Resources like this are worthier than gold.

On my insistence, Pa has left a few more dead animals. Not to mention there are also a number of hordes that pass through here at night. According to Pa, only we know the small tunnel through which we can reach this mall. That tunnel is concealed through debris, and the main entrance is blocked by a dangerous pit dug by one of the survivors. Nobody would risk entering, especially when the mall looks like it has been plundered already. For others, the mall is trash. For us, it is gold because we know what is in there.

Still, he is wrong. I can feel it in my gut. His reasons are all right, but he is wrong.

My other arm is also aching badly. I wish Pa hadn’t grabbed me with such excitement. I told him I was bruised on that arm, and he practically begged me to see the bruise mark. He is out there now, searching for medical stores to bring me the medicine. He is also apologizing. Come on, pa, you did nothing wrong!

Diary, it is just becoming impossible day by day to conceal this bite mark. Yesterday, it was a bit healed, and it gave me hope. I am also having nightmares…often seeing myself in the grave while lying with my ma and sis. Sometimes, I feel them roaming alongside me in the hordes.