Dear Diary,

A few days ago my dad played princess in the castle with me. It was okay for a few hours. My dad even talked to me sometimes opening the cupboard and making sure I had my pillow and blankie on. I was having fun pretending to be a princess. He said it was just practice because he wanted me to be one. I missed school but Dad said it was okay.

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Dear Diary,

We played again today.

He said that a princess must always be calm like a good princess should be. Never shout and always talk with a whisper. I always follow my daddy's advice. I had no mom. But I didn't care. Dad always keeps his promises to me. He always bought me presents on my birthday, attended my school events, and even played with me on weekends. He likes to sleep with me during the night but I said to Dad that he was already old. But he always cuddles me and says that he is never old.

I love my dad. Just as he keeps his promises I will also keep my promises.

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Dear Diary

Today, he packed my favorite bag with goodies and canned food. He taught me how to open it. How to eat from it and taught me if I ever needed to pee in bottles or do a potty in a can. The cabinet was my own castle. I am safe in here, my dad said it so it should be true. I can hear shouting and screaming outside. But Daddy said that it was okay. He said it was just sick people getting other people sick.

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Dear Diary,

He played with me again, letting me out from time to time and telling me stories about bad people. He said bad people are dirty and smelly and that I should never go near them.

I asked about the bandaged arm he had but he just hugged me tightly and said that he loved me so much. He was crying with joy he said. That I was his one and only princess. He said that I should sleep at my castle and never open it even for him unless he knocks. Dad is funny. He said bad people never knock.

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Dea(blurred with tears)ary,

Dad looks sick. My da(blurred with tears) said that bad people are coming, (blurred with tears)e said that whatever happens, I must not open the cabinet. Whatever I hear outside or inside. (blurred with tears)

me pinky promise. He made me swear. I will keep my promise (blurred with tears)d. Yes, I will not peak. I will not open it unless (blurred with tears)ou knock and never to go outside my castle like a good princess.

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"Fuck!" I grunted as I forced myself upward. It wasn't that high but falling from a waist-high window to the ground is still painful. I covered Amy with my head to make sure that she was okay. I check up on her. Good. No shards wounded her. I helped her up and grabbed her hand, "Come on Amy, you need to be strong for your dad okay?" I said to her. She nodded with a panic as I led her across the street.

She didn't scream, didn't even squeak. She wasn't mute I was sure of that. "We need to run okay?" I said while picking up a rock. I threw it at a nearby window which resounded with a loud crash. That should at least confuse them for a bit. We bend 2 more corners making sure I zigzag as much as possible. There were some unclean in the back alleys but not as much as in the main road.

As we walked to a pedestrian overpass, I sat her down on the nearby bench underneath it. There were unclean ahead but we stood as quiet as we could be. There were at least 5 following us but they were slow. I kept my ears on them as I removed my helmet.

I set it up on Amy's head and patted it. "Not much of a tiara but at least it's something, right? Now you look like half a princess." I said to her with a bit of a chuckle to assure her that everything would be fine.

She nodded, wobbling the helmet. Which is quite silly. She muffled a sob. " Here let me tighten the tiara for you okay? Let's make sure you don't lose it. Hold the other end please your Highness." I said with a tone like a knight. But she didn't look up. She was crying, but I don't know why she didn't want me to see it. Even so, she clasped the other end of the helmet strap and held it straight.

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I strapped it with a click, tightened it, and made sure it was secured on her head. Now she looks like the mushroom in Mario, Albeit a dirty one. "Come on. We're gonna find you a castle and make you safe there okay?" I said reassuringly while I grabbed her hand and started to zigzag our way to checkpoint 3 through the alleyways.

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"Fuck!" I groaned as I landed nearly head-first on the concrete. My foot got snagged by the unclean or something that it impeded me from landing on my feet. Luckily, I raised my hands to soften the landing but not before I scrapped my forehead first. My hands were bleeding from the landing. I can't see well with the blood in my eye.

"So what does the asphalt taste like!!" Bennie shouted while laughing even while stabbing the the unclean. The bodies sure are still piling up. "It sure as hell tastes like rocky road!!!" I shouted back. Oh, I miss ice cream.

I got on my feet limping. Fuck! I think I broke my back or something but I ignored it. Some of the unclean started to follow me instead of the blaring car alarm. The horde was going to run over the key so I picked up the pace. As I was about an arm's length to the key, I kicked the unclean biker who was about to lunge at me and picked it up. I went back a few steps and prepared to throw the key in Bennie's direction.

"Bennie!!!" I shouted. He looked back as I was throwing the key, I was about to get squashed between two groups of unclean when I ducked a nearby lady who lunged at me.

"Fuck! That was close." I said while I stumbled and fell. "Fuck me! Now isn't the time to be clumsy!"

I fast crawl with everything I had not even bothering to see if Ben caught the key or an unclean was about to dive bomb me. All I cared about was getting out of there. I stood up racing behind the garages where a lot more unclean were starting to swarm. "Oh come on!" I cursed. I rushed towards the other end of the garage from the backside.

It should offer me at least a bit of safety towards the coastal desert. Until I heard the roar of an engine. Hohoho the sweet sounds of an engine. Knowing Bennie, he will drive away to lure some unclean out and drive back to pick me up. Forcing my lungs for more air, I sprinted the whole length of the garage. "Not today Murphy, Not today," I said with a triumph. I rounded the corner giving it a wide birth making sure I wouldn't get jumped by an unclean, yeah it's cliché but it's often true you know. Just when you declared victory some shit is going wreck your day and... nothing. I peeked at the corner and made some space in case something came out. But besides the unclean behind me, nothing came jumping in the corner.

I paced towards the other corner that was facing the main road. Wiping the blood off my eye and checking behind me to make sure no unclean has caught up to me just yet. "Fuck me." There I saw, was a bit unbelievable. At least 300 unclean were packed to the brim I tell you. Packed like a sardine in a rock music festival, with hands raised towards the booming vehicle, like a cacophony of moans and grunts following a rock singer's voice, they were trying to reach whatever was in front. Like crazed addicts.

The unclean was relentless.

"What the fuck are you doing get on!" Bennie shouted at me. I raced towards the Toyota pickup and jumped on the trunk. I tapped twice signaling that it was good to go. He swerved around the main road. I looked ahead and saw some of the unclean that were chasing Abby in the nearby crest were starting to notice us. Bennie drove forward hoping Abby was still okay. I sat down on the trunk breathing heavily. We were at least a good 300 meters when I looked back at the parking lot.

My mind paused at what I saw. The main road was clear of the unclean, more like all of them were occupied and some were cresting towards the parking lot.

All of them except two figures, standing still in the middle of a military checkpoint.