"That sounds a bit risky," said Justin.
"But think of the payoff. Right now we're hiding on the roof trying to talk as quietly as possible. If we sealed off the fence line then we could be a bit more noisier but without the risk. A large buffer zone should make it harder for the dead to notice any noises that is made in this shopping centre. That can only boost up the safety factor of this place."
"What would we want to be noisy for?"
"I don't see a reason to be just noisy for the sake of being noisy, but accidents happen. Imagine running around trying to deal with some random accident, and suddenly find yourself surrounded by some unfriendly types that were attracted by the noise of the accident. You successfully deal with an accident only to fall to those who hear you. Also it would be nice to be able to have a normal conversation without being afraid."
"This seems really good. But then what?"
"And," said Dave, "this is where my thinking runs out. I have a gut idea of what to do but not the larger goal."
"When you first arrived you talked about moving on," said Justin.
"That's still my goal."
"You could stay here," said Eric.
"I appreciate the offer," said Dave, "but again, it's my gut kicking in. My instincts keep telling me that I should be moving west."
"You don't think that we are in danger," said Justin. "You're not leaving because you think we're doomed living on this shopping centre?"
"No, I think what we did today has really made this place pretty secure. And if you manage to block up the road access to this shopping centre then you'll be in even better shape. Out of all the places that I've seen this will become the safest of all the places."
Dave looked uncomfortable as he struggled to verbalise his vague thoughts, before he continued: "I can't say I have a plan, but I'm in the process of making one. I'm struggling to put my ideas together, so what I'm trying to say is that I need to explore, learn more about what's going on, maybe find more people. I'm certain that once I get my hands on more data then a real plan will kick in and not something vague like just survive."
"So how long will you stay?" asked Justin.
"I'm confident that I could leave now. You know what needs to be done and I'm sure that Sid could easily drive whatever needs to be driven where, and that Eric could keep an eye out for problems. I'd love to stay for a few more days in order to see what this place looks like when it's more fortressed up. But I won't."
"And then you'll be going?"
"Yes. I need to figure this out. Something is biting at the back of my mind and I have no choice but to look it in the teeth."
Justin looked around the huddle groups of people on the roof. "You need to figure things out here as well. These people are in rough shape. I think that once this place is fully secured that they'll get some sense of hope back into them. And then you'll get a real community going. I think that the initial goal of the people here should be to get over the shock of what happened."
"I have to admit that I wasn't optimistic when I first arrived here, but there's some good people here. With those people as examples I'm sure the rest will find their spirits rising."
"I hope so. And what should we do with the rest of the day?" ask Justin.
"Sadly, not a lot. Today we'll just have to wait while our unwanted guests leave."
"That's going to be a bit dull."
"I'm good. I've got a lot of books that I want to read."
"Books?"
"It wasn't until this madness happened that I realised that I didn't have to slightest idea how to do basic things. It was a bit of a shock to the old self-image. So I'm trying to turn that around by learning everything that I can."
"It's not easy to learn from books."
"True. But what other options do I have?"
Justin gave Dave a serious look. "There's so much that we can all be doing and I'm just laying about sleeping all the time. I feel ashamed for being so disorganised."
* * *
Dave put down the book on bushcraft that he was reading and looked up at the sky. It was mid-afternoon. Sort of late in the day but not yet showing signs of being dark. Nearby Sid was reading a book borrowed from Dave on campfire cooking, Eric was reading a book on tents, and Justin was laying on his back and possibly having a strange nap with his eyes open.
Dave stood up, drawing Sid and Eric's attention to him.
"I'm just going to have a quick look," said Dave.
"I'll join you," said Sid, and Eric gave a confirming nod.
Dave looked at Justin and Sid chuckled.
"I don't have the heart to wake him," said Dave.
"He's fine," pointed out Sid. "Let's move."
The three who were awake, walked over to the nearest edge of the roof and looked over the slight wall.
"Do you see anything?" asked Dave.
Sid gave a low whistle. "They've all buggered off."
"I don't see anything at all," said Eric.
"That's a relief," said Dave. "It took a few hours but it's good to know that they have such a short attention span."
"At least they didn't stay for a few weeks," said Sid.
"Let's walk about the roof to make sure that everything is clear," said Dave walking along the waist high wall that marked
