could
have been a lot worse, and I'm well aware of that. And I picked a good place to
escape into, if I was going to get hurt. The pet shop had a few bottles of
antibacterial kind of stuff. I don't know for sure that I'm supposed to use it,
since it's meant for dogs, but it seemed like risking it was better than
gangrene.
The guy's body was pretty stiff and heavy, but I managed to
get it into one of the empty pens they have in here and covered him up with
wood chips and sawdust. It's the closest thing to a proper burial I could
provide for him. That and a makeshift prayer, although I knew no Bible verses
to recite, or if he was even Christian. I hope it was enough.
I need to give my leg time to heal up a bit before I go back
out and try for that poor woman. Limping like I am, I'll get shot at for sure.
And I don't think it’ll just be my leg, again.
ENTRY END
JOURNAL 12IMRAN
ENTRY 003
DATE: 1/18/2075
Life is short as it is, and this place shortens it that much
more. Dana was an old woman, yes, but she would very possibly have had several
more years in front of her if she hadn't been gunned down in this mall. It puts
things into perspective for me. There are so many important things in life,
more important than anything. Family comes to mind. My son… things seem so different
to me, now that I face my own imminent death. But I fear that it is too late to
do much of anything in regards to Kadar or our relationship. If by some miracle
I make it out of here as the last survivor, I suppose these revelations will
prove useful. But I don't see that as a likely outcome.
I've done what I could to give Dana some respect. It's not
much, but I closed her eyes, and I draped her over with the kites from the toy
store, and I surrounded her with fake flowers. Gaudy, for a death shroud, but I
try not to see it that way. I try to see it as bright and happy, to see it as a
hope that whatever of her may remain is jubilant, somewhere. In the end, if
there’s something that remains of my own being, I hope for that same sort of
joy.
ENTRY END
TO: Niels Evenstad
FROM: Frederick Evenstad
SUBJECT: The Mall Security
SENT 1/19/2075 AT 1:06 p.m. EST
Brother,
You won't have to worry about me pestering you for the truth
about what's happening, anymore. You don't want to share it and that's your
decision, as much as I don't agree with it. As much as you claim to be about
the family, yet stand there and hide your secrets. That's fine. I'm dropping
it, because I can't expend the energy anymore.
The guards could be used more efficiently than they are at
current. Having those units on the roof are stretching the numbers very thin.
We don't need nearly as many as are currently up there. The door to the roof
was welded shut. A few units on the edges, in case of a breakout, yes, but the
center of the roof doesn't need to be guarded. They would be much better used
in the back room, I think. It’s unlikely, but a contestant could still get
there, and that would be far more power than any one of them should have.
I hope you'll at least consider what I've said. If this
carries on long enough, someone will figure out how to fight against the
guards, and we run the risk of running short when they do. Then someone is
bound to breach security. If they escape, this endeavor would be entirely
fruitless.
Frederick Evenstad,
Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Technologies
—
TO: Frederick Evenstad
FROM: Niels Evenstad
SUBJECT: The Mall Security
SENT: 1/19/2075 AT 1:08 p.m. EST
I very specifically wanted to leave the back open for
infiltration. If a contestant is skilled and brave, why should I not reward
them? In the future, don’t question my intelligence in such a manner.
Niels Evenstad,
Chief Operating Officer, Evenstad Media
JOURNAL 08QUINN
ENTRY 005
DATE: 1/20/2075
For the time
Nina Revoyr
Nora Ephron
Jaxson Kidman
Edward D. Hoch
Katherine Garbera
Stuart M. Kaminsky
Chris Ryan
T. Lynne Tolles
Matt Witten
Alex Marwood