It was 3:30 pm as Dean drove amongst the suburbs looking to setup a safehouse. A few of the creatures walked about the area, he called these stragglers, specifically because they acted mostly idle, and could be moved through quickly if one was quiet enough, but there was always the risk one would lash out unpredictably, enraging the others. He hadn't quite figured out what caused this yet, but that didn't matter much, what did matter is finding shelter. He drove slowly. 

Dean had somewhat of a criteria when it came to finding a proper house, nothing out of the ordinary really, only that the house didn't have a second floor, and had a garage. After his friends at the cabin turned, he spent a month on the road before taking shelter in a house leaving his car parked outside, only to find it had been stolen the next morning. He would've starved if he hadn't taken some of his food inside with him. It would be difficult to find the house he wanted, as these were suburbs, but he didn't stop looking, and eventually realized he may have driven in a circle once or twice. One of the suburban homes would have to suffice, he drove among the houses and stragglers, none of them fit the description he was looking for. Pulling to the side of the road he looked to his right, and saw a [url=http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5C9V4IHrIKM/Tidqvza4-NI/AAAAAAAAKVo/EcTPXcToQ7Q/iowa%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800]house[/url] that didn't seem to be as big as the others, and appeared to be two stories, which made him feel more uneasy and tense than usual, but it would have to do. 

As was routine, he put on the bandana and goggles, and opened the army bag that was in the backseat, pulling out a loaded 9mm. He wasn't very good at shooting, and didn't plan to use it, the gun was for a worst case scenario situation, if he used it, he would immediately leave the house and drive off to a different neighborhood. He turned off the engine and put the keys in his coat pocket, then exited the truck and grabbed the baseball bat from the back. If creatures inhabited the house, he would most likely find himself in tight spaces, and preferred a blunt weapon for such an occasion. Observing the area, there didn't appear to be any stragglers about. Dean flexed his arms and leaned against the truck for a moment. He forgot how sleepy he was and found himself struggling to keep his eyes open once more. Shaking his head, he decided the faster he got this over with, the faster he could setup. He made his way to the front door.

Dean had a very straightforward strategy when clearing houses, fast and efficient. He opened the door silently and walked right through the house in a defensive stance, gripping his baseball bat with both hands. A single creature stood beside a set of stairs facing the opposite direction. Dean made his way right to it and swung hard, hitting it's head causing it to fall to the floor, immediately he reached for the combat knife attached to his belt and impaled it's skull, then sheathed it and continued throughout the house. Entering the kitchen an infected began walking towards him before Dean swung for it's head, slamming it into the fridge. Blood splattered onto the fridge and counter as it fell to the floor and he again impaled it's skull with his knife. The first floor of the house was clear and so he made his way upstairs only to be met with another infected limping down the stairs reacting to the noise below. He was at a disadvantage due to the fact the creature was above him, and so he dropped the bat and pulled the creatures legs from under itself causing it to fall backwards onto the steps, Dean climbed onto the creature, holding it's neck with his left hand as he stabbed its skull with the knife in his right. 

It was 3:56 pm now. The house was clear. Dean had carried the last of the bodies in the backyard before removing the goggles and banana, placing them on the bloody counter in the kitchen as he moved through the house and out to the front to take all of his belongings into his temporary home. As he walked outside, a straggler moved about in the distance, 50 yards away, limping very slowly towards him. He continued on cautiously. It only took two trips to get everything inside, the truck was empty. Dean spent the next few minutes hammering 4 pieces of wood around the perimeter of the house and connected them with several pieces of rope that dangled with tin cans and various bells, trinkets, anything that would make a noise. So far, no creature has made it past his makeshift alarms without ending up impaled, but as always he needed to test it. He stood on the front porch holding a wooden spear as the creature from before came closer. It's foot made contact with the rope as it moved over it, the entire row of objects began to shake loudly. The infected, suddenly enraged, sprinted towards Dean, who immediately threw the wooden spear inbetween the creatures eyes. It fell to the floor. Dean turned and walked into the safehouse. 

4:10 pm. Dean setup various blankets and pillows throughout the living room. He preferred to sleep here as it was easier to hear his makeshift alarm if it were tripped. To his luck he had found a map of Chicago in the home, and sat in the middle of the blanket covered living room with a red marker, marking down various stores and what not he planned to raid later. A plate with a half eaten sandwich lay next to him along with a half empty water bottle, and his journal labeled with his name. He wore a pair of fitted light blue jeans and a long sleeve black flannel, along with all black sneakers that would soon outgrow him and a pair of fingerless gloves. Dean put his map and marker to the side, and lay his head down on a pillow, staring at the ceiling. He eventually dozed off.