Serving a few tours in the army only to be exposed to this new nightmare. Shawn knew what had to be done. He had no family so in that respect he was fortunate. As the world fell around him and people got sick he wasn't the type to let whatever this was get to him. He was trained to survive. He stayed put for the first few months using the stuff from unfinished home improvement projects that were in his garage. He drove the truck into the garage and began sealing off the house bracing the doors. Shawn put plywood on both the inside and out side of the trucks windows leaving a small slit to see the front and using the reverse camera to view the rear. The bed was protected by a flat hard cover. Pinning the curtains between the windows and the plywood to look inconspicuous. He took out the stair case and used that wood to build a ladder against the wall to the second floor. Shawn also cut the gas not that there was any but as a precaution against the if's. At first he traveled on foot, at night going to office buildings raiding the mini fridges for food. Then Shawn started to raid peoples abandoned homes. The shelves and pantries were primary targets ignoring the refrigerator. Armed only with his crowbar. As time went on he would find other items left behind. Only after six month did he exhaust the local supplies in the area.
The time had come to move. Going north meant cold and surviving against the harsher elements. West would have to cross paths with Texas then dessert conditions that were inhospitable to life without the technological conveniences to survive. South was the best shot. Alabama was too under developed to be a good spot to scavenge. Atlanta was over populated. Louisiana was too close to Texas. Leaving only the state of Mississippi to give Shawn the best chance. There Shawn could find a fishing boat and escape the walkers and eat the fresh catch of the day. Sticking to the suburbs and side roads he packed the army back pack that was a keep sake, and got into the truck loaded only with a few containers of gas. Weighing it down with other stuff that he couldn't carry would only make it use more gas. He started the trip saying goodbye to his house and the dog he never got the chance to get.
The engine running Shawn could make use of the GPS. Shawn knew Tennessee better then whoever made the map and was able to go off read most of the way killing walkers with the bumper as he drove. Stopping in the woods and sleeping in the truck was safest. Sometimes a walker would be there but he wouldn't risk being infected unless the tank was low. Highways were always dangerous, either there were trapped walkers in the cars, or raiders looking to kill survivors. Using his tools in a gym bag and a gas container to refuel Shawn would then retreat to his truck. For food he always stopped a mile away from a highway exit. Down the embankment or in the woods. From there Shawn would walk into the off ramp of the highway and begin searching the gas stations and local restaurants for food. Granola bars and beef jerky. If they had running water it was a gold mine. Tap was used for bathing which he did in the rest room. Washing out his clothes and moving on.
Making his way to the coast had proven difficult. Shawn had to fight the lingering groups of dead remaining at the port towns. He ran his hand through his hair and rolled his eyes. The risk was a necessary one if he wanted to acquire a boat. He got dangerously close to the town. Taking the bags and his crowbar Shawn turned off the engine and left the keys under the seat. The truck no longer had a good spare but there was half a tank of gas and some of the containers in the back were still full. He etched a large word in the wooden windows "Runs". He lifted the hood and disconnected the battery to keep it for the next user. Shawn it to the shoulder along the road and turned to give the truck one final look of appreciation.
Shawn stuck to the out skirts increasing the trip time, but it was safer then walking through the middle of town. He had to deal with a few of the local undead but managed to not run across any large groups. He looked out of an alley to see the selection of boats. It was unfortunate he knew nothing of sailing so he was forced to take a motor driven boat. Being a mechanic in the army gave him the confidence that should a problem arise he would be able to repair it. The bag of extras he gathered would help too. a smaller boat would take more time so Shawn chose a boat that had a good size but also a decent cruising speed. He picked a cruiser with a cabin and a working bath room. Shawn set up shop storing his gear making his way to other boats syphoning fuel and gathering spare batteries from the other boats.
After a few days Shawn was confident he had done all he could He gathered water from one of the stores by the docks and some fishing equipment. The compass from his army days would be invaluable to him. He would stay within visual range of the coast and travel east. Florida would be easy to reach and a variable gold mine for resupplying before making his way to New York. By the time Shawn got there he hoped either a cure would be found or it would be empty. New York would have a large port and resources.
Some days anchored off the coast Shawn would think of the long journey to survive. Fishing was ok but not as filling as he had hoped. The alternator kept the battery running so the microwave on board was the primary means of cooking some of the food he caught. At times he shark fished to feed himself instead of waiting on smaller catches one shark would allow Shaw the eat well all day and he used the left overs for the smaller fish. To navigate the coast and scavenge for fuel took its time. Getting to New York from the coast of Mississippi would take three years. When he slept Shawn would take the boat out of sight from the coast and anchor it in place. Using the alarm on his digital watch to wake him in four hours to look out for dangers. Those years were free of the worries of walkers and most raiders. On the boat Shawn would do exercises to keep in shape and write thoughts he had that day. With perseverance Shawn made it to the Hudson The city and the historic naval ships were the identifying markers. Shawn stayed out of the channel and kept the motor on a slow speed to reduce the noise. He would anchor out of sight of land only to port at night. No one would notice another boat in the morning among the rest of them. He would leave at night and start scavenging. Hopefully some new clothes as well.
