From a letter found in the Journal of Nathan Sanchez, March 25

     The journal states the letter was found on March 25 in one of the old farm houses near the ranch where the Sanchez family was surviving.

March 15, 2017

     To whoever finds this letter, if we have become one of the undead walking around, please put us out of our misery. Mindy was bit yesterday and has been running a fever ever since. I think she is becoming like Mr. Vertner, who is the one who bit her.  He used to be one of our neighbors and when he got here yesterday, he was acting strange. I thought there was something wrong at his place or he was hurt from the way he was staggering and so I ran towards him with Mindy right behind. Once we were within a couple of feet, he started making this moaning sound and lunged at us. I jumped back but Mindy tripped and he was on her in a flash. I pulled him off of her and pushed him as far from us as I could. But it was already too late.

     I had to use the shovel by the porch to fight him off. He would not stop trying to get at us but mostly at Mindy. It was like the smell of her blood pushed him into a frenzy and he couldn't stop chomping his teeth and making that sound. It's like something between a scream, a moan and the sound a wild animal makes when cornered. I get chills just thinking about it now.
     We knew some of what was going on through the news programs stopped. We knew that people were coming back from the dead and were attacking people around them. I think the news said it started somewhere in Southern California so I didn't think it would spread here so fast. We had been doing fine on our farm. I had gotten into the habit of picking up canned food whenever it was on sale so we would be ok if we got snowed in and Mindy had been canning and making preserves for years so we had an ample supply of food. Our son had come and switched us to solar and wind power while he was in college going through a faze to save the planet. This turned out to be a blessing because with the power we created, we have been able to keep the fridge and freezer on, as well as continue to pump our well water to the house. I really thought we would be safe here until the government got control of the problem. I should have known that the undead would be everywhere, even here.
     We came right inside and cleaned the bite with hydrogen peroxide before putting antibiotic ointment on it. Within the first hour, Mindy was coughing like a lifetime smoker and the bite on her arm was throbbing. Not long after that, the fever came and she had me close all the curtains because her head was pounding, which is unusual for her. Within four hours of being bit, she was throwing up everything I brought to her. I decided to unwrapped the wound and saw that it was really bad. The area around the bite had turned a dark purple and green color like she had been bitten a couple of days ago instead of today. The skin at the edges of the bite had turned black and looked like it was way past infection to already dead tissue. I have no idea what the right thing to do is. I thought about trying to cut away the really dead stuff, but I have no idea how to do it. I wish I had taken that first aid class with Mindy two years ago, although zombie bites were not on anyone's radar back then so they would not have taught us about them.
     I know I should do something, tie her to the bed or lock the door. Maybe I should leave, or put her out of the state she is now in. But I love her so much and still see our life together every time I look at her. We have been blessed with the farm, children and enough money to not worry every month about how to pay the bills. We have had a happy marriage and taught our children how to be a good partner to someone else. I just can't see her as anything other than herself yet. This is the woman who gave me three beautiful children and kept our house a home while I worked the farm and provided for us. I just don't think I have it in me to kill her, even if she is already infected.
      If anyone finds this letter, I hope that it is not our son or either of our daughters. I wouldn't want any of them to have to be the ones to put us down like I had to put down Mr. Vertner. I don't any of them to have to live with the memory of doing that.
     If we are already completely dead, please make sure we get buried or burned. I don't want our kids to find our bodies or skeletons once they can get through. Please, feel free to take what food you need or stay in our house if we are not here anymore. It makes gives me a little bit of joy to think that our house might save someone else's life, ours has been a happy one here.
     If whoever finds this letter is one of our children, know that we were together until the end and that is how we always said we wanted it to be. I could not leave your mother and know that you understand how much we love each other. Remember the good times and all the laughter we shared as a family.
     Frank, you brought the sun into my life the day you were born and it never stopped shining on you. You were  the best son any man could ever have wanted. I found the Lord the day I looked into your eyes because you were my miracle and I knew that He had to exist because he had chosen you to be my baby boy. I became a better man that day and have you to thank for that.
     Erin , you made me so happy the day you were born. Mindy was so sure you were going to be another boy that she had already decided to name you Aaron James. Well, it changed to Erin Jamie when we saw that we had been blessed with a daughter instead. You made us all laugh at your silly impressions and kept your mothers spirits up when she went through treatment for breast cancer. Without you, our life would have had so much less joy.  I knew in the first moment I looked into your eyes that I had been put on the Earth to be a father to you and your brother. My life felt more complete than it ever had before.
     Shelley, you were our best surprise. You came when your sister was five and we thought we were done with diapers. You came into our life like you live, full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes! You showed us how to live every day like it is the only one you have and to find happiness in even the littlest things. When you were placed into my arms, I knew that I was meant to be there for you through all of life's lessons and my heart grew fuller than it had ever been.
     Know that your mother and I love you all so much and have felt you three were blessings sent by God to fill us with love. Please, don't be sad about us. We lived our lives and you need to do the same, no matter how hard it ends up being. Remember, the Lord does not give you anything you cannot handle and know that we will all be together again in the Kingdom of Heaven. Lord, watch over my children and keep them safe during this very dangerous time.

Lord bless you,
Mark Sharp

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