Copyright

⚠️This book is Written by Lattysweets, it is not to be copied or printed any where else without my permission.⚠️

It was written for your enjoyment, please feel free to comment or message the author she doesn't bite.

A/N : The food photos posted in this book is taken from a food group by the name of 'Jamaican Food.'

The quotes are from public pages and are here to motivate or inspire anyone who needs them.

Most of the geographic locations are not a hundred percent correct, just use your imagination or dream up your own desired location.

        IMPORTANT NOTICE
I don't condone violence and I would never will it on anyone, country or place. While thier are extreme violence all over, I hope this book helps someone to be smarter and think quicker in the case of survival.
Everything I write is purely a fiction of my imagination and is not meant to harm.

        💙 Enjoy reading💙
          

               (Chapter 1)

               [Itrisha's pov]

  You would think nothing can usurp your life within a matter of weeks, tsk I kissed my teeth. How am I going to survive? When will everything get back to normal? How long will this clean water serve us?.. These are just a few of the questions I've kept asking myself for the past seven weeks and two days...

      Three months earlier...

  "We will go to war with each and every country that are not with us in this fight for our stolen oil," said the eerie voice on the television.

  How in the name of the Lord did my little caribbean island home Jamaica, find itself amongst other caribbean islands, countries and nations, in a unnecessary selfish uncalled for war with North Korea.

  Flaunting thier nuclear weapons of mass destruction to hold countries and nations under subjection, is the only real reason I see for this war and NOT thier alleged theft of thousands of redirected oil pipelines.

  The war has taken a great toll on mankind, death suffering hunger and displacement the world has became an even more violent place, with no signs of hope.

  That gousher pants dressing idiot has wanted to war and kill people even before the world ever heard of him. It's as if he saw killing, hurting and suffering as a pleasure for him and those assisting him, President Jeoung Buddhi is the worst thing to occur in a long while.

  With all the deaths since the novel Corona Virus, lost of jobs, sadness hardships stress etc etc etc this imbecile has to bring war on an already unbalanced hurting world.

  Disrupting the livelihood of human beings all over the world, This war was also meant to implicate government leaders all over the world.

  Many of them have to be submissive because they did not want President Jeoung Buddhi to launch any of his nuclear toys on thier countries, states and islands.

  It has been widely spoken of that if America sneezes, Jamaica catches a cold. America had been one of the resisting countries as usual, not willing to bow under North Korea, the impacts on the western world has been devastating up to date.

      PRESENT TIME...

  I stood at the fence of the bordered off part of the place I occupied with my nine year old daughter Lori-Hanna. Most of us has been helping out the army, by being look-outs most of the time.

   We have been hiding in this bushy part of St. Mary for a while now, this camper truck I and my daughter reside in I independently borrowed.

  When most of the wealthier residents heard of the upcoming attacks, they fled the country, leaving possessions they could not take with them.

  Some fled leaving vehicles old, new and half used, fully furnished houses, businesses large and small.

  They flee for thier lives taking thier families to countries and islands that were not affected, or was not deeply impacted by the war.

  But might as well some of them had stayed here, because news coming through the army radios were filled with grievous things taking place in some of those places.

  I had eyed the camper weeks before the attacks were launched, but could not get my hands on it.

  The chaos started and I grabbed my daughter and the little of our possessions that we had to haul along from Old Harbour.

  With crowds of people walking, some pushing wheelbarrows and others pulling carts, trolleys and makeshift pulleys with thier stuff. Very few were driving, because of the oil crisis that had begun months ago.

  Ms. Darcy was a friend of a friend whose husband is in the army, her parents were wealthy and lives in Europe or so I had heard. She is the one who owns this nice camper truck.

  She had it shipped in so she could be with her husband when he was working out of town, or away from thier rented place.

  It was mordernly designed and styled, for your every comfort in a small space. It had a double bed, a bathroom and kitchen all in the small space, not to mention great storage. It has a solar system, which is a great luxury. Very fancy and nice if you ask me.

  They were really in love, wish I could have somn like dat, maybe one day, tsk, who am I kidding after all the hurt I've been through. I'm fine without a man, not everyone will find a partner to settle down and make lasting memories with.

  The water tank was small, it holds ten gallons of water, but what did I expect on a camper truck, I'm very grateful I got it before anyone else did.

  I had just a few bottles of water with me for drinking, we hope to find the Rio Nuevo river in St.Mary, so that we could settle near to it for the time being.

   I have heard it's sheltered, surrounded by a lot of trees which would be perfect to hide us, from direct viewing from the sky. I and a lot of other families had stopped here earlier closely parking to the hills when the few air raids had begun.

   Some families made makeshift tents with tarpolines and plastics, as directed my the army officials in this area. Some stayed in the tents provided by the army, the sanitary conditions are already proving to be a huge problem.

  There are also reports of abuse and abduction, theft and rape have been rampant with or without army personnel.

  They weren't much military personnel here, most of them are on the frontlines where it is rumored that ships with foreigners and other armies are trying to dock and gain access to the island.

  Most people that live here in St. Mary has been kind enough to take in whomever they can, some were cautious while some have been forced to allow people to either live in thier homes with them or allow them to stay in thier yard.

  The entire situation was uncomfortable, depressing and frustrating for everyone at this point in time.

  Some residents gave away ground provisions they had in abundance, others were unwillingly relieved of thiers.

  It has been chaos and unpleasantness all around, fruits have been ripped from trees, riped or green. Some ole tegereg civilians vandalized the trees.

  Animals have been stolen, and butchered, the farmers were in deep danger of losing thier lives also with the cattles, they have no where to hide them.

  I hid my food, important documents and other needy necessities, under the bed where the compartment was built as a disguised storage area. It was more for style than an hidden space and it was serving it's purpose right now.

   We minimalize on our meals, to serve us because I didn't have that much food and with food shortages, no one had anything much to sell and even if they had, that would be if they decided to sell.

  I did not allow my daughter out of the camper, the toilet is built to flush and also compose. To save on water we have been pooping on papers, or gathered banana leaves. I then walked to a little deserted space behind the armies makeshift latrines digged a hole and buried it. Or if the pit latrines or unoccupied which is not often I would cast in thier.

  The tarpaulin I had planned to use to make a tent shelter, I used to cover the solar panels that were attached to the top of the camper.

  They were at risk of being stolen, I have been sparingly using my small kerosene lamp and a few candles, to keep prying eyes away.

  They more or less thinks the top was leaking since I pretended to check and tied the tarpoline tighter when it was raining.

  I used my supplies sparingly, I had bought a five gallon bottle of kerosene oil when the shortage started. The little money I had left from my savings, along with what Ms. Darcy gave me when she left to go overseas, I used it to purchased all that I could.

  Their had been a wild scrabble for food, batteries, sanitary items, toiletries, medications, amongst other things. This is the first time I've ever experienced anything like this.

  I've scavenged like most for well needed things, from the houses that were left vacated and locked up. Some of the houses had been broken into already and only some furnitures and other household items were left, some were left bare.

  I kept the camper locked up, not going any far distance from it, I stayed within a group of families here, but I don't really speak to all of them.

  Knowing some of them would be glad for the campers comfort and security that I have, but I needed it more and I'm glad I have it.

  And sympathized with those who only had tarpaulins and plastic.

  Those who had vehicles made the best use of them, by sleeping in them or packing up thier possessions in them.

   Some persons vehicles ran out of petrol and have been left on the way here. Those that make it here with petrol is worried if the amount of fuel left in their vehicle, will be able to take us to our destination near the Rio Nuevo river, Myself included.

  To say the upheaval has made everyone uncomfortable would be an understatement. The time is hot, the mosquitoes are unbearable and I have just a little water left.

  Two gallon bottles of drinking water and only five gallons leave for bathing, but we just kinda tidy slash wash up to save the water.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!! Bluckum! Blukum!!!! That's three out of a clock and two from a rifle. I squeeze the glock forty seven I had belted to my waist.

  I had taken it off a dead youth looking about seventeen or eighteen. Finding him lying in a pool of his own blood, on one of my scavenging trips.

  I nearly had an heart attack, from then on I didn't went scavenging alone again.

   Leaving my daughter locked in the camper, I ask a woman by the name of Annette to give an eye on it when I went scavenging or did look out jobs.

  She did because she sometimes slept on the small resrved bed in my campervan, with her two little girls, age seven and nine.

  The gun has let me felt a sense of security especially during the nights, when we outted the candle or lamps to conserve.

  I did not know her before embarking on this journey, we met on the way when I had stopped to fill up my water bottle from a pipe on the side of the road.

  She was struggling to fix the wheel on  a trolley she was pushing heavily laden with her things, with her two daughters standing beside her and night drawing close.
 

  I offered her and her daughters a ride.

  We had to break down her things, to pack them and the trolley inside the campervan.

  On reaching the camp, the tents that were been issued for those in need, were finished and she did not get any.

  She had a small tarpaulin which she tied up close to my van, but that was not enough of a shelter for her and her daughters.

  I gave her my other big tarpaulin, although I really did not want to part with it and I helped her to tie it up in a small tent like way, but with no beds to sleep on, only her things slept tied thier throughout that night.

  The next day she got some woods and pieces of sticks, old boards and whatever she could find to fashion into a bed to sleep on.

  Feeling glad to have some privacy, because the living space of the campervan was already too small, but after two nights due to what was happening, I invited them back to sleep in the campervan with me and my daughter.

  I couldn't live with myself if anything bad happened to her and her daughters, so we fix and tied the tarpaulins so that when night came, we just cover up thier things and tied them down.

  Thieves were rampant so we had to sleep with an eye and an ear open. I did not leave any of my things outside and we had to be looking over our shoulders at all times.

  The thieves sometimes walk in groups and they can be very aggressive, unkind and dangerous. They came and harrass people near here all the time, I implore Annette to let the girls stay quiet mainly in the campervan are under the tarpaulin at all times.

  We sometimes cook together to save on water, firewood and propane. It was sometimes stressing for me, as she didn't have anything to cook on some days and I did not want to take on her responsibilities.

  I had my daughter and I did not know what I was going to do, when my supplies were depleted.

  There were loud shouts, I lean over the fence trying to see or hear what was going on.

  I glanced towards my van to ensure it was still locked up with the children inside, I did not want to venture away leaving the children alone.

  "Itrisha! Itrisha!" Annette hurried towards me, her face wore a frightened, worried expression on it. I step away from the fence, "Annette, what's going on?" I asked.

To be continued  ...

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A/N : I would love to hear you readers take on this first chapter of the story.