[hider=DIARY OF AMIE JANE]

[i]Day Whatever, 10:00 AM

So there's good news and bad news! Good news is, we finished cleaning out another floor! Floor 13, to be exact. We only have two to go, so I guess that's more good news. It was less of a disaster than previous floors, thank goodness, and it had a good deal of supplies in it. The farther up we go, the less the looters have, well...looted. Plus, the higher floors are penthouse suites, which means more expensive stuff. I found a stocked medicine cabinet with band-aids, hydrogen peroxide, neosporin cream, and a bottle of ibuprofen. You have NO IDEA how valuable ibuprofen is, and there was a brand-new 500-count bottle. I hope the others are adjusted to me cheering loudly to no one when this happens.

Bad news is, two more citizens left early this morning. They were nice enough to say 'goodbye and good luck,' though...a few have left in the dead of night without a word. Maybe they were too ashamed to say farewell? Either way, we're down to twelve, not including myself. But hey, I guess everyone gets their own floor now. I'm keeping my little room on Floor 8. It's simple and cozy and reminds me a little of my old room back h

Anyway, if nothing else, the supplies will last a bit longer. Maybe the rations will improve (not that they're anything to complain about right now). I guess we'll see, because we have our weekly council meeting tonight. Not an official council, just one where we decide who does what for the week. The leader has been the same man for years because he's the only one organized enough to keep things straight, and he's a kind, generous man who has done a lot to keep our spirits up. The meeting is at 10:00. Looks like I'd better be off.

Mansions someday,[/i]
[/hider]


[color=0076a3]"Amie...Jane,"[/color] Amie muttered, signing her latest journal entry in her flowing cursive signature. She sighed and forced a smile, though she wasn't all that excited. She hadn't been on scavenge duty in a while, so she'd probably go. Being out in the open made her nervous, but staying sheltered wasn't fair to the others, and she was a grown woman. She was going to do her part, fun or not, like it or not. She turned to face the door as it was opened by a tall, thin man wearing a well-worn three-piece suit. He was a gentleman, and he was going to dress the part to the very end. He nodded politely at her.

"The council meeting is in five minutes, miss."

[color=0076a3]"Thanks for the heads-up!"[/color] she responded cheerily, tossing the journal onto her bed and jogging downstairs. The ground floor had a wide lobby, which had been converted into a meeting room of sorts. A large wooden table was placed in the center, surrounded by mix-matched chairs. Most of the community, if you could call it that, was already present. All of them nodded and a few smiled as she appeared and took her seat. The remaining few appeared shortly after, and the unofficial head of the community, a short, stout, 60-something ex-accountant who somehow managed to keep his hair combed straight, took charge. He was precise, but kind, and he had dealt with very few major arguments over the years. He stood up and opened a notebook that contained the records of jobs/duties, when they were done, and who did them.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen," he said in his trademark dry, rusty voice. "I know most of you have no interest in these meetings, so as usual I will keep them as brief as possible. Duties, as organized by previous activity, are as follows:"

He clicked through the names and, as she had expected, Amie was a scavenger this week. Scavengers leave at sunup and get back at sundown five days a week. A list of priorities was assigned, and the scavengers were expected to find at least half of them. Some, like food, water/beverages, and clothing, were not so hard to find. Others, like medicine, ammunition, and a generator (the generator had been a priority for years), not so much. She was with three others, who were in charge of working together on the scavenge. They had until morning to make a plan, pack kits, and rest. Amie forced yet another smile. No use in griping about it. Someone had to do it, and this week it was her. There were no objections, and the meeting was promptly adjourned.