Things are fairly routine in the safe zone. It wasn’t always so, but by the time we got here it was ticking along nicely.

A typical day for me is getting up around 6 , waking the kids if they’re not up, and getting them ready for school if it’s a school day. They mostly manage by themselves now, kids have to be a lot more independent these days, it could get them killed if they’re not. That’s something you learn ‘out there’ but it carried over into the zone, it had to if we wanted to get anywhere.

Michael collects any eggs the hens have layed, then feeds the animals. Leah makes us breakfast. Not because she’s the girl, she’s the youngest. Before Michael collects the eggs he checks the garden fence is secure, and ‘walks the perimeter’ as he calls it.

After a family breakfast, if it’s a school day, they collect their things and we walk to the school building. They’re there for the morning and most of the afternoon, then I collect them, and drop them off at Dan and Mandy’s, and return for my evening classes. While the kids are at school I do anything needed on or around the house, which can range from cleaning the solar panels to reinforcing the windows, pick up supplies from the warehouses, or do my ‘zone job.’

Everyone here who is able has work to do for the community. When new arrivals are processed they’re asked if they have any needed skills. Doctors, soldiers, farmers, things like that. The rest of us are given jobs most people can do. I have two jobs; I pack food for the elderly members of the group, and I help out in the community garden, planting, weeding, things like that.

Because I have ‘dependants’ I don’t get assigned gate, wall, or security duty. That was a rule that was introduced last year, and I’m thankful for it. Not that I’m afraid, but now that Andrew is gone, Leah and Michael wouldn’t have any blood family left if I died.

On none school days, the kids are with me in the garden, or at the hospital, helping look after some of the elderly and younger patients. Serving food, spending time with them. They both enjoy it, and Leah is always drawing pictures for the old people.

The school is really something. The committee that runs it has managed to get a good curriculum together. The kids learn everything they need to survive this world, but not at the expense of literacy or numeracy. They have classes on agriculture and biology, basic self defence and first aid, but their homework is to read such and such a book. It’s impressive. And they seem to appreciate it. Possibly because everything is so much more ‘hands-on’ now. You can’t be cut off from anything, nothing’s academic or abstract, it’s all here and now. If you don’t get your hands dirty and use the knowledge you have, you won’t last long.