Zombpocalypse

The train ride from Austin to Chicago was 28 hours.  It was not uneventful, as these train rides tend to be, or... not be? On Friday, pulling into Fort Worth we were vehemently told to remain in our seats until explicitly told we could get up.  Weird.  Then we were told there was a "situation" on the train.  Myself, in the window seat, served as lookout to my fellow travelers on the other side of the train.  I debated whether to tell them about the guy I just saw walking by with "Arson/Bomb Squad" on the back of his vest.  He didn't seem to be in a hurry, that's good right? Seriously, would I cause a panic if I yelled out "the bomb squad is here".  And why in the world are we not being told to "RUN LIKE HELL YOU MF'ers"  In these days of global connectivity, the guy in front of me with the iPad gave us the scope on what was going on in the car right behind us, literally 50 feet away.  "Suspicious" package found on Amtrak train in Fort Worth. Turned out to be an empty lunch box.  HAHAHA, all that terror for nothing, that's funny.  Oh yeah, and also, somewhere between us and Dallas a chemical freight train had derailed.  It's always something on the Amtrak.  All was fine in the end, we didn't blow up and went around the hazardous derailed freight train.  Another day on the road.

The next day as we rolled along through St Louis, Missouri, and most of Illinois, something strange hit me.  I see lots of towns, but no people walking around.  Sure people are driving their cars, but where are the children playing in the yard, or people shopping in the small town shops. It's a Saturday, and we must have rolled through 2 dozen small to mediums sized towns. I see no people.  I had only two possible explanations.  First of all Illinois is one of the cleanest states.  Compared to Texas, Arkansas and Missouri, the yards are neatly kept, the houses are nice, it's a comparatively neat and tidy state.  Maybe everyone is just so tried from keeping everything so clean, come the weekend, they just veg out in front of the TV.  Or, maybe the train has lost communication with the outside world, and the zombpocalypse is occurring.  Given my recent adventures on the train, I'm going with the later.