Things have changed so much in this past year it’s difficult to imagine back before things went to hell.

I suppose I was fairly happy back then. I had a career and good friends. I had a decent place to live and was making a decent amount after expenses. Life was pretty good, if a little trite at times. I was worried about silly things a lot of the time, and spent too much time inside my own head, but I was happy. I had so many interests and did so many fun things whenever I wasn’t working. I was single, but ok with that. Life was good.

Then Z-day hit.

Now, I can never be completely off my guard. Sure I feel safe and secure here in the compound, but I know that at a moment’s notice I could be called upon to clean up some wandering zeds or go save someone. You can never truly relax because you can never come close to guessing what’s around the corner.

However, it’s not all bad. I’m in much better shape than I was before z-day. I’m fairly fit and tan, and I think the newly acquired stress lines add a bit of character. I also have Molly, at least right now, and I’m still in a bit of shock about that. Who would have thought, post Z-day and all.

Anyway, today, I think, is a day to be close to the people you know and love who are still alive, so I’m not going to spend much time here. Molly is sitting here with me while I type this quick, and Ian is cooking up another delicious stew in the kitchen. We invited Molly’s whole crew over to celebrate. Sure we could mourn what happened, and we will try to remember everyone who’s fallen victim to this terrible thing, but in the end it always feels right to celebrate what you have and not concern yourself with what you think you might have lost.

Today we’ll drink a toast to the memory of the fallen, but you can rest assured we’ll have many toasts to the health of all the survivors.

Here’s to you!

- B

Be sure to check them out and get to know us better!

- B

His face was a blank slate when we found him. At first we didn’t know what to make of it. Crista, who had been standing watch, had been tracking some movement down the street (which had turned out to be a very friendly, if underfed, cat) and when she had turned back to do a general sweep, she noticed a form sitting slumped against the gate at the end of our driveway.

She called down to Ian and I, and we went out to investigate. As we approached the form didn’t move, and didn’t make a sound. We had our guns drawn but down to our side, and really, we were at a loss. We figured maybe some poor soul had fought his way here only to collapse after an encounter with some zeds. The guy was obviously still breathing, we could see that much without getting too close, and he was covered in sweat and what passes for the zed form of blood, a sort of congealed brown liquid that just oozes out of them when they suffer a major wound.

Ian tentatively said “hello” but the figure just stayed where it was, sitting, and not moving. I moved over toward one end of the gate so I could look over and get a better look, and that’s when I noticed that in his blank, emotionless face, his eyes were wide open, staring straight forward, unblinking but unfocused.

Ian, ever the consummate jackass, went and got a stick, and poked the guy in the shoulder to try to elicit a response. We didn’t get one, and were at a loss for what to do. There was no good way to easily get out without opening the gate, and opening the gate would both potentially harm the guy, and possibly let him in.

I raised my gun and pointed it directly at the guys head, and made sure to loudly click off the safety. I told Ian to go inside and grab Alec and Brian while I kept an eye on him. Ian took off quickly, and a few minutes later all three of them came sauntering back down the driveway. I lowered my gun and told Alec and Brian to open the gate just enough for Ian and I to get out, and to cover the opening in case the guy moved.

I let Ian slip out first, and once again leveled my gun at the guy’s head, intent to drop him if he so much as flinched. When Ian was safely out, he did the same, and I slipped through. We approach the guy from the front, but he still didn’t move. Ian crouched down and moved to nudge the guys extended leg. When his fingers got only a few inches away, the guy growled at us.

Ian pulled his hand back and tried to talk to the guy, but he immediately slipped right back in to staring off in to the distance.

This presented a real problem for us. Zeds are bad enough, but other humans can be even more hostile and more dangerous. They can move and fight, and though they’re easier to take down, they can inflict a lot more damage a lot more quickly without you simply being able to run away. Even though this guy didn’t seem overly hostile until we got too close, there was still a a danger.

We could leave him be until he moves on, but there’s no saying he would do so, and if he did disappear, he might come back and try to break in, or worse lead a horde right to us. Plus, if he didn’t move on, he might attract some zeds anyway.

However, no matter how much we talked to or threatened the guy, he just seemed to sit there.

Ian and I looked at each other, and Ian radioed up to Crista, telling her to look away. We slid back in through the gate, and Alec and Brian closed it and went inside. As Ian finished his short conversation with Crista, he walked a little ways up the driveway, then stopped, turned around, and looked back down at the guy at the gate.

Without a moments hesitation I raised my gun and fired, the bullet passing through the guy’s head, and carrying his brain out the other side and off in to the distance where he had been staring. I can’t be sure of course, but I imagine his last sight was of lead and his brain tissue flying off, and spreading over the abandoned school playground across the street.

I wonder, if we ever truly wage war and reclaim our home, if children will ever play there again. If they’ll know what happened there. If they’ll know what makes up part of the soil that passes underneath her feet.

I wonder who this stranger was and why he was here, and when I’m alone I curse myself for being so cold. Maybe we could have taken him in, saved him, and made him a valuable part of our crew.

You know as well as I do that it only takes one stupid mistake like that to end up as a zed. In times like these we have to redefine what it means to be a good man, because no matter how noble our intentions, the only thing that matters right now is to survive.

Whatever you do, survive!

I owe Molly a call on the radio (which we finally fixed again), so I’m signing off.

- B

Some of you may have noticed that we mention a pick-up truck fairly frequently, and may be wondering why we chose that as our vehicle of choice. Well there are some very simple reasons for this, which I will cover in this post. But when writing it up I realized that a more thorough post about vehicle choice in general might serve other survivors better than simply the reasons we choose to use a pick-up truck. So as follows, here are do’s and don’ts of vehicle choices, or Post-Zombie Apocalypse travel, both short and long distance.

When picking a vehicle for PZA (Post-Zombie Apocalypse) travel, there are four factors you need to take into consideration – noise, security, reliability, and range (or MPGs).

1. Noise - When picking a vehicle for PZA travel, you need to consider how much noise it creates. Noise attracts zeds, pure and simple. Some vehicles create significantly more noise than others. Have you ever hear a motorcycle accelerate past you on the freeway? Yes? Then you should know how much noise it creates. “So what is the quietest vehicle I can use to travel” you’re probably thinking? Your feet. Walking and running creates the least amount of noise, but obviously you get tired eventually, or you could be injured, so lets focus on vehicles that aren’t your feet. The quietest vehicle would be a good old-fashioned bicycle. As long as it’s well maintained, it can go on indefinitely, and it’s as close to silent as you can get without walking. So for the noise rating, your best vehicle is a bike.
2. Security - So what do I mean here? I definitely don’t mean an alarm system. I’m talking about how secure you will be from zeds when you’re inside the vehicle. Now, I’m willing to bet that if we have 100 readers… maybe one of you will have access to a military vehicle. Probably not. So let’s stay realistic here. We’re talking about vehicles you already own, or can find the keys for/hotwire. We’re talking civilian vehicles. Maybe a few of you are “truckers.” Great, you’ve got a virtual tank. That’s noisy as hell. Let’s not count this either. We’re talking something you can actually find on the street easily. Cars, trucks, SUV’s, vans. Well, you need a vehicle that’s sturdy, can’t have the windows smashed easily, is hard to climb over/flip, and you can defend/live from if necessary. Cars are easy to smash into. Vans have too many windows, and are too easy to flip. Most trucks are too hard to maneuver in, and damn hard to sleep in. So SUV’s win. A good SUV is hard to flip (by a person, I mean), it’s windows are either too high up to smash or reinforced, and they are big, roomy, and comfy. A police car is also a damn good choice.
3. Reliability - Ever driven a junker that breaks down every 500 miles? Then you know what I’m talking about here. You want something that needs the least amount of maintenance per miles driven. Most of you probably aren’t mechanics, so if the car dies, you wont know what you fix easily. This is a category that you can’t split up by type of vehicle. I’ll let my bias show a bit and say I’d stay away from American-made. They tend to be more prone to breaking down. Go with German, or Asian cars. Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan. Do your research. If you can see this post, you can research cars on some of the few available resources online. Make sure your vehicle is reliable.
4. Range - You want to maximize your MPGs (miles-per-gallon). Gas is not as readily available as it used to be (though it is a lot cheaper now, heh). You don’t want to be five miles from home and run out of gas with no reserve. Bikes, once again, have the most MPGs… obviously, but it’s hard to transport anything with them. Cars tend to be the next best, being smaller and lighter they get the most out of their gas, but larger vehicles tend to have larger tanks to make up for this. SUVs and vans have the worst MPGs, so trucks are your best bet for larger vehicles. If you want to maximize your MPGs, but still be able to transport things with at least some ease, go with a sedan.

Now that I’ve covered the four most important features you need to consider when picking a vehicle, lets talk about vehicles you shouldn’t pick, and of course why.

• Motorcycles - Motorcycles are just bad. They might be badass, and you might have wet dreams about zooming down the road, lopping zed heads off with your machete as you pass them by on your Ducati, but lets be realistic here. They are the loudest ground vehicle I can think of, which will attract more zeds than you can shake a stick at. They offer no protection – if you get stuck away from home you can sleep in it, and if a zed manages to get a good grip on you… unless it’s so rotted its arm falls off, you’re not going to be on the Harley for long. Yes they are easy to maneuver, and attack from, so security isn’t a huge issue, and they are in general rather reliable. But they also get shit MPGs, because they have tiny gas tanks. So all in all, they are pretty much your worst choice.
• Jeeps - Now you might be thinking “Hey Jeeps are pretty fast, they aren’t too loud, they can go off-road, not a bad vehicle. Then you need to remember… they are basically glorified dune buggys. Their shells are more or less plastic and canvas, and some don’t even have windows or roofs. So they offer virtually no protection. And they are shit on gas. So even if you are lucky enough to have access to military vehicles, please pass up the Jeep.
• Sports Cars - Ah, the sports car. Man’s answer to the mid-life crisis and penis envy. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t admire at least one model of sports car. They are pretty damn bad ass. And now that all the rich bastards are dead because they sure as hell weren’t expecting this… there are thousands of them lying around, ripe for stealing. Except they suck. Most are pretty much fiberglass, so your “healthy” zed will eventually be able to punch through it. They are so low to the ground a zed wont even have to pull to be on top of it, and they get almost as bad MPGs as motorcycles. Oh, and they are loud as hell. So basically these have all the same drawbacks as a motorcycle, except they offer a little bit more protection. Not worth looking cool I’d say. And besides, who are you going to impress, all the supermodels are zeds now, remember?
• The Big Trucks - I’m sure a few of you are thinking “Hey grab an 18-Wheeler and lets make us some zed road kill” right? Wrong. Yes, they are insanely secure. You could drive one through a building and still keep driving. And they get damn good MPGs, plus not many other people are going to be going for diesel. They are admittedly a good choice for long hauls. But for those of us who the furthest we are driving is a scouting run, bad idea. They maneuver terrible, they are really loud, and lets face it, horrible in a city (if that’s where you live). So pass by the big truck, and any other vehicle like it (tow trucks, flat-beds, etc.).
• SUVs and Vans (mini and other) - These are bad because they tend to maneuver badly and have poor MPGs, however they have decent protection, so if you simply need something to spend the night in, not the worst choice (not the best either though). They also tend to be rather unreliable.

Now that I’ve covered the crap, let’s give you some ideas for the best vehicles to look for, and of course, why.

• Sedans - Sedans are always a good choice. 2 door or 4 door, they aren’t that loud. They put a roof over your head. They aren’t that big, so you can maneuver through the parking lots of the roads. And they get good MPGs. Now, of the “good” vehicles they are still your worst choice. They are easy to break into. They are low, and can by smashed or flipped. And you still can’t transport any big equipment. But with the next one…
• Pick-Up Trucks - Ah, here is our vehicle of choice. With a (good) truck you get reliability, security, range, and you can transport that large equipment like generators, bikes, appliances, and large amounts of supplies, easily. You also get an easily defended vehicle. When you’re moving, you can have someone in the back shooting, and the windows are (usually) high enough that you can leave them down and fire from them. Plus rear window is generally small and/or paneled, so that offers some protection as well. Over all I feel this is your best vehicle option… if you need a motor. If not…
• Bicycles - I feel it’s necessary to include bicycles here for a variety of reasons. They get the best MPGs, because they don’t require gas (heh). They require the least amount of maintenance, if you take care of them. They are virtually silent. And they are the most maneuverable vehicle there is, easily weaving in and out of tight spots. They are obviously useless on supply runs, but if you’re scouting, or simply trying to get from point A to point B, they are your best option. I always keep my bike in the back of out truck too, in case we need it, or in case I need to scout while the others stay at the protection of the truck, and it’s a good backup in case you break down also. I recommend a mountain bike over a road bike, as they are more versatile. Little heavier, but you can cut through terrain you just can’t on a road bike. This is basically the most important tool you can have, PZA.

There you have it. My guide to vehicles in this survival age. Always make sure you keep it well tuned. Make sure you keep at least an extra ten gallons of fuel in the vehicle, in case of emergencies. Make sure you keep at least three days supply of food and five days supply of fresh, drinkable water in it. Enough ammo to give you a backup supply in a tight pinch. And always remember to stay versatile – you never know when you’ll be thrown a curve-ball.

Suggestions for vehicles - I recommend Toyota or Nissan pick-up trucks for reliability. Go for late 90′s/early 2000′s models. For sedans I recommend anything foreign, as long as it’s not a sports model. Try to avoid the compact cars. Nissans, Hondas, BMWs are all great and reliable. And there are tons of bike shops in Boston if you don’t already own one… feel free to acquire one I say. Go for anything that looks sturdy, is basic (less maintenance if you don’t know how to repair a bike), and has at least 15 speeds. Wouldn’t want to be going uphill and slow to a crawl because it’s too hard to pedal, would you? And I recommend a good pack if you’re going to be using a bike, you can carry more, and they generally have some handy straps to hook a weapon to for easy access, as well as water and food.

And here’s your survival tip of the day: Remember, you can’t look cool if you’re dead. Catch you later survivors.

Until then, I’m signing off.

~Ian

Oh, yes. Let’s talk about hand grenades.

There are misconceptions about the use of hand grenades when dealing with zeds. Most of the advice you read says not to use them, and this, for the most part, is very good advice to follow. Though any zeds right on top of the grenade will probably be taken out, you’ll launch little pieces of zed everywhere, and, in the end, you’ll probably only take down a couple of zeds. The rest might lose limbs, but as we know, then you just have torsos dragging themselves after you, or disembodied heads snapping at you from their spot on the ground. Strictly speaking, hand grenades are usually a horrendous idea…

… unless you need a distraction option. The trick here is that, given the choice between a human or animal target and a hand grenade, the zed will always go for the living creature. So, if you’re going to employ a hand grenade, make sure you are well away and hidden from the zeds. You might also try dressing the grenade up to look like a small animal, but this more for the amusement of the survivors than it is to get the zeds to chase after it.

In the case of our current push, I decided that we should head by back ways back to the base of operations, and chuck a grenade from there to pull any wandering zeds back to the center of the square. This is always contingent on shaking whatever zeds had caught our scent, so that they won’t draw any attention away from the distraction. I motioned Ian over and whispered my thoughts. He nodded assent and told the rest of the group. Then we began to pull out and headed back to meet up with Crista.

We found Crista much as we had left her, scouting on the roof. I told the guys to take cover, dug out a grenade, and went to join her on the roof. As I stepped up to the ledge to watch what was happening, she started to draw back and get cover. When I was certain where the grenade should be placed, and that no zeds knew where we were, I dropped back to the far edge of the roof, pulled the pin, and chucked the grenade as accurately as I could.

I’ll admit I was about 5 feet off, missing the best cluster of zeds to hit, but I took out a second, slightly smaller cluster none the less. After about 5 minutes, when the distraction had had enough time to have some effect, I crept back to the edge to see how things were going.

There’s little better than seeing a plan come off, but one of those is seeing a plan come off that involves blowing zeds to little pieces with grenades. The carnage may smell foul, but it’s actually rather pretty in its own right.

Assured that the distraction was going pretty well, I slipped back to the edge of the roof to meet up with the rest of the crew. The general plan in these sorts of situations is to wait about 30 minutes for as many zeds to amass as possible, and then head out and clean up. Wait any longer and you begin to lose some to idle distractions, so this is kind of the optimal time frame. After quietly chatting about the rest of the plan and waiting for a good time to spring, we geared up, and moved out.

I think at this point everyone was charged from how things were going, because finishing cleaning up the square was short work. It seemed almost calculated at times. There were few surprises, and we adapted quickly to them. All in all it was just a very clean little operation that left us a bit tired, but also exhilarated. With the main part of the square clean, we could now focus on the last little bit of cleanup to the west of the square, and then be done with it.

Truth be told, the rest of the clean-up went pretty easily, and there’s not much else to say about it. We swept through the last bits of the square, pulling out to our escape vehicle, and, once satisfied with our work, we headed for home. All in all, I think we were expecting that this outing would take longer than it did. Thankfully, the whole exercise went pretty flawlessly, and it’s always a good feeling to clean things up and get home in one peace.

So that wraps up my story. I hope it provides some insight you can use in your own operations.

Ian tells me he has some stories to tell here, but he was waiting for me to finish up my part. Expect to hear something from Ian soon.

Ciao,

- B

We gathered everyone up and checked all of our supplies. We’d be leaving Crista on the roof during this run, working our way back to her. This is one of the only times we ever leave any one member of the group by themselves, but with no way for the zeds to get to her on the roof, it’s still relatively safe. In these sorts of cleaning operations, we need all the strength we can get. This sweep was designed to start with the farthest inbound groups of zeds, and slowly clean our way back to Washington square. This first sweep is always the most dangerous, because you have no clean ground to work from.

In Boston, the closer you get to downtown, the larger the zed population centers become. This makes the decision of where to start when cleaning out an area pretty easy. By starting closest to downtown while we’re still fresh and focused, we’ll be more basically careful about the noise we make, and hopefully draw less attention. Also, once we finish cleaning this area up, we can then keep our eye on it during the remainder of the operation, and clean up any zeds that may wander in.

With Alec and Brian accompanying us this time, we set off on the outbound lanes of Beacon street again, and dropped down to the inbound lanes once we had passed the main concentration of zeds. The first group we ran into were 5 zeds wandering aimlessly across the tracks. We pulled our melee weapons and made quick work of the group, with Ian doubling up to grab the extra kill. We got them all before any of them could get off a moan, which we were quite thankful for.

The next group to take care of was much larger, and a bit closer in to the square itself. This group probably had between 25 and 30 zeds in it, and was pretty well spread out over the inbound lanes and T tracks. This kind of grouping requires much more care. There’s no way you can take care of them all without at least some of them having enough time to realize you’re there and start moaning. Add in the potential stumbling block of fighting zeds on top of train tracks, and you could have a pretty nasty mess on your hand fairly quickly.

You best weapon here is a clear head. You have to be methodical and deliberate. You have to be careful not to get put in a position you don’t want to be in, and never engage more targets than you know you can handle. You also don’t want to get separated from any of the other survivors your with. You have to engage groups of this size as a crew, sweeping from one side of it to the other, and never letting the zeds surround you.

We all checked out pistols, making sure they were fully loaded and the safeties were off. We try to go as long as possible without having to use firearms, so as not to draw too much attention, but sometimes you really need them. This time we only got through about 10 of the zeds before anyone had to draw.

We had made it through the first handful of zeds before any of the other ones caught on to us and started moaning. As they all turned their attention to us, we stepped up to take care of the next closest handful. It was then that Alec noticed one careening down the hill towards us, and pulled his gun to down it. He was able to pick it off with only two shots, while the rest of us were able to take care of the incoming zeds, but still, it was an unwelcome surprise so early in the game.

Having cleaned out that group, we recomposed ourselves and moved forward again toward the square itself. Some of the population at the center of the square had started moving our way, which was something we would have to change, but there were another dozen or so zeds still to take care of on this sweep, and we needed to get through those first.

This group was much more dense than the last, and we would have been risking too much to try and use melee weapons here. It just wasn’t worth the risk of being grabbed. We all pulled out our pistols, and took up positions a good deal away form the group. I have to say, I consider myself lucky to be with the group of survivors I’m with at times like that. It’s always encouraging to see each member of your team take one well-aimed shot and down a zed. Apparently we were all on our game today, and we took out this group with only a few misses between us.

Now it was time to make sure the main grouping of zeds in the center of the square stayed where we wanted them.

- B

About 3 days after we got all of this working and where in the final stages of testing it for reliability and power usage, a storm rolled in and zapped the new antenna. Luckily we had scrounged up quite a bit of extra material, and it only took us another week to fix it and get it back up again. This post marks our official return to the web, as well as the official final test of the network. Sorry it took us so long, but as you know, Survival > Internet Access, so we had to put the project on a hold for a few days in there to scout for food and whatnot. You’ll be happy to know we also found another survivor cell north of us in Watertown, and I’ll relate that story in another post soon.

As it stands, it appears that our signal is steady and strong, and we’ll be tweaking with the power flow a little bit, as it requires a little bit more juice, but all in all it seems that we were successful and looking forward to keeping the information flowing again. Good luck to all of you out there able to read this, and even more luck to those who can’t. And remember: Aim for the head.

Oh yes! Brandon will also be continuing his previous story soon, he’s written most of it down on paper in his free time and will be updating you on what happened by next week. So keep your eyes peeled.

Until then, I’m signing off.

~Ian

We left just before dawn. Whenever we go on excursions like this, we go completely on foot. It’s easier to move through and not draw a lot of attention running without a vehicle, but it does limit your escape options. With this in mind we’ve scouted the area for potentially useful vehicles should we need to make a run for it. We hold the same perspective on ow we fight on these missions. In the midst of a large group of zeds, firearms can mean the difference between walking out and getting swarmed. Most of the time though, especially when dealing with smaller groups, we stick to melee weapons. This way we can keep our profile low and run our scouts without the zeds interfering too much.

We swept down Washington Street, making our way methodically towards Washington Square. Ian was out in front, scouting for the first groups, and Alec had elected to take rear guard. That was a lesson we learned quickly. You never know what might pop out behind you. The rest of us were concetrating on moving as quietly as possible so as not to attract undue attention from any unseen swarms or stragglers. We cleared the last turn in the road before Washington Square, and Ian signaled for us to stop as he crept forward to get a better look at the situation.

He came back a short while later and let us know there were about 20 zeds milling around at the end of the street. They seemed to have congregated over either a fallen zed, or a yet to reanimate corpse. They were wandering aimlessly, seeiming disinterrested in the fallen zed/corpse, but with no other inclination or prey to draw them away from it, that’s where they would stay.

This is a tricky situation. It’s a big enough group that guns might be worth the risk, but it’s also the very beginning of our mission. If we blow this and draw too much attention to ourselves, we might lose our grip on the situation. We do have silencers, which helps to make the choice easier, but it’s still a risk. All things considered, we decided to risk having the best shots hang back and pick a few off. The rest of the group would then wind their way up to work on the remaining zeds hand to hand. Once the group was engaged in close combat, the shooters would run forward and help the rest of group pick off the last few.

Ian and I were elected to hang back and start taking shots. I was ok with this, as I tend to prefer to stay out of melee, but Ian seemed a little crestfallen. He’s always been more of the charge in and have some fun type. When the rest of the group had started their move forward, we started picking off the closer targets, drawing the attention of the rest of the group and causing them to condense a bit. We were able to drop about 6 of them before the rest of the group got close enough to engage.

Once I saw Brian take a swing with his machete, I holstered my gun, and began my move forward. I heard Ian let off another shot before he did the same. I hefted the hammer (I’ve grown quite fond of it recently) in preparation for meeting the zeds head on. The rest of the crew had managed to dispatch about 8 more zeds before we got there, so I adjusted my course slightly to crush in the head of one of the few remained standing.

Oh man, it was a satisfying crunch.

With this patch of zeds cleared, we moved to set up a base of operations for clearing out the rest of the square. In the time before “Z-Day” this had been a great little pizza shop. Now it was gutted and abandoned, but the large windows and arrangement of exits made it perfect to keep a lookout and to embark from while we cleaned out this half of the Square.

It’s a good gauge of your progress and your current situation to set up a central point to work from. This way, you can monitor the activity and how it’s being drawn. We hoped that by the time we noticed a steady migration of activity to this point, we’d have cleaned out a good bit of the Square. Then, we could break down shop here, and start moving through and cleaning out the rest of the square, always moving towards our planned exit.

We put Crista up on the roof to act as our eyes, and let Alec and Brian take duty at the windows, picking off anything that got too close for comfort. Ian and I decided to take the first swing out of the back of the building, and down Beacon St. towards the city proper. We were mostly scouting for concentrations, but were going to take out any smaller groups we ran across.

Beacon St., inbound from Washington Square, splits so that the outbound lanes run up on a hill. From here you can look down on the inbound lanes and the T tracks. The added benefits of this viewpoint, and the fact that it has traditionally been clearer, meant this was our chosen path. It wasn’t long until we were able to suss out how the concentrations on the inbound lanes and T tracks were moving. Thankfully, we only had to take out a few small groups in the process. It was nothing overly special. A few zeds caught wandering here or there, maybe chasing a squirrel or bird. Nothing to worry about. We got the the edge of the main zed concentration and hustled back to report our findings.

So far, so good, and soon it would be time to make out first push in to really reclaiming the square.

- B

After that day with Molly and Rachel coming over, and Molly spending the night here to reassure me, I think I’ve finally come to terms with the encounter with Rose. Some nights I still relive pieces of it in my dreams, but more often than not, in the morning I wake up with a renewed sense of the urgency of the situation. We have a lot to do, and every day the fight is going to get a little harder. Ian, Crista, Alec, and Brian have been nothing but supportive, and they’ve done more than their fair sure in keeping things moving along while I’ve dealt with this. I’ve got to make that up to them soon.

As if the Rose situation weren’t enough, everything we’d been doing was put on hold on Saturday. Ian and Crista were out taking a stroll around our territory and making sure all was well. When they got down to Washington Square, which we’ve kept pretty clean for a while now, they ran across something unexpected. It seems a major zed population to the south had started shifting its territory, and Washington Square was now sporting more than its fair share of zeds. Ian and Crista backed out of the area quickly and quietly, and b-lined for home.

When they got here they gathered us together so we could figure out what our course of action should be. We haven’t had to go on a major hunt in a while, and we were woefully unprepared for this one. We took care of the easy part first, spending some time planning our attack. We decided to move in from the north and then pull our way out to the west to draw any stragglers away from us. Then we moved on to the more arduous and tedious process of getting our supplies together. Unfortunately, we realized our lack of diligence in monitoring our supplies had really bitten us in the ass.

For one, it took us far longer than it should have to pull everything together. Some of our equipment was in pieces so we could maintain or enhance it. Also, our supply of non-perishable food suitable for extended trips was running a bit low, as we hadn’t taken the time to refill it recently. We gathered what we could, putting the equipment back together, and taking stock of what we didn’t have. This took us the better part of the afternoon, meaning we’d have to make a run tonight, and push our attack back to the morning. We could only hope only a few of the zeds wandered up this way.

What we were really hurting on more than anything was beef jerky and bottled water, the two main staples for our prolonged operations. The water is an obvious necessity, but beef jerky is perfect for these sorts of runs in that it’s the lightest and most nourishing food you can carry. It gives you most of what you need, if it’s a bit heavy on the sodium, and doesn’t require you to set up camp or build a fire. You can snack as you need the energy, and keep moving.

Once we’d finished gathering the supplies, Ian, Crista, and I took off to go try and find what we needed, leaving Alec and Brian to get all of our supplies loaded in to our bags.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve scouted and recorded a few locations that hadn’t been raided yet. Today’s trip, we decided, would take us in to Brighton Center, where there was a convenience store that hadn’t yet been touched. We’d avoided hitting this store so far because Brighton Center hadn’t been swept clear yet. It would mean a bit of risk, but this was the closest location that had supplies, and we didn’t have a lot of time.

We hopped in the truck and headed north, taking the most direct route. It would need to be a smash and grab operation so we could get as much as we could and then get out, with the minimal amount of zed activity. Ian would stand guard by the truck and cover us as any zeds came by, and Crista and I would run in to make quick work of the store and get everything out in to the truck.

As we pulled up outside of the store, I overshot the store a bit, slammed on the brakes, threw the truck in reverse, and swung the truck back, around, over the curb, and through the store window. We jumped out and Crista and I dove through the window and began grabbing things as quickly as possible. We’d gotten about halfway through the store before we heard the first shots from Ian’s guns. He yelled through the window to pick up the pace, as there was a small group of zeds that had started our way.

We flew through the store grabbing everything we could, and made quick work of the rest of it. Right before leaving, I dove behind the counter and cleaned out their cigarettes (there’s not time like the end of the world to start smoking, not to mention the stress relieving effects), and the rest of the valuable stuff they hide back there. We left the register. It’s unnecessary weight, and if we survive long enough that having money becomes important again, we’ll be happy just to have survived.

I dove out of the window, dumping the last armful of stuff in the back of the truck, and jumped in the driver’s seat. Crista jumped in, and Ian jumped down in to the seat, closing the door behind him. We took off quickly and wove our way back home.

We pulled in to the parking lot just a little before sundown, and started unloading the supplies. It was a good haul, and replenished a lot of the things we were lacking. Alec and Brian reported that there had been a little zed activity filtering up from Washington Square, but nothing they couldn’t handle. After we finished unloading and storing everything, and getting our gear all set for the morning, I elected to take first watch and headed to the roof.

On my way to the roof, I snagged a cigar. It’s my sort of good luck routine the night before a big fight. Ian joined me once he finished squaring his equipment away. We stood there, looking out over the streets, smoking and chatting, and mentally preparing for the next few days.

- B