Zomblog (33 page)

Today has been hectic, that much is true.

When we neared the outskirts of Gresham, we knew it was going to be more than a little crazy. At some point just before sunrise Snoe radioed back that we needed to halt. She informed us that the interstate was no longer viable. We were near an exit and gave her the number. Veering off, we immediately began encountering the undead.

They came from everywhere, drawn by the sound of our rumbling engines. Within minutes they were thicker than I’d ever seen. Crawling out from every shadow, they just kept coming. Snoe came up from behind in the Bradley, and that is when we drew fire from various directions. Cera probably never felt a thing. That is what I tell myself when I remember the tanker rolling to a stop. A few seconds later, it erupted in a fireball. She’d be pleased to know how many zombies she took with her.

We pushed on; bullets began ripping through the RV and that is when I yelled for everybody to get down. Up top I heard Tara and Brittany open up with the machineguns. That silenced whoever was shooting at us long enough for me to find the large warehouse building and blow through the ten-foot high fence. Snoe was last through and we circled around to check out how secure the building was.

Most of the windows were mounted up above head-level. There was a regular door at each end and roll-ups in the middle. The perimeter fence looked to be intact with the exception of where we burst through. That could be remedied by parking the RV sideways. Of course it wouldn’t be perfect, but zombies aren’t particularly bright or graceful. Logic says that enough of those things would mass up preventing anybody living from getting at it easily. We would keep a watch as a precaution.

So far it is working. The only thing we didn’t count on was how damned many of those things would mass up along the outside fence that surrounds this place. I honestly have my doubts as to whether it will hold more than a day or so. The one good bit of news is that shortly after we cleared the area and ducked inside, they—the zombies—seemed to settle down. However, the moment one of us steps outside, it sets off a chain reaction. They start to moan and hiss and mewl. They begin clawing at the cyclone fence, causing it to undulate. It takes about twenty minutes for them to settle. Then we hear the baby-cry sound. Right now, it is like being just outside the door of a hospital nursery.

We’ll wait a bit longer before leaving. A series of fairly large explosions shook the place today. They were easily within a mile of where we are. Two big, black clouds are rolling sky-wards just to the west of us.

We have been watching for an hour now as hundreds of the zombies on the outer edge that surrounds us are peeling off, wandering in the general direction of the explosions.

Now that we are actually here, we have to decide what we want. We can see a hospital. It looks pretty tore up, but it’s close and we have a seemingly clear path to retreat back.

The plan is for us to try just as first light hits in the morning. Snoe, Caren, Tara, and I will make the run in the Bradley. We will have Brittany, Jenifer, and Dominique load into the RV, move it back so we can drive out, then seal the entry again. They have been told that under no circumstances are they to climb out and engage however many zombies may gain access while letting us out.

Right now, Snoe is swapping out all the batteries in each radio. We have a diesel generator that we are using for power. It is a bit noisy, but doesn’t seem to be drawing any more attention than we already have. I’m actually a bit excited and anxious for tomorrow.

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised how insane the world is. I am on the roof of a four-story office building with Jenifer and Dominique. About a block away I can see the rear of the Bradley jutting out of what is left of a small, one-story cottage-style residence.

I’ve heard bursts of gunfire from that direction off and on for about three hours. About ten minutes ago, I heard a muffled single shot. The smoldering remains of the RV is half in and half out of that warehouse lot. I’m positive that I saw what was left of Brittany crawl out from under a rusted Pontiac Firebird. I swear if I had a gun, or my crossbow, I would have put her down.

A light rain is falling, and tonight promises to be cold. Somehow we have to find a way off this roof, but first…here’s what happened.

As planned, Snoe, Caren, Tara, and I loaded up on gear and after reminding Brittany, Jenifer, and Dominique to stay put in the RV unless a major emergency demanded: such as living raider-types, or we called for help on the radio and gave the codeword “Irony” (which would mean we weren’t taken prisoner and being forced to lure them out into a trap), we loaded into the Bradley and went after our first target: The Hospital.

We were turning onto the street that would take us to Gresham Trinity Hospital when a young boy no older than Jenifer darted out into the street right in front of us. The boy was screaming and waving his arms when bullet holes just seemed to appear all over his body.

Snoe swerved to avoid hitting him and careened off an unidentifiable convertible that had burned and sat on the rims. The Bradley blew through a wooden fence and into the front picture window dominated wall of a small house. Somehow we ended up cocked at a bad angle and couldn’t back up and out. With hundreds of those things closing in, and the ‘plink-plink’ of bullets glancing off the Bradley, we had no choice but to bail.

I’m positive somebody has been watching us since we arrived. Perhaps they wanted the Bradley. Or, maybe they wanted us. But when we climbed out, we had to scatter. This was far worse than The Dalles. There were hundreds of zombies, but it was the barrage of gunfire that was a bigger concern.

Snoe yelled for everybody to run for the hospital. That seemed the safest direction lacking both heavy zombie density and no gunfire coming from that way. I dodged between some hedges and burst out into an empty yard. I caught a flash above and to my right and felt a sting of pain on my neck from where the bullet struck a tree beside me, spraying bark and wood splinters. With no time to think, I grabbed one of the five grenades from my belt pouch, pulled the pin, tossed it and took off. I flipped up and over a fence and dove between two cars as the explosion sounded. Not waiting to look if I’d even hit my target, I scrambled up and ran.

To the left I saw Caren in a hand-to-hand fight with a mob of undead. Brittany had already tossed the rules out and her voice was frantic on the radio, asking us what was going on. About that time, Caren vanished under the mob and I heard “the scream”, Snoe is on the radio yelling at Brittany to shut-up and I’m dodging bullets and zombies.

Halfway across the parking lot, several windows in the upper levels of the hospital erupt with more gunfire. Obviously our target is occupied.

Veering away, I start warning everybody. I had two choices: a non-descript, four-story, brick office building, or try to fight my way back to the warehouse. The office building was closer.

Next thing I know, Snoe was telling Brittany to come get us. I tried to warn her off. All the gunfire would chew up the RV. Unfortunately I couldn’t get a word in.

Of course the RV got shot up trying to pull out. With no tires, it wasn’t moving. Before I could say or do anything, I heard Brittany yelling on the radio that she’s running for us. By the time I could finally talk, there was nothing. Nobody was responding.

I reached the building, but of course it was locked. With a couple hundred of those damn things right on my heels, I did the only thing I could. I shot out the nearest window and dove through. The only good fortune I had was that the building was empty. A few minutes later, I climbed up a hatch, and hauled myself onto the roof.

From my vantage point I spotted Jenifer and Dominique running through a series of backyards, climbing or jumping fences as they came to them.

That was when the big explosion came. My best guess is that something caught fire in the RV. That’s where all the grenades were.

It took some doing since neither of them had a radio, but I got the girls’ attention. They had to come from the back side of the building, but managed to break in. I climbed down and met them on the second floor. With my last rounds, I shot our way back up the stairs in a building now swarming with zombies and got us back onto the roof where we currently sit.

I have four grenades and a bottle of water. We are huddled together as night grows colder and darker. I have no idea where we’ll go from here, or how we’ll get down.

The crowd below is thinning. I’ve seen some movement in the area, mostly around the hospital. Whoever was shooting at us is currently making runs to the warehouse we initially stayed at. Not that they’ll find much. Most of our useable, scavenge- able stuff was in the RV which is now nothing more than scattered chunks of charred debris.

I’m pretty sure I saw flashlights over by where the Bradley crashed last night. Again, they won’t find much of use there.

I did give some thought to these survivors’ mindset last night while I was shivering and failing at all attempts to sleep. We rolled into town in a reinforced RV with machinegun turrets, a gas tanker, and a Bradley. They probably saw us as invaders. When we bee-lined for what looks to be
their
hospital sanctuary, perhaps they acted solely on perceived self-defense.

Anyways, we are staying out of sight as best we can. Periodically I check the crowd below. They are steadily being drawn away by the survivors in the area who are picking over our stuff.

Hopefully tomorrow we can think about getting away. I’m starving, and I know the girls are. Their stomachs are making plenty of audible protests.

* * * * *

Chapter 10

Wednesday, October 1

Jenifer, Dominique, and I are in a relatively nice two-story house at the end of a dead-end (no pun intended) street. The dead wander around in packs outside, the lone straggler is practically non-existent. We had to use two of my four grenades to get here, but at least we created enough of a diversion so that we got away from that building and to this house (which is only two-blocks away).

The girls seem relatively unphased by all this. I mean, they are sad that everybody is gone…but not shocked or surprised by it. Is this the way of the New Generation? Will death become so common-place that even when it is through violence, it is just simply accepted as “the way things are”?

We got in while it was still dark and found some canned goods in a pantry. We’re eating sparingly because we don’t have any idea how long this will be our home. Amongst the rotted food in the refrigerator we found a few bottles of water. They have a nasty aftertaste, but at least we can quench our thirst.

It is strange watching the dead wander past. Sometimes they wander up to the house, pawing at doors, slapping on windows, then drift away. There are so many. We still hear intermittent gunfire all around. It seems strange that there are potentially so many possible survivors, yet they all remain isolated from each other, preferring small groups to large ones.

I don’t think we can risk staying here much longer. While the undead remain oblivious to our presence, I’ve noticed small “squads” of survivors poking around. They are usually in groups of three, and are obviously looking for something…more likely someone…err…ones.

I don’t think Dominique or Jenifer have noticed. These squads are good at staying in the shadows and out of sight. Also, I’ve noticed they move shortly after I hear gunfire from farther away. To me, that indicates coordinated movement. That would likely mean radio communication. That leads me to wonder if they were listening in on us.

Oh well. Can’t be helped now.

I want to take this time to make one thing clear. I don’t regret leaving Irony. That place was an illusion of living. We were just as much prisoners as Sam was back in that old compound he came from. We just replaced fences with cliffs.

Sure, things went bad, but we at least tried. We went out to see what is left. I will continue to fight until the end. And I will do it out in the world where I am truly free. Just in the little time we were out here, I have some amazing memories. And, you simply can’t put into words how peaceful and beautiful the sunrise is when you witness it and realize you may be the only human being for tens or even hundreds of miles in any direction doing so.

We found Snoe yesterday and have been trying our best to keep her alive. I don’t know how she avoided being bitten in her state. She’s been shot up pretty bad. It doesn’t help that she’s been crawling on her belly for the past week. Her arms and legs are scraped raw.

We have washed her down, but to do that, we’ve had to sneak out a few times to nearby houses and rummage for alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and iodine…as well as rags that weren’t moldy. That has been quite a task since the only weapon we’ve been able to scrounge up is a pitching wedge.

Naturally, Snoe still had a Beretta 9mm and a magazine with three rounds. Of course we don’t dare use it for fear of bringing attention.

She is upstairs now. Sleeping. I don’t know if she’ll make it. She has no idea where she is and who we are.

If it weren’t for Dominique, it is likely we would have never seen Snoe. Yesterday morning, Dominique and Jenifer were going window-to-window, looking for a house that would be the easiest to raid. Since the ones on either side of us have been gutted, doors kicked in, windows broken, we decided not to even bother.

All of a sudden Dominique starts hissing to get our attention. In the side yard of the house across the street we could see somebody dragging themselves under some bushes. Apparently Dominique had seen the then stranger plunge a big knife into the temple of a zombie that had wandered over and lunged down for what it probably figured—if zombies figure—was an easy meal.