by Jeff Ping
Chapter 6: Month 3
We had settled into a fairly normal routine in the neighborhood enclave that we had established. By the third month, thanks to locals that just turned up at the gate looking for refuge and survivors we had located on foraging trips, the neighborhood doubled in size from 30 full-time residents to a community of about 60 residents. Pre-Zombie, the surrounding land had been primarily olive, almond, and walnut orchards. We are now planning to clear and replant a variety of fruit orchards in the outlying fields as well as several acres of wheat, rye, corn, and tomato fields.
Luckily for us the area was agricultural so there was at least a rudimentary knowledge of what to grow and how to process or preserve it. This knowledge had been augmented by a few gathering trips to a large chain bookstore. Some items will be enjoyed primarily at harvest time, while others will be canned, dried, or milled for off season or winter use. All of this will help offset the need to scavenge all of our food stuffs. Although gathering trips are now required, hopefully, in the future, only a couple of trips a year will be needed. We should become fairly self-sufficient and any foraging trips will allow us to add variety to the food we could produce ourselves as well as other required or desired items such as clothing and tools.
Due to the decreased demand, fuel won't be a problem for several years or so, but we will have to adapt to real horse power. Power can be generated using solar, wind, and river power but the diesel generator will be used as our primary source. In order to keep our generators supplied with fuel, we have a designated diesel supply that we need to keep just for the generator. Diesel for personal consumption must be acquired by individuals on foraging trips. In an effort to get away from mob rule, we elected a mayor, whose primary job was to chair the community meetings. A Guard Captain position was also created, whose job was to organize and train the defense militia. After several disputes were resolved by dueling, we decided to elect a panel of three judges whose job is to arbitrate disputes. All capitol crimes require a majority vote of the community before death sentence or exile can be implemented. The Mayor and Guard Captain Positions will be held as long as you continue to be re-elected, but the Judge panel is limited to one consecutive year terms.
It was a cold and foggy February morning when the first Zombie was spotted by a roving patrol guard whose name was Luther Simons. He fired at the Zombie, the first shot caused the zombie to turn slightly having been hit it in the right shoulder. The second shot dropped the Zombie. Luther noticed shapes moving in the fog. When the shapes materialized out of the fog he could see at least 50 or 60 Zombies moving in his direction. Luther fell back to the road and fumbled with his walky talky. “Guard #5 calling command, guard #5 calling command”, he screamed into the unit. “Command, #5 report” came the reply. Luther thumbed the walky talky send button and yelled once again, “Zombie attack at sector 5, at least 50 or 60, repeat, Zombie attack at sector 5, 50 to 60 Zombies!”. “Defend the fence line #5 reinforcements on the way” came the reply. At the command post, Rob cranked the alarm siren, as it wailed, he sent a message out on the open CB channel. "Zombie attack at sector 5 all personnel please respond." Rob repeated the message over the CB Channel five times. Luther returned to the fence line and started firing. Remembering his training, he tried for head shots.
Even at their shambling advance rate the Zombies were at the fence before Luther had killed more than five or six. He continued to fire into the mass of Zombies. Although the Zombies made no attempt at climbing the fence, the strain applied to the fence by the mass of bodies pressing against it made it obvious the fence would soon fail. Suddenly, Luther was aware of additional personnel firing into the mob of Zombies. He paused to look around and saw that he had been joined by eight or nine neighbors. Suddenly, the fence started to buckle under the strain of Zombies pressing against it. The Zombies had breached the fence at two points in a 30 or 40 foot area. Off to his left Luther saw a neighbor get swarmed by Zombies. The man was screaming as the Zombies fell upon him biting and scratching. By now at least ten more neighbors had joined the fight. Automatic weapon fire as well as shotgun fire could be heard. The zombies continued to push the defenders back. Luther could hear Ralph, the current Guard Commander, and an experienced Zombie fighter, yell for the shotguns to” take their legs out”.
More shotgun fire could be heard booming. The advance of the Zombies was slowing somewhat. The defenders had been pushed back about 20 meters and were firing from the middle of the street by now. The walking Zombies were reduced to about two dozen. By now Luther could see Ralph and his neighbor Tom, in the thick of the Zombies. Ralph was swinging two machetes and Tom was wielding a hatchet. Both of the hand to hand fighters were surrounded. Then Tom’s hatchet became wedged in a Zombie’s skull. Another Zombie latched onto Tom’s arm as he tried to wrench the hatchet free. Seeing Tom’s difficulty, Ralph struck the shoulder of the Zombie that was biting Tom’s arm. The Zombie raised his head from Tom's arm and wheeled on Ralph, who had a clear shot. Without fear of hitting Tom, Ralph swung a machete and severed the Zombies head. Men were walking among the crawling Zombies shooting them in the head. The attack had been subdued but at a cost.
Three neighbors were dead and two including Tom had been bitten and a lot of ammunition was used. The mortality rate for bites was 100% as far as anyone knew. So the ones who were bitten would have to be quarantined until they turned into Zombies, and then destroyed. No weighty decisions or judgments were required for these actions, it was automatic. They were not destroyed until they turned Zombie. Immunity had never occurred, but there was always a chance. No one wanted to kill a neighbor, better wait for them to die, when the virus ran its course. The bite victims were taken to the command center to be secured and their families would be informed. A work team was organized to pile up the Zombie bodies and burn them. A second work crew started repairing the fence and the militia members that had responded, returned to the community center for an inspection for bites or wounds. At the next neighborhood meeting Rob would be given special thanks for the hand cranked siren he had brought back from his last foraging trip. The siren had quite probably saved lives tonight. It had notified defenders much more efficiently than the old pipe bells. Although this attack had been costly to the community, the quick response of 20 defenders had held casualties to a minimum. Some members of the community had recently been resentful of running the community like a military post, and complained about the constant defense training exercises. The quick and effective response also proved the necessity and value of training and organization. After tonight, anyone that still disputed the need for defense training should be encouraged to move on and leave the safety of the neighborhood we had created. Luther, the person that initially faced the attack, had survived. But two of his friends and three other neighbors had not been as fortunate. Three people were killed in the attack, Ralph's neighbor Tom and another man was bitten and would probably die, leaving a wife and two kids without a father and the community short two more individuals. The loss of life would remind people that this wasn’t a fair or just world; it was a savage place where you need to fight for survival, and you don’t always succeed. One day hundreds or maybe thousands may show up at our fence or gate. Whether they are following some yet unknown migration pattern of their own or following a fleeing survivor. Maybe they will be following a careless forager from this community. However they get here, we will need better defenses than a cyclone fence. We need to anticipate that eventuality and be prepared. The end…………..for now.
About the author, Jeff Ping is a retired RF Engineer living in Northern California.
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