Jeffrey McElyea's Zombie Compilation

by Jeffrey McElyea

  Roster:

  Sarah- Nineteen years old. Skills- nursing

  Carrie- Nine or ten years old. Skills- N/A

  Boris- Sixty-eight years old. Skills- mechanic

  Lucy AKA “Nan”- Sixty-seven years old (guessing). Skills- gardening, sewing, nursing

  Chris- Thirty years old. Skills- N/A

  Rachel- Thirty-two years old. Skills- medicine

  James- Twenty years old. Skills- construction

  Arthur- Twenty-two years old. Skills- construction

  Andy- Twenty-four years old. Skills- construction

  I think I can trust Sarah, Carrie, Boris, Lucy and Rachel. To an extent, I feel like the three construction workers can be trusted. If they could, they’d kill me for my supplies. They all know I never keep my backs to them. No one likes Chris. According to what I’ve heard, he’s mean to Rachel.

  We’ve done well with securing our community. We’ll always need more food. I’d like to stockpile some. If I don’t go with them to get food, they’ll know I’m well stocked. I don’t ever want them to think I have a lot. I’m going to appear as desperate as I can.

  At all times, there will be at least two people atop the trailers on guard duty. Usually, it’s two of the brothers with their hunting rifles. I’m surprised one of them hasn’t shot me in the back. Maybe they’re good people just trying to survive after all. I’m going to sleep while Chris, Boris and one of the brothers do a supply run. They’ll have the other radio. If something goes wrong, I should be notified.

  9:30 p.m. December 21st

  The supply run went well. They found a few things and some food from one of the corner stores. Few people knew about it. They got enough to last everyone for a few days, a week if we ration it.

  Everything’s quiet. I’m guessing everyone’s just trying to keep warm. Glad we have the barricades. Keeping the zombies a good distance away from us is a blessing. Humans could get through it without a problem, but I like to think we’re zombie proof here. Glad those rednecks like their hunting. They’re good marksmen. They have their own cache of guns. Rachel, the three brothers and Boris are the most useful. It’s the apocalypse and four days from Christmas.

  10:45 p.m.

  I’m glad I visited Sarah. I think she’s glad I did, too. Gave her and everyone else some oatmeal and a bottle of water. Got to know her a bit better. She can be trusted. I feel bad for Boris, Lucy and Carrie. They’re too frail for this. Carrie is just a child. A child living in a world full of the undead. It’s so sad.

  11:32 p.m.

  Boris and Lucy have been melting a lot of snow for water. Water won’t be a problem as long as we have a heat source. We probably won’t be free of the snow until much later. The recon group went to a few places. The gas station I used to work at, a retirement home and an elementary school. The gas station had nothing more than cigarettes and beer in the back room. The trip to the retirement home was a big success. It was untouched by looters. Lots of medical supplies, food, water, juice and plenty of other useful items are there. More than a second trip will be needed to get everything. The elementary school was a bust. There were too many zombies. Not sure if going back there is worth it. I won’t go in there. The place could be a goldmine but it isn’t worth dying over.

  9:00 a.m. December 22nd

  I’m going to the retirement home with James and Boris. There are vehicles and lots of supplies to bring back. We’ll be making at least two trips today. I’ll finally get to see what it’s like out there.

  1:00 p.m.

  Success! Ha! Three more vehicles to add to our barricade. Lots of supplies, too. Chris is irritable from the lack of alcohol. Rachel said he was an alcoholic and heavy smoker. I haven’t tapped into the cigarettes. I’m going to bring him a few small bottles of liquor. It should calm him down for a bit. As long as he’s supplied with his fix, I won’t have to worry about him being disruptive or breaking into my home while I’m away. Sucks to have a fiend in the group. Going to have to ask Sarah and Rachel to keep a close eye on him. More people, more problems.

  3:00 p.m.

  Plans with Chris have changed. I heard Chris yelling as I was walking up the stairs of the porch. James and the other two brothers outside heard it, too. Chris went haywire on Rachel. She’s hurt. He beat her. Never met an alcoholic that didn’t cause problems or have the potential to become violent. We had to restrain him with electrical wire and bungee cords.

  When Rachel is conscious again, we’ll all vote on what to do with him. Had to duct tape his mouth shut. The yelling will only attract unwanted attention. We all knew Chris was a jerk but had no idea he would beat his girlfriend. Rachel is a kind hearted person. She doesn’t deserve that. No woman does.

  4:45 p.m.

  Rachel’s awake. We took a vote on what to do with him. Until his detox is over, he’ll be restrained. He’s a liability. I don’t want him here, but we need a doctor. If she wanted him gone, no one would hesitate to kick him out.

  It’s too cold to do anything except guard duty and trying to keep warm. Boris is sick. Thinking it’s the flu or pneumonia. Not about to help him by parting with anything from my stash. Selfish? Yes. I don’t see him being more useful than my supplies.

  Boris is good with his hands, though. Welding, fixing vehicles, building, you name it. If he doesn’t get better soon, I might just give him some medicine. I’d rather have him around than any of the three brothers. He isn’t much of a fighter, though.

  The brothers are good for fighting. Something keeps telling me they have ulterior motives. The more they do for the group, the more I’ll trust them. I’m concerned for the community. Chris is a loose cannon and Boris is sick. Lucy said Boris should be fine as long as he stays warm.

  Rachel is resting. I didn’t want to bother her. As long as we’re here, we’re free from zombie attacks. I can’t rule out any possibilities. The world is going to hell. Who am I kidding? It has gone to hell. Everyone’s probably out for others’ possessions. We’re going on another run to the retirement home.

  7:00 p.m.

  The run was successful. There were a few complications but we acquired a lot of good inventory. We brought back more medical equipment, blankets, snacks and bottled water. Destroying the snack and drink machines got us plenty of beef jerky, chips, pretzels, candy bars and soda pop. Boris still wasn’t feeling well but insisted on coming along. He slowed us down a bit, though. If we had to deal with more undead than we did, we’d have had a big problem or been killed. Spoke with everyone about his poor condition. We all agreed on him staying at the community until his condition improved. He wasn’t happy about it but understood the severity.

  3:30 a.m. December 23rd

  Finally slept for a while. Zombies lurk outside our perimeter. Before it got too dark, the few that got close enough were stabbed through the head with makeshift spears. Everyone has one. The technique to wait for them to come to the barricade and stab them from the other side is a good one. Can’t afford to shoot zombies every time we see them. We have to avoid making too much noise and save as much ammunition as possible for use against hostile humans.

  I smell horrible. I need a shower. Too cold to drench myself, though. Guess I’ll go down in my hole, keep warm up by the fire and check with the others later.

  7:26 a.m.

  Spoke with Boris. He’s getting worse. He needs to stay warm. I just figured out he normally takes some sort of heart medication. Rachel gave him some pain meds to ease his discomfort. We all fear for him. We won’t always be able to find meds for him. If he doesn’t adapt, he may die.

  It’s really cold. We’ll need more wood soon. I’d like to surround the perimeter with more concrete. It’s so cold. We can only work so much before having to retreat back to our fires. All I can do is find tree branches and leftover scraps from the unfinished house. If we ever go too long without wood, we’ll get sick and die. I have enough kerosene to last for a while, but it’s no good if I’m the only one not too cold to do anything.

>   Chris freaked out again. He has to have duct tape placed over his mouth when not eating or drinking something. His screaming and yelling attracted a small band of undead. They’re behind the northern barricade. I’m going outside to deal with them. I’m not going to do it alone. There’s more than five of them. I’m not taking any chances. So much work needs to be done, but it’s so cold out there. We need to get more wood.

  11:14 a.m.

  Gathered as much firewood as I could. Found a few snow covered stacks of wood on the other side of the trailer park. It’ll last everyone for a few nights. Added more debris to the gaps. Found more blankets and canned food in some of the trailers. Too tired to do much more. I’m sick of being cold.

  4:00 p.m.

  The cold might kill us. Everyone is freezing. Occasionally, two of us will retrieve more wood. I thought maybe the infected would be too cold in this weather to move around so freely. My hope was misplaced. It’s not too cold for them. However, they move more slowly. I bet it’s a bit easier for people who have adapted to the cold in the far north.

  No signs of other people. I guess those who are still alive have moved on or are simply trying not to freeze to death. The day Roger and I got overrun, there were so many of those things coming out of the woods. I’m sure more aren’t too far away. I like to think placing blankets over the hole in my bedroom floor make my underground sanctuary a bit easier to keep warm.

  8:13 p.m.

  During a patrol, I slipped and fell into a hole hidden by snow. Hurt my ankle. Glad James was there to assist. Fighting them without a barricade to hide behind is much more frightening.

  It’s always going to be the same thing over and over. Supply runs, trying not to die of dehydration or hunger and fighting off the undead and crazy people. That’s the way it’s going to be from now on. It’s all about survival now. The zombies are real. This is all real. I don’t know what anyone did to deserve this. This is evil we’re all dealing with. True horror.

  2:00 a.m. December 24th

  Most of the looped radio broadcasts have stopped. Are we all being abandoned? Are we really on our own? Is no help coming? I think we’ve been left to fend for ourselves. To feel that society is no more, to know everyone I used to know is likely dead… Everything’s gone. The only bit of peace I have is knowing I’m not alone.

  I can’t let my guard down. The more desperate the others become, the more prone they’ll be to doing something drastic. If they get desperate enough, they may try to steal from or kill me. They probably don’t see me as a leader. They’ve all thought of killing me. I’m sure of it. I won’t let them get me. I’d kill them all before they got the chance.

  My ankle still hurts like hell. Rachel’s a good doctor. We’re all lucky to have her. I think as long as we have a doctor, no one except Chris will do anything too stupid. I’m having so much trouble coping with all of this. I’m sure the others are, too. I think I’ll make a small speech tomorrow. I can’t appear too passive or aggressive. It has to be just right. I’m using some of the kerosene tonight. Going to stockpile firewood if and when I can. By using the heater, I’ll save a lot of energy.

  9:03 a.m.

  It’s snowing hard. I wish I could find more kerosene. When the snow melts, I’ll hit up a hardware store or something to look for more. Boris is still not doing well but Rachel says he’ll make it. I hope I don’t have to deal with more undead or unknown people for a while. It’s just too tiring and cold.

  4:32 p.m.

  I gathered sticks and wooden planks from porches. Quite a few zombies are in the area. I’m giving it up for today. This Christmas will be the worst in history. I’m going to use the last few hours of daylight to try to find presents for the others. I’m going to see if Arthur and Andy will come with me. I hope they don’t kill me or wound me and leave me for dead.

  7:15 p.m.

  We decided to make or break for the hardware store down the mountain pass. It wasn’t a good idea. There was no way we could have known. Twenty or so were in the parking lot when we arrived. After parking, we lured them to the trucks. We strategically parked to form a triangular barricade. Andy was a genius to come up with the idea.

  There were more inside. Found a few battery operated tools. Had to use the shotgun a few times. Hated using it because I know it can attract more from far away. Every time I make a loud noise, I feel like I’m signing my life away to the undead.

  Had to save Arthur. He was being stupid. Blasted a few heads off. Not going to lie. It was pretty cool. My fear of the zombies isn’t as bad as it was when this started. Knowing one slip up could mean certain death will always scare me. Found lots of batteries, water, snacks and vitamin water. The vitamin water is awesome. Chugged one of them right there.

  The most valuable items we found were kerosene heaters and kerosene. Life savers. Loaded the trucks with wood, kerosene, heaters, cement blocks, food and fluids. One of the trucks got stuck a few times. Good thing we brought cat litter for traction. I thought Arthur was done for but he sped off before getting swarmed. There were over a hundred of those things closing in when we left. The home improvement store is our new best friend. Would be great to have snow plows on the front of the trucks.

  Too many of those things are coming up the mountain pass. Of course, that’s where all the good stuff is. If it were not for the snow and cold temperatures, it wouldn’t be so bad. I bet the others think I’m obsessed with our defenses. Soon, we’ll build concrete walls. Arthur, James and Andy are the most excited about it. Everyone seems to want to go along with what the doctor says. Can’t say I blame them. She’s smart.

  Boris should recover faster now. Everyone has a better source of heat. No one’s complaining now. I got Christmas presents for everyone. Not sure if they’ll like them. Going to eat some potted meat. Not much of a meal, but it’s quick. I’ll bring everyone their gifts and liquor after I finish eating.

  12:45 a.m. Christmas Day

  It’s an apocalyptic Christmas. Never thought that’d happen. Heard a few gunshots coming from somewhere down the mountain pass. I hope I don’t have to kill any of those people, especially on Christmas. At some point, they may want to trade with or kill us. I don’t want to do either. We have good defenses, heat, shelter, guns, ammunition, food and water.

  Everyone loved the gesture I made with the liquor. Found a few cheap toys and candy in the hardware store for Carrie. It made the kid like me a lot better. Sarah gave me a kiss on the cheek. It’s Christmas. Time to live it up a little bit.

  4:37 a.m.

  I had a nice bath. Heated some water to wash myself with. I really don’t want to shave. The beard keeps my face and neck warm. I’m glad we have lots of kerosene. There’s more back at the hardware store. I’m concerned about food, but that can wait until tomorrow. I’m getting super drunk.

  2:56 p.m.

  I drank myself stupid and passed out. It was awesome until I puked. Needed to unwind. Spoke with Arthur. He wanted to do another supply run. I agreed to go with him. The sun goes down around six o’ clock during this time of year. Have to leave soon. Not looking forward to seeing zombies on Christmas.

  8:08 p.m.

  Found more wood, kerosene, snacks and water. I thought I saw a living person hiding in the back of the store. I didn’t call out. I was frightened and didn’t want to. Had to put a few down. I’m starting to feel like a tribal being, like it’s a norm to kill. It is. Killing with a spear and having a fully grown beard. I kind of like it.

  Every attempt to attack or defend myself is a matter of life and death. I hate living in fear. It’s something I’ll have to get used to.

  9:41 p.m.

  Was going to spend some time with Sarah and Carrie. Nope. The rest of Christmas Day is going to be spent being quiet and allowing the zombies to destroy every bit of Christmas spirit we have. There’s a huge horde of them surrounding the area. There could be thousands of them. I made sure light couldn’t be seen from inside the other trailers. I’m so glad they can’t see
us. Didn’t have time to warn anyone. The others won’t know about it until they hear the commotion.

  I used red paint from my spare bedroom’s closet to spell out “Horde, be quiet” in the middle of the street. They’ll see it. I’m hoping they will before they make any loud noises. Surely they know better than to be loud at any time. I hope they don’t hear us.

  12:17 a.m. December 26th

  I could only sleep for an hour. I can hear them from in here. I might stay holed up for a while. As much as I’d like to have someone bunk with me, I can’t trust any of these people or let them know how vast my supply stash is. They only helped me because they needed a safer place to stay. If I didn’t have what they needed, they’d have kept moving or tried to kill me.

  When daylight comes, I’ll check to see if the horde is still out there. I hope they run off the cliff. Going to gather more snow with the empty containers. If those things are still out there, I’ll have to be extra quiet. This new life is taking its toll on me.

  8:35 a.m.

  Boris is starting to feel better. The detoxing deadbeat isn’t doing so well.

  11:44 a.m.

  Chris is dead. Rachel’s been bitten. Chris somehow stole and took a bunch of the painkillers and overdosed. Not sure if it was intentional. According to Rachel, he became one of those monsters and bit her. I’m glad she didn’t scream. Not sure how she managed not to. I would have. We didn’t know about it until Boris went to get a checkup. She’s lucky Boris came when he did. Well, not really. She’ll be dead soon.

  When Boris went inside, he saw an undead Chris taking a big bite out of her arm before pushing him away. After Boris put Chris to rest, we asked Rachel if she wanted us to amputate the arm. She declined. I guess we’ll no longer have a doctor. Damn it!

  4:12 p.m.

  Rachel is dead. I suggested to the others that it’d be best for some of us to watch her. When she turns, I’ll be ready to take the spear to her head. Should be any minute now. Kind of hard to write when a dead person next to me is about to become one of

  4:31 p.m.