Jeffrey McElyea's Zombie Compilation

by Jeffrey McElyea

That was a stupid idea. So stupid. Yeah, let’s just not pay attention and write in this journal while waiting on the corpse to turn. This journaling almost got me killed. Good thing I heard the bubbly growling. That thing was looking right at me with its bloodshot eyes. It fell over and went for my foot. Put it down with one of the machetes. We moved the bodies to the corner. With the horde still outside, all we could do was carry and leave the bodies right outside.

  The zombies are staring off into space. We can’t leave unless we kill them or they move on. After killing them, we’d have little or no ammo left. Using guns to kill so many would attract more of them. We could use our technique to draw them to the barricades and take the spears to them. I don’t know how well that would work with so many. I hope we can wait them out. Hopefully, they’ll hear something and head in a different direction. Better yet, I hope they hear something from in the direction of the cliff. They’d go right down.

  I’m so glad they’re stupid. Maybe they know we’re here. Maybe they can smell us or our latrines. Out of all the people we could lose, it had to be the doctor. Better her than me, though. I’m tired of living like a trapped animal. I want to go outside without having to look behind my shoulder every two seconds. I’m sick of worrying if one of those freakish evil monsters is going to eat me. I’m tired of wondering if crazy people are going to kill me for what I have or eat me to satisfy their hunger.

  They might try to kill me if they believe I’m no longer useful. I wish there were only one of the three brothers. If there were only one, I’d feel much less paranoid. I’ve seen the way they look at me. They think I haven’t noticed. I want to kill them. I also want to keep my sense of humanity. I killed those six men because it was necessary. I don’t know if I should do the same with the brothers.

  Before the horde showed up, they gave me the look of murder when I was standing guard atop my main trailer. They tried to hide it, but I was fast enough to notice. I saw their true colors.

  I’m going over to Sarah’s. I’m not going to inform the others about this. Not yet. I will when I feel like they’re an immediate threat. They trust the three brothers. Therefore, there’s the possibility of them all turning on me. I hope one of the brothers dies. They’ve probably already made their plans to take over. I’m going crazy.

  6:43 p.m.

  The visits with the others went well. Those things are still out there. It’s as if they know we’re here. I won’t underestimate them. If they can take over the world, they’re obviously a hell of a threat. Humanity was probably behind this. Fighting to survive every single minute of every single day is excruciatingly stressful.

  9:14 p.m.

  If all goes as planned, I’m going to help the brothers add another wall of cement blocks. We’ll eventually build a society out of this trailer park. We’ll make and install gates and reinforced doors. The zombies couldn’t take down the defenses we have now. Humans could. Anyone still alive is either trying to survive by making alliances or being crazy.

  I believe it’s time to get rid of these zombies. Going to wait until morning. If they aren’t gone by then, we’re going to use the spear technique. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be gone when I wake up. If not, we’re getting rid of them.

  6:15 a.m. December 31st

  We did it. It was frightening, but we did it. We killed them all. The concrete wall around us got pushed over by the weight of so many pushing against it. Luckily, it didn’t give until there were only around a hundred or so left. We’ll definitely have to make the walls thicker. Now that they’re dealt with, we can make that happen.

  Arthur fell during the assault. I quickly pulled him to his feet. If I wouldn’t have turned back to help him, he would have been killed and eaten. Arthur and I are friends now. He’s very grateful. I’m sure he’ll tell his brothers about what happened. He might not, though. His brothers just ran. They had no idea he fell. I’m glad I saved him. He’s needed. There are too many bodies to burn. When we’re ready, we’ll drag the corpses away and continue to fortify our perimeter. When that’s done, we’ll make more supply runs.

  11:49 a.m.

  We decided to burn the corpses. It took a lot of siphoning to do. The smell was too much for us to bear. It was more of a pain in the ass than building the walls. The huge pile of burning corpses attracted more of those things. Everyone but Sarah and Carrie was on the job. We’re taking a break. There can only be so many of them up here in the mountains, right? I figured the more we take care of, the less we’ll have to deal with later. Going to warm up and get back to it.

  11:12 a.m. January 2nd 2030

  The year is now two thousand thirty. I feel like a champion for defeating so many of the undead. To be honest, I thought we were going to die. I really thought it was over. We finished building the extra wall surrounding our community. It’s seven feet high and three bricks thick. We haven’t finished burning all the corpses, but we’re working on it. There are so many bodies to burn. Don’t want to risk getting sick from them. Rachel said microorganisms decomposing the corpses can make a person sick.

  We busted our asses to make sure we could start supply runs tomorrow. Only vehicles and explosives could penetrate the wall.

  2:14 p.m. January 4th

  Went on more supply runs and burned more bodies. Need a new source for food. We’ve picked the retirement home and hardware store clean. We acquired more wood and kerosene. We’ll have more than enough to last until the weather gets warmer. By next winter, all we’ll need to do is keep warm. By then, the entire trailer park will be one big building full of barriers.

  If everything keeps going smoothly, this place will eventually be an impenetrable fortress. I changed the radio and clock batteries. I like knowing what time it is. I don’t want to miss a broadcast. The radio’s still playing the loops.

  8:13 a.m. January 5th

  We finished burning most of the bodies this morning. Only about a hundred or so left. I feel much better with the new wall. We’re zombie proof. I started my car today. Because of the cold, it took a minute to start. Still runs like a dream. It was a stupid idea. I wasn’t thinking. The noise attracted some undead. It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle, though. Today will consist of looking for more supplies and keeping warm.

  9:30 p.m.

  The supply runs went well. We got a lot more than I thought we would. We found a gas station between our town and the big city. The entrance is blocked. Trying to get in would be suicide. We had to kill so many to get the gas and supplies we wanted. I’ll say it again. The idea of parking the trucks in a triangular pattern is genius.

  Some crawled beneath the trucks. They couldn’t reach us before we put the ends of our spears in their heads. We fought for hours before being able to escape. The city’s population is fifty-three thousand. A ridiculous number of them were coming our way as we made our escape.

  Our primary objective is to make sure we’re ready for something like that. Not sure if we could ever be ready for something like that. Time may tell. When it warms up, we can use all the space to grow crops. We’ll be able to grow our own food. We definitely have more than enough vegetable seeds to do it. We can fish down by the river not far from here. If the zombies don’t kill off all the animals, we may be skilled enough to hunt.

  I don’t like how that horde in the outskirts of the city saw us. I’m sure they’re headed this way now. Although we’re safe within the walls at night, we can’t see too far in front of us while it’s dark. Wouldn’t want to be surprised or killed by a group of people or undead. Going to search the remaining trailers for anything of use. Not sure if we’ll be under siege. Can’t go anywhere if we’re surrounded by zombies on all sides.

  8:15 a.m. January 9th

  We were able to make some supply runs before the horde arrived. We stocked up on food and bottled water at a whole foods store. We scored bigtime on canned goods. We made five trips there and back. I’m surprised no one had already cleaned it out. We would have gotten more but were cut off b
y another horde.

  Yep. Our plans were screwed up again. If we survive this, we’ll be going back there. The smell of the store’s interior was horrible. Judging from the feces in the bathroom floor, opened packages and trash, people were once holed up in there but got overrun.

  We had to take the emergency lane to get back. The horde was so massive, it took up most of the road. The main road is full of wrecked and parked cars. So many people died trying to get to their loved ones. If they would have listened to the warnings, I’m sure there’d be so many more people left. I think the government incorrectly guessed the sad lack of common sense most people have.

  To avoid traveling on foot, we had to ram our way through a lot of vehicles. There’s no way we can survive against so many out there. Not a chance. The thousands of undead are tearing everything outside our perimeter apart. It’s like an ocean current carrying seashells.

  Not sure if they could push through the wall. Arthur, James and Andy said it should be fine as long as they don’t push against it all at once. The walls aren’t deeply buried, though. Thankfully, the majority of the horde isn’t coming straight through the community. Most of it is facing and moving through the area to the right of us. Any closer and we’d be in trouble. We have to hope they run off the cliff.

  If they were to climb atop each other while trying to reach us, they could easily get over the wall. I’m glad they can’t see us. I can’t sleep. I’m too nervous. I thought a few hundred was bad. Hell, I think one is bad. I’m going to eat these noodles and peek outside.

  10:05 a.m.

  It’s as sad as it is terrifying. All of those people dead. Soulless monsters. Experiencing this has shown me how precious life truly is. On the bright side, there aren’t as many jerks in the world anymore. I’m grateful for every second of life now. I have to look on the bright side of things. I can’t let the negative get me down or drive me crazy.

  10:19 a.m.

  The smell is awful. Imagine smelling a rotting corpse. Multiply that by a few thousand. The smell is far worse than the smelliest pile of shit in the world held up to your nose. There’s no way I’ll ever forget that smell. Not sure about what we should do. If they figure out where we are, they’ll get over the wall. We’re under siege and there’s nothing we can do about it. I’m so glad I have a lot of supplies. If need be, I suppose one of us can get in one of the vehicles and lead them away from here. That wouldn’t be much fun.

  1:20 p.m.

  We pass the time by playing poker and board games and doing whatever else we can think of. I figured I’d take the time to share my point of view on how the world is, about trusting other people and the possibility of life going back to the way it used to be. I’m glad they see it my way. We have to stick together. We’re the only people we can trust.

  None of us are okay with the idea of another person coming into our community. However, we all know we need more people. With how crazy and desperate people are, it’ll be hard to trust someone new. People won’t want to risk our lives to help us and vice versa.

  If we ever come across other people, we’ll assume they’re no good. We might even shoot them without hesitation. Better for them to be killed than us. If by chance someone somehow earns their chance to become one of us, we’ll put them through a trial. We just have to hope they didn’t come from a group trying to set us up. I’m nervous about the situation at hand.

  3:00 p.m.

  I can’t help but stare at that big crowd of zombies. One loud noise and we’re done for. I’ve come up with an idea. I’ll need a volunteer to help me, but I think it’ll work. That cliff is going to be our way out of this.

  9:15 a.m. January 14th

  The plan worked but had its drawbacks. Arthur drove me to the cliff. From there, I fired off a round and shot a flare. I had to run back, though. None of the vehicles we have are quiet enough to avoid attracting their attention.

  The journey back was the scariest experience of my life. I’m lucky to not have attracted the horde. I was so close to them. They were right next to me. Several thousands of them. I couldn’t hear anything except uncoordinated walking, growling, sputtering and moaning.

  They headed towards the cliff. I’m sure most or all of them headed that way and fell off. I wonder if this is the worst of this epidemic. It’s only getting worse. The only thing we can look forward to is seeing another day, another chance to make our lives slightly less horrible. If it were not for sheer luck, we would have been killed. If that happens again, we’re doomed.

  3:35 p.m. January 15th

  It’s not over until it’s over. We’re surrounded by more of them, a few hundred this time. Not sure if they could get over the wall. Anything can go wrong. We’ll eventually need to go out for a supply run. When that happens, we’ll have no choice but to face those things.

  I’m surprised any of us have gotten this far. I’m most surprised about how an old man with heart problems, a feeble and frightened elderly woman and a child somehow managed to survive for this long.

  8:52 p.m.

  I’m so sick of this cold weather. It isn’t going to get warmer until much later. We can’t hope to survive without scavenging. We risk it all every time we go outside the walls. There are so many things we could do wrong. So much could go wrong. Thirst, hunger, hypothermia, medical issues, the infection, getting eaten alive, being shot or stabbed.

  Lucy, Carrie, Arthur, Sarah, Boris, James and Andy aren’t nearly as concerned as I am. They’re comfortable behind these walls. I don’t know if the government or some sort of biologically engineered virus had anything to do with this. I think too much. It’s driving me insane. I sometimes find myself rocking back and forth. When I catch myself doing it, I immediately stop. I know I’m losing it. It’s the end of the world. I know I’m not going to live for much longer. It’s only a matter of time before I make that fatal mistake.

  9:17 a.m. January 18th

  Today’s my birthday. I’m surprised I’ve made it this far. I figured I’d have been shot or eaten by now. It’ll only be a matter of time before I meet my maker. It’s hard to stay positive. I hope God is watching over me. Maybe this is some sort of punishment. Maybe this is some sort of religious thing. Maybe hell became overrun. I don’t know. Maybe this was meant to happen. The chances of there being a cure for this disease or infection are slim to none. The odds are horribly stacked against every human being. It could be that God is behind all this. I’ll probably never find out.

  Needless to say, this is the worst birthday I’ve ever had. I might be the last living person on earth whose birthday is on this day. I just want this to be over. I’m ready for the suffering to be over. I don’t want to live like this anymore.

  12:30 p.m. January 23rd

  We’ll have to go for another supply run. We don’t know where we’ll go. Every place near us is empty. Every other place is dried up or too risky. The brothers and I are heading to a gas station across from the last one we went to.

  I hope those things aren’t still gathered there. The last time we went there, they were heading this way. I hope we’re successful. The plan is to lure the dead to one spot while James, Andy and Arthur sneak out on the other side. I’m going to have a field day with this spear. God, please help us.

  9:00 a.m. January 25th

  James, Arthur and Andy aren’t coming back. They betrayed us. They held us at gunpoint, took everything they could fit into three trucks and left. If I would have had a quicker draw, I might have been able to something about it. I knew I should have seen it coming. I just knew it! Those backstabbing pieces of shit! I spoke of moving to a new location. No one said anything. I suggested it was best to wait until spring. No one said anything in response to that, either.

  We have little left. We were disarmed, tied up and left for dead. It took a while for Boris to untie himself and the rest of us. They took the medical supplies, guns and ammo, food and water. We now only have the magnum, enough rounds to pop off a few shots, the remaining vehicles,
a few bottles of water and some oatmeal. We’ve gone from a chance of surviving to practically doomed.

  We can’t stay here anymore. We’re going to have to find another place. There’s a small town forty or so miles west of here. Not sure what will happen. I don’t want to die here. We’ll prepare and go. No one likes the idea of leaving everything we worked so hard for, but this place means nothing without sustenance. I wouldn’t be surprised if another group of people were to settle here later. It’s a good place to live if you have everything you need. Maybe we’ll come back to it one day.

  11:25 a.m. February 4th

  We got lucky. Very lucky. We entered the town throughout the outermost wall. We were held at gunpoint before reaching the main gate. After being checked for bites, we spoke with their three leaders. Apparently, democracy is still effective in times like these.

  I’m surprised we weren’t killed or eaten. We had to walk most of the way. The road between here and our old home was blocked by vehicles. We got here without too much of a struggle. It took five days to get here. The most frightening part about it was the limited food and water and little time to find more.

  At night, we would hide inside an SUV or van to sleep in. We wouldn’t dare move at night. Occasionally, we’d hear large groups of them rubbing against the sides of the vehicle we hid in. I pissed all over myself. For the majority of the time we traveled, we stayed on the road. When an undead came at us, we’d get on top of a vehicle and wait for it to get close enough to pierce its head.

  The leaders of this big and much more secure place are Hannah, Steve and Mark. They were very merciful. Gave us our own spot inside the grocery store to sleep. They had several generators and batteries to keep the interiors of the buildings warm. They’re fortunate enough to have grown their own crops. They have two doctors and more than enough weapons, ammunition, supplies and defenses.

  The few rules are simple. No violence, no thieving, no threats and everyone has to pull their weight. The leaders made it clear that we will be watched by armed guards for the first month. We were stripped of our belongings but were told we’d get everything back when they believed we could be trusted. I can’t say I blame them for being so cautious. They have a great thing going and aren’t about to allow anyone to screw it up.