Living With the Dead: The Bitter Seasons

by Joshua Guess

  Today started off a lot warmer than yesterday. While we suspect that once temperatures get below forty most of the time, the zombies will begin to go inert altogether, when it warms up they come back with a vengeance.

  Jack's compound has been under assault from all sides today. Estimates are that at least six thousand of them are swarming, perhaps six to eight hundred of them smarties. The cold seems to affect both types equally, though the smarties might actually figure out that clothing will help shield them at some point.

  Every person capable of holding the wall there is doing so. Anything that works as a weapon is being used. I was told that some of the defenders are actually having to fight atop piles of dead zombies (as in, finally really dead) that have built up against the wall in some of the areas with the heaviest concentrations of attackers. Will and Steve are leading strikes out into the hordes beyond the walls, mowing down and blowing up the undead when and where they can. It's terribly risky, but Courtney, who has been asked to stay out of the fight to try and coordinate help and resources, assures me that they are very safe in the armored pickups they are tearing around in.

  I don't know what I can do to help, but I will wait all day for any instructions Courtney wants to send this way. We couldn't possibly get there in time to do any good, but if we can send aid to help the wounded or additional ammunition...damn it, I wish I could do something! FUCK!

  If there were ever better proof that all survivors who want to live in peace and safety should band together and form a support network, this is it. We have to create some kind of safety net so that none of us are left without help in times of severe crisis and extreme need. If anyone out there is reading this and you are in southern Michigan and are willing to help, contact me. I will be glad to point the way.

  Otherwise, hope for them. They are holding, but living bodies need rest and sustenance. It's like fighting machines--the only way to win is for willpower to hold out over numbers.

  at 10:16 AM

  Fire, Ice, and the Science of War

  Posted by Courtney

  (Courtney, checking in.) Nonstop activity here, weapon building, supplies being run from Point A to Point B, shouting orders, words of encouragement, people hustling to their next station, the steady hum of industry becoming the dull roar of warfare. My brain is buzzing, and it feels like I've been plugged into a computer to aid with the processing of data, the solving of problems. Strikes and counter-strikes to coordinate, wounded to tend, gotta say the right words to the right people to keep morale up, feed and water the fighters, rest them, then send them out again. Reload the weapons, recharge the fighters. Time and resource management game to the Nth degree, pixels streaming past and navigating by instinct alone. I've honestly never felt a high like this before. I'm in the zone, woefully inadequate as that phrase may be at conveying the rapture and, I suspect, had I time to sufficiently contemplate it, horror, of the situation. Jack gives me a knowing, almost-smiling look from time to time, as if sharing some inside joke, and I smirk back as an automatic reply, sometimes varying it by rolling my eyes slightly, but truthfully I can only speculate as to the intended meaning of this exchange. Data in, data out. This missive is no respite, it's just another checkmark I can make on my never-ending mental to-do list, another tiny increase in the progress bar. Let everyone know we're okay, move on to next project. Ping? Pong.

  We've been burning and blasting those rotting bastards for hours or days now, but we'll soon be adding a new element to our repertoire: ice. That's right, we plan to freeze them, and though this may have limited success in the short run, when are we going to have such a wonderful chance to test these new weapons against such large numbers? Area effects deal extra damage to swarms, you know. Liquid nitrogen, dry ice, these guys have been working on this as an alternate form of food preservation, when refrigeration isn't an option, but there are these machines like sandblasters, except they fire little pellets of dry ice, being modified for maximum portability. Dry ice bombs, sadly not as effective yet as they will be soon, are filling the battlefield with a lingering fog that is so melodramatic and perfect, I can't help but laugh, despite the daunting numbers of our foes. Enough liquid nitrogen and we'd reduce our enemies to powder, but that's a bit of a fantasy as well. There are endless waves of zombies, which means endless waves of test subjects, which means as soon as one prototype fails of succeeds, adjustments can be made, and it can be immediately tested again. We've been trying to take out as many of those smart ghoulish types as we can, so they don't get the benefit of a learning curve in relation to our newer tactics, but I'm sure a few have slipped through the cracks, so to speak.

  Will and Steve are fighting together like they've trained to do it for years, or at least months. Their assaults are coordinated, fluid, and, dare I say it? beautiful to watch. Vehicles zigzagging across the battlefield, the crack of weapons fired, the thwacking impact of a pipe and the ensuing whoosh of flames, the trails of smoke...it's like some over-budget blockbuster being shot all around the compound. The two of them come back thoroughly fatigued, but EXULTANT. Their eyes gleam, they high-five and leap and cheer, and Kimiko looks worried as she hands them water and urges them to rest, but this bravado is what's powering them and so many others right now, and I'm not going to be the one that tells them to stop.

  Jack briefs them on the modifications we've made to the weaponry, shows them how to properly handle our little chemical grenades so they don't get frostbite on their hands, and the two of them are enthralled. Will has no doubt been privately longing for an opportunity for his abilities to really shine, and, I suspect, is genuinely relieved to be following orders again. Steve was running messages, tinkering in the lab, backing up the medics, and manning the wall, and running at insane speeds to fill in whatever position needed an extra bonus Steve. Once he saw Will gearing up to go outside the compound, though, he didn't hesitate even a moment to volunteer. Jack somehow knows just what to say to get the two of them fired up, which they pass on to the other warriors. Amadi smirkingly warns me that he thinks Steve and Will might both propose marriage to Jack at any second. I quip back that they'll have to beat me to it, but they're welcome to try. Amadi is an utter genius at chemistry who has been helping translate some of my half-baked plans and strategies into innovations that will actually work in a universe that operates according to the laws of physics. I say, "We need to do this," and he says, "Here's how."

  Some part of my mind is screaming at me to get everyone to safety, to pull my people off the battlefield, to keep Steve far away from such a hideously dangerous position, but I, too, am caught up in the moment. It's as though the difference in setting between a residential neighborhood and a factory has flipped some switch in all our brains. Everyone is where he or she needs to be, everyone is doing more than seems possible. The compound in Kentucky is full of people, and feels like a living entity, a child that we are nurturing and teaching so that it will grow up strong and brave and free. The compound here is full of machines, and feels like a machine. Each weapon we build is a part of that machine, and we ourselves are spinning, whirring components in this machine as well. This is the heart of it, then, the part that enraptures and terrifies me. Is that what Jack was trying to get across? A chill is doing its best to work its way through me, giving me goosebumps, but I have no time for chills. Any one of us has plenty of reason to be afraid; any one of us may die in this unprecedentedly vicious battle. But the compound will not fall. We are smarter, faster, better prepared. The ghouls can adapt to our strategies, but we adapt faster. We will prevail.

  The last time I checked outside (funny world where "getting some air" necessarily includes shooting shambling corpses from atop a wall) the smoke from various explosive devices and the fog from dissipating dry ice covered much of the battlefield in a haze so perfectly befitting a zombie movie, I had to make a concerted effort to stop laughing, lest I disturb my more stoic fellow combatants, or bungle a crucial shot. It's too cinematic. My ears keep straining, I thin
k, to hear the orchestral score triumphantly playing in the background.

  Oh, yes, one last thing. We could really use some ammunition. As we've proven over and over again today, practically anything can be a projectile weapon with the proper preparation, but a victory with fewer casualties would be so much more desirable.

  I need to go. Lisa has been pacing back and forth across the room, waiting for me to finish, though only now she tells me it's because she has a few contacts who might be able to help us out. Cryptic, but hopeful. Also, it seems she neglected to mention that Jack wanted to see me for something. (she wanted to go with the group that was testing weapons, and has been somewhat sulky since Jack told her no. Not really sure what is going on with that power dynamic, except that Jack is a bit protective and old-fashioned about women in some ways, though progressive in others...) In a moment I'll leap up in a way that is hopefully not too reminiscent of an eager puppy, and see what it is that he needs. Love to everyone back home. We're going to win this fight, but I apologize in advance for the pain our losses are likely to bring. Later, guys.

  at 1:55 PM

  Friday, October 8, 2010

  Siege Mentality

  Posted by Josh Guess

  As many of you probably noticed, I didn't post anything yesterday. This was for two reasons.

  The first is that Courtney's post was something I felt needed to be read by as many people as possible. Her rushed words perfectly relayed the madness that's going on up north right now, the incredible danger that Jack's compound is in. Her writing, to me at least, demonstrated the ingenuity of people dealing with incredible and difficult circumstances. That post acted as a shining example of why every survivor needs to come together in helping one another.

  The second reason is that I spent most of yesterday trying to organize some help for Jack's place. We sent out two teams of people in armored vehicles to help out up there. They contacted us a few hours ago to tell us that they had made it, and that Jack's compound is still under siege. We sent as much ammo as we could spare with them, and i hope it helps to make the difference.

  Initially most of us thought that it would be almost impossible to get more people up there in time to help. But the incredible efforts of Jack's people and our own have managed to hold off disaster even though more and more zombies appear to attack.

  We here at the compound have managed to get in touch with a few other groups of survivors over the last day. Many of you out there have worked very hard to make this possible, and for that my thanks will never be great enough. We have managed to coordinate some volunteers from those groups into a task force of about fifty people, all of them heading north to help in the fight.

  They are going to aid by doing hit and runs against the main body of the attacking undead. I gave them Will and Steve as contact points, since Jack and his council have seen how effective they are as field leaders and have given them joint command of operations on the ground.

  I wish we could send more than two teams of people up there, but the warm front has reached Frankfort now as well. It was in the sixties yesterday and is shaping up to do the same today, leading to an increase in the number of zombies around here. No attacks to speak of, really, at least nothing larger than a dozen at a time, but with so much more wall to patrol and defend, we have to conserve our people now as well.

  My thoughts are with everyone who is in danger right now. I hope to hear good news from the north soon, and with luck, the cold will come back soon and give us some time to hunt down the hibernating undead...

  at 8:11 AM

  Saturday, October 9, 2010

  War Heroes

  Posted by Josh Guess

  The continuous assault from the massive swarm of zombies on Jack's compound has broken. It didn't come without a cost.

  The attacks are still going on, but much smaller in scale and totally lacking any coordination. Teams on the wall are able to repel them with relative ease and minimal ground support. That's really good news, because the strike teams took a very hard beating yesterday. I hope that this is an end to large attacks, because no one knows if the people at the Michigan compound can handle another like it.

  I am going to reconstruct the strike that broke the zombie assault from the reports I have gotten from Courtney and a few others up north. It's pretty amazing.

  Last night at dusk, a very cold wind began to blow across the battlefield at Jack's place and against the wall. The zombies surrounding the place seemed agitated from the sudden cold and with what I have to assume was a last rush of desperation, they charged as one. The swarm was so large that it spread out four hundred feet from the wall on the northern side. The defenders were pressed very hard, every weapon on the wall swinging and firing at breakneck speed.

  Will and Steve were out on the field, still directing the overall hit and run strikes and leading some of them. They were operating on a very strict rotation schedule in order to always have vehicles full of fuel and ready to go, stocked up on ammo and bombs. It was Steve's turn to go out, and with Will in command to direct support and coordinate, he wasn't too worried about it.

  Steve went out with his group and did his best. They skated along the edge of the swarm, firing into it and spraying explosives. Steve certainly achieved his goal of drawing attention...

  When the truck slowed down to turn back away from the swarm, the swarm hit back. They managed to strike in a large group, and flipped it onto its side. Al Carmack, the gunner in the back of the truck, was torn to shreds in seconds. Luckily, Steve and a companion whose name I don't know were both in the cab. Well, luck is a relative term, I guess. Steve was in the passenger seat and landed hard on the armored window, then his partner landed on him, which broke several of his ribs and one of his collarbones.

  Will didn't even hesitate. Seeing a huge chunk of the swarm move against the truck, he tore out with two other units to rescue any survivors. Courtney described it in great detail (I hope she has time to relay her own version of these events on here, I can't be doing it justice) and from what she tells me, it was nearly perfect in its execution.

  Will's support vehicles laid down suppressing fire, blowing massive holes in the carpet of undead around Steve's truck. Will's truck mowed down everything in its path, his gunner clearing a space around the damaged vehicle.

  Will's two passengers were the ones to actually drag the survivors from the truck, while Will hung out his own window calmly firing at every zombie that approached the rescuers. Even with virtually no time to plan or think about it, Will still managed to create a defensible area by angling his own vehicle at about a forty five degree angle to Steve's, making a narrow wedge the he could defend alone.

  At that point, pretty much every other strike vehicle went out at once. It became clear to most of the strike teams that only a massive amount of damage would slow the assault...

  About half of them survived. Most of the casualties were gunners in the backs of the trucks. Far too many of them were the volunteers we solicited from the small groups of survivors between here and Michigan.

  I'm sorry, this is just too much. I can't write about it any more. All those people dead, and nothing I can do to help directly. I need to get some air, try to calm down.

  Back tomorrow.

  at 9:23 AM

  Sunday, October 10, 2010

  News from home

  Posted by Josh Guess

  Going to take a bit of a break from what's going on up north (mainly because the assaults have calmed down quite a lot today) to talk a bit about what is going on around here at the compound.

  In all the excitement I think I forgot to mention that the giant herd of sheep and their farmers made it here safely. I really don't recall mentioning it, so let me apologize if I am repeating old information. One thing I can be sure that I didn't mention before is that every one of those guys left literally tons of raw wool in storage. That's a resource I am very happy about...

  The recent quiet around here has led to many mee
tings of the council. We decided to take advantage of the lack of zombie attacks and have a round of comprehensive discussions about a wide variety of topics. Some of it was pretty boring, whether or not to go ahead and work on adding platforms and walkways to the wall of the new annexes and things like that. Some was of vital importance, such as whether or not to send out more groups of people to search for yet more food to see us through the winter. We have discussed everything from defense to shoe leather, and every subject had one thing in common.

  We talked and argued too much, and only came to agreement on anything about half the time. Funny how early one we were so driven by fear and worry that we seemed almost a united front in some things. I suppose having a few comforts and effective defenses does allow the average person to get a little more opinionated about some things.

  I want to say that we have come to some kind of agreement on the important stuff, but the reality of it is that all of it is important. I hate having to work on all of this without Courtney and Steve, even Will, though he isn't on the council. The frustration of reaching a major consensus without any useful method to prioritize topics or break deadlocks is something that we finally had to address.