Living With the Dead: Year One (Books 1-2, Bonus Material)
Page 40
I didn't know until this weekend just how much we needed fun. We've been so laser focused on surviving and meeting the needs for our near future that we've ignored the things that bring us joy. Music is like a fine oil that keeps the gears of my soul moving, and I had all but ignored it. Small pleasures, gathering together to forget our differences and simply have a good time as a community...maybe this is what we've been missing this whole time.
at 9:42 AM
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Rachel's Letter
Posted by Josh Guess
I know it's early, but Courtney and crew are starting back home today, so I was up anyway to get the call from them. The cleanup at Jack's compound is still ongoing, of course, but the locals reckon they have things well in hand now, and told our folks to head out if they wanted to.
With all the traffic through the corridor between our compound and theirs, I don't see it taking all that long for them to get back. Hopefully tomorrow, barring any major vehicular issues.
But something else interesting happened this morning. While I was waiting for the confirmation call from Courtney that they were heading out, I checked my email, only to discover a message from a regular reader and long time friend. When I say long time, I mean since we were kids.
Rachel lives in Kansas. You may or may not have seen her comments posted on the blog from time to time, generally being inquisitive and occasionally snarky. I have implored her many times to come here with her family, who all managed to survive the initial plague of zombies and the subsequent fall of society. She declined every time, pointing out that the apartment complex they were living in was pretty much zombie-proof all on its own (thanks to cheap campus housing, it's all cinder blocks and tiny windows). They have ample supplies and land to work when they need to up their food stores, plus a shocking lack of swarms around those parts.
Naturally, she also mentioned that the drive would be tricky at the least and possibly fatal at worst.
So she emails me last night after I went to bed to tell me that she wants to head this way. With her family, her husband...and a lot of friends.
Rachel has been trying to reach the same goal as us this whole time. She's been searching for survivors and bringing them together in small groups, pooling resources and trying to build something lasting where she is. There are more than fifty people with her now, and things have been pretty good for them until the last few weeks.
Recently, bands of marauders have been moving through her area. Not too close to where she and her people live, but the signs are there, and getting closer. Her group are short on firearms, and have stayed alive by being fast and clever, not through the constant fighting that we've had here. They simply aren't equipped to deal with a coordinated assault. So, they are looking for a haven.
I should point out that I had no idea she had managed to gather people like this. Her reasoning for not saying something is solid; she knows what horrible things I and others here have done, not all of it strictly necessary. We've killed people by the score, led preemptive strikes against our enemies, even burned marauders alive while they slept. We are friends, but her caution about this compound and the people in it is well warranted. That being said, it still hurts a little that she didn't trust me.
I totally get it, I wouldn't trust us at first glance either. I didn't say it was logical, only that it bothered me.
Anyway, yesterday's post seemed to be some kind of a sign. Rachel's dad, who in my humble opinion is probably one of the smartest people I've ever met as well as an amazing judge of character, made the point that if we would use precious materials and time to make something like a theater, we can't be that terrible. I think Rachel herself was already leaning toward trust in this matter, but I have little doubt that her father's words played a part in writing to me.
I don't want to make it sound as though these folks can't take care of themselves and need us to be their knights in shining armor. I have no doubt whatsoever that with the right weapons and experience, they could take out the marauders near them. It's simply that they do have another option beside risking their lives and safety trying to defeat an unknown number of probably enemies who have god only knows what kinds o weapons. This is the safer route for all of them. It's smart.
But.
While they are set up to leave at any time, and indeed have managed to pack away many trailers worth of grains and other foodstuffs, they are short on gas. Rachel estimates that they can make it about two hundred and fifty miles with what they have, and then will run dry. This isn't an insurmountable problem, since we have plenty in our reserves at present and are always looking for more. We could meet them if we need to, to refuel and guard their caravan all the way to Frankfort.
Which would be fine if she knew exactly where the marauding band close to her was located. With that information, escape would be fairly safe and easy.
But so far, no clue. A few of her people have gone out at night and scouted the land, but haven't yet managed to figure out what direction they are coming from, much less where a safe route around them would be.
So I think we're going have our election here as soon as Courtney and the others get back, and then I am going to Kansas. I imagine that I can get a team outfitted by then. I just hope that luck holds out for Rachel and her group until we can get there. I don't want to fight if I can help it, nor risk the life of any of my people or hers. My plan is to get in, figure out where the enemy is located, and then leave in a direction that avoids them at all costs, avoiding any swarms of zombies if possible.
It's going to be dangerous. A million things can go wrong.
Why the hell am I looking forward to it?
at 7:34 AM
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
People's Choice
Posted by Josh Guess
Will called from the road. He, Courtney, Steve and the others are in southern Ohio right now, having circumvented the metro areas. They should be home in a matter of hours, and if they make it safely, we will have our vote for leader. We haven't really decided on a title yet, so for now that's what we're using.
The nomination method has been something of a problem. See, I have always had a problem with the way elections in this country worked before the fall. Not that we have much to worry about as far as special interests and that sort of thing go. But the council has had a lot of discussions about how we should view those who actively seek power. It isn't that wanting to lead is an issue in itself, only that human history is rife with examples of how badly things can go when the power-hungry get what they want.
If you have been reading this blog from the beginning, you saw how it affected someone who didn't even want it. Made them act crazy.
Yours truly, of course.
So, in the spirit of compromise, we came up with a solution. No one from the council wanted to take the job, which is probably a good thing. We are actually thinking that it might be a good idea to forbid anyone on the council from being a candidate in the future, at least when they are actively serving in that capacity.
Sorry, the solution. We decided that anyone who wanted to run had to have thirty signatures for a nomination, and that no one could sign for more than one person. That's all in line with democracy for the most part...but the other bit is that the council interviews every candidate at length, and reserves the right to veto a person's candidacy with a 2/3 majority. We actually haven't had to use that, but since we are all about doing what is best for the group without hanging on to the old ways of doing things, it's a good control for us to avoid trouble.
There was a lot of debate about whether or not to require a nominated person to run and thus serve as leader if elected, whether they wanted to or not. This sounds sort of bad, I know, very restrictive. But the idea has some merit. Anyone who actually managed to get nominated, pass the council, and win the majority is probably someone who has a level head, good decision making skills, and thinks on their feet well. In addition, it would give that
person a lot of perspective on how difficult it is to run this place, to make the sort of choices we must face in order to survive and thrive.
And that attitude, one would hope, would persist well after a person's term of service is up. That it would spread a general sense of understanding to those a former leader encounters and talks to. In short, that each person who has done the job would act as an ambassador to all others, helping create a greater peace.
That was my hope, anyway. But in the end we voted on it and that idea failed. Maybe it will come up again sometime if this election gives us problems, but for now it's shelved.
Oh, and the last bit. Just like governors and presidents, our leader has a second in command that gets voted in with him, who will serve as leader until and ONLY until a new election can be organized and new candidates chosen. While some folks see this as unnecessary bureaucracy, it isn't something that is up for debate. We voted on it and we were unanimous, because there has to be structure, and someone to take the wheel in case of tragedy.
So that's it. I won't be going into details today about who the candidates are, as you wouldn't know most of them. And because I have been asked nicely not to give out any information about who our potential leaders are, even their names. I promise to report the results when we get them.
But I will say this: it will be interesting, any way it goes.
at 10:27 AM
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Leader of Men
Posted by Josh Guess
I'm sitting in an SUV, waiting for my wife to get finished feeding our dogs before we head out.
Just have to say, with the cold weather around here lately, there have been almost no zombies to be found. It's strange to me, that lack of shambling (and occasionally running) hunger driven corpses at the walls around the clock. I became so used to them that not hearing the moans and wails is nearly uncomfortable. I just hope no one gets complacent with the silence.
Jess is almost recovered from her wounds, and though he disagrees with her decision to leave, Evans tells her that she's fit enough to go. There wasn't a lot of argument on my part--before she lost the baby, she had to stay safe, avoid danger as much as possible...which meant that often she had to watch her loved ones take risks on her behalf and only watch as many of us were injured or killed.
We are leading a team to Kansas today. We're going to get Rachel and her people out, with no blood spilled if at all possible. I don't know how long it's going to take us to get there, but I will update if possible along the way. We're taking a mixture of hybrid cars for light maneuvering and armored vehicles for assault and carrying supplies. The large amount of fuel we're taking with us is being carried in a modified pickup truck with a five hundred gallon tank in it that Roger made for us. That, along with the backup tanks all our vehicles get when they go out should give us way more than enough for the trip.
The election results were interesting, at least to us. Roger has been elected leader, and his second in command is a woman named Judy Starks that I don't know well, other than she works making chainmail and other handcrafted goods. She wasn't one of Jess's original students, but has been trained by others that my wife taught.
Roger almost declined the job. He would have, actually, if the council hadn't given him guarantees that he would be able to continue his work and other pursuits. He's been promised an assistant who will help him sort through most of the daily work of being leader, and who will hopefully be able to give him concise summaries of major decisions that need to be made.
I think he's flattered, myself. He should be. Everyone around here respects the hell out of the guy, and he deserves to get recognition for his good work and intelligence. I wish him well, though I find it difficult to wish that job on anyone.
Ok, here comes the wife. I'll try to post as much as possible about our progress. I know that we can make it at least to southern Illinois fairly safely. We've made that trip a few times and the highway's clear. After that, though, it's an unknown until we get within thirty miles of Rachel.
Off we go.
at 12:49 PM
Friday, October 22, 2010
The Way Ahead
Posted by Josh Guess
There isn't much to talk about today. We've made it farther through Illinois than any time since the zombies destroyed society, about three hundred miles from home. We decided to stop about forty miles on the other side of interstate 57, at a rest area of all places. It has a cell signal, I guess because these little spots are designed to be self-sufficient. There's clean water, power, and some food left in the vending machines. Not to mention a bunch of abandoned cars, and we never leave home without a siphon...
Talked to Courtney this morning, who is working with my brother right now to learn about what he and I do in our posts as planners. She says that everything at home is calm, though there are some signs of zombie activity because of the warmer weather. Nothing our folks can't handle, but they will keep a close eye regardless.
Rachel and her people seem to be doing well for the time being. The marauders seem to have slacked off a bit in their raids into town. Maybe they think they've managed to find everything of value. I really, really hope that's the case, because while we're armed and ready to fight, we don't have the numbers to defeat a large force.
There are many ways we can look at and deal with the problem. Our first choice is to be as stealthy as possible and spirit her people out under cover of night. Right behind that is taking them away under a cloud of confusion and chaos. The last and least desirable option is one that I can't really discuss. It's something I have to keep under wraps. I hope it never needs to happen.
Jess and I are riding in the same vehicle on our way there. It's been a long time since we've both been healthy and together with no one else around for any length of time. We've been talking about so many things we've been through in the last eight months, and it's kind of amazing to me that our relationship is still as strong as it is.
Through the fall of society, the brief period when she was dosing me with narcotics to keep me stable to losing our child, we've been strong together. When you truly love someone, you love them for who they are, every flaw and mistake. You forgive and learn, work through what you can and tolerate what you can't. And I can't imagine anyone else putting up with my flaws. Hell, I don't know how she does it...
Going to snatch a bite to eat. I hope to make it to Kansas by late tomorrow, but from here on out the road ahead is at best a mystery. Our thoughts are focused on the task ahead, but our hearts are with you all, at home and abroad. Be safe.
at 2:08 PM
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Detoured, Again
Posted by Josh Guess
We're in Missouri, and things are not going well.
About thirty miles into across the state line from Illinois we ran into a huge swarm of zombies. The warm weather is only lasting for about six hours during the day, but it's enough to cause no end of trouble for us. We had to detour south for a long time until we found a rest area with maps. We're working on alternate routes, and alternates to those to use as needed. There is so much destruction here that only maybe one in five exits from the interstates are open, making it incredibly difficult to plan ahead.
The good news is that we haven't run into any other living people. It's not that we would normally be averse to networking among other like-minded survivors, but our goal is speed and not drawing attention. We're doing our thing here right now, siphoning gas from abandoned cars and raiding any supplies left here. I doubt that we will be getting much sleep tonight, since we're behind schedule and farther away than we should be.
A lot to do. We're alive and well, and still on the way.
at 5:23 PM
Monday, October 25, 2010
At the Island of Trees
Posted by Josh Guess
We've just finished setting up base camp. We're some distance away from Rachel and her people, and today we will begin the process
of trying to map out the location(s) of the marauders around here. If we can case them properly, we'll have a good chance of getting Rachel's group out of here safely.
We're in a copse of old trees in the middle of a giant corn field, giving us a level view around us. We decided that visibility was key since the warm weather the last few days means that there is a higher chance of zombie attack. I talked to Courtney a while ago, and the nights at the compound have been increasingly warm since we left. Our scout teams have been working overtime to break up the gathering swarms of zombies before they can begin to beat at our walls.
It's weird how when I was stuck at home, I felt guilty at letting others go out and do the fighting. Now that I'm out and about a few states away, I feel guilty for not being there, as if I have abandoned them. I mean, between Patrick and his volunteers leaving out this morning for another run to the factory, us out here trying to bring in Rachel's group, trade resuming with Jack's compound up north, and the continued scout missions we send looking farther and deeper for supplies, it seems like the compound is empty.