Okay I need to tell this. I met another survivor.
I was on my way back from Hanley when I had to turn off of the route I was using. There were zombies on the road, at least a dozen of them. I had to sneak down another road, one I wasn't very familiar with. I wasn't too worried though, because I tend not to get lost provided I know the rough direction I need to head in.
Anyway I'm walking along until I come to this little residential street. I realised that there were corpses lying around. Some of them seem to have been there a while, but strangely there weren't any flies though, meaning they must be zombie corpses. For some reason the zombies didn't attract flies. I drew closer to a couple of them and saw that they had been shot. I'm serious! Every single one had a bullet hole in its forehead, right between its eyes. I looked around, trying to see if there was any sign of who had done this, when I heard a zombie moan behind me. I turned around to deal with it, only to watch as its head snapped back before it collapsed to the ground, a loud bang permeating the air. I turned around to see where the bullet had come from and found myself face to face with a tall raven-haired woman, early-mid-forties, holding a bolt-action hunting rifle. She casually reloaded the gun, but kept it raised towards me. I put both hands up, saying that I'm not after hurting her or anything. She tilted her head, a curious expression on her face, like she didn't know what to make of me. I introduced myself, asking if she had someone safer we could talk. She finally lowered the gun, telling me to follow her.
We walked into one of the houses nearby, a red-marked house with a solid oak door. The plastic sheeting had been ripped though, as though someone had escaped after being sealed in with a zombie. The house was relatively tidy, a large bloodstain on the carpet which someone had cleaned, and soot marks on the walls from the open fireplace in the living room. She gestured me to sit and propped her gun against the wall. She said her name was Lauren, and that she was sorry if she had scared me, but I was the first living person she had seen in a week and a half. I echoed the statement, only now realising that it had felt like so much longer. I asked how she got the gun. She said it was her husband's, who was a gamesman for some of the big landowners in the nearby countryside. He used it to hunt rabbits, foxes, etc on their land. She said he had been infected, which was why they had been left behind by the army. She had woken up on the Thursday morning after the attempted evacuation to find that he had turned and was eating the dog he took hunting with him. She had grabbed the gun and killed him, burying the body in the back garden. She stopped and I could see tears in her eyes. I apologised and she shrugged it off.
She asked what I was doing out there. I told her everything, about Judi and the kids, my little adventure in town, the army's bolluxed evacuation attempt, the spread of the virus, the survivor forum, everything. She took it all in, starting at me intently the entire time. She said that her and her husband, Jeff, had never bothered with a computer, and so she had no idea what was happening. Her only concern had been staying alive. She said there was plenty of ammunition for the rifle, and that Jeff had shown her how to use it when he had taken her rabbiting. She had started killing them just to keep them away, but once she realised they only died with headshots she had been using them for target practice. I had to admit she was good.
She started the fire, offering me a cup of tea. I refused politely, saying I never drank the stuff. She lowered the blackened tea pot into the fire. I watched her, fascinated at how she had survived this long. She had been actively facing the zombies, granted she'd been doing it with a gun, while I had been too scared to venture out of my house for ten days! It might be that she was older than me, giving her more confidence, I don't know. Either way I found myself in awe.
Over the next several hours, where we just talked constantly. I can't even remember what about! I think we were both just so glad to see another human being. I realised far too late just how dark it was. There was no way I could head home, the zombies were more active and with no streetlights I didn't want to put my eyes to the test trying to find them. She invited me to stay, saying that there was a spare room, and she specifically warned me against any funny business, which I had no problem with. I reiterated that I was trying to get out of the city and find my fiancée, so funny business was not on my agenda! She seemed happy with that and made up the spare room for me, which is where I am as I write this.
I don't know what Lauren's plan is. When I leave tomorrow I have no idea if she'll come with me or stay here. And if she did come with me would she be a help or a hindrance?
Sunday 10 October 2010
Saturday 9 October 2010
3rd October
Well those survivors were right about one thing, there are no zombies in the city centre.
There's something worse instead.
I barely slept last night, disturbed by what I had seen inside the Potteries. The encounter with that zombie, which I was sure I could still hear moaning, as well as that corpse, had shaken me to the core. When I started seeing daylight through the shutters I opened them.
I had managed to find a change of clothes the night before, but I still felt wet. The last thing I needed right now was a cold, or worse flu, especially in such unfamiliar surroundings. The problem was the lack of heat. I would have started a fire, if not for the risk of disaster. The fact I was exhausted didn't help. I wrapped up as warm as I could and decided to keep myself active. I tested how well I could move in the layers I had on, rehearsing the karate kata I had seen on youtube. I had no idea how effective they would be in a fight, but now, unlike when I had learnt them in karate class all those years ago, I felt reassured by them. The kitchen knives I had sharpened and arrayed within my belt helped as well!
When I had gathered what I could from the shops within the centre, mainly winter clothing, I decided to head outside. There were several outdoor equipment stores on the main streets not far from the Potteries main entrance, except the main entrance was plate glass and locked. smashing it would undoubtedly attract zombies, and I was sure that other entrances were open. I left what I had gathered in Debenhams for when I returned. Following the route I remembered in the service corridors I emerged in the large loading bay underneath the centre. I heard it before I saw it, a loud buzzing from the main area. I looked and saw a swarm of flies surrounding the corpse of a naked young woman. She was covered in, and surrounded by, a large pool of brown blood. I was glad I hadn't eaten anything yet, although as I wasn't heaving as much as I had yesterday maybe I was getting used to seeing this kind of stuff. How morbid is that? I don't know why she was naked down here, but somehow I knew she hadn't been a zombie. Maybe I should be glad the survivor group hadn't been here. What if they had done this to her? I didn't want to get any closer so I headed for the open loading bay doors and outside.
The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. As cold as it was it sure felt good to get some sun on my face. I headed to the outdoor store and found that it had already been raided. I managed to get my hands on some proper thermal wear though, as well as a sleeping bag, a small portable camping stove, and most importantly of all, a decent compass. I dropped the stuff back at the loading bay before heading to the last place on my 'shopping' list.
Festival Park is a large retail area located about a mile, maybe less, from the city centre. Its got really big versions of high-street stores like Curry's, Boots and Mothercare, as well as the sort of shops you only see in these kinds of parks, like Toys R Us and PC World. PC World was my target. I needed spare batteries for my laptop, maybe even something more portable like an ipad, as well a batteries for my phone. I needed these things was not out of some longing feeling for the tech-savvy world that was ending around me, but because I needed to keep in touch, not just with Judi, but with the world which still existed. The UN had been discussing what to do the last time I had checked, and what remained of our own government might not have abandoned us completely. I didn't want to stray that far, but the only computer shop in the Potteries was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. The phone stores in town were the same. PC World was the only remaining option that might be viable.
The walk there was uneventful enough. There were a few zombies nearby, hiding in the shade, but I kept to the sunlight and I don't think they saw me. Unfortunately for me PC World had been looted. I don't know who would loot things at a time like this, although I suppose what I'm doing is very similar. Survival is one thing, but these people had obviously been after selling this stuff to make money. Unless things turned around pretty soon though I got the feeling that money was useless. I walked in to the dark warehouse-like building, using my torch to assess the damage. It didn't seem like a lot had been stolen, it must have been a small group of looters. I was moving towards the ipads when I noticed it. Movement. I stood still and turned off the light, relying instead on what little sunlight was coming through the smashed front entrance. I heard it before I saw it. The zombie was in the next aisle, facing away from me. I drew one of my knives.
I don't know how to describe what I was thinking at that moment. I know it would have killed me, and that it wasn't really human anymore, but I still killed this thing without a second thought. My left hand went over its shoulder and grabbed its chest, pulling it towards me. Careful to avoid its jaws I reached my right hand to the left side of its neck and plunged the knife into its flesh. It stuck for a split second before it punctured the skin with a faint popping sound. Warm liquid splashed my arms as I drew the knife across its neck, feeling the elastic pull back of the veins, as well as the resistance of the thing's windpipe. I pulled the knife from below its right ear and let the thing go. It collapsed, blood seething from its neck as it gasped its death rattle. I watched as it stopped moving, except for the odd twitch. As my breathing slowed I felt euphoric. The adrenaline rush of the kill had been exquisite. It was an addictive feeling, but once I calmed down the old, friendly sensation that existed beyond fear but before panic returned. I grabbed what I needed to and left.
When I returned to the Potteries I did my best to wash myself down. The blood had ruined the clothes I had. Fortunately it rained again in the evening, and so I just stripped down and went to the roof. It probably won't help my gradually developing cold, but the impromptu shower meant I was the cleanest I had been in days. Or my body was, my mind was far from it.
I realised that I had enjoyed that murder earlier and it scared me. I could justify it anyway I liked but the fact remained that I had killed someone, and worse I had revelled in it. I knew that this wouldn't be the first life I would take either. There was no doubt I would be forced to kill again and part of me eagerly anticipated it. Now I was never a pacifist and despite anger issues I am not generally a violent person. This turnaround scared me. What if other survivors were like this? What if we grew so addicted to taking lives we turned on each other? The image of the woman in the loading bay came back to me. I felt even more sure that the survivors here, addicted to murder, had turned on themselves. How else was one of them decapitated? The zombies I have seen don't seem capable of anything like that.
I had always held a very negative view of humanity as a whole. We have nearly destroyed our planet's ecosystem, as well as coming very close to wiping each other out a few times. But with this current crisis, what will the survivors turn into? Will we fight and kill anything in sight as our world burns? Will humanity's best and brightest get killed by those who adapt most easily to this new way of living? Will we eventually eat each other to survive, not knowing how to do anything but kill?
If my feelings after that kill are echoed by the other survivors, I feel that we may be worse than the zombies.
There's something worse instead.
I barely slept last night, disturbed by what I had seen inside the Potteries. The encounter with that zombie, which I was sure I could still hear moaning, as well as that corpse, had shaken me to the core. When I started seeing daylight through the shutters I opened them.
I had managed to find a change of clothes the night before, but I still felt wet. The last thing I needed right now was a cold, or worse flu, especially in such unfamiliar surroundings. The problem was the lack of heat. I would have started a fire, if not for the risk of disaster. The fact I was exhausted didn't help. I wrapped up as warm as I could and decided to keep myself active. I tested how well I could move in the layers I had on, rehearsing the karate kata I had seen on youtube. I had no idea how effective they would be in a fight, but now, unlike when I had learnt them in karate class all those years ago, I felt reassured by them. The kitchen knives I had sharpened and arrayed within my belt helped as well!
When I had gathered what I could from the shops within the centre, mainly winter clothing, I decided to head outside. There were several outdoor equipment stores on the main streets not far from the Potteries main entrance, except the main entrance was plate glass and locked. smashing it would undoubtedly attract zombies, and I was sure that other entrances were open. I left what I had gathered in Debenhams for when I returned. Following the route I remembered in the service corridors I emerged in the large loading bay underneath the centre. I heard it before I saw it, a loud buzzing from the main area. I looked and saw a swarm of flies surrounding the corpse of a naked young woman. She was covered in, and surrounded by, a large pool of brown blood. I was glad I hadn't eaten anything yet, although as I wasn't heaving as much as I had yesterday maybe I was getting used to seeing this kind of stuff. How morbid is that? I don't know why she was naked down here, but somehow I knew she hadn't been a zombie. Maybe I should be glad the survivor group hadn't been here. What if they had done this to her? I didn't want to get any closer so I headed for the open loading bay doors and outside.
The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. As cold as it was it sure felt good to get some sun on my face. I headed to the outdoor store and found that it had already been raided. I managed to get my hands on some proper thermal wear though, as well as a sleeping bag, a small portable camping stove, and most importantly of all, a decent compass. I dropped the stuff back at the loading bay before heading to the last place on my 'shopping' list.
Festival Park is a large retail area located about a mile, maybe less, from the city centre. Its got really big versions of high-street stores like Curry's, Boots and Mothercare, as well as the sort of shops you only see in these kinds of parks, like Toys R Us and PC World. PC World was my target. I needed spare batteries for my laptop, maybe even something more portable like an ipad, as well a batteries for my phone. I needed these things was not out of some longing feeling for the tech-savvy world that was ending around me, but because I needed to keep in touch, not just with Judi, but with the world which still existed. The UN had been discussing what to do the last time I had checked, and what remained of our own government might not have abandoned us completely. I didn't want to stray that far, but the only computer shop in the Potteries was locked up tighter than Fort Knox. The phone stores in town were the same. PC World was the only remaining option that might be viable.
The walk there was uneventful enough. There were a few zombies nearby, hiding in the shade, but I kept to the sunlight and I don't think they saw me. Unfortunately for me PC World had been looted. I don't know who would loot things at a time like this, although I suppose what I'm doing is very similar. Survival is one thing, but these people had obviously been after selling this stuff to make money. Unless things turned around pretty soon though I got the feeling that money was useless. I walked in to the dark warehouse-like building, using my torch to assess the damage. It didn't seem like a lot had been stolen, it must have been a small group of looters. I was moving towards the ipads when I noticed it. Movement. I stood still and turned off the light, relying instead on what little sunlight was coming through the smashed front entrance. I heard it before I saw it. The zombie was in the next aisle, facing away from me. I drew one of my knives.
I don't know how to describe what I was thinking at that moment. I know it would have killed me, and that it wasn't really human anymore, but I still killed this thing without a second thought. My left hand went over its shoulder and grabbed its chest, pulling it towards me. Careful to avoid its jaws I reached my right hand to the left side of its neck and plunged the knife into its flesh. It stuck for a split second before it punctured the skin with a faint popping sound. Warm liquid splashed my arms as I drew the knife across its neck, feeling the elastic pull back of the veins, as well as the resistance of the thing's windpipe. I pulled the knife from below its right ear and let the thing go. It collapsed, blood seething from its neck as it gasped its death rattle. I watched as it stopped moving, except for the odd twitch. As my breathing slowed I felt euphoric. The adrenaline rush of the kill had been exquisite. It was an addictive feeling, but once I calmed down the old, friendly sensation that existed beyond fear but before panic returned. I grabbed what I needed to and left.
When I returned to the Potteries I did my best to wash myself down. The blood had ruined the clothes I had. Fortunately it rained again in the evening, and so I just stripped down and went to the roof. It probably won't help my gradually developing cold, but the impromptu shower meant I was the cleanest I had been in days. Or my body was, my mind was far from it.
I realised that I had enjoyed that murder earlier and it scared me. I could justify it anyway I liked but the fact remained that I had killed someone, and worse I had revelled in it. I knew that this wouldn't be the first life I would take either. There was no doubt I would be forced to kill again and part of me eagerly anticipated it. Now I was never a pacifist and despite anger issues I am not generally a violent person. This turnaround scared me. What if other survivors were like this? What if we grew so addicted to taking lives we turned on each other? The image of the woman in the loading bay came back to me. I felt even more sure that the survivors here, addicted to murder, had turned on themselves. How else was one of them decapitated? The zombies I have seen don't seem capable of anything like that.
I had always held a very negative view of humanity as a whole. We have nearly destroyed our planet's ecosystem, as well as coming very close to wiping each other out a few times. But with this current crisis, what will the survivors turn into? Will we fight and kill anything in sight as our world burns? Will humanity's best and brightest get killed by those who adapt most easily to this new way of living? Will we eventually eat each other to survive, not knowing how to do anything but kill?
If my feelings after that kill are echoed by the other survivors, I feel that we may be worse than the zombies.
2nd October
Just like yesterday its been raining all day and I'm soaked wet through but I did it. I got to the Potteries in Hanley.
But I'm wishing I didn't.
For starters this city is a ghost town. The only way I know to walk to Hanley is by following the bus route, which I did. It's not the quickest way but at least I had a good field of vision. I saw loads of those zombies. They are starting to look worse. I think They might be eating each other, as they were all horribly wounded. Several times I felt myself about to throw up just by looking at them, especially the odd way that these wounds didn't seem to bother them. They are moving differently as well. Several of them were all jerky, as though they couldn't get they were having a fit. And the ones I got a close look at had sunken faces, dark eyes and gaunt jaws. Maybe they were dead after all, and this was them decomposing, but it seemed different to that, like they were starved. I hadn't seen too many of them, considering how far I walked. Somehow I managed to avoid them spotting me. I'm so clumsy that I have no idea how! I was very aware of the noise I was making, but maybe the rain was drowning me out, or their ears aren't that good after all, who knows?
I got to the Potteries and walked around, looking for a way in, or even better, someone inside to help me. All I found instead was one of the back doors left open. I entered and shut it behind me. I was in one of the service corridors that ran behind all the shops, where the deliveries arrived. I was familiar with the layout of a few of them, after using my summer job at Sportsworld as an excuse to explore them. I was worried about the fact the door was open. Had some of the survivors escaped? Were there zombies inside? I looked at the door and noticed blood on it. Bloody handprints, but from the outside. I found a bar of metal racking further down the hall and picked it up. It looked really weak, but having it in my hands, feeling the weight, did wonders for my confidence. It was a piece of racking from a clothes store, a hollow stand for one of those 'islands' that people crowded round. I had nervously explored, finding my way onto the main upper floor.
I did my best to keep as quiet as possible, still unsure of what had happened. There were more signs of something amiss, including plenty of bloody footprints. I followed them back to their source inside a small ladies clothes shop which someone had obviously tired to make romantic, and found a headless corpse. I just about managed to hold the vomit, until I saw the milky eyes of the head looking at me from across the room.. I quickly ran out, vomiting over the rail to the ground floor. After I caught my breath I turned around, to see a zombie coming at me from across the balcony. I obviously hadn't heard him over my noise, as well as the rain hammering on the roof. I didn't think anymore, I just ran and hit him with the racking. It did nothing but bend around his head. I didn't stop though and kept hitting him.
Looking back now I realise that I couldn't stop. I had had enough! It had been two whole weeks since this began, and I hadn't let out everything that was building up inside of me. I was uncontrollable, something that has happened before and got me into plenty of trouble, and might have gotten me killed, except it saved my life. Don't ask me how, but somehow I managed to throw the zombie over the railing. The sound as he hit the floor was sickening, as was the smell I realised. Not from him. He didn't smell. The other corpse did though, and the whole area stank of stale blood. The analogy disgusts me but I've cleaned them up from public toilets before so I know what they smell like - it was like a million used tampons. That exact same stale smell mixed with lots of blood.
Something had obviously happened to the survivors here, and judging by the fact that the blood on the floor was still fresh it had happened as recently as yesterday, perhaps even this morning. But these survivors had obviously prepared before whatever happened. Debenhams, the store that held most of the stuff I needed, has all but one its entrances locked. Each floor was locked off from the others. Fortunately the second floor was the open one, the one that had what I needed. I had gone inside, shutting the security grate behind me. They had obviously been staying here, using the display furniture as a living area. I discarded the bent and useless racking and seized several knives from the kitchen area, along with a sharpening rod which I slipped through my belt. Using the wind-up torch from the army I made sure the floor was clear, which it was.
I texted Judi that I was safe and that I was getting supplies. She replied that the family that owned the B'n'b were also there and that they were following the advice on the news to prepare. I'm staying at the Potteries tonight. I've looked around as much as I can, and sealed the whole building as well as I can. The only area I haven't really explored is the loading bay downstairs. It can wait until tomorrow.
I have to go, my battery is nearly dead.
But I'm wishing I didn't.
For starters this city is a ghost town. The only way I know to walk to Hanley is by following the bus route, which I did. It's not the quickest way but at least I had a good field of vision. I saw loads of those zombies. They are starting to look worse. I think They might be eating each other, as they were all horribly wounded. Several times I felt myself about to throw up just by looking at them, especially the odd way that these wounds didn't seem to bother them. They are moving differently as well. Several of them were all jerky, as though they couldn't get they were having a fit. And the ones I got a close look at had sunken faces, dark eyes and gaunt jaws. Maybe they were dead after all, and this was them decomposing, but it seemed different to that, like they were starved. I hadn't seen too many of them, considering how far I walked. Somehow I managed to avoid them spotting me. I'm so clumsy that I have no idea how! I was very aware of the noise I was making, but maybe the rain was drowning me out, or their ears aren't that good after all, who knows?
I got to the Potteries and walked around, looking for a way in, or even better, someone inside to help me. All I found instead was one of the back doors left open. I entered and shut it behind me. I was in one of the service corridors that ran behind all the shops, where the deliveries arrived. I was familiar with the layout of a few of them, after using my summer job at Sportsworld as an excuse to explore them. I was worried about the fact the door was open. Had some of the survivors escaped? Were there zombies inside? I looked at the door and noticed blood on it. Bloody handprints, but from the outside. I found a bar of metal racking further down the hall and picked it up. It looked really weak, but having it in my hands, feeling the weight, did wonders for my confidence. It was a piece of racking from a clothes store, a hollow stand for one of those 'islands' that people crowded round. I had nervously explored, finding my way onto the main upper floor.
I did my best to keep as quiet as possible, still unsure of what had happened. There were more signs of something amiss, including plenty of bloody footprints. I followed them back to their source inside a small ladies clothes shop which someone had obviously tired to make romantic, and found a headless corpse. I just about managed to hold the vomit, until I saw the milky eyes of the head looking at me from across the room.. I quickly ran out, vomiting over the rail to the ground floor. After I caught my breath I turned around, to see a zombie coming at me from across the balcony. I obviously hadn't heard him over my noise, as well as the rain hammering on the roof. I didn't think anymore, I just ran and hit him with the racking. It did nothing but bend around his head. I didn't stop though and kept hitting him.
Looking back now I realise that I couldn't stop. I had had enough! It had been two whole weeks since this began, and I hadn't let out everything that was building up inside of me. I was uncontrollable, something that has happened before and got me into plenty of trouble, and might have gotten me killed, except it saved my life. Don't ask me how, but somehow I managed to throw the zombie over the railing. The sound as he hit the floor was sickening, as was the smell I realised. Not from him. He didn't smell. The other corpse did though, and the whole area stank of stale blood. The analogy disgusts me but I've cleaned them up from public toilets before so I know what they smell like - it was like a million used tampons. That exact same stale smell mixed with lots of blood.
Something had obviously happened to the survivors here, and judging by the fact that the blood on the floor was still fresh it had happened as recently as yesterday, perhaps even this morning. But these survivors had obviously prepared before whatever happened. Debenhams, the store that held most of the stuff I needed, has all but one its entrances locked. Each floor was locked off from the others. Fortunately the second floor was the open one, the one that had what I needed. I had gone inside, shutting the security grate behind me. They had obviously been staying here, using the display furniture as a living area. I discarded the bent and useless racking and seized several knives from the kitchen area, along with a sharpening rod which I slipped through my belt. Using the wind-up torch from the army I made sure the floor was clear, which it was.
I texted Judi that I was safe and that I was getting supplies. She replied that the family that owned the B'n'b were also there and that they were following the advice on the news to prepare. I'm staying at the Potteries tonight. I've looked around as much as I can, and sealed the whole building as well as I can. The only area I haven't really explored is the loading bay downstairs. It can wait until tomorrow.
I have to go, my battery is nearly dead.
1st October
Ok this is just a short post. The power is out and I need to save my battery.
I'm guessing that if the power is out then the army aren't coming back anytime soon, meaning that anyone left in the city is on their own. That means I can't stay here. I need to get the supplies I need from the city and head to find Judi and my kids as soon as I possibly can.
A survivor group in the Potteries Shopping Centre in the city centre should be able to help. They said that there wasn't many zombies left there yesterday. And the city has several outdoor shops, where I can pick up some camping equipment. Obviously I don't want to weigh myself down too much but if those things are on the main roads then I'm straying from the beaten path, and that means camping.
I'm not sure I'm ready to face those things though. It's one thing reading about self-defence and combat, but I've never liked fighting at all. And these things actually want to kill me, making it even more dangerous. At least I know some basics in theory, but I'm not gonna look for a fight.
I'm leaving early tomorrow.
I'm guessing that if the power is out then the army aren't coming back anytime soon, meaning that anyone left in the city is on their own. That means I can't stay here. I need to get the supplies I need from the city and head to find Judi and my kids as soon as I possibly can.
A survivor group in the Potteries Shopping Centre in the city centre should be able to help. They said that there wasn't many zombies left there yesterday. And the city has several outdoor shops, where I can pick up some camping equipment. Obviously I don't want to weigh myself down too much but if those things are on the main roads then I'm straying from the beaten path, and that means camping.
I'm not sure I'm ready to face those things though. It's one thing reading about self-defence and combat, but I've never liked fighting at all. And these things actually want to kill me, making it even more dangerous. At least I know some basics in theory, but I'm not gonna look for a fight.
I'm leaving early tomorrow.
Friday 1 October 2010
Behind the Scenes:First Month
Okay so September is finished, and apart from a few delays due to real life, there have been new chapters regularly.
This has been an interesting way to write. I did have a vague plan when I started, based on my previous story (as explained in the last Behind the Scenes: http://garhdo-contagion.blogspot.com/2010/09/behind-scenes.html). But as new ideas come to my everyday I can actually incorporate them into the story straight away, providing even more potential for future chapters.
Anyway for new readers, and old ones, here is a summary of the events of September, in order to keep things fresh in your mind as we head forward into October:
Sat 18th: In the evening strange murders occur in Stoke, at my old address. The bodies are missing but the scene is covered in blood.
Sun 19th: I get extremely spooked by the murders. I see many people injured from bites, as well as the emergency services being extremely busy. The news reports on violence in the city. My partner Judi calms me down by phone.
Mon 20th: The police are baffled and believing that a drug is responsible after arresting several attackers. I encounter one of them in the park near Hanley City Centre and run after warning another man about him. Stoke town has been sealed by armed police. In the evening the army arrive and enforce a curfew.
Tue 21st: Soldiers in hazmat suits go door-to-door, asking people if they have encountered infected. The houses are then marked with either green numbers, or red biohazard symbols. Someone on my street is shot dead trying to escape. the radio says that Stoke, Longton, Fenton and Hanley, as well as surrounding areas like mine, were all under martial Law on the Prime Minister's orders. Each house is given supplies. I tell Judi but hide the truth, telling her not to worry.
Wed 22nd: The army attempt an evacuation. While in Longton Market getting processed however, a young woman turns and attacks several others. The army try to shoot her but she doesn't collapse. The shots cause the crowd to panic and flee outside, where more of the undying things are attacking the soldiers. I flee home, observing the chaos along the way. I tell Judi to take the kids and leave the city.
Thu 23rd: Several of them are outside, eating two people who I could have saved had I been awake. Looking online I find that the news has been covered up. I also find a forum of survivors around the city. Judi texted me that she was heading to a B'n'B in the country near Alton with a friend's help.
Fri 24th: I have to disable the electric meters for the other flats to prevent them beeping as it has attracted the things outside. I realised I hadn't heard from my family, probably because the news had been covered up. I decided not to worry them.
Sat 25th: I broke down the doors to the other apartments after researching how to online. I then raid them for food and begin to plan what will last and what won't. However the noise I make attracts them, preventing me from truly exploring. I write my plan of action.
Sun 26th: Judi told me that she was in the B'n'B and that my dad was helping her with money. I told her more about what was happening. I began my research to prepare for when I followed her. I advise people on the forum to share their information.
Mon 27th: I spend the day observing the things outside, including testing how they respond to noise, and recording how long before they stop banging on doors they can't get through. I begin to understand their limitations. I finally tell Judi the complete truth about this.
Tue 28th: I start researching in depth, looking up combat techniques, the right knives to cut flesh, how to find and purify water.
Wed 29th: The story breaks in the national news. People who have escaped the city provide harrowing accounts which appear in all the papers. It has spread right though the Potteries Urban Area. I tell Judi that this means help should be coming soon.
Thu 30th: I go back to the forum, where people have shared their information about the zombies, as well as warnings that the water is stagnant and the power is failing. Meanwhile the infection has spread to the neighbouring counties, the Prime Minister has resigned, and the United Nations are contemplating action.
And so that is the summary of everything so far. Due to real life interruption I won't have anymore updates over the weekend, but the new chapters we be released at once so that I can catch up to myself on time.
And I always appreciate any kind of feedback, good or bad.
This has been an interesting way to write. I did have a vague plan when I started, based on my previous story (as explained in the last Behind the Scenes: http://garhdo-contagion.blogspot.com/2010/09/behind-scenes.html). But as new ideas come to my everyday I can actually incorporate them into the story straight away, providing even more potential for future chapters.
Anyway for new readers, and old ones, here is a summary of the events of September, in order to keep things fresh in your mind as we head forward into October:
Sat 18th: In the evening strange murders occur in Stoke, at my old address. The bodies are missing but the scene is covered in blood.
Sun 19th: I get extremely spooked by the murders. I see many people injured from bites, as well as the emergency services being extremely busy. The news reports on violence in the city. My partner Judi calms me down by phone.
Mon 20th: The police are baffled and believing that a drug is responsible after arresting several attackers. I encounter one of them in the park near Hanley City Centre and run after warning another man about him. Stoke town has been sealed by armed police. In the evening the army arrive and enforce a curfew.
Tue 21st: Soldiers in hazmat suits go door-to-door, asking people if they have encountered infected. The houses are then marked with either green numbers, or red biohazard symbols. Someone on my street is shot dead trying to escape. the radio says that Stoke, Longton, Fenton and Hanley, as well as surrounding areas like mine, were all under martial Law on the Prime Minister's orders. Each house is given supplies. I tell Judi but hide the truth, telling her not to worry.
Wed 22nd: The army attempt an evacuation. While in Longton Market getting processed however, a young woman turns and attacks several others. The army try to shoot her but she doesn't collapse. The shots cause the crowd to panic and flee outside, where more of the undying things are attacking the soldiers. I flee home, observing the chaos along the way. I tell Judi to take the kids and leave the city.
Thu 23rd: Several of them are outside, eating two people who I could have saved had I been awake. Looking online I find that the news has been covered up. I also find a forum of survivors around the city. Judi texted me that she was heading to a B'n'B in the country near Alton with a friend's help.
Fri 24th: I have to disable the electric meters for the other flats to prevent them beeping as it has attracted the things outside. I realised I hadn't heard from my family, probably because the news had been covered up. I decided not to worry them.
Sat 25th: I broke down the doors to the other apartments after researching how to online. I then raid them for food and begin to plan what will last and what won't. However the noise I make attracts them, preventing me from truly exploring. I write my plan of action.
Sun 26th: Judi told me that she was in the B'n'B and that my dad was helping her with money. I told her more about what was happening. I began my research to prepare for when I followed her. I advise people on the forum to share their information.
Mon 27th: I spend the day observing the things outside, including testing how they respond to noise, and recording how long before they stop banging on doors they can't get through. I begin to understand their limitations. I finally tell Judi the complete truth about this.
Tue 28th: I start researching in depth, looking up combat techniques, the right knives to cut flesh, how to find and purify water.
Wed 29th: The story breaks in the national news. People who have escaped the city provide harrowing accounts which appear in all the papers. It has spread right though the Potteries Urban Area. I tell Judi that this means help should be coming soon.
Thu 30th: I go back to the forum, where people have shared their information about the zombies, as well as warnings that the water is stagnant and the power is failing. Meanwhile the infection has spread to the neighbouring counties, the Prime Minister has resigned, and the United Nations are contemplating action.
And so that is the summary of everything so far. Due to real life interruption I won't have anymore updates over the weekend, but the new chapters we be released at once so that I can catch up to myself on time.
And I always appreciate any kind of feedback, good or bad.
30th September
Today I went back on that forum to find that there were dozens of responses from different survivor groups, all sharing what they had seen and observed.
Not everyone agreed with my consensus that these things weren't quite dead, but we all agreed that they weren't human anymore. We all had identified that the bites seemed to be the main source of the infection, but we disagreed on just how long it took to become infected. The only people I had seen were that old woman in town, and the two who had been eaten outside, and they had all gotten back up fairly quickly, becoming those things very quickly. Whether they were dead or not they did seem to need blood, as one of the survivors had slit the throat of one, which had collapsed fairly soon afterwards. Apparently they had one main weak spot, which was their head. They ignored any other wound, but taking out their head or spinal cord stopped them dead. They could be outrun, or even outwalked for the most part, but only if you had space to do so. That meant sticking to wide open spaces, which increased the risk of them seeing you. They also seemed more uncoordinated during the day, as though they couldn't see well in bright light. One guy said that he had seen them looking as though they were in pain and dizzy. Someone had replied that it was probably because of the fact they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and they were starving. If we left it long enough, he guessed, they would die off. This idea had been largely shot down by the other users, most of whom, like myself, wanted to get out. Some couldn't just hide, being low on food and other supplies. Apparently some areas of the city had been blacked out last night as well, another sign that the things we took for granted would soon be gone. One person even warned against drinking from the taps, saying that half of the group she was with had died after getting ill from stagnant water. There was no mention of soldiers, apart from one group that had seen special forces soldiers with a helicopter a few days ago. They had captured one of the things and flown off with him. Weirdly though the guy said they had specifically hunted this one, avoiding others. Someone guessed they might be working on a cure, but if that was so, then why go after one specific thing, and not all of the others?
I checked the rest of the internet, to see if it was still in the news. It turns out that it was. Big-time. Apparently these 'zombies', as the paper was calling them, had appeared in towns in the neighbouring counties, including Warrington, Crewe and Runcorn in Cheshire, Lichfield and Tamworth in Staffordshire, Derby, Greater Nottingham, Glenfield in Leicestershire, Nuneaton in Warwickshire, Kidderminster in Worcestershire, Madeley and Telford in Shropshire, and even the major West Midlands cities of Coventry, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. This thing was spreading faster than it could be controlled. The huge cover-up was failing though, and now all the images were being released. I even read that the Prime Minister had resigned, and the Queen had advised the people for calm, telling us to trust in our elected officials to steer us through this crisis. The United Nations was apparently considering both quarantining the whole country, and sending in troops to help. British citizens who had recently left the country were being segregated in case they were infected. It was pure chaos. If, like people on the forum had been insinuating, the government or the army did know something they hadn't said a word.
I decided that this couldn't go on. I needed to find my family. I needed to be with them, and keep them safe. Tomorrow I'm getting ready. I want to be out of this house and on the road to her by Monday.
Not everyone agreed with my consensus that these things weren't quite dead, but we all agreed that they weren't human anymore. We all had identified that the bites seemed to be the main source of the infection, but we disagreed on just how long it took to become infected. The only people I had seen were that old woman in town, and the two who had been eaten outside, and they had all gotten back up fairly quickly, becoming those things very quickly. Whether they were dead or not they did seem to need blood, as one of the survivors had slit the throat of one, which had collapsed fairly soon afterwards. Apparently they had one main weak spot, which was their head. They ignored any other wound, but taking out their head or spinal cord stopped them dead. They could be outrun, or even outwalked for the most part, but only if you had space to do so. That meant sticking to wide open spaces, which increased the risk of them seeing you. They also seemed more uncoordinated during the day, as though they couldn't see well in bright light. One guy said that he had seen them looking as though they were in pain and dizzy. Someone had replied that it was probably because of the fact they hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and they were starving. If we left it long enough, he guessed, they would die off. This idea had been largely shot down by the other users, most of whom, like myself, wanted to get out. Some couldn't just hide, being low on food and other supplies. Apparently some areas of the city had been blacked out last night as well, another sign that the things we took for granted would soon be gone. One person even warned against drinking from the taps, saying that half of the group she was with had died after getting ill from stagnant water. There was no mention of soldiers, apart from one group that had seen special forces soldiers with a helicopter a few days ago. They had captured one of the things and flown off with him. Weirdly though the guy said they had specifically hunted this one, avoiding others. Someone guessed they might be working on a cure, but if that was so, then why go after one specific thing, and not all of the others?
I checked the rest of the internet, to see if it was still in the news. It turns out that it was. Big-time. Apparently these 'zombies', as the paper was calling them, had appeared in towns in the neighbouring counties, including Warrington, Crewe and Runcorn in Cheshire, Lichfield and Tamworth in Staffordshire, Derby, Greater Nottingham, Glenfield in Leicestershire, Nuneaton in Warwickshire, Kidderminster in Worcestershire, Madeley and Telford in Shropshire, and even the major West Midlands cities of Coventry, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. This thing was spreading faster than it could be controlled. The huge cover-up was failing though, and now all the images were being released. I even read that the Prime Minister had resigned, and the Queen had advised the people for calm, telling us to trust in our elected officials to steer us through this crisis. The United Nations was apparently considering both quarantining the whole country, and sending in troops to help. British citizens who had recently left the country were being segregated in case they were infected. It was pure chaos. If, like people on the forum had been insinuating, the government or the army did know something they hadn't said a word.
I decided that this couldn't go on. I needed to find my family. I needed to be with them, and keep them safe. Tomorrow I'm getting ready. I want to be out of this house and on the road to her by Monday.
Thursday 30 September 2010
29th September
Well it happened. Seemed like whatever measures the government took to cover this up have failed, because the story just hit this morning.
It was the first thing I looked for online this morning, as usual. I do it to see if there is any news about what I can expect when I leave here. Normally there is absolutely nothing, but today it was the only headline.
'The Dead Walk!'
'Govt conceals truth. People left by Army. Stoke-On-Trent lost. No official word'. The list went on and on, each paper finding its own thing to focus on. I'll share the story here so that all the facts are in one place, because the stories in each paper are fragmented, as though they all got parts of the story but no-one got it all.
The first source was a woman who managed to get out of the city on Sunday. She travelled on foot to avoid soldiers, who were pursuing her to put her in the camp in the Moorlands. However she managed to get ahold of her sister, who drove her to London. The paper has kept her safe while they verified the details. She said that she saw the things withstand hails of bullets from soldiers, who fired at civilians to control them. She said that it started in Stoke, spread to Longton, Hanley and Fenton, but the army apparently have the majority of the Potteries Urban Area quarantined or evacuated. I checked online and as of the last census that's over 350,000 people! Any survivors were subject to martial law and evacuees had been sent to large camps set up on the Staffordshire Moorlands.
The next main source was one of the people at one of the camps. Apparently they had blood and stool tests performed daily. No-one knew what they were looking for because they had all told the hazmat soldiers days beforehand that they were clean. But some must have been infected, because the soldiers separated them from the rest and they were never seen again. This guy had escaped because he was in one of the smaller camps, which had somehow been overrun by the infected. Several of them managed to break down the fence and escape, only to get shot at by soldiers, before helicopters bombed the place with something that sounded like napalm. He had escaped with a two others, one of whom told a harrowing story about how she had been in a nightclub in Hanley on the Monday night when everything went tits up, the same night the army had arrived. She had been partying when someone had turned into one of those things and started attacking everyone. Apparently the guy had just been 'with her friend' if you get my meaning. He had been stopped by riot police and handed over to the army, and her and her shaken friend had been driven home. She had never seen her friend again.
Finally there was a report on the sources that were inside the city. The internet forum was one, along with several harrowing youtube videos, blogs, even a pirate radio broadcast. This blog even got a mention. Look at me ma, I'm in the papers(!)
There was nothing official though. No politicians, either from the coalition or the shadow cabinet, had said anything. The Prime Minister was refusing to comment. No army officials had said anything either. It was suggested that the government were hiding everything but no-one knew why.
I rang Judi and asked if she had seen it. She said that she had, but didn't know what it meant. I told her it meant that The army really can't contain this, and no matter what story the government put out they can't just make this go away. She wasn't convinced. I told her it meant that help would be coming, somehow.
We were all gonna be OK.
It was the first thing I looked for online this morning, as usual. I do it to see if there is any news about what I can expect when I leave here. Normally there is absolutely nothing, but today it was the only headline.
'The Dead Walk!'
'Govt conceals truth. People left by Army. Stoke-On-Trent lost. No official word'. The list went on and on, each paper finding its own thing to focus on. I'll share the story here so that all the facts are in one place, because the stories in each paper are fragmented, as though they all got parts of the story but no-one got it all.
The first source was a woman who managed to get out of the city on Sunday. She travelled on foot to avoid soldiers, who were pursuing her to put her in the camp in the Moorlands. However she managed to get ahold of her sister, who drove her to London. The paper has kept her safe while they verified the details. She said that she saw the things withstand hails of bullets from soldiers, who fired at civilians to control them. She said that it started in Stoke, spread to Longton, Hanley and Fenton, but the army apparently have the majority of the Potteries Urban Area quarantined or evacuated. I checked online and as of the last census that's over 350,000 people! Any survivors were subject to martial law and evacuees had been sent to large camps set up on the Staffordshire Moorlands.
The next main source was one of the people at one of the camps. Apparently they had blood and stool tests performed daily. No-one knew what they were looking for because they had all told the hazmat soldiers days beforehand that they were clean. But some must have been infected, because the soldiers separated them from the rest and they were never seen again. This guy had escaped because he was in one of the smaller camps, which had somehow been overrun by the infected. Several of them managed to break down the fence and escape, only to get shot at by soldiers, before helicopters bombed the place with something that sounded like napalm. He had escaped with a two others, one of whom told a harrowing story about how she had been in a nightclub in Hanley on the Monday night when everything went tits up, the same night the army had arrived. She had been partying when someone had turned into one of those things and started attacking everyone. Apparently the guy had just been 'with her friend' if you get my meaning. He had been stopped by riot police and handed over to the army, and her and her shaken friend had been driven home. She had never seen her friend again.
Finally there was a report on the sources that were inside the city. The internet forum was one, along with several harrowing youtube videos, blogs, even a pirate radio broadcast. This blog even got a mention. Look at me ma, I'm in the papers(!)
There was nothing official though. No politicians, either from the coalition or the shadow cabinet, had said anything. The Prime Minister was refusing to comment. No army officials had said anything either. It was suggested that the government were hiding everything but no-one knew why.
I rang Judi and asked if she had seen it. She said that she had, but didn't know what it meant. I told her it meant that The army really can't contain this, and no matter what story the government put out they can't just make this go away. She wasn't convinced. I told her it meant that help would be coming, somehow.
We were all gonna be OK.
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