June 7th, 2008
7:33pm
Upstairs Headquarters
Light quickly faded in the warm summer evening, and it was nowhere more evident than in the attic, as Cowboy, Peace, and Beard struggled with a way through the roof using flashlights and the tools at hand. They worked until they were nearly exhausted, and, upon seeing their progress and the toll it took on them, T.Rex authorized showers for everyone as long as the water held. Those waiting fixed themselves a hearty dinner of peanut butter sandwiches and granola bars.
Leaving the piles of individual equipment half sorted, they cleaned up and settled in for another hot and nervous night of rest. Ryan insisted that they all stay busy not only to complete important jobs and keep them from getting stir-crazy, but perhaps more importantly to distract them from constantly looking out the windows.
Unfortunately, as they turned in for the evening, the silence of the still apartment quickly gave way to the moans of the living dead outside. Earlier, Brant had found a box of earplugs nestled in the case of the rifle, and that gave everybody not on night watch a bit of respite from the horrible sounds. The windows, kept shut to muffle noise both coming in and going out, kept the heat trapped in as well, unfortunately. They had to cope as best as they could, and eventually they all drifted into uncomfortable sleep.
Ryan had always been a voracious dreamer, and the possible destruction of the world did nothing to quell that. Between the heat, the uncomfortable earplugs, the moans that still got through, and his aching muscles, he tossed and turned throughout the evening. Nightmares were creeping in as Cowboy and Kamikaze woke him and Angel Hair for the 3am-6am night watch shift.
T.Rex rose slowly. He started shaking his right arm vigorously and drew a quizzical look from Angel Hair. He silently mimed falling asleep on top of his tingling arm, and Angel Hair gave a silent "Ahhh", tapping his temple in recognition. They crept to the back bedroom and stood vigil over the apartment.
Ryan and Angel Hair peered through the blinds and gasped in unison. Outside, the number of zombies had increased dramatically, their eyes glowing ever-so-faintly in the darkness. Their shadowy figures stumbled around clumsily in the darkness, occasionally bumping into each other or an object without care. In the distance, a shrill scream could be heard, as a woman took what was most likely her last human breath.
Angel Hair sat quietly, contemplating. With no real light and the need to keep alert for strange sights and sounds, they more or less stared at the gaps in the blinds for a while. Ryan retreated inward, tuning out his self-doubt over leadership and instead took his girlfriend's frequent advice to think positive and be more optimistic. He thought about what a diverse and skilled group of loyal friends he was fortunate to collect.
Kamikaze. Renee was an incredibly sweet and thoughtful person, and the only girl in the current group of survivors. Come to think of it, she was now the "token female" now that Sweet Speak had graduated. Renee was a hard worker, and was always thinking of ways to improve their situation. She never complained about assignments, and didn't hesitate to ask for help. She'd grown up on a farm and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She was studying psychology after switching from engineering, so she thought with both halves of brain quite handily. One of her favorite pastimes was questioning people in different ways, just to see how they reacted or what they were comfortable admitting. It made conversation interesting, to say the least. She had recently shaved off most of her long, distinctive ponytail, but kept her weathered blue NASA hat. Renee was one of the tallest Fools, and nearly always wore a long denim skirt.
Peace. Andrew was a spastic and excitable fellow, but intensely inquisitive and dedicated on top of that. He has large eyes and always spoke with his hands. Often, he wore his glasses and hat with a stylish flair. He was an Eagle Scout, a chemist, and spoke multiple languages - but considered himself a writer first and foremost. He had questionable taste in music, but they shared a love of webcomics, Star Wars, and many other things to compensate. Just thinking of Peace incited a game loss. Ryan considered Peace his closest friend in the improv group currently, and was doing his best to groom him as a future leader of the troupe.
Beard. Eric was a manly and fierce looking character, but anybody who spent time with him knew he was a fair and incredibly reasonable person. The thing with Beard was, he'd give you a ton of chances to atone, but once you crossed the line, you were a goner. Ryan chalked that up to his Quaker beliefs and his Eagle Scout code. He also was trained in martial arts and a biologist. Peace and Beard were best friends since high school, and though they bickered like a married couple, they had a strong friendship that was not easily strained. Other than Beard's distinctive facial hair, both Andrew and Eric were similar in size, average height and weight with brown hair.
Cowboy. John was probably the most "normal" of the Fools, and not in a bad way. He was high octane, loud, and brash, but more sensitive than most people knew. Like Ryan, he loved to play Guitar Hero and watch football (as well as other sports). He usually wore his treasured blue Indianapolis Colts hat to practice. John had a large toothy grin and often amused himself with the antics of the other Fools, usually with Beard in the back of the room. He was fit and active, and was a management major. That kept him plenty busy, but he still found time to be in a business fraternity and to volunteer to be a Big Brother. He had a temper that flared up from time to time, but he worked hard to direct that into productive energy.
Angel Hair. Steve was a wiry chap with long, flowing locks and a comically large nose. He took it in stride, however, like everything else in life. He was the other newest Fool, and Ryan constantly strove to know them both better. He was a vegetarian, which currently did not conflict with the current menu of pre-packaged foods. His treasured leather jacket seemed to fly in the face of this belief, but he insisted it was "grandfathered in." He was a dual major, chemical engineering and theatre major, which gave him a dual personality similar to Renee. Rumor had it that he was something of a pickpocket as well, though that wouldn't do much against the living dead.
Rubble. Brant was a large jolly friend with a penchant for vests and fedoras. He was one of the two newest Fools, so Ryan didn't know him as well as he'd like to - yet. His major was medieval studies, which meant Brant had all sorts of useful skills like archery, fencing, and other weapons training. He had plenty of nerdy hobbies like reenactment societies and D&D, but that only endeared him to the group more. The first year of improv was a large test for Brant, but he emerged on the other side a stronger performer with more confidence and skill. Steve and Brant were as much a pair as Andrew and Eric, though they'd become friends with the entire troupe right away.
And himself? Ryan was easily the shortest of the Fools, with hobbit like features (though he'd just lost his curly hair). He was an aerospace engineer taking the scenic route through college, and the upcoming fall would be his fifth year...if society hadn't collapsed by then. He had been in the improv troupe nearly that entire time, and had even been Captain for a time, but that seemed like such a long time ago.
Ryan was by far the most senior member of the group, something that weighed heavily on his mind. He was only 22, but the other Fools around him seemed to look up to him at times as a respected elder, when in reality he still felt like a newcomer at times, especially when he thought back to all the past members. The older retired members seemed like giants, legends in their own right. Past exploits were handed down to the new Fools through a rich oral tradition. If something went wrong here, that could all be lost.
For all their differences, there were some similarities that connected them all, mostly having to do with improv. All of them were quick witted, clever, and committed to entertainment in some fashion. For the most part they shared the stage more or less equally, and valued teamwork. They all were trained to attack problems from multiple angles, to not deny, and of course improvise on and off the stage. Each one of them had individual specialties in academia, but most of them also had overlapping knowledge in more esoteric knowledge, from famous historical assassins to Golden Age movie stars.
Ryan slowly blinked the world back into focus as his trance-like concentration was broken by a sneeze. Angel Hair was sitting across the room quietly, eyes closed.
"Hey buddy," T.Rex said, softly.
"I was just resting my eyes!" Angel Hair insisted, snapping his head forward violently.
"It's fine. Let's go wake the others and get started for today."
They were walking towards the living room when they heard a pane of glass shatter nearby.
Current Word Count: 17,839
Friday, November 16, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Chapter 13 - Defensive
June 7th, 2008
11:53am
Upstairs Headquarters
The Fools fell silent as they stared at T.Rex, waiting for an answer.
"Alright," he began. "Let me explain a few things. When I first figured out there was a zombie infestation, I didn't know how far or how fast it would - still might - spread. And believe you me, the first thing I wanted to do is to grab my girlfriend and protect my family and friends.
"Unfortunately, I'm stuck here. I don't have a car. I don't have any way of fixing this, and rampaging across campus on foot, with the number of creatures out there is only gonna get me killed, or worse. I would be doing nobody any good as one of them. That's why we have the plan! To act calmly, rationally, and minimize our risks in a smart way.
"I knew that I couldn't get off campus quick enough, and the roads are probably clogged by now anyway, full of people fleeing the campus trying to escape what they can't comprehend. Some of you have cars, I know, but they're gonna do more harm than good. Everybody here was on campus, which is why I had Beard call you, which is why you were instructed to notify everybody you could as you assembled, even if they didn't believe you. Plus, Beard has been trying to contact the authorities at regular intervals, to no avail.
"The whole point of the plan is to set up this very fortress," he said, punctuating his words by stamping his feet, "so that we might survive to help others. Together, as a team, we have a much better chance of survival than just running around moment to moment trying to be heroes. Right?"
The Fools looked somberly at each other before nodding. There were a few muttered replies.
Ryan continued. "And do you really think I'd leave my girlfriend to fend for herself as the zombpocalypse rages on? Here's the deal - Jenny is safe at Hillenbrand, safer than we are here. Remember, I've worked there for the past two summers, so I have a pretty good idea of what's gonna happen over there. The conference for her hall was canceled, so her building is empty. She should be fine. Have some faith in the plan, okay?"
The collective tension on the room dissipated slowly as a wave of semi-relief washed over the Fools. Ryan had them go back to work on their morning tasks and joined the inventory crew.
It was slow, tedious work, and Ryan had plenty of time to mull over his numerous thoughts.
I wonder how many of them bought that, he pondered. I think they went along with it because I'm in charge, but I couldn't let them just worry about everything like that indefinitely. If they keep dwelling on the family and friends they might not be able to save, this could easily fall apart. It sucks, but we have to keep our thoughts focused on the here and now. I only called the Fools together that I knew were here, but I really wish we could get in touch with somebody, anybody on the outside. Some backup Foolish help sure would be great.
He continued stacking equipment and shuffling bags between rooms, making small talk to Kamikaze, Rubble, and Angel Hair as they cataloged the few remaining items.
T.Rex felt as though he was trying convince himself of his own decisions. Every hour that passed he felt less sure of his commands, his plan, and even leaving Jenny at Hillenbrand felt very wrong. Intellectually, he thought it was best to continue in this manner, but in his heart he felt a very protective urge.
No matter, he thought. Things will change soon enough.
Finally, by late afternoon, the group had finished cataloging and organizing all of the supplies they'd managed to gather before committing to the upstairs apartment. He called the Fools once more into the living room for a meeting, making sure the attic crew had a mandatory water break.
Once assembled, he opened up an important but delicate conversation. "Fools, we need to talk about something. It's not going to be pleasant, but it has to be said.
"The threat of infection by zombie is very real. There may come a day in the future when we have to leave our fortress and face the living dead on our own, and if you come in contact with them, it only takes a single scratch or bite to start the process that turns you into one of them."
Beard spoke up next. "Listen, if one of those fuckers gets a grip on you, you're pretty much toast. So stay alert and stay away. Attack from range, don't draw attention to yourself. If you do find yourself in a close-quarters situation, use a stick or a chair, anything, to keep them at bay. Watch your back and don't get cornered." He sighed. "Look, if one of you guys gets infected, I will make sure you are taken care of, no ifs, ands, or buts."
There was grim silence as the group looked at each other.
"I think what Beard is trying to say," Ryan said, "is that if I get infected in any way, I want any of you to kill me without hesitation. I'm telling you this now because that's what I expect of you, and that's the same thing you should and can expect from me. Got it?"
Everybody nodded. Ryan had everybody take a few minutes break to think things over, to make sure that sunk in.
"Alright, attic crew, see what more you can get before sunset," Ryan said. They slowly walked out of the living room to what was undoubtedly uncomfortable work. "The rest of you, I want you to start organizing individual equipment piles for each person. We're gonna get all this gear together for each Fool and put them into backpacks and duffels to be kept with them at all times, so that everybody has what they need in case of an emergency.
"Each pile should include a primary and secondary weapon with the appropriate gear, like ammo and scopes. Each person gets water and rations to be saved for emergencies only, so make sure they're well sealed, quiet, and sturdy. We'll divide up the other gear on a case by case basis, with emphasis on matching equipment to skills, weight considerations, and redundancy amongst the group."
He quickly scanned over the master inventory list.
-1 hunting rifle with 80 rounds ammunition
-1 handgun with 45 rounds
-2 pairs of binoculars
- 7 cellular phones
- 3 complete first aid kits
- 6 sleeping bags
- Peace's lockpicking kit
- rope, garbage bags, duct tape, a few large tarps
- 6 flashlights
- buckets, milk 1 gallon containers, a few tupperware pieces
- 1 15 foot ladder
- several furniture items, stair planks
- blankets, towels, and a few changes of clothes
- Brant's longbow with 30 arrows
- matches, batteries
- a toolbox full of hand tools (hand saw, hammer, screwdriver, nails, etc.)
- baseball bat, a lamp, two crowbars
- 2 hatchets, a machete, and 2 full sets of kitchen knives, ski poles
- 4 pool cues
- several bottles of alcohol
- 4 cases of bottled water, several cases of soda
- 4 large trash bags full of non-perishable food items
- a spice rack, and several bottles of painkillers and drugs
- grooming kit, mirror
- a map of Purdue and surrounding areas
It was surprising how many things they'd gathered on such short notice, Ryan noted. Only time would tell if it was enough.
Current Word Count: 16,229
11:53am
Upstairs Headquarters
The Fools fell silent as they stared at T.Rex, waiting for an answer.
"Alright," he began. "Let me explain a few things. When I first figured out there was a zombie infestation, I didn't know how far or how fast it would - still might - spread. And believe you me, the first thing I wanted to do is to grab my girlfriend and protect my family and friends.
"Unfortunately, I'm stuck here. I don't have a car. I don't have any way of fixing this, and rampaging across campus on foot, with the number of creatures out there is only gonna get me killed, or worse. I would be doing nobody any good as one of them. That's why we have the plan! To act calmly, rationally, and minimize our risks in a smart way.
"I knew that I couldn't get off campus quick enough, and the roads are probably clogged by now anyway, full of people fleeing the campus trying to escape what they can't comprehend. Some of you have cars, I know, but they're gonna do more harm than good. Everybody here was on campus, which is why I had Beard call you, which is why you were instructed to notify everybody you could as you assembled, even if they didn't believe you. Plus, Beard has been trying to contact the authorities at regular intervals, to no avail.
"The whole point of the plan is to set up this very fortress," he said, punctuating his words by stamping his feet, "so that we might survive to help others. Together, as a team, we have a much better chance of survival than just running around moment to moment trying to be heroes. Right?"
The Fools looked somberly at each other before nodding. There were a few muttered replies.
Ryan continued. "And do you really think I'd leave my girlfriend to fend for herself as the zombpocalypse rages on? Here's the deal - Jenny is safe at Hillenbrand, safer than we are here. Remember, I've worked there for the past two summers, so I have a pretty good idea of what's gonna happen over there. The conference for her hall was canceled, so her building is empty. She should be fine. Have some faith in the plan, okay?"
The collective tension on the room dissipated slowly as a wave of semi-relief washed over the Fools. Ryan had them go back to work on their morning tasks and joined the inventory crew.
It was slow, tedious work, and Ryan had plenty of time to mull over his numerous thoughts.
I wonder how many of them bought that, he pondered. I think they went along with it because I'm in charge, but I couldn't let them just worry about everything like that indefinitely. If they keep dwelling on the family and friends they might not be able to save, this could easily fall apart. It sucks, but we have to keep our thoughts focused on the here and now. I only called the Fools together that I knew were here, but I really wish we could get in touch with somebody, anybody on the outside. Some backup Foolish help sure would be great.
He continued stacking equipment and shuffling bags between rooms, making small talk to Kamikaze, Rubble, and Angel Hair as they cataloged the few remaining items.
T.Rex felt as though he was trying convince himself of his own decisions. Every hour that passed he felt less sure of his commands, his plan, and even leaving Jenny at Hillenbrand felt very wrong. Intellectually, he thought it was best to continue in this manner, but in his heart he felt a very protective urge.
No matter, he thought. Things will change soon enough.
Finally, by late afternoon, the group had finished cataloging and organizing all of the supplies they'd managed to gather before committing to the upstairs apartment. He called the Fools once more into the living room for a meeting, making sure the attic crew had a mandatory water break.
Once assembled, he opened up an important but delicate conversation. "Fools, we need to talk about something. It's not going to be pleasant, but it has to be said.
"The threat of infection by zombie is very real. There may come a day in the future when we have to leave our fortress and face the living dead on our own, and if you come in contact with them, it only takes a single scratch or bite to start the process that turns you into one of them."
Beard spoke up next. "Listen, if one of those fuckers gets a grip on you, you're pretty much toast. So stay alert and stay away. Attack from range, don't draw attention to yourself. If you do find yourself in a close-quarters situation, use a stick or a chair, anything, to keep them at bay. Watch your back and don't get cornered." He sighed. "Look, if one of you guys gets infected, I will make sure you are taken care of, no ifs, ands, or buts."
There was grim silence as the group looked at each other.
"I think what Beard is trying to say," Ryan said, "is that if I get infected in any way, I want any of you to kill me without hesitation. I'm telling you this now because that's what I expect of you, and that's the same thing you should and can expect from me. Got it?"
Everybody nodded. Ryan had everybody take a few minutes break to think things over, to make sure that sunk in.
"Alright, attic crew, see what more you can get before sunset," Ryan said. They slowly walked out of the living room to what was undoubtedly uncomfortable work. "The rest of you, I want you to start organizing individual equipment piles for each person. We're gonna get all this gear together for each Fool and put them into backpacks and duffels to be kept with them at all times, so that everybody has what they need in case of an emergency.
"Each pile should include a primary and secondary weapon with the appropriate gear, like ammo and scopes. Each person gets water and rations to be saved for emergencies only, so make sure they're well sealed, quiet, and sturdy. We'll divide up the other gear on a case by case basis, with emphasis on matching equipment to skills, weight considerations, and redundancy amongst the group."
He quickly scanned over the master inventory list.
-1 hunting rifle with 80 rounds ammunition
-1 handgun with 45 rounds
-2 pairs of binoculars
- 7 cellular phones
- 3 complete first aid kits
- 6 sleeping bags
- Peace's lockpicking kit
- rope, garbage bags, duct tape, a few large tarps
- 6 flashlights
- buckets, milk 1 gallon containers, a few tupperware pieces
- 1 15 foot ladder
- several furniture items, stair planks
- blankets, towels, and a few changes of clothes
- Brant's longbow with 30 arrows
- matches, batteries
- a toolbox full of hand tools (hand saw, hammer, screwdriver, nails, etc.)
- baseball bat, a lamp, two crowbars
- 2 hatchets, a machete, and 2 full sets of kitchen knives, ski poles
- 4 pool cues
- several bottles of alcohol
- 4 cases of bottled water, several cases of soda
- 4 large trash bags full of non-perishable food items
- a spice rack, and several bottles of painkillers and drugs
- grooming kit, mirror
- a map of Purdue and surrounding areas
It was surprising how many things they'd gathered on such short notice, Ryan noted. Only time would tell if it was enough.
Current Word Count: 16,229
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Chapter 12 - Discussion
June 7th, 2008
11:22am
Upstairs Headquarters
T.Rex gathered the Fools once more for a meal. The attic crew was happy to avoid the rapidly increasing temperature, the inventory crew was happy to take a break from the monotony of counting and listing. Both groups were making great progress, they reported, as a few cans of cold condensed soup was shared seven ways.
"Anybody know what today is?" Ryan asked the assembled group as lunch wound down. Cowboy was the first to correctly identify the date, and the Fools stared at Ryan, expectantly.
"I thought of something this morning," T.Rex began. "I know Benji's wedding was postponed earlier this year. However, I think it's fitting that the original date was today. I remember because he kept telling us to think of six seven oh eight. We always used to joke about the zombpocalypse breaking out during his wedding vows. Y'know, about the groomsmen being chosen to defend against the living dead. To think, if it hadn't been for his medical internship pushing it back, who knows what might have actually happened."
Renee was the first to comment. "Wait, you really think the outbreak is threatening that far?"
"Well, we don't really have any accurate knowledge about how far this thing has gone," said Angel Hair.
"It depends a lot on how this all started," Rubble chimed in.
Ryan shrugged. "Well, along those lines, I think it started here at Purdue. I know that might sound crazy, but perhaps it was a virus that escaped containment?"
"That's biologically unsound!" Beard said, incredulously.
"I hadn't heard anything about any zombies until I got the call from Beard," Kamikaze said. "I was pretty sure Purdue didn't have anything like that, especially not on campus where students might access it."
"They don't, trust me. I'm in the freakin' biology program," Beard said, defensively. "The only thing I can think of is that some jackass brought some exotic materials here as part of a special research project and it somehow got into the wrong hands. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary outside of Purdue, though."
Ryan sighed. "Unless anybody can tell me there was another outbreak or at least reason to suspect a different source, it's my guess that this started here. Otherwise we probably would've heard more strange news reports, or at least suspicious activity, right?"
The group seemed unsure, but some nodded.
"Well, any other theories about how this started? Perhaps it was nanotechnology gone astray?" Peace offered.
"That's even more biologically unsound!" Beard said emphatically.
Cowboy spoke up once more. "Okay, I think the way it started is kind of irrelevant, guys."
"Okay, well, even if we ignore the cause, we can still make some educated guesses about the outbreak and the spread," Kamikaze said.
"I'm thinking at least a Class 2 outbreak," Ryan said. "That means at least Purdue, West Lafayette, and probably Lafayette across the river are in immediate danger. My best guess on what I could gather before initiating our plan was that Patient Zero came from somewhere near Harrison Street. That's somewhere around here. That initial infection got to a few others who stayed in the Student Health Center, one of which stayed.
"From there, who knows what the fuck happened. I think a construction worker got infected, my neighbor may have gotten it, the missing grad student, and a shadowy attacker on Tapawingo that nearly got me just the other night. None of which I recognize out there, by the way. Not that I know what they all look like dead-on. Uh, no pun intended.
"Plus, I should note the Police phones were out two nights ago and we've had power outages. Between the thousands of people coming and going for Purdue conferences, the commuting professors and students, and the tons of other people coming and going for academics, lectures, classes, facilities, etc., and who knows where an infected could've ended up. I highly doubt this has stayed just on our campus, but I don't think it's hit Class 3 yet."
"Well let's hope not," Peace said. "Class 3 is global, and we're pretty much all screwed then."
"I guess it might also depend on how long the victims take to die of an infection, and then reanimate," Rubble noted. "Because if it's relatively quick, nobody could get very far before becoming a zombie. If it took longer, they could carry the infection further."
Ryan hesitated before continuing. "I heard somebody say they got infected at a late-night party, and then the next morning they were feeling ill and unless I was mistaken, died shortly thereafter." He hoped the others would not interrogate him about how he'd broken into the neighbor's house, and how he'd seen firsthand the man slowly fade away.
"Well," Beard said. "I think we can estimate a statewide threat, for now. I will make sure the phones are all checked after we clean up here. Unless there are messages, I'm gonna make some calls and try to get this information out."
"Wait," Kamikaze interjected. "Ryan, you said that people are coming in for Purdue conferences, right?"
"Yes..." he trailed off, unsure of where this was headed.
"Those conferences are, what, 50-1,000 people at a time? And they stay in the residence halls?"
"Uh-huh..." Ryan nodded.
"Well, what about Jenny? She's working at Hillenbrand right now!"
Current Word Count: 14,948
11:22am
Upstairs Headquarters
T.Rex gathered the Fools once more for a meal. The attic crew was happy to avoid the rapidly increasing temperature, the inventory crew was happy to take a break from the monotony of counting and listing. Both groups were making great progress, they reported, as a few cans of cold condensed soup was shared seven ways.
"Anybody know what today is?" Ryan asked the assembled group as lunch wound down. Cowboy was the first to correctly identify the date, and the Fools stared at Ryan, expectantly.
"I thought of something this morning," T.Rex began. "I know Benji's wedding was postponed earlier this year. However, I think it's fitting that the original date was today. I remember because he kept telling us to think of six seven oh eight. We always used to joke about the zombpocalypse breaking out during his wedding vows. Y'know, about the groomsmen being chosen to defend against the living dead. To think, if it hadn't been for his medical internship pushing it back, who knows what might have actually happened."
Renee was the first to comment. "Wait, you really think the outbreak is threatening that far?"
"Well, we don't really have any accurate knowledge about how far this thing has gone," said Angel Hair.
"It depends a lot on how this all started," Rubble chimed in.
Ryan shrugged. "Well, along those lines, I think it started here at Purdue. I know that might sound crazy, but perhaps it was a virus that escaped containment?"
"That's biologically unsound!" Beard said, incredulously.
"I hadn't heard anything about any zombies until I got the call from Beard," Kamikaze said. "I was pretty sure Purdue didn't have anything like that, especially not on campus where students might access it."
"They don't, trust me. I'm in the freakin' biology program," Beard said, defensively. "The only thing I can think of is that some jackass brought some exotic materials here as part of a special research project and it somehow got into the wrong hands. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary outside of Purdue, though."
Ryan sighed. "Unless anybody can tell me there was another outbreak or at least reason to suspect a different source, it's my guess that this started here. Otherwise we probably would've heard more strange news reports, or at least suspicious activity, right?"
The group seemed unsure, but some nodded.
"Well, any other theories about how this started? Perhaps it was nanotechnology gone astray?" Peace offered.
"That's even more biologically unsound!" Beard said emphatically.
Cowboy spoke up once more. "Okay, I think the way it started is kind of irrelevant, guys."
"Okay, well, even if we ignore the cause, we can still make some educated guesses about the outbreak and the spread," Kamikaze said.
"I'm thinking at least a Class 2 outbreak," Ryan said. "That means at least Purdue, West Lafayette, and probably Lafayette across the river are in immediate danger. My best guess on what I could gather before initiating our plan was that Patient Zero came from somewhere near Harrison Street. That's somewhere around here. That initial infection got to a few others who stayed in the Student Health Center, one of which stayed.
"From there, who knows what the fuck happened. I think a construction worker got infected, my neighbor may have gotten it, the missing grad student, and a shadowy attacker on Tapawingo that nearly got me just the other night. None of which I recognize out there, by the way. Not that I know what they all look like dead-on. Uh, no pun intended.
"Plus, I should note the Police phones were out two nights ago and we've had power outages. Between the thousands of people coming and going for Purdue conferences, the commuting professors and students, and the tons of other people coming and going for academics, lectures, classes, facilities, etc., and who knows where an infected could've ended up. I highly doubt this has stayed just on our campus, but I don't think it's hit Class 3 yet."
"Well let's hope not," Peace said. "Class 3 is global, and we're pretty much all screwed then."
"I guess it might also depend on how long the victims take to die of an infection, and then reanimate," Rubble noted. "Because if it's relatively quick, nobody could get very far before becoming a zombie. If it took longer, they could carry the infection further."
Ryan hesitated before continuing. "I heard somebody say they got infected at a late-night party, and then the next morning they were feeling ill and unless I was mistaken, died shortly thereafter." He hoped the others would not interrogate him about how he'd broken into the neighbor's house, and how he'd seen firsthand the man slowly fade away.
"Well," Beard said. "I think we can estimate a statewide threat, for now. I will make sure the phones are all checked after we clean up here. Unless there are messages, I'm gonna make some calls and try to get this information out."
"Wait," Kamikaze interjected. "Ryan, you said that people are coming in for Purdue conferences, right?"
"Yes..." he trailed off, unsure of where this was headed.
"Those conferences are, what, 50-1,000 people at a time? And they stay in the residence halls?"
"Uh-huh..." Ryan nodded.
"Well, what about Jenny? She's working at Hillenbrand right now!"
Current Word Count: 14,948
Chapter 11 - Long Nights
June 6th, 2008
9:08pm
Upstairs Headquarters
There was nothing Ryan could do to stop them.
The entire group of Fools scrambled out of sleeping bags and blankets, crowding to the windows. Each peered through a slat of the blinds to look out into the night.
"Guys!" Ryan hissed. "At least stay quiet, and make sure there is no light coming from up here!"
Looking around to make sure there were no sources of light to betray their setup, Ryan found his way to the window to join the others. The Fools parted to let him access a lower slat and somebody accidentally elbowed his bandaged arm. Wincing in pain, he gazed into the darkness and grimaced at the sight.
Several silhouettes could be seen in the parking lot, in the streets, and the nearby sidewalks and pathways. They stumbled and lurched around, each with a distinctive way of dragging its feet. Ryan even thought he saw one in a window in an apartment across the way.
T.Rex was dismayed as he spoke. "It's spreading even faster than I thought."
"There's only about thirty of them, by my count," said Angel Hair, optimistically.
"I could take 'em," Beard said.
"Listen. Nobody's going anywhere, and attacking in the dead of night is madness. You'd only be drawing more out. I want everybody to get back in bed and try and get some sleep." Ryan was terse with his orders, but felt uncomfortable. Like I can order these guys to get to sleep, he thought. Hell, I probably won't even sleep myself. Still, I feel like the group needs to know somebody is in control of the situation, as it were.
As the group settled back into their sleeping positions, Ryan tried to push the doubt of his own leadership from his mind. They all talked nervously, ignoring the occasional moan that permeated the still night. Between the excitement, the noise, and the heat, it was a long while before voices started leaving the group chatter. Nobody had to be woken up at midnight for the changing of the guard.
---
Ryan felt a hand over this mouth and he flailed about momentarily, before Beard came into focus. Beard raised a finger to his mouth and extended his free hand, helping Ryan to his feet.
"You're up for third shift," Beard whispered. "Nothing to report."
"Good work," T.Rex replied. "See you in the morning." He saw Cowboy across the room tapping Kamikaze awake and he waved her to the back room.
The two crept back to the back right bedroom and closed the door before they spoke again.
"So, what exactly are we supposed to do on this night watch, anyway?" Kamikaze asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Well," he yawned. "We're mainly just making sure the others get a chance to rest. We watch for attacks, for any sign of danger, or any sign of help. Things like that."
She nodded, and they took up positions in folding chairs facing the window. Kamikaze refused to let the shift pass in silence, and Ryan was glad for the conversation, in part to make sure he stayed awake and alert.
Among Kamikaze's chief concerns was who might take care of the animals in the veterinary portion of campus if the people in charge were infected. Ryan was slightly ashamed to admit that he was less concerned about them than saving his own life.
As their shift ended, the sun began to rise and filter through the blinds. It became light enough that they broke out a pack of playing cards. They had a healthy game of gin rummy started, with Renee leading the series 3-2, before somebody tapped on the door.
The noise startled Ryan, and before he could recover Kamikaze said "c'mon in," softly.
The door slowly opened, and a groggy Beard shuffled in. "I really couldn't sleep much, and I don't think anybody else did," he reported.
"Fair enough," Ryan finally said. "I think we may have to work out a pair of codewords. I don't want to have to worry about a zombie with an uncannily human knock," he chuckled. "Kamikaze, I want you to get breakfast started, in a little bit. Beard, you make sure everybody is up and awake soon. I'd like to get a good start on the day, because there's still work to be done."
The apartment slowly stirred to life as each Fool either woke from the sun or the sounds of the others. Together they shared a sugary breakfast of Pop-Tarts and water, and to those who disliked the taste, it already seemed like the food options were unpleasant.
Post breakfast, Ryan divided the Fools equally to tackle the two biggest tasks left. Peace, Cowboy, and Beard went to work on the roof hatch while Angel Hair, Rubble, and Kamikaze set out to to finish the inventory list.
Ryan sat down with a notepad and began to compile a set of notes, mainly lists of things to do. Something felt wrong, and he could not figure out what. He mentally reviewed the Emergency Zed Plan, trying to think of something he'd missed, or a step that wasn't completed. He chewed on the end of his pen as he searched for the right detail.
All of the sudden, it hit him like a ton of bricks.
Current Word Count: 14,057
9:08pm
Upstairs Headquarters
There was nothing Ryan could do to stop them.
The entire group of Fools scrambled out of sleeping bags and blankets, crowding to the windows. Each peered through a slat of the blinds to look out into the night.
"Guys!" Ryan hissed. "At least stay quiet, and make sure there is no light coming from up here!"
Looking around to make sure there were no sources of light to betray their setup, Ryan found his way to the window to join the others. The Fools parted to let him access a lower slat and somebody accidentally elbowed his bandaged arm. Wincing in pain, he gazed into the darkness and grimaced at the sight.
Several silhouettes could be seen in the parking lot, in the streets, and the nearby sidewalks and pathways. They stumbled and lurched around, each with a distinctive way of dragging its feet. Ryan even thought he saw one in a window in an apartment across the way.
T.Rex was dismayed as he spoke. "It's spreading even faster than I thought."
"There's only about thirty of them, by my count," said Angel Hair, optimistically.
"I could take 'em," Beard said.
"Listen. Nobody's going anywhere, and attacking in the dead of night is madness. You'd only be drawing more out. I want everybody to get back in bed and try and get some sleep." Ryan was terse with his orders, but felt uncomfortable. Like I can order these guys to get to sleep, he thought. Hell, I probably won't even sleep myself. Still, I feel like the group needs to know somebody is in control of the situation, as it were.
As the group settled back into their sleeping positions, Ryan tried to push the doubt of his own leadership from his mind. They all talked nervously, ignoring the occasional moan that permeated the still night. Between the excitement, the noise, and the heat, it was a long while before voices started leaving the group chatter. Nobody had to be woken up at midnight for the changing of the guard.
---
Ryan felt a hand over this mouth and he flailed about momentarily, before Beard came into focus. Beard raised a finger to his mouth and extended his free hand, helping Ryan to his feet.
"You're up for third shift," Beard whispered. "Nothing to report."
"Good work," T.Rex replied. "See you in the morning." He saw Cowboy across the room tapping Kamikaze awake and he waved her to the back room.
The two crept back to the back right bedroom and closed the door before they spoke again.
"So, what exactly are we supposed to do on this night watch, anyway?" Kamikaze asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Well," he yawned. "We're mainly just making sure the others get a chance to rest. We watch for attacks, for any sign of danger, or any sign of help. Things like that."
She nodded, and they took up positions in folding chairs facing the window. Kamikaze refused to let the shift pass in silence, and Ryan was glad for the conversation, in part to make sure he stayed awake and alert.
Among Kamikaze's chief concerns was who might take care of the animals in the veterinary portion of campus if the people in charge were infected. Ryan was slightly ashamed to admit that he was less concerned about them than saving his own life.
As their shift ended, the sun began to rise and filter through the blinds. It became light enough that they broke out a pack of playing cards. They had a healthy game of gin rummy started, with Renee leading the series 3-2, before somebody tapped on the door.
The noise startled Ryan, and before he could recover Kamikaze said "c'mon in," softly.
The door slowly opened, and a groggy Beard shuffled in. "I really couldn't sleep much, and I don't think anybody else did," he reported.
"Fair enough," Ryan finally said. "I think we may have to work out a pair of codewords. I don't want to have to worry about a zombie with an uncannily human knock," he chuckled. "Kamikaze, I want you to get breakfast started, in a little bit. Beard, you make sure everybody is up and awake soon. I'd like to get a good start on the day, because there's still work to be done."
The apartment slowly stirred to life as each Fool either woke from the sun or the sounds of the others. Together they shared a sugary breakfast of Pop-Tarts and water, and to those who disliked the taste, it already seemed like the food options were unpleasant.
Post breakfast, Ryan divided the Fools equally to tackle the two biggest tasks left. Peace, Cowboy, and Beard went to work on the roof hatch while Angel Hair, Rubble, and Kamikaze set out to to finish the inventory list.
Ryan sat down with a notepad and began to compile a set of notes, mainly lists of things to do. Something felt wrong, and he could not figure out what. He mentally reviewed the Emergency Zed Plan, trying to think of something he'd missed, or a step that wasn't completed. He chewed on the end of his pen as he searched for the right detail.
All of the sudden, it hit him like a ton of bricks.
Current Word Count: 14,057
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Premature thoughts?
Hey readers.
I have been overwhelmed by your support. Most of you have commented on more than one chapter, and you've voted in the poll. You're helping me fix grammar and spelling, syntax, and pointing out flaws and such that I've missed. You've offered up suggestions, plot points, and been very encouraging.
That's just 13k in! I still have a long way to go (need to try and get to 20k by the end of the weekend). Just wanted to let you know I appreciate what you've given me so far, and I'm pretty determined to finish this on time and tell a decent story.
The hardest part so far is pacing myself. I don't want to finish early. I also have problems writing in third person when the main character is me. Also, I hate dialogue structure.
I heard somebody was so eager to read they printed off the chapter when they had to leave for class. ! That was awesome.
Steven and Brant (the ones in the story) are considering writing some alternate point-of-view fiction to go with this, and I'm pretty excited about it.
One last thing - I may be writing some chapters out of order sometime soon to add drama and words to the story. Please pay close attention to the chapter numbers to stay on top of it all.
I have been overwhelmed by your support. Most of you have commented on more than one chapter, and you've voted in the poll. You're helping me fix grammar and spelling, syntax, and pointing out flaws and such that I've missed. You've offered up suggestions, plot points, and been very encouraging.
That's just 13k in! I still have a long way to go (need to try and get to 20k by the end of the weekend). Just wanted to let you know I appreciate what you've given me so far, and I'm pretty determined to finish this on time and tell a decent story.
The hardest part so far is pacing myself. I don't want to finish early. I also have problems writing in third person when the main character is me. Also, I hate dialogue structure.
I heard somebody was so eager to read they printed off the chapter when they had to leave for class. ! That was awesome.
Steven and Brant (the ones in the story) are considering writing some alternate point-of-view fiction to go with this, and I'm pretty excited about it.
One last thing - I may be writing some chapters out of order sometime soon to add drama and words to the story. Please pay close attention to the chapter numbers to stay on top of it all.
Chapter 10 - Dirty Jobs
June 6th, 2008
3:25pm
Upstairs Headquarters
Ryan continued to delegate the many tasks at hand. "Kamikaze, I need you to fill every available container, including the sinks and bathtubs with water. Leave one out, actually, and mark it clearly as our toilet bucket in case the plumbing stops working. When you're done with that, go ahead and get to that rope ladder."
"Sure thing, cap'n," she replied got to work.
"Angel Hair and Rubble, your next job is to get me an inventory list of everything we have. I know this one sucks, but before we plan rations, I need to know how many Pop-Tarts we have. Before we can plan any sort of offense, I need to know what weapons and how many bullets we have. If it ends up taking forever, I'll either add somebody to the task or switch you guys out. Again, I'm not trying to sick you guys with the crap job, but I think you two know the supplies best, having hauled most of it yourself," he apologized.
They both nodded happily. "Don't worry so much, T. Rex," said Angel Hair. "It's really not that big of a deal."
"Yeah," Rubble added. "We know you're trying your best to be fair. I'd rather help out here than have to deal with the monsters out there by myself." They produced a pen and pad of paper and began with the nearest duffel.
Ryan nodded. "Thanks guys, that helps. I just don't want to be a dictator. Anyway, Peace and Cowboy, you keep working on that roof hatch. I know there's a bag of tools around here somewhere that you can use, but try not to do too much damage without thinking it through. Basically I'd suggest a lot of duct tape."
They retreated to the rear bedroom, leaving just T.Rex and Beard without duties.
"Okay, Beard. Next we gotta give everybody's phone the right message. Go ahead and power up your phone and access your voice mail," said T.Rex. As Beard did so, he continued. "Okay, now I need you to record something like this.
"You've reached Beard, and right now Fools are at Ryan's trying to survive the zombpocalypse. Survivors are currently Ryan, Renee, Andrew, Eric, John, Brant, and Steve as of June 6th. Phones are off to conserve power, so please leave a message and try the other Fools. We'll continue to check at regular intervals until the batteries are dead. Please notify the authorities and send help."
Beard nodded acknowledgment and walked to the back right bedroom to record. A minute later he emerged.
"Good," Ryan said. "Now I need you to go around and make sure everybody's phone is like that, including mine." He handed over his own phone. "My arm is killing me, so I'm gonna go take care of that." He grabbed a first aid kit from the pile of equipment in the living room and headed to the kitchen.
He walked around the corner and nearly tripped over one of the dozens of buckets and bowls on the floor filled with water. "Wow, Renee. Mind surrendering the sink for a bit and helping me with this arm wound real fast?"
"Of course not, you big dweeb. Come over here." She motioned him over and gingerly tried to untie the stained curtain around his arm. It wouldn't budge, so she pulled a pair of scissors from the kit and snipped the fabric away without hesitation. This caused the bleeding to resume, and Ryan looked away, slightly woozy.
She grabbed his free hand and clamped it over his arm near the elbow. "Hold this," she commanded. Looking away, Ryan held on tightly and tried to think of anything else.
Renee ran warm soapy water and washed the arm. There was a small bottle of iodine in the kit, and she poured a small amount onto a cotton ball. "This is gonna hurt," she warned before viciously scrubbing the cut up and down his forearm.
"Fuckbeans!! Jeez, that hurts!" he yelled, still refusing to look at his own arm.
"Everything okay in there, T.Rex?" Angel Hair shouted.
"Just FINE," he shouted back, as another cotton ball was swabbed.
Kamikaze finished the treatment by placing a long, sterile gauze over the wound and wrapping it tightly with medical tape from the first aid kit. "There, all done," she said, cheerily. He stood there, awkwardly.
"You can quit holding your arm now," she pointed out. Ryan let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and slowly released the tension on his arm. He cautiously looked over at his left arm, as if a good stare would cause it to bleed again.
"Thanks, Renee. Want some help with the water?" he offered.
"No thanks, I think I got it." She continued filling buckets from the sink and stacking them in efficient overlapping piles in the kitchen, filling empty cupboards and the pantry first. She also emptied gallon containers of milk from the downstairs refrigerator and filled them with water as well.
Ryan gently nursed his arm as he checked on the other Fools at work. Cowboy and Peace had removed the closet doors and used the room to push in a dresser. This allowed them to reach the attic without a ladder and they'd marked out an approximate area to make the roof hatch. They kept having trouble with the heat inside, so Ryan asked them to take a water break before continuing.
Angel Hair and Rubble were quickly cataloging all the items. They'd quarantined the middle bedroom, and emptied it first. Only after listing an item did they move it back in, attempting to stack everything in an easily accessible and visible manner. Ryan was quite impressed.
Beard had completed the cell phone instructions, and together with T.Rex they began to work out duty and ration schedules. They figured with seven Fools, each night would have three night watch shifts of two people for three hours apiece, with a night off for the seventh person rotating amongst them. This would last from 9 pm to 6am, covering the darkest parts of the evening. Starting with an alphabetical list, the first two would take the first shift, second two the second shift, and third pair the final shift, and the odd Fool out had the night off. The next night, the list shifted one name down. This would ensure fairness, and a regular change of pace for all duties.
Thus the first night was Andrew and Brant from 9pm to midnight, Eric and John from midnight to 3am, Renee and Ryan from 3am to 6am, and Steve had the night off.
They would try for 3 liters of drinking water per day per person once the fresh water supply stopped. For now, the water wasn't a problem, but it remained to be seen how long their stores could last them. Beard and T.Rex also wouldn't restrict showers or the toilet as long as they worked, but showers were a low priority and they'd make deal with a bucket at some point. They decided the northwest corner of the house was the dumping point for trash and waste.
Water was plentiful (for now), but food had to be rationed immediately. This was especially important as Ryan's stomach started to growl. He'd not eaten at all that day and had been busy moving and thieving. The final inventory was still being tabulated, but T.Rex estimated that from what food he'd gathered and seen brought over, the seven of them would not last more than two weeks on minimum rations. Not to mention that they'd be sustaining themselves on mostly sugary packaged foods. He was slightly worried, but tried to remain optimistic. Hopefully they wouldn't need to hold out that long. Thoughts of food consumed all of his thoughts.
As the evening crept closer, Ryan pulled the Fools from their duties to share their first meal together as a band of survivors. Beard carefully doled out conservative portions of granola bars and fruit snacks, with glasses of water all around.
Nobody complained about the food, Ryan thought. This time.
As they stuffed the wrappers into a trash bag, T.Rex fetched a black case and gave a short lecture about rule number five.
"Guys, I can't stress this enough. If something should happen, a thing to keep in mind is rule five. That's ideal protection is tight clothes and short hair. That means keep your shoelaces tied, don't get sloppy, and pay attention to your appearance. I'd love to give you all armor and such, but even if we didn't worry about mobility, weight, and sound, we'd all die of heat in this weather. I think our best bet is to stay quiet, light, and nimble."
He had no indication so far that his friends were anything but loyal and willing to accept his leadership. Still, he was unsure of how the following days or even weeks would play out. He had doubts in his head about his own leadership skills, and felt the gesture he was about to make was leading by example. That it would help keep up the esprit de corps of the group, even if it wasn't in danger -yet.
T.Rex had Peace spread out a garbage bag onto the living room floor. Removing scissors and an electric razor from the black case, he let the Fools take turns shaving his head. They giggled as each one removed a stripe of curls from his head. The razor had a sufficient charge that they all took a turn shortening each other's hair. Beard kept his eponymous facial feature, and Kamikaze removed her hip-length ponytail almost entirely.
After they cleaned up the mess, it was time for bed. Together they placed five sleeping bags in a Tetris-esque arrangement on the living room floor. It was crowded, but they managed. As the rest of the Fools turned in and attempted to fall asleep, Peace and Rubble kept first watch. The roof hatch wasn't completed yet, so they set up shop in the back right bedroom.
As the excitement of the first day died down, and the last bit of chatter stopped, a brief moment of silence crept through the apartment before the night watch spoke up.
"Guys," Peace said nervously from the back room. "I can see dozens of them."
Current Word Count: 13,165
3:25pm
Upstairs Headquarters
Ryan continued to delegate the many tasks at hand. "Kamikaze, I need you to fill every available container, including the sinks and bathtubs with water. Leave one out, actually, and mark it clearly as our toilet bucket in case the plumbing stops working. When you're done with that, go ahead and get to that rope ladder."
"Sure thing, cap'n," she replied got to work.
"Angel Hair and Rubble, your next job is to get me an inventory list of everything we have. I know this one sucks, but before we plan rations, I need to know how many Pop-Tarts we have. Before we can plan any sort of offense, I need to know what weapons and how many bullets we have. If it ends up taking forever, I'll either add somebody to the task or switch you guys out. Again, I'm not trying to sick you guys with the crap job, but I think you two know the supplies best, having hauled most of it yourself," he apologized.
They both nodded happily. "Don't worry so much, T. Rex," said Angel Hair. "It's really not that big of a deal."
"Yeah," Rubble added. "We know you're trying your best to be fair. I'd rather help out here than have to deal with the monsters out there by myself." They produced a pen and pad of paper and began with the nearest duffel.
Ryan nodded. "Thanks guys, that helps. I just don't want to be a dictator. Anyway, Peace and Cowboy, you keep working on that roof hatch. I know there's a bag of tools around here somewhere that you can use, but try not to do too much damage without thinking it through. Basically I'd suggest a lot of duct tape."
They retreated to the rear bedroom, leaving just T.Rex and Beard without duties.
"Okay, Beard. Next we gotta give everybody's phone the right message. Go ahead and power up your phone and access your voice mail," said T.Rex. As Beard did so, he continued. "Okay, now I need you to record something like this.
"You've reached Beard, and right now Fools are at Ryan's trying to survive the zombpocalypse. Survivors are currently Ryan, Renee, Andrew, Eric, John, Brant, and Steve as of June 6th. Phones are off to conserve power, so please leave a message and try the other Fools. We'll continue to check at regular intervals until the batteries are dead. Please notify the authorities and send help."
Beard nodded acknowledgment and walked to the back right bedroom to record. A minute later he emerged.
"Good," Ryan said. "Now I need you to go around and make sure everybody's phone is like that, including mine." He handed over his own phone. "My arm is killing me, so I'm gonna go take care of that." He grabbed a first aid kit from the pile of equipment in the living room and headed to the kitchen.
He walked around the corner and nearly tripped over one of the dozens of buckets and bowls on the floor filled with water. "Wow, Renee. Mind surrendering the sink for a bit and helping me with this arm wound real fast?"
"Of course not, you big dweeb. Come over here." She motioned him over and gingerly tried to untie the stained curtain around his arm. It wouldn't budge, so she pulled a pair of scissors from the kit and snipped the fabric away without hesitation. This caused the bleeding to resume, and Ryan looked away, slightly woozy.
She grabbed his free hand and clamped it over his arm near the elbow. "Hold this," she commanded. Looking away, Ryan held on tightly and tried to think of anything else.
Renee ran warm soapy water and washed the arm. There was a small bottle of iodine in the kit, and she poured a small amount onto a cotton ball. "This is gonna hurt," she warned before viciously scrubbing the cut up and down his forearm.
"Fuckbeans!! Jeez, that hurts!" he yelled, still refusing to look at his own arm.
"Everything okay in there, T.Rex?" Angel Hair shouted.
"Just FINE," he shouted back, as another cotton ball was swabbed.
Kamikaze finished the treatment by placing a long, sterile gauze over the wound and wrapping it tightly with medical tape from the first aid kit. "There, all done," she said, cheerily. He stood there, awkwardly.
"You can quit holding your arm now," she pointed out. Ryan let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and slowly released the tension on his arm. He cautiously looked over at his left arm, as if a good stare would cause it to bleed again.
"Thanks, Renee. Want some help with the water?" he offered.
"No thanks, I think I got it." She continued filling buckets from the sink and stacking them in efficient overlapping piles in the kitchen, filling empty cupboards and the pantry first. She also emptied gallon containers of milk from the downstairs refrigerator and filled them with water as well.
Ryan gently nursed his arm as he checked on the other Fools at work. Cowboy and Peace had removed the closet doors and used the room to push in a dresser. This allowed them to reach the attic without a ladder and they'd marked out an approximate area to make the roof hatch. They kept having trouble with the heat inside, so Ryan asked them to take a water break before continuing.
Angel Hair and Rubble were quickly cataloging all the items. They'd quarantined the middle bedroom, and emptied it first. Only after listing an item did they move it back in, attempting to stack everything in an easily accessible and visible manner. Ryan was quite impressed.
Beard had completed the cell phone instructions, and together with T.Rex they began to work out duty and ration schedules. They figured with seven Fools, each night would have three night watch shifts of two people for three hours apiece, with a night off for the seventh person rotating amongst them. This would last from 9 pm to 6am, covering the darkest parts of the evening. Starting with an alphabetical list, the first two would take the first shift, second two the second shift, and third pair the final shift, and the odd Fool out had the night off. The next night, the list shifted one name down. This would ensure fairness, and a regular change of pace for all duties.
Thus the first night was Andrew and Brant from 9pm to midnight, Eric and John from midnight to 3am, Renee and Ryan from 3am to 6am, and Steve had the night off.
They would try for 3 liters of drinking water per day per person once the fresh water supply stopped. For now, the water wasn't a problem, but it remained to be seen how long their stores could last them. Beard and T.Rex also wouldn't restrict showers or the toilet as long as they worked, but showers were a low priority and they'd make deal with a bucket at some point. They decided the northwest corner of the house was the dumping point for trash and waste.
Water was plentiful (for now), but food had to be rationed immediately. This was especially important as Ryan's stomach started to growl. He'd not eaten at all that day and had been busy moving and thieving. The final inventory was still being tabulated, but T.Rex estimated that from what food he'd gathered and seen brought over, the seven of them would not last more than two weeks on minimum rations. Not to mention that they'd be sustaining themselves on mostly sugary packaged foods. He was slightly worried, but tried to remain optimistic. Hopefully they wouldn't need to hold out that long. Thoughts of food consumed all of his thoughts.
As the evening crept closer, Ryan pulled the Fools from their duties to share their first meal together as a band of survivors. Beard carefully doled out conservative portions of granola bars and fruit snacks, with glasses of water all around.
Nobody complained about the food, Ryan thought. This time.
As they stuffed the wrappers into a trash bag, T.Rex fetched a black case and gave a short lecture about rule number five.
"Guys, I can't stress this enough. If something should happen, a thing to keep in mind is rule five. That's ideal protection is tight clothes and short hair. That means keep your shoelaces tied, don't get sloppy, and pay attention to your appearance. I'd love to give you all armor and such, but even if we didn't worry about mobility, weight, and sound, we'd all die of heat in this weather. I think our best bet is to stay quiet, light, and nimble."
He had no indication so far that his friends were anything but loyal and willing to accept his leadership. Still, he was unsure of how the following days or even weeks would play out. He had doubts in his head about his own leadership skills, and felt the gesture he was about to make was leading by example. That it would help keep up the esprit de corps of the group, even if it wasn't in danger -yet.
T.Rex had Peace spread out a garbage bag onto the living room floor. Removing scissors and an electric razor from the black case, he let the Fools take turns shaving his head. They giggled as each one removed a stripe of curls from his head. The razor had a sufficient charge that they all took a turn shortening each other's hair. Beard kept his eponymous facial feature, and Kamikaze removed her hip-length ponytail almost entirely.
After they cleaned up the mess, it was time for bed. Together they placed five sleeping bags in a Tetris-esque arrangement on the living room floor. It was crowded, but they managed. As the rest of the Fools turned in and attempted to fall asleep, Peace and Rubble kept first watch. The roof hatch wasn't completed yet, so they set up shop in the back right bedroom.
As the excitement of the first day died down, and the last bit of chatter stopped, a brief moment of silence crept through the apartment before the night watch spoke up.
"Guys," Peace said nervously from the back room. "I can see dozens of them."
Current Word Count: 13,165
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Chapter 9 - House Rules
June 6th, 2008
1:08pm
Upstairs Apartment
Peace was literally bouncing up and down with excitement.
"I take it you got in okay?" Ryan said, calmly.
"Yeah! I was all like-" Peace wiggled his hands as he spoke, miming picking a lock. "Then the lock was all like- bam," he twisted his fingers violently and made a grinding noise, followed by a teeth-clicking snap. He grinned proudly.
"Well done, Peace," Ryan patted him on the shoulder. "Now let's go see what you've discovered. Cowboy, follow me. We're through in here and I've got your next job."
T.Rex, Cowboy, and Peace exited the kitchen and walked through the living room. They each grabbed an armful of supplies to help Rubble and Angel Hair as they made their way out the door. As they stepped into the harsh humid air, they saw Kamikaze hard at work destroying the stairs.
She stood up at the sound of the door opening and leaned on the stair rails. "Howdy there, Captain. I'm taking out every other plank for now so the stairs are still somewhat usable. I also think we should make a rope ladder, as a backup that can be moved around as needed."
"Excellent," Ryan said. "When we get some downtime, I want you to make it happen."
She helped the three of them upstairs with their supplies, and they piled everything in the middle bedroom (above Ryan's room). Peace excitedly hurried them through the desolate, echoing apartment to the rear bedroom. The only items that remained in the upstairs apartment was furniture owned by the rental company, including a few mattresses and dressers, and kitchen appliances.
The back left bedroom was nondescript. Peace led them in and opened the second closet door, and pointed up as Cowboy and T.Rex looked on in confusion.
"There!" Peace exclaimed. "I found a way to get into the attic."
T.Rex stepped forward and leaned into the closet. Inside, on the ceiling, was a panel that rested on a frame.
"Most excellent. Can you two give me a boost up there and I'll have a look around, Lion King style?" Ryan grinned.
Peace and Cowboy crouched to let T.Rex climb onto their shoulders. They slowly raised him up and shuffled single file into the closet, making sure he ducked to clear the frame. Once inside, he gingerly pushed the panel up and slid it into the attic space. They heaved on a count of three, and Ryan found purchase on the lip of the frame. He pulled himself up as the other two pushed his legs upward, and his waist cleared the rim. Flopping forward onto his stomach, he scrambled forward until he was clear.
"Somebody get me a flashlight up here, will ya?" Ryan shouted down below. He crouched and waited a few minutes before Peace ran over and Cowboy relayed one up. T.Rex clicked on the flashlight and peered slowly around. The attic space wasn't luxurious, but a short person such as himself only needed to bend slightly to walk around anywhere but the tallest point. He walked to the end and back before the dust and stifling heat were too much to bear. Standing near the rim of access, he made sure it was clear in the closet before hopping down.
Back on the floor once more, he tapped Peace on the chest with the flashlight. "You and Cowboy have to figure out how to get up there reliably. Once you've got that down, find a way to punch through the ceiling."
"Wait just a second," Cowboy interrupted. "You want us to make a hole in the roof?" he moved his hands as he spoke, one passing by the other as if launching a missile.
"Well, don't start until you can figure out a way to keep the elements out, at least mostly. But yeah, we're gonna need roof access before long," Ryan said a matter of factly. "If/when it rains, we'll collect fresh rainwater, we can see further in every direction for recon, gives us chances for signaling, and it will give us a vantage point for sniper attacks if we can spare the ammunition. Plus, it's a backup escape route. Just make sure it's facing the west side of the house."
Peace and Cowboy stared blankly at each other as T.Rex walked out of the room to check on the other preparations, not quite sure of what to make of the last set of orders. Ryan walked briskly to the other end of the apartment, out the door, and leaned over the stairway railing.
"Almost finished down there, guys?" he shouted down to the Fools working below.
"Just a few more trips, T.Rex," Rubble noted from the downstairs living room.
"Let's finish up here, then," said Ryan. "Renee, go ahead and remove the rest of the stairs - we'll use the ladder from now on." She nodded affirmative and quickly dismantled the rest of the slats, joining Rubble and Angel Hair hauling the equipment up the ladder.
"Anybody heard back from Beard, yet?" Ryan shouted to the crew.
As if on cue, the bearded, mud-caked sentry emerged from the bushes nearby. "Survey complete, T.Rex. I'm headed up now."
"Alrighty, let's close it up," Ryan said loud enough for everybody to hear. "Everybody in the living room in 10 minutes."
The last of the supplies were moved up, the stairway was rendered useless, and everybody moved upstairs. Ryan made one last head count - Kamikaze, Peace & Beard, Rubble & Angel Hair, Cowboy, and himself, before pulling up the ladder. He closed and locked the door and made sure all the windows were shut, locked, and had blinds down and closed.
The Fools trickled into the living room and took up positions on the floor in a semicircle.
"Okay, everybody," Ryan began. "Let's lay out some rules. First off, we're gonna stick with the buddy system. I don't want anybody to leave the apartment without somebody to watch your back." He looked at Beard and amended "Beard here has the exception. He's got extensive fieldcraft expertise, and he'll be acting as our freelance scout, so he may be going solo from time to time.
"That brings me to my next point. Nobody should be leaving. I don't want to risk leaving this safe haven unless it is absolutely necessary. Reasons for that include," he ticked off his fingers as he continued "if we decide as a group that there's a better place to go, we run out of supplies or need information, there's a greater danger such as fire, or a legitimate authority has the area secure."
Beard raised a hand. "I'd like to emphasize rule number 9 - no place is safe, only safer. Our master plan dictates that we stay here for now since it's our best bet, but it is by no means impregnable or foolproof. Heh, Fools. Anyway, stay sharp and we won't have any problems."
Ryan nodded in agreement. "Good point. Anyway, if for some reason somebody does need to leave, make sure you tell another Fool. I don't want anybody unaccounted for, and I especially don't want to play guessing games. Well, unless it's improv, but that's another story.
"So, until further notice, we're under house arrest. I also am asking you all to practice sound discipline. That means everybody keep your voice low, and any electronics should be muted or blanketed. Nobody should be shouting or screaming unless there's an emergency, and if the power should come back, we run appliances sparingly when absolutely needed. I don't want to attract attention to this apartment from the living dead, or any survivors that think we might be an easy target to be taken advantage of.
"Similarly, no lights between dusk and dawn. Zombies have excellent low light vision, and any source of light could attract them. Or, once again, people can be drawn to the lights and I'd like to avoid that if we can," he said as a warning.
Peace grinned. "It's like we're in London during WWII and the Luftwaffe is conducting night raids!"
Ryan couldn't resist a chuckle. "Good thought, Peace. I've got some more things you're not gonna love, so thinking of it as a game or a scene can help with morale. Beard and I will work up duty schedules in a bit. That includes pretty stringent food and water rationing, weapons and tactical training, and a rotating sets of night watch responsibilities.
"Oh, speaking of, everybody turn off your phones, right now. Power is something we'll ration as well, and we will check for messages at regular intervals." All of the Fools scrambled for their pockets and a small symphony of beeps followed.
"Okay, Fools. I've got more jobs that need to be taken care of before nighttime, I just wanted to spell out the basics before we got any further."
Ryan ran his hands through his hair with a hint of exhaustion. "Tonight, we take care of rule number 5."
Current Word Count: 11,433
1:08pm
Upstairs Apartment
Peace was literally bouncing up and down with excitement.
"I take it you got in okay?" Ryan said, calmly.
"Yeah! I was all like-" Peace wiggled his hands as he spoke, miming picking a lock. "Then the lock was all like- bam," he twisted his fingers violently and made a grinding noise, followed by a teeth-clicking snap. He grinned proudly.
"Well done, Peace," Ryan patted him on the shoulder. "Now let's go see what you've discovered. Cowboy, follow me. We're through in here and I've got your next job."
T.Rex, Cowboy, and Peace exited the kitchen and walked through the living room. They each grabbed an armful of supplies to help Rubble and Angel Hair as they made their way out the door. As they stepped into the harsh humid air, they saw Kamikaze hard at work destroying the stairs.
She stood up at the sound of the door opening and leaned on the stair rails. "Howdy there, Captain. I'm taking out every other plank for now so the stairs are still somewhat usable. I also think we should make a rope ladder, as a backup that can be moved around as needed."
"Excellent," Ryan said. "When we get some downtime, I want you to make it happen."
She helped the three of them upstairs with their supplies, and they piled everything in the middle bedroom (above Ryan's room). Peace excitedly hurried them through the desolate, echoing apartment to the rear bedroom. The only items that remained in the upstairs apartment was furniture owned by the rental company, including a few mattresses and dressers, and kitchen appliances.
The back left bedroom was nondescript. Peace led them in and opened the second closet door, and pointed up as Cowboy and T.Rex looked on in confusion.
"There!" Peace exclaimed. "I found a way to get into the attic."
T.Rex stepped forward and leaned into the closet. Inside, on the ceiling, was a panel that rested on a frame.
"Most excellent. Can you two give me a boost up there and I'll have a look around, Lion King style?" Ryan grinned.
Peace and Cowboy crouched to let T.Rex climb onto their shoulders. They slowly raised him up and shuffled single file into the closet, making sure he ducked to clear the frame. Once inside, he gingerly pushed the panel up and slid it into the attic space. They heaved on a count of three, and Ryan found purchase on the lip of the frame. He pulled himself up as the other two pushed his legs upward, and his waist cleared the rim. Flopping forward onto his stomach, he scrambled forward until he was clear.
"Somebody get me a flashlight up here, will ya?" Ryan shouted down below. He crouched and waited a few minutes before Peace ran over and Cowboy relayed one up. T.Rex clicked on the flashlight and peered slowly around. The attic space wasn't luxurious, but a short person such as himself only needed to bend slightly to walk around anywhere but the tallest point. He walked to the end and back before the dust and stifling heat were too much to bear. Standing near the rim of access, he made sure it was clear in the closet before hopping down.
Back on the floor once more, he tapped Peace on the chest with the flashlight. "You and Cowboy have to figure out how to get up there reliably. Once you've got that down, find a way to punch through the ceiling."
"Wait just a second," Cowboy interrupted. "You want us to make a hole in the roof?" he moved his hands as he spoke, one passing by the other as if launching a missile.
"Well, don't start until you can figure out a way to keep the elements out, at least mostly. But yeah, we're gonna need roof access before long," Ryan said a matter of factly. "If/when it rains, we'll collect fresh rainwater, we can see further in every direction for recon, gives us chances for signaling, and it will give us a vantage point for sniper attacks if we can spare the ammunition. Plus, it's a backup escape route. Just make sure it's facing the west side of the house."
Peace and Cowboy stared blankly at each other as T.Rex walked out of the room to check on the other preparations, not quite sure of what to make of the last set of orders. Ryan walked briskly to the other end of the apartment, out the door, and leaned over the stairway railing.
"Almost finished down there, guys?" he shouted down to the Fools working below.
"Just a few more trips, T.Rex," Rubble noted from the downstairs living room.
"Let's finish up here, then," said Ryan. "Renee, go ahead and remove the rest of the stairs - we'll use the ladder from now on." She nodded affirmative and quickly dismantled the rest of the slats, joining Rubble and Angel Hair hauling the equipment up the ladder.
"Anybody heard back from Beard, yet?" Ryan shouted to the crew.
As if on cue, the bearded, mud-caked sentry emerged from the bushes nearby. "Survey complete, T.Rex. I'm headed up now."
"Alrighty, let's close it up," Ryan said loud enough for everybody to hear. "Everybody in the living room in 10 minutes."
The last of the supplies were moved up, the stairway was rendered useless, and everybody moved upstairs. Ryan made one last head count - Kamikaze, Peace & Beard, Rubble & Angel Hair, Cowboy, and himself, before pulling up the ladder. He closed and locked the door and made sure all the windows were shut, locked, and had blinds down and closed.
The Fools trickled into the living room and took up positions on the floor in a semicircle.
"Okay, everybody," Ryan began. "Let's lay out some rules. First off, we're gonna stick with the buddy system. I don't want anybody to leave the apartment without somebody to watch your back." He looked at Beard and amended "Beard here has the exception. He's got extensive fieldcraft expertise, and he'll be acting as our freelance scout, so he may be going solo from time to time.
"That brings me to my next point. Nobody should be leaving. I don't want to risk leaving this safe haven unless it is absolutely necessary. Reasons for that include," he ticked off his fingers as he continued "if we decide as a group that there's a better place to go, we run out of supplies or need information, there's a greater danger such as fire, or a legitimate authority has the area secure."
Beard raised a hand. "I'd like to emphasize rule number 9 - no place is safe, only safer. Our master plan dictates that we stay here for now since it's our best bet, but it is by no means impregnable or foolproof. Heh, Fools. Anyway, stay sharp and we won't have any problems."
Ryan nodded in agreement. "Good point. Anyway, if for some reason somebody does need to leave, make sure you tell another Fool. I don't want anybody unaccounted for, and I especially don't want to play guessing games. Well, unless it's improv, but that's another story.
"So, until further notice, we're under house arrest. I also am asking you all to practice sound discipline. That means everybody keep your voice low, and any electronics should be muted or blanketed. Nobody should be shouting or screaming unless there's an emergency, and if the power should come back, we run appliances sparingly when absolutely needed. I don't want to attract attention to this apartment from the living dead, or any survivors that think we might be an easy target to be taken advantage of.
"Similarly, no lights between dusk and dawn. Zombies have excellent low light vision, and any source of light could attract them. Or, once again, people can be drawn to the lights and I'd like to avoid that if we can," he said as a warning.
Peace grinned. "It's like we're in London during WWII and the Luftwaffe is conducting night raids!"
Ryan couldn't resist a chuckle. "Good thought, Peace. I've got some more things you're not gonna love, so thinking of it as a game or a scene can help with morale. Beard and I will work up duty schedules in a bit. That includes pretty stringent food and water rationing, weapons and tactical training, and a rotating sets of night watch responsibilities.
"Oh, speaking of, everybody turn off your phones, right now. Power is something we'll ration as well, and we will check for messages at regular intervals." All of the Fools scrambled for their pockets and a small symphony of beeps followed.
"Okay, Fools. I've got more jobs that need to be taken care of before nighttime, I just wanted to spell out the basics before we got any further."
Ryan ran his hands through his hair with a hint of exhaustion. "Tonight, we take care of rule number 5."
Current Word Count: 11,433
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