June 14th, 2008
12:16am
Rear Apartment Alley
The night air was warm and wildlife could faintly be heard in the distance. The dominant noise, however, was the irregular moans and shuffles of zombies, close by. Accompanying such sounds was a horrible stink which hung on the humid breezes.
Standing in the dark alley, the Fools stared expectantly at their leader. He took one deep breath and began speaking in soft voice.
"Everybody pay attention. We're gonna take this one step at a time, and work as a team. Our first landmark is the greenhouses. That's two full blocks directly west of here, running parallel to Harrison Street. We'll stay off Harrison for now, cutting through backyards and parking lots. You guys know I've lived here for two years, and I know the entire area really well, so stick close to me.
"I need you all to be my eyes and ears. I'm gonna concentrate on navigating and trying to avoid what I can, but I can't watch all around. Don't yell. Just tell me what you see, and work together. If I hold up my fist, that's me telling you all to hold. For now, melee weapons unless the shit hits the fan. I'm gonna try to keep a brisk walking pace, so we don't tire out or make too much noise. Don't let yourself get behind - just tell me to slow up, okay?"
The group nodded. "Good," he said. "Now follow me."
T.Rex walked a half dozen steps along the backside of the apartment, staring intently at a row of shrubs that lined a wooden fence. The foliage looked uniform in the darkness. He paused a moment before shoving one aside, revealing a large gap in the lower portion of the fence. Ducking, he scooted through and glanced around the clearing on the other side, waiting for Peace to follow. Then Cowboy. Then Kamikaze, Angel Hair, Rubble, and finally Beard.
Ryan hoped by keeping the group focused on a single goal at a time, they would avoid worrying about the larger picture. They huddled against the aluminum siding of the apartment complex directly behind their former fortress and waited as T.Rex stared down South Grant Street.
Nobody moved as he stood, immobile. Skirting through the bushes was one thing, but they were about to poke a hornet's nest. He now could see down the entire block and saw a number of shadowy figures, some just yards away. Sprinting was sure to draw their attention, but they had to cross somehow, and dragging it out surely wouldn't help either. Looking across, there were two large buildings straddling a largely empty gravel lot. There was a rustle in the bushes nearby, and he started to get nervous.
He contemplated running directly through the lot, or perhaps trying to hug the walls of the complex. The left one has more shadows, which could hold more zeds, he debated. And the cars don't look moved at all, so they're not likely to hold any trapped people. The right building is bigger, though, so it probably has more people. There was more rustling, and Ryan began to perspire. Maybe it would be better if we moved north a bit, he argued to himself. There may be a better place to cross, even though we'd be moving closer to campus. No, better to stick to the plan and-
"T.Rex!" Kamikaze hissed. Ryan snapped out his mental debate and realized the group was waiting on him. "On three!" he impulsively whispered to the group.
"One. Two. Three!" He sprinted a few steps excitedly before calming down long enough to slow his pace. The group followed in a staggered line, clutching their weapons tightly and constantly turning their heads in all directions. T.Rex stepped off the sidewalk and onto the pavement, nearly stumbling over a sewer grate in a nervous concentration. Staring directly across, he aimed for a spot in the gravel lot close to the right building and refused to think about the number of creatures that were undoubtedly stalking them now. They were committed.
Ryan reached the other side, and stopped at the bumper of a blue pickup truck. He squatted near the right rear tire and peeked around, holding his fist above his head. The rest of the Fools were no more than a few steps behind and squatted in a line against the car to his left.
T.Rex's pulse was racing, and they hadn't even engaged a single foe yet. They haven't even gone more than a few hundred feet. Gravel crunched as three zombies shuffled towards them from the other side of the truck, with no doubt in anyone's mind that more were closing in. There was no time to carefully debate which exact direction they would run to anymore, as precious seconds drifted away.
This is war, T.Rex told himself. We have to get going, because just sitting here is gonna get us all killed as every zed in the county converges on us. "Let's move!" he whispered back as he stood and rounded the fender of the truck.
He nearly ran straight into a zombie. An overweight figure, with wild eyes and blood dripping from its mouth. As Ryan's head turned from giving the command to follow, he saw the creature out of the corner of his eye. He cried out in surprise, and started swing his crowbar wildly. The outstretched arms of the zombie were batted away by the panicked movement.
Peace, who had seen the entire exchange happen from a few feet away, was on the move. He grabbed Ryan's upper forearm with his left hand and held it down, to stop the frantic swinging crowbar. With his right, Peace swung his hatchet in a horizontal sweep and buried it just behind the left ear of Ryan's attacker.
The zombie groaned, and slumped to the ground. Ryan looked at the fallen body, and then Peace. Then back to the zombie, then back to Peace. "Thanks," Ryan sputtered. "Thank you. I didn't...thanks. I just..."
Peace removed the hatchet and pointed west. "Welcome. Let's go."
T.Rex looked back and saw the others had taken down two other zombies, one male and one petite girl. Cowboy's bat was smeared in blood, and Angel Hair's sharpened pool cue had a black ooze on the end. Everybody was panting. He hadn't even noticed the others were fighting in the confusion of his own attack, and hoped nobody had seen his embarrassing exchange. "Keep moving!" he whispered, as two more figures stumbled around the corner of the nearest house.
They took off at a slight jog, moving across the open parking lot and weaving around a red sedan. Beard, covering their rear, confronted a zed that was closing in on the group. It lunged for him, and he kicked squarely in the sternum, knocking it backward. He increased his speed to catch up with the group.
Pausing near a small garden shed, The Fools collected at the far end of the parking lot. T.Rex looked around, trying quickly to find the best place to cross. His hands were shaking, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Just then, the doors of the shed burst open, startling the Fools as two zombies shuffled out. Inside, a freshly mutilated corpse laid on a sack of fertilizer, gripping a shovel. Its torso and skull were torn open, exposing organs. Blood was splattered all over the white walls. The zombies, still chewing, reached for the Fools nearby.
Rubble stood and yelled, swinging the thicker end of his pool cue with full force at the closest zed. There was a wet thwack as the pole connected with the skull, and the zed crumpled against the door. He paused, then quickly spun the cue vertically and brought the base down onto the second one, a glancing blow that nonetheless sent it to the ground.
The entire group stared in awe as Rubble nodded at his handiwork, then turned around. He shrugged, and Ryan called once more to move out.
As the parking lot ended, Sheetz Street came into view, as did more zombies. A small group of zeds noticed, moaning as they started towards the Fools. "Shit!" Ryan called out, and increased his pace. T.Rex led the group towards an apartment complex on the other side of the street that had open air staircases.
The zombies stumbled after them, blindly following the Fools through the gap in the apartment architecture. This achieved Ryan's intended effect of funneling the zeds together behind them, slowing the attack by taking advantage of their simple minds. With an extra burst of speed, the Fools ran away and paused behind yet another building.
"Everybody okay?" T.Rex whispered back, slightly out of breath. All five nodded back, and he snuck forward to peer around the corner of the building in front of them. "I can see the greenhouses, guys!" he whispered back, excitedly.
Wait, he thought. All five? Rubble and Angel Hair, one and two. Kamikaze and Cowboy, three and four. Peace and...
"Where the hell is Beard?" he whispered back to the group.
Current Word Count: 28,903
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Chapter 21 - Easy Company
June 14th, 2008
12:04am
Apartment Parking Lot
Acting purely on instinct, Ryan whirled around with his fist curled.
Great, he thought as his weight shifted. One of Purdue's finest climbs from his tower of safety and doesn't even bother to have his weapon ready. I must've gotten distracted by the note and forgot to check the shadows for a lingering zed. Fantastic. His torso had spun and he was about to connect with what he felt was a pretty decent right hook, even if it was useless against a creature that didn't register pain. What an ignominious end. I didn't even make it past the front lawn, like I'm in a shitty Choose Your Own Adventure book. Sorry Jenny...so much for your knight in shining armor.
With little else to do but follow through, Ryan gritted his teeth and hoped for a solid hit. Instead, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
Punch deflected, T.Rex looked up and saw one of the Fools clinging to the rope ladder. His wrists now free, he reached for a weapon in his pack. He'd learned his lesson and would not be caught off guard again.
"Beard!" Ryan hissed in the darkness. "What are you doing?"
"What are you doing?" he shot back.
"I have to go, okay? Take care of the others!" he whispered, turning away.
"Just come back for a minute, will ya? I want to talk about it!" Beard pleaded.
"It'll be easier if I just go now, okay? I don't want to drag this out. I have to go, now." T.Rex defiantly took a few steps away. Suddenly, a moan resonated from very close by and he leaped from the ground onto the lower portion of the ladder without pausing. "Orrrr we could talk for just a bit, how's that?" He scrambled up the ladder after his friend, still clutching his crowbar as his bravery and resolve started to fade.
Beard disappeared into the apartment as Ryan pulled the rope ladder up onto the balcony. T.Rex adjusted the straps on his backpack before gently easing the door open. "I'm only going to stay a few min-" he started, before dropping his words mid-sentence as he entered the apartment.
In the living room, Beard, Peace, Kamikaze, Cowboy, Angel Hair, and Rubble stood at attention, packs ready.
Ryan paused for several moments, speechless. He stared at the Fools, knowing that moments ago most of them were fast asleep. A few showed faint signs of fatigue, but none appeared hesitant or anything but resolute. He made eye contact with each one, and nobody moved or spoke.
Finally, T.Rex drew a heavy sigh and threw up his hands. "What I'm about to do," he began "is probably nothing short of crazy. I appreciate the show of support, but I don't expect any of you to follow me, and I think it's best if you all stayed here. I don't want any of you guys to get hurt, least of all because of some crazy rescue mission. I thought I had you guys fooled. Anyway, I'm going to go try and rescue Jenny."
There was a slight pause, before Kamikaze said softly, "We're with you, T.Rex."
Another pause. Ryan drew his heels together sharply and brought his hand to his brow, and smartly saluted the group. They returned the gesture.
"Alright," T.Rex said as the formation broke. "Let's make sure we leave redundant notes on the exits and table in case somebody finds this place while we're gone. Names, dates, and make sure it mentions a stop at Hillenbrand for Jenny before heading in a westerly direction. Also, let's make sure there's nothing we leave behind that's useful. However," he added "we have to carry all of this, so don't overload yourself."
The Fools scrambled around what had been their fortress and home for the past week, carrying out their instructions. Ryan rolled up his sleeping bag and stuffed his handwritten note into his pocket. No need for this sappy mess to be seen, he thought to himself. He also retrieved his rations and supplies from the cupboard when nobody was looking.
"Cellphone check," T.Rex called out. "On your person, separate from your packs, but powered OFF. I will not have our position given away by a vibrating phone." Each Fool confirmed. "Now, everybody head to the roof and get out your primary weapon. Beard, you do one last sweep and meet us up there."
They slowly filed into the back bedroom and helped each other climb onto the dresser, through the closet attic space, and into the musty attic. Even in the evening, it was incredibly warm, and the six of them carrying extra equipment and stooping to avoid the roof made things uncomfortable very quickly.
T.Rex suddenly felt very protective, and his mind was racing. "Avoid combat, always," he reminded them frantically, spewing out anything that came to mind. "Uh, cover up anything shiny or that might rattle. Stay quiet. Whisper, use hand signals like we do in practice. Don't go alone. Ditch your pack if you have to, nothing is worth getting tangled up with a zed. Uh, uh, aim for the skull. Keep an escape route."
With no more pearls of wisdom coming from his mind, he defaulted to reciting rules from the Zombie Survival Guide. "Rule 2, guys. They feel no fear, why should we? Rule 3 - Use your head: cut off theirs. Rule 4 - Blades don't need reloading. And definitely Rule 9 -"
Rubble, who had his own copy, finished. "No place is safe, only safer."
Angel Hair gently placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Calm down, T.Rex. We've got it." Just then, Beard poked his head into the attic and clambered up to join them. He carried the rope ladder and carefully began fastening it to the floor.
"Just one more thing," Ryan said somberly to the group of Fools assembled before him. "I'm not looking for a Last Action Hero or anything. I just want to get my Jenny and get far, far away from this place, okay? If you find supplies or something, fine, grab them, but let's not get carried away with fighting or exploring anything we don't have to, right?" They nodded agreement as Beard flung the rope ladder out of the hole in the roof.
"Let's kick some ass!" Cowboy said, breaking the tension.
"Beard and Peace, you two go first and secure the landing zone. Give a pull on the rope when the coast is clear." T.Rex ordered, and the two of them grinned as they descended the ladder. A short while later, there was a tug, and Ryan ordered Kamikaze and Cowboy down next. Then Rubble and Angel Hair disappeared into the night.
He wasn't worried about the rope ladder - zombies couldn't climb. What he did worry about was what came next. There were over a dozen ways across campus to Hillenbrand, and the route he had in his head was a delicate trade off between the shortest path, the quietest, and the one with the fewest people pre-infection. While avoiding major roads. With sufficient cover to hide. Sounds like an engineering problem, he thought to himself. He could measure each distance, and then assign each route a coefficient of population...
Another tug at his feet snapped him back to reality. He gripped his crowbar tightly, determined not to repeat his earlier mistake. Grateful to have such supportive and caring friends, he vowed to do everything in his power to lead them decisively and effectively as long as it was necessary. As he started down the ladder, he reminded himself of something he always told Jenny: I'm an engineer, and I solve problems.
Current Word Count: 27,380
12:04am
Apartment Parking Lot
Acting purely on instinct, Ryan whirled around with his fist curled.
Great, he thought as his weight shifted. One of Purdue's finest climbs from his tower of safety and doesn't even bother to have his weapon ready. I must've gotten distracted by the note and forgot to check the shadows for a lingering zed. Fantastic. His torso had spun and he was about to connect with what he felt was a pretty decent right hook, even if it was useless against a creature that didn't register pain. What an ignominious end. I didn't even make it past the front lawn, like I'm in a shitty Choose Your Own Adventure book. Sorry Jenny...so much for your knight in shining armor.
With little else to do but follow through, Ryan gritted his teeth and hoped for a solid hit. Instead, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
Punch deflected, T.Rex looked up and saw one of the Fools clinging to the rope ladder. His wrists now free, he reached for a weapon in his pack. He'd learned his lesson and would not be caught off guard again.
"Beard!" Ryan hissed in the darkness. "What are you doing?"
"What are you doing?" he shot back.
"I have to go, okay? Take care of the others!" he whispered, turning away.
"Just come back for a minute, will ya? I want to talk about it!" Beard pleaded.
"It'll be easier if I just go now, okay? I don't want to drag this out. I have to go, now." T.Rex defiantly took a few steps away. Suddenly, a moan resonated from very close by and he leaped from the ground onto the lower portion of the ladder without pausing. "Orrrr we could talk for just a bit, how's that?" He scrambled up the ladder after his friend, still clutching his crowbar as his bravery and resolve started to fade.
Beard disappeared into the apartment as Ryan pulled the rope ladder up onto the balcony. T.Rex adjusted the straps on his backpack before gently easing the door open. "I'm only going to stay a few min-" he started, before dropping his words mid-sentence as he entered the apartment.
In the living room, Beard, Peace, Kamikaze, Cowboy, Angel Hair, and Rubble stood at attention, packs ready.
Ryan paused for several moments, speechless. He stared at the Fools, knowing that moments ago most of them were fast asleep. A few showed faint signs of fatigue, but none appeared hesitant or anything but resolute. He made eye contact with each one, and nobody moved or spoke.
Finally, T.Rex drew a heavy sigh and threw up his hands. "What I'm about to do," he began "is probably nothing short of crazy. I appreciate the show of support, but I don't expect any of you to follow me, and I think it's best if you all stayed here. I don't want any of you guys to get hurt, least of all because of some crazy rescue mission. I thought I had you guys fooled. Anyway, I'm going to go try and rescue Jenny."
There was a slight pause, before Kamikaze said softly, "We're with you, T.Rex."
Another pause. Ryan drew his heels together sharply and brought his hand to his brow, and smartly saluted the group. They returned the gesture.
"Alright," T.Rex said as the formation broke. "Let's make sure we leave redundant notes on the exits and table in case somebody finds this place while we're gone. Names, dates, and make sure it mentions a stop at Hillenbrand for Jenny before heading in a westerly direction. Also, let's make sure there's nothing we leave behind that's useful. However," he added "we have to carry all of this, so don't overload yourself."
The Fools scrambled around what had been their fortress and home for the past week, carrying out their instructions. Ryan rolled up his sleeping bag and stuffed his handwritten note into his pocket. No need for this sappy mess to be seen, he thought to himself. He also retrieved his rations and supplies from the cupboard when nobody was looking.
"Cellphone check," T.Rex called out. "On your person, separate from your packs, but powered OFF. I will not have our position given away by a vibrating phone." Each Fool confirmed. "Now, everybody head to the roof and get out your primary weapon. Beard, you do one last sweep and meet us up there."
They slowly filed into the back bedroom and helped each other climb onto the dresser, through the closet attic space, and into the musty attic. Even in the evening, it was incredibly warm, and the six of them carrying extra equipment and stooping to avoid the roof made things uncomfortable very quickly.
T.Rex suddenly felt very protective, and his mind was racing. "Avoid combat, always," he reminded them frantically, spewing out anything that came to mind. "Uh, cover up anything shiny or that might rattle. Stay quiet. Whisper, use hand signals like we do in practice. Don't go alone. Ditch your pack if you have to, nothing is worth getting tangled up with a zed. Uh, uh, aim for the skull. Keep an escape route."
With no more pearls of wisdom coming from his mind, he defaulted to reciting rules from the Zombie Survival Guide. "Rule 2, guys. They feel no fear, why should we? Rule 3 - Use your head: cut off theirs. Rule 4 - Blades don't need reloading. And definitely Rule 9 -"
Rubble, who had his own copy, finished. "No place is safe, only safer."
Angel Hair gently placed his hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Calm down, T.Rex. We've got it." Just then, Beard poked his head into the attic and clambered up to join them. He carried the rope ladder and carefully began fastening it to the floor.
"Just one more thing," Ryan said somberly to the group of Fools assembled before him. "I'm not looking for a Last Action Hero or anything. I just want to get my Jenny and get far, far away from this place, okay? If you find supplies or something, fine, grab them, but let's not get carried away with fighting or exploring anything we don't have to, right?" They nodded agreement as Beard flung the rope ladder out of the hole in the roof.
"Let's kick some ass!" Cowboy said, breaking the tension.
"Beard and Peace, you two go first and secure the landing zone. Give a pull on the rope when the coast is clear." T.Rex ordered, and the two of them grinned as they descended the ladder. A short while later, there was a tug, and Ryan ordered Kamikaze and Cowboy down next. Then Rubble and Angel Hair disappeared into the night.
He wasn't worried about the rope ladder - zombies couldn't climb. What he did worry about was what came next. There were over a dozen ways across campus to Hillenbrand, and the route he had in his head was a delicate trade off between the shortest path, the quietest, and the one with the fewest people pre-infection. While avoiding major roads. With sufficient cover to hide. Sounds like an engineering problem, he thought to himself. He could measure each distance, and then assign each route a coefficient of population...
Another tug at his feet snapped him back to reality. He gripped his crowbar tightly, determined not to repeat his earlier mistake. Grateful to have such supportive and caring friends, he vowed to do everything in his power to lead them decisively and effectively as long as it was necessary. As he started down the ladder, he reminded himself of something he always told Jenny: I'm an engineer, and I solve problems.
Current Word Count: 27,380
Monday, May 19, 2008
Summer Update
Hello reader.
It's now summer break and I have a little bit more time on my hands. I'm gonna try to update my story more often - something like at least once a week. Stay tuned and please comment!
Also, new poll.
Thanks!
It's now summer break and I have a little bit more time on my hands. I'm gonna try to update my story more often - something like at least once a week. Stay tuned and please comment!
Also, new poll.
Thanks!
Chapter 20 - Departure
June 13th, 2008
9:58am
Upstairs Headquarters
The normal morning routine had degraded over time. What had begun as a clockwork schedule was now a free for all, as each survivor slept as late as they dared. Ears plugged, they all traded vigilance for the peaceful embrace of sleep, trusting in the fragile security of their apartment fortress.
Ryan took full advantage of this fact as he laid still, eyes closed, on his bedroll. He had heard the third watch come back from the roof, and a few of the other Fools had awoken since then. He could feel the footsteps around him as his compatriots each started the day as they saw fit. Most would head to the kitchen for their allotted rations and water as breakfast, and the grim ritual that followed.
The Zed Check.
A few days into the siege, Beard and Ryan had attempted to make a reasonable assessment of the number of undead outside, at least those within view. If they didn't survive, at least their notes might. It was hard for them to shake a feeling of responsibility to science, even in the most dire circumstances. Besides, it was a way to make use of the morbid curiosity of the Fools as they glanced out the windows each day.
Peering through the blinds, they averaged the estimates of each Fool in the approximate area they could see out of each window, and then calculated how that number might apply across the campus, across the city, or even further. The Zed Count also included a listing of the dwindling daily rations and any other items of note.
T.Rex could hear Kamikaze counting under her breath just feet away, and it made it difficult to concentrate. He needed some time to think, as he'd made up his mind the night before to do a number of unpleasant things. And soon.
The others were undoubtedly living in fear for their friends and family, Ryan thought, laying still and pretending to be asleep. But at least they're far from here, where there's a rapidly decreasing chance they are safe from the onslaught. He could not help but think of his Jennifer, slightly more than a mile away, and yet separated by an entire campus filled with hundreds or thousands of terrifying creatures.
I had honestly hoped - no, counted on - that The Plan would have protected us, he thought to himself, keeping us alive long enough to be rescued. That by now we would've seen the police, a SWAT team, the National Guard, the entire US Armed forces, hell, even campus ROTC. And now, six long days later, we are still on our own. We're in a bad situation, and all it seems like we're doing is depleting our rations.
Ryan was resolute. I can no longer sit idly by and hope for the cavalry to come riding to save the day, trumpets blaring and guns blazing. If fiction is any guide, the military probably has no idea how to combat the threat before them, or worse, they're just sitting around with their thumbs up their asses. No, I can no longer wait. He was going to leave tonight to go rescue Jenny himself - if something hadn't happened to her already.
He allowed himself to be "woken" by an errant foot as the Fools went about their business. Though his mind was buzzing, a mental checklist of preparations flying through his brain, he pretended to be groggy and aloof as to not arouse suspicion of his impending departure.
Still, the group knew him well. Perhaps too well. He couldn't count how many shows and practices they'd been through together, a portion of every week of every semester he'd been with the group since joining in the spring of his Freshman year. Their club was drilled in reading body language and subtle changes of tone in order to act as a team on stage.
Ryan felt as though everyone could see right through him.
It was maddening. He needed time alone to complete his preparations, and yet he couldn't seem to find two seconds without running into somebody. One thousand square feet never felt so small. He tried to convince himself it was the tension of the circumstances that caused his paranoia.
Around dinnertime, T.Rex reached his breaking point. The heat, the same granola bar rations, and the constant pressure of the outside threat was too much this day. The Fools were taken aback as he suddenly snapped. He shouted, ordering them all out of the kitchen. They obeyed, reluctantly, and it pained Ryan immediately afterwards - both because they were his close friends, and because he would be leaving soon.
His pack was close by, like always. The privacy of the kitchen now secure, T.Rex somberly removed nearly all of his rations and placed them in an empty cupboard. With them he placed some of his backup supplies and equipment. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and began to scribble a note:
He knew it was foolish, and yet, that was never really a part of his plan. The group could last longer with one less person. Perhaps more importantly, he could not endanger their lives - it pained him to imagine one of them getting hurt (or worse) on his own rescue mission, which he considered first and foremost his own risk and responsibility.
Blinking away misty eyes, he went and apologized for his earlier outburst. He suggested that the Fools decided to blow off some steam with the remaining hours by playing some improv games, and Ryan tried to channel his emotion into his characters to better conceal it.
That night, the Fools turned in as usual. Angel Hair and Peace took the first watch, and T.Rex once again feigned sleep. It was his night off from watch, which fit his plan perfectly. He decided to wait until the second watch of Beard and Rubble to make his flight, because it seemed reasonable that those sleeping would be less likely to notice. There was no trouble staying awake, as adrenaline coursed through his body while he nervously awaited the change of watch.
Eventually the soft shuffle of feet on carpet alerted him to the change. He waited a few extra minutes to assure the two were on the roof before silently slipping from his bedroll. Fortunately, the earplugs the other Fools wore worked to his advantage. He stole a few dirty towels from the kitchen and stuffed them under his blanket. It wouldn't fool anybody for very long, so with a quick glance around at his friends he retrieved the rope ladder from the hallway.
Gathering up his survival pack, T.Rex gently unlocked and coaxed the door open, balancing the risk of an errant noise with the fear of a breeze or scent awakening somebody. Forcing himself to not look back, he shut the door and threw the rope ladder over the railing of the stairway balcony. He had one foot over the railing before he suddenly remembered the note still in his pocket.
I almost left without leaving the note, he chuckled to himself. Very quietly he climbed back up and crept in, setting the note under his pillow with a corner peeking out. He exited once more and descended the ladder.
He had one foot on the ground when a hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed his shoulder.
Current Word Count: 26,089
9:58am
Upstairs Headquarters
The normal morning routine had degraded over time. What had begun as a clockwork schedule was now a free for all, as each survivor slept as late as they dared. Ears plugged, they all traded vigilance for the peaceful embrace of sleep, trusting in the fragile security of their apartment fortress.
Ryan took full advantage of this fact as he laid still, eyes closed, on his bedroll. He had heard the third watch come back from the roof, and a few of the other Fools had awoken since then. He could feel the footsteps around him as his compatriots each started the day as they saw fit. Most would head to the kitchen for their allotted rations and water as breakfast, and the grim ritual that followed.
The Zed Check.
A few days into the siege, Beard and Ryan had attempted to make a reasonable assessment of the number of undead outside, at least those within view. If they didn't survive, at least their notes might. It was hard for them to shake a feeling of responsibility to science, even in the most dire circumstances. Besides, it was a way to make use of the morbid curiosity of the Fools as they glanced out the windows each day.
Peering through the blinds, they averaged the estimates of each Fool in the approximate area they could see out of each window, and then calculated how that number might apply across the campus, across the city, or even further. The Zed Count also included a listing of the dwindling daily rations and any other items of note.
T.Rex could hear Kamikaze counting under her breath just feet away, and it made it difficult to concentrate. He needed some time to think, as he'd made up his mind the night before to do a number of unpleasant things. And soon.
The others were undoubtedly living in fear for their friends and family, Ryan thought, laying still and pretending to be asleep. But at least they're far from here, where there's a rapidly decreasing chance they are safe from the onslaught. He could not help but think of his Jennifer, slightly more than a mile away, and yet separated by an entire campus filled with hundreds or thousands of terrifying creatures.
I had honestly hoped - no, counted on - that The Plan would have protected us, he thought to himself, keeping us alive long enough to be rescued. That by now we would've seen the police, a SWAT team, the National Guard, the entire US Armed forces, hell, even campus ROTC. And now, six long days later, we are still on our own. We're in a bad situation, and all it seems like we're doing is depleting our rations.
Ryan was resolute. I can no longer sit idly by and hope for the cavalry to come riding to save the day, trumpets blaring and guns blazing. If fiction is any guide, the military probably has no idea how to combat the threat before them, or worse, they're just sitting around with their thumbs up their asses. No, I can no longer wait. He was going to leave tonight to go rescue Jenny himself - if something hadn't happened to her already.
He allowed himself to be "woken" by an errant foot as the Fools went about their business. Though his mind was buzzing, a mental checklist of preparations flying through his brain, he pretended to be groggy and aloof as to not arouse suspicion of his impending departure.
Still, the group knew him well. Perhaps too well. He couldn't count how many shows and practices they'd been through together, a portion of every week of every semester he'd been with the group since joining in the spring of his Freshman year. Their club was drilled in reading body language and subtle changes of tone in order to act as a team on stage.
Ryan felt as though everyone could see right through him.
It was maddening. He needed time alone to complete his preparations, and yet he couldn't seem to find two seconds without running into somebody. One thousand square feet never felt so small. He tried to convince himself it was the tension of the circumstances that caused his paranoia.
Around dinnertime, T.Rex reached his breaking point. The heat, the same granola bar rations, and the constant pressure of the outside threat was too much this day. The Fools were taken aback as he suddenly snapped. He shouted, ordering them all out of the kitchen. They obeyed, reluctantly, and it pained Ryan immediately afterwards - both because they were his close friends, and because he would be leaving soon.
His pack was close by, like always. The privacy of the kitchen now secure, T.Rex somberly removed nearly all of his rations and placed them in an empty cupboard. With them he placed some of his backup supplies and equipment. He pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, and began to scribble a note:
FoolsRyan placed the note in his pocket and checked his pack once more to be sure it contained the essential items. I sure do have my work cut out for me, he thought with a sigh. First, sneak out of the apartment in the night avoiding my best friends. Then, trek across a mile of dense campus filled with an unknown number of zombies. Once I get to Hillenbrand, break in and find Jenny. From there, we head West and attempt to find more supplies and a place to rest.
By the time you will read this, I will be long gone. I have left under cover of darkness to go rescue Jennifer, and I have done so alone. I have left supplies and rations in the cupboard above the fridge. They will help you last a bit longer, especially with one less mouth to feed.
Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to follow me. I will bring my phone and attempt to contact you at regular intervals. Stick with The Emergency Zed Plan and the preparations we have managed for as long as you can, and then - only then - should you leave to find a new hiding place. Remember the survival guide and trust each other. I leave you under Beard's capable leadership.
Boiler Up,
T.Rex
He knew it was foolish, and yet, that was never really a part of his plan. The group could last longer with one less person. Perhaps more importantly, he could not endanger their lives - it pained him to imagine one of them getting hurt (or worse) on his own rescue mission, which he considered first and foremost his own risk and responsibility.
Blinking away misty eyes, he went and apologized for his earlier outburst. He suggested that the Fools decided to blow off some steam with the remaining hours by playing some improv games, and Ryan tried to channel his emotion into his characters to better conceal it.
That night, the Fools turned in as usual. Angel Hair and Peace took the first watch, and T.Rex once again feigned sleep. It was his night off from watch, which fit his plan perfectly. He decided to wait until the second watch of Beard and Rubble to make his flight, because it seemed reasonable that those sleeping would be less likely to notice. There was no trouble staying awake, as adrenaline coursed through his body while he nervously awaited the change of watch.
Eventually the soft shuffle of feet on carpet alerted him to the change. He waited a few extra minutes to assure the two were on the roof before silently slipping from his bedroll. Fortunately, the earplugs the other Fools wore worked to his advantage. He stole a few dirty towels from the kitchen and stuffed them under his blanket. It wouldn't fool anybody for very long, so with a quick glance around at his friends he retrieved the rope ladder from the hallway.
Gathering up his survival pack, T.Rex gently unlocked and coaxed the door open, balancing the risk of an errant noise with the fear of a breeze or scent awakening somebody. Forcing himself to not look back, he shut the door and threw the rope ladder over the railing of the stairway balcony. He had one foot over the railing before he suddenly remembered the note still in his pocket.
I almost left without leaving the note, he chuckled to himself. Very quietly he climbed back up and crept in, setting the note under his pillow with a corner peeking out. He exited once more and descended the ladder.
He had one foot on the ground when a hand reached out from the darkness and grabbed his shoulder.
Current Word Count: 26,089
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Chapter 19 - Breaking Point
June 12th, 2008
1:10am
Neighbor's Roof
Ryan stomped his foot in frustration. "How did I miss that one?" he said aloud to nobody in particular.
"It's okay," Angel Hair tried to console him as he sat, nursing his injured ankle. "I didn't think of it either. But I did get a really great look around. The bad news, of course, is that there are zombies pretty much everywhere. he good news, though, is that I saw a light on in the back of Lilly, past the greenhouses."
"What, like they have power?" T.Rex fought back excitement.
"No, more like a flashlight, but I'm pretty sure it was another living person. I also saw a few other faint sources of light, but most were just flickers. One was from the roof of the Animal Sciences building."
Ryan felt a renewed sense of determination at the news that others might be surviving, and his thoughts turned momentarily to Jenny. He began to think of her, barricaded in her room at Hillenbrand. He shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand - namely, finding a way back across to the apartment.
Angel Hair began to brainstorm aloud. "Well, we could try and jump back across, but the other roof is too high. The stairs are closer, but the railing is gonna get in the way if we jump. We could...we could call...somebody...on the phones we don't have. Oh, okay, let's just wait for the next shift! They'll get up around three, come looking for us to relieve us, and then when we aren't there, they will come looking for us?"
Ryan began surveying the distance between the two roofs. He started to untie the knots that kept the binocular cord anchored to the lid of the case. Once he had them untied, he gently began to work the cord out until there was a generous pile at his feet. He then began the same process for the cord around the binoculars themselves. "I think I have an idea," said T.Rex.
Angel Hair looked on as Ryan fashioned a rough lasso from the cord of the binoculars. "Even if the others wake up and realize we're gone, they're gonna have fun trying to get us back over," said T.Rex. "I sure as hell am not going to just sit here and be a victim. C'mon, we're engineers. We solve problems. Watch this."
Ryan gently tossed the binocular cord lasso across the gap between the two roofs. It sailed clear out to nowhere before falling to the ground. T.Rex hauled it back up for another try.
"What exactly are you going for, there?" asked Angel Hair.
"Tryin' to snag that gutter pipe," T.Rex said as he heaved the cord once more. This time the dark cord actually made it across the gap and smacked against the siding before falling to the ground. He very gingerly shuffled two steps closer to the edge of the roof before raising the lasso in his right arm. "I'm channeling Cowboy here with this one," he said as he began rotating his wrist to get the loop of cord spinning. Once more he launched the cord, and the spinning motion sent it flying into Angel Hair's lap.
"Heh, sorry about that. I make a better comedian than a rancher, I guess. Lemme keep trying," Ryan said.
Angel Hair kept rubbing his ankle and watching Ryan's attempt to lasso the pipe. "No worries."
Several awful throws later, Ryan finally managed to consistently hit the gutter with his lasso, gaining accuracy slowly. Finally, he tossed the cord with a beautiful arc, and it landed on the roof just above the gutter. Ryan tugged slightly on the cord and it scraped against the roof shingles before dropping over the edge and snaring the gutter.
"Yes!" both Angel Hair and T.Rex whispered together.
"Now, my plan is to pull the aluminum gutter out of its brackets. If I can do it just right, it'll fold about oh, let's say two-thirds down that sixth section - do you see it?" T.Rex said to Angel Hair.
Angel Hair counted softly. "One, two, three...yeah, I think I get it. That way it'll bend down from the roof, over the stairs to the apartment over there, and down to us over on this roof, right?"
T.Rex nodded. "That way we can shimmy up the gutter, across the gap, and to the stairway balcony. Do you think you can climb with your leg like that?"
"Oh, no problem." Angel Hair winced as he stood.
"My only worry is that gutter fold. I know our landlord never bothers to fix those gutters, so the brackets shouldn't be a problem. If the gutter bends in the wrong place, though, it could break."
"Well, check this out," Angel Hair said as he hobbled towards the chimney. He carefully moved to the backside and his upper torso disappeared into the branches. There was a snap, and he returned with a long thick branch. He maneuvered over to the edge of the roof and poked the stick into the gutter at the crucial spot, creasing it.
"Better?" Angel Hair asked, grinning.
"Quite," said T.Rex. "On three, I'll pull, you push the stick to make sure the gutter folds there." Angel Hair nodded.
"One...two...three!" T.Rex whispered as he pulled the cord taut. There was a metallic groan as the aluminum gutter resisted. The tip of the gutter began to shudder, and suddenly the first bracket gave way and popped loose. It fell to the ground, passing through the space where the stairs used to be. The gutter continued to whine as it was slowly folded lower.
As the second bracket popped loose, Ryan noticed a few of the creatures on the ground had begun to notice their efforts. Two of them shuffled closer, arms outstretched and hungry for food. He was tempted to pull harder, but didn't want to risk the cord breaking, or the gutter being damaged. The moan of the zombies below masked the groan of the gutter as the final bracket gave way. Finally free, the gutter slowly but steadily bent downwards and came within arm's reach of the roof T.Rex and Angel Hair were stranded on.
"Go, Angel Hair!" Ryan urged, as he pulled the gutter down to the shingles and held it steady. Angel Hair very tenderly grabbed onto the gutter and began to hoist himself up, wincing every time he put weight on his ankle.
"Just a few more feet, and you'll get to the railing!" T.Rex whispered in encouragement. Angel Hair reached the rail and clambered over, flopping down onto the wood, panting. Ignoring the increasing number of zombies gathering below the staircase, Ryan quickly pulled the binocular cord lasso from the gutter and stuffed it into his pocket before grabbing onto the gutter himself.
The gutter shifted wildly under the weight, and T.Rex found the smooth aluminum was much harder to climb with sweaty palms. He grabbed the gutter so hard at first it began to crinkle, so he shifted more effort to his thighs and struggled upwards. Angel Hair reached over the edge and grabbed T.Rex's wrist once he was in reach. Together, they both reached the stairwell.
T.Rex rose and very cautiously rapped on the door. There was an ominous pause.
"Shank?" came a muffled voice from the other side. It was a verbal challenge.
"n Shiv!" T.Rex hissed the correct response back. The sounds of a pair of locks could be heard before the door opened. Peace and Rubble stood at the door looking drowsy. Beard emerged silently from the shadows behind them, fully awake and gun drawn.
"What the hell is going on?" Beard growled.
Brant, having not noticed Beard until that moment, jumped back. "I thought you were asleep! Your shift isn't until later!"
"Yeah, well, Beard is part ninja," Peace said nonchalantly, as if this was perfectly normal behavior.
"Look, long story, let's just get inside," T.Rex urged. Angel Hair followed him back into the upstairs apartment and they locked the door back tightly. T.Rex debriefed Beard, Rubble, and Peace on the evening's events before heading back to the living room to lay down. Angel Hair was already fast asleep.
Just before drifting into a slumber, T.Rex decided that enough was enough. He made up his mind that he would be leaving soon.
Current Word Count: 24,267
1:10am
Neighbor's Roof
Ryan stomped his foot in frustration. "How did I miss that one?" he said aloud to nobody in particular.
"It's okay," Angel Hair tried to console him as he sat, nursing his injured ankle. "I didn't think of it either. But I did get a really great look around. The bad news, of course, is that there are zombies pretty much everywhere. he good news, though, is that I saw a light on in the back of Lilly, past the greenhouses."
"What, like they have power?" T.Rex fought back excitement.
"No, more like a flashlight, but I'm pretty sure it was another living person. I also saw a few other faint sources of light, but most were just flickers. One was from the roof of the Animal Sciences building."
Ryan felt a renewed sense of determination at the news that others might be surviving, and his thoughts turned momentarily to Jenny. He began to think of her, barricaded in her room at Hillenbrand. He shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand - namely, finding a way back across to the apartment.
Angel Hair began to brainstorm aloud. "Well, we could try and jump back across, but the other roof is too high. The stairs are closer, but the railing is gonna get in the way if we jump. We could...we could call...somebody...on the phones we don't have. Oh, okay, let's just wait for the next shift! They'll get up around three, come looking for us to relieve us, and then when we aren't there, they will come looking for us?"
Ryan began surveying the distance between the two roofs. He started to untie the knots that kept the binocular cord anchored to the lid of the case. Once he had them untied, he gently began to work the cord out until there was a generous pile at his feet. He then began the same process for the cord around the binoculars themselves. "I think I have an idea," said T.Rex.
Angel Hair looked on as Ryan fashioned a rough lasso from the cord of the binoculars. "Even if the others wake up and realize we're gone, they're gonna have fun trying to get us back over," said T.Rex. "I sure as hell am not going to just sit here and be a victim. C'mon, we're engineers. We solve problems. Watch this."
Ryan gently tossed the binocular cord lasso across the gap between the two roofs. It sailed clear out to nowhere before falling to the ground. T.Rex hauled it back up for another try.
"What exactly are you going for, there?" asked Angel Hair.
"Tryin' to snag that gutter pipe," T.Rex said as he heaved the cord once more. This time the dark cord actually made it across the gap and smacked against the siding before falling to the ground. He very gingerly shuffled two steps closer to the edge of the roof before raising the lasso in his right arm. "I'm channeling Cowboy here with this one," he said as he began rotating his wrist to get the loop of cord spinning. Once more he launched the cord, and the spinning motion sent it flying into Angel Hair's lap.
"Heh, sorry about that. I make a better comedian than a rancher, I guess. Lemme keep trying," Ryan said.
Angel Hair kept rubbing his ankle and watching Ryan's attempt to lasso the pipe. "No worries."
Several awful throws later, Ryan finally managed to consistently hit the gutter with his lasso, gaining accuracy slowly. Finally, he tossed the cord with a beautiful arc, and it landed on the roof just above the gutter. Ryan tugged slightly on the cord and it scraped against the roof shingles before dropping over the edge and snaring the gutter.
"Yes!" both Angel Hair and T.Rex whispered together.
"Now, my plan is to pull the aluminum gutter out of its brackets. If I can do it just right, it'll fold about oh, let's say two-thirds down that sixth section - do you see it?" T.Rex said to Angel Hair.
Angel Hair counted softly. "One, two, three...yeah, I think I get it. That way it'll bend down from the roof, over the stairs to the apartment over there, and down to us over on this roof, right?"
T.Rex nodded. "That way we can shimmy up the gutter, across the gap, and to the stairway balcony. Do you think you can climb with your leg like that?"
"Oh, no problem." Angel Hair winced as he stood.
"My only worry is that gutter fold. I know our landlord never bothers to fix those gutters, so the brackets shouldn't be a problem. If the gutter bends in the wrong place, though, it could break."
"Well, check this out," Angel Hair said as he hobbled towards the chimney. He carefully moved to the backside and his upper torso disappeared into the branches. There was a snap, and he returned with a long thick branch. He maneuvered over to the edge of the roof and poked the stick into the gutter at the crucial spot, creasing it.
"Better?" Angel Hair asked, grinning.
"Quite," said T.Rex. "On three, I'll pull, you push the stick to make sure the gutter folds there." Angel Hair nodded.
"One...two...three!" T.Rex whispered as he pulled the cord taut. There was a metallic groan as the aluminum gutter resisted. The tip of the gutter began to shudder, and suddenly the first bracket gave way and popped loose. It fell to the ground, passing through the space where the stairs used to be. The gutter continued to whine as it was slowly folded lower.
As the second bracket popped loose, Ryan noticed a few of the creatures on the ground had begun to notice their efforts. Two of them shuffled closer, arms outstretched and hungry for food. He was tempted to pull harder, but didn't want to risk the cord breaking, or the gutter being damaged. The moan of the zombies below masked the groan of the gutter as the final bracket gave way. Finally free, the gutter slowly but steadily bent downwards and came within arm's reach of the roof T.Rex and Angel Hair were stranded on.
"Go, Angel Hair!" Ryan urged, as he pulled the gutter down to the shingles and held it steady. Angel Hair very tenderly grabbed onto the gutter and began to hoist himself up, wincing every time he put weight on his ankle.
"Just a few more feet, and you'll get to the railing!" T.Rex whispered in encouragement. Angel Hair reached the rail and clambered over, flopping down onto the wood, panting. Ignoring the increasing number of zombies gathering below the staircase, Ryan quickly pulled the binocular cord lasso from the gutter and stuffed it into his pocket before grabbing onto the gutter himself.
The gutter shifted wildly under the weight, and T.Rex found the smooth aluminum was much harder to climb with sweaty palms. He grabbed the gutter so hard at first it began to crinkle, so he shifted more effort to his thighs and struggled upwards. Angel Hair reached over the edge and grabbed T.Rex's wrist once he was in reach. Together, they both reached the stairwell.
T.Rex rose and very cautiously rapped on the door. There was an ominous pause.
"Shank?" came a muffled voice from the other side. It was a verbal challenge.
"n Shiv!" T.Rex hissed the correct response back. The sounds of a pair of locks could be heard before the door opened. Peace and Rubble stood at the door looking drowsy. Beard emerged silently from the shadows behind them, fully awake and gun drawn.
"What the hell is going on?" Beard growled.
Brant, having not noticed Beard until that moment, jumped back. "I thought you were asleep! Your shift isn't until later!"
"Yeah, well, Beard is part ninja," Peace said nonchalantly, as if this was perfectly normal behavior.
"Look, long story, let's just get inside," T.Rex urged. Angel Hair followed him back into the upstairs apartment and they locked the door back tightly. T.Rex debriefed Beard, Rubble, and Peace on the evening's events before heading back to the living room to lay down. Angel Hair was already fast asleep.
Just before drifting into a slumber, T.Rex decided that enough was enough. He made up his mind that he would be leaving soon.
Current Word Count: 24,267
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Disclaimer
Hey reader.
Please note that this story is rated R for violence, language, and other things. If this isn't your cup of tea, try some other blog.
Please also note that I'm posting my chapters chronologically. If you're new here, find the earlier posts on the right sidebar. If you're coming back to read the next chapter(s), you'll find them closer to the top of the page.
This post is dated for the last day of the month as a gentle reminder to me that time is ticking, and also to keep this post at the top of the page. Thanks.
Please note that this story is rated R for violence, language, and other things. If this isn't your cup of tea, try some other blog.
Please also note that I'm posting my chapters chronologically. If you're new here, find the earlier posts on the right sidebar. If you're coming back to read the next chapter(s), you'll find them closer to the top of the page.
This post is dated for the last day of the month as a gentle reminder to me that time is ticking, and also to keep this post at the top of the page. Thanks.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Withdraw From the Race
For those of you keeping track at home, in order for me to "win" NaNoWriMo by midnight this Friday I would need to write about 27,000 words in less than four days. That's about 7k per day which isn't gonna happen.
That said, I'm officially giving up on NaNoWriMo, because the pace is a little too crazy for me. I have two big things, notably spending time with my family and getting my academics on track that take precedence over trying to crank out a new chapter every evening.
My story, however, will continue. At irregular intervals I will post chapters as I see fit, ending on whatever word count I end up on when the story I have in mind is told. Thanks for your support, comments, and readership to this point.
That said, I'm officially giving up on NaNoWriMo, because the pace is a little too crazy for me. I have two big things, notably spending time with my family and getting my academics on track that take precedence over trying to crank out a new chapter every evening.
My story, however, will continue. At irregular intervals I will post chapters as I see fit, ending on whatever word count I end up on when the story I have in mind is told. Thanks for your support, comments, and readership to this point.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)