I just realized something. in my last entry i ended with "oops the fire needs attention. Ill be right back" like im on the phone or a chat room or something. its been a YEAR since the internet or phones worked. Balls, that depresses me.

anyway, i was on what remained of my front deck blasting dead heads with my 30-30. Empty brass clinked around my feet and made footing treacherous. They were coming in close now and aiming was out the window. it was point and shoot. point and shoot. reload. point and shoot. then i reached for more ammo and there was none. the entire bandoleer was empty. there was three rounds left in the rifle and more zombies than i started with. the dead had piled up high enough the reminder was getting close to gaining the deck surface. i slung my rifle and drew my 9mm Glock.

There were three dead heads on the lee side of the deck and a quick burst put them down. i sprinted past the reminder unscathed and climbed the back deck. i had left a "ring" of deck material around the upper level and cut out the entire center. the dead heads would climb the ramp and fall into my neat murder hole. they seemed unable to climb any kind of vertical incline unless it was a smooth sloping ramp. i dove through the murder hole and made the back door. the dead heads were right behind as i grabbed the 12 ga browning shotgun left by the door. it held 9 rounds in an extended tube magazine and for close range head bustin' was just the ticket. Half a dozen dead heads were milling around in the murder hole apprently confused and not able to get out. The browning made short work of them. I slammed and barred the door, and checked the front. A few scattered zombies still roamed about but they were roaming farther and farther away from the house. A reprive.

I find myself losing some of the memories of those first days. Some of them come back as i write but some i know are lost to time forever. For the life of me i cant remember what happened the rest of that day. I know i slept on the living room couch, in full combat gear with a locked and loaded AK clung tightly to my chest. I awoke with a start at every little sound and prowled the house like a caged animal at times. the sun couldnt rise fast enough.

When it did the town was shrouded in smoke and ash from buring buildings. Scattered gunfire rang out and one large explosion rocked the south end of town about 10AM. No dead heads presented themselves and i began to think maybe the slaughter of the day before had gotten all of them. How naive i was back then. You NEVER get them all.

The phones had ceased to work almost immedatly following the outbreak but cable TV, cable internet and the power stayed on for three days. I watched FOX news mostly as they had more midwest coverage than CNN or MSNBC. The outbreak started in the midwest and spread outward. the coasts were largely untouched until the second day. Once it hit a major city however it spread like wildfire in high grass. by then end of the first day it was reported in canada and mexico. By midnight it was across the atlantic in Britian and spain. By the moring of the second day it was throughout europe and then all the overseas feeds died. the last TV i ever saw was the control room of FOX news. dead heads had overrun the station and all the studios below. the dozen or so people in the control booth overlooking the studios had demolsihed the stairs and were broadcasting from a handheld unit as the familiar faces of anchors and pundits fell under the onslaught of the reanimated. Had i been given the power each and ever one of those people would have been given a ten foot tall trophy of a gigantic pair of testicles because they kept on broadcasting until power failed. I do not know what happened to them. I hope they made it out. Im betting they didnt.

For anyone reading this you may ask, Its the middle of winter, wouldnt they freeze?

Well yes and no. the bodies cooled after death and reanimation yes, but for the first three days, there was still enough heated homes and buisnesses for them to keep unfrozen. the weather was unseasonably warm then anyway. It kept them mobile.

I felt a certain duty to check on the few co-workers still alive and that i gave a crap about. The truck still had gas at that point and with the power still on i could refuel. I loaded down heavy with weaponry. My combat vest with 8 30 round AK mags, Glock 9mm on one side and SIG P225 on the other. a bandoleer of 12 ga ammo was slung over one shoulder and a pistol grip remy 870 marine magnum over the other. A romainian AK-47 finished the ensemble. It was heavy but for the most part the dead heads were slow and as long as i could go at a fast trot i was OK. I loaded a satchel with spare weapons and ammo in the back seat of the truck and a cooler with water and food in case i was cut off. the first guy i wanted to check on was Jay. He was probably the guy i respected the most of anyone there and was one heck of a shot to boot.

His house was near the shop and there was some things i wanted from there anyway. When i rounded the corner three blocks away, i spotted a herd of dead heads blocking the street. gunfire crackled and several of them fell. Jay was on his rooftop with an AR-15 popping dead heads.

Then disaster. He lost his footing and slid down the shingles. he fell off the roof and landed in a shrub. He was down for the count and i hit teh gas. I was less than a block away but i was doing close to 50MPH when i plowed into the dead head crowd. bodies flew like ten-pins and the windshield shattered. The truck crashed into the corner of the building and the airbag popped in my face. it was messy but i had created a temporary blockade. the few dead heads inbetween me and Jay Fell to quick bursts from my AK and i saw the brush shaking as Jay got his senses about him. I yelled his name and he looked confused until he saw me heading twoards him from the smoking truck wreck. More dead heads were approaching from the other side and they were spilling around the tail of the truck. I had grabbed the satchel of weapons from the back of the cab before i bailed and threw it to Jay. He drew out a pistol style AK an started shooting. we fell together back to back and blasted our way to the back door of the shop. We were cut off from Jays front door and the back door abutted the shop. My AK ran dry and i dropped it to its sling. the 870 pulled up and roared. three dead heads fell in a spray of buckshot, opening the way to the shop door. it was locked but a round from the 870 peeled back the lock mechanism like a can opener.

the door sprng open at one kick from Jay's size 14 shoe and he sprang inside. He yelled for me to come on and i emptied the 870 as i backed into the doorway. the dead heads wee coming on strong and i let the shotgun fall to its sling. I drew a pistol with each hand and John Woo stlye let the lead fly. Jay grabbed my collar and yanked me back into the building. He slammed the door behind me and quickly toppled a videogame in front of it to keep it closed. We were both panting and reloading weapons as the dead heads pounded the outside of the door.

"That wont hold long." Jay said as he locked a fresh mag in the AMD-65.
"tell me about it." I answered, thumbing shells into the 870. "whats the status on wheels?"
"well being as you just totaled the Dodge and the chevy is nowhere to be found, we're down to the ranger. its across the street in the parking lot."

Balls. half a block of distance crowded with around a hundred dead heads. May as well be on the fucking moon. The door was still holding as Jay and I climbed the stairs to the upstairs storage. the roof of the shop was a short distance from the bar roof and we considered jumping.

Both of us were still panting and we stopped for a quick rest. we were out of immediate danger for now and needed a break. i lost my chow cooler in the crash but i had two canteens and a few cereal bars. i handed Jay a canteen and he drank deeply. When he lowered it he spoke.

"thanks for back there. I was sure i was a goner. That was some bang-up timing."

he clapped me on the shoulder and squeezed. We shared a look of slight embarasment and i chucked him on the shoulder.

"not bad shooting yourself." I gave him a look and nodded. "when the shit hits the fan, some guys run and some guys stay. I reckon i pegged you right." i grinned and he grinned back.

"You heard of any other survivors?"

"There was a shit load of gunfire from over by Jeff's place a few hours ago but its died down now. If i know him he'll be at the reload bench crancking out rounds. that guy never could keep ammo around."

Thats enough for tonite. My writing hand hurts. Ill put more down tomorrow. This all starting to come back to me now so ill probably put down some lengthy diatribe like today to get it on paper. mayvbe if anyones left i could sell a book. If theres anyone left to print and publish it.