Aug. 29, 2009 - 9:28pm

Battery is critical. Last post before I sign off for the night.

- Transmission from Lblair57

Oh god.

Some of the refugees are saying that NYC was bleached to try and stop the spread of the virus. They’re relaying reports that all of the major cities are infected. I wonder if Trenton or Philly will be next…….

Things continue to get worse and chaos is the only constant. My band of people are freaking out! It’s been days with no power and very little news. Food and tempers are running short. Most of us are suburban marshmallows who never thought our world would change….. Fortunately, we’ve got a couple of people with tough balls and some experience. They’ve reconned a stone house a few miles away. Good fields of fire but no escape route. Have not seen any of the living dead yet but the smoke and red glow is getting closer. Some of the parasitic looters have been thinned out with FMJ lead poisoning and only the liberals have any remorse. Eight of these animals arrived in a pick-up and kicked in the door of the neighbors house. It was just getting dark and the neighbors had their generator running. We were laying low in the dark watching it unfold. We’d already picked our targets. The parasites weren’t looking for food or water, that we could have understood. No, these low lifes went straight for the booze and started busting stuff up. These animals were looking to inflict pain and suffering for fun. We watched as they started kicking the living shit out of the husband. The first blivits* head disappeared into a red mist before his next kick landed and he dropped like a sack of fecal matter. At a little over a 100 yards, on a calm evening, it wasn’t a real impressive shot but the ballistics of a 168gr soft point were devastating. The others stopped in mid step and looked around. We dropped two more before they realized what was going on. The survivors grabbed the screaming wife and daughter and tried to escape. They came tumbling out of the front door running for their pathetic lives, dropping their loot and tripping over themselves. If they been organized or trained they might have broken left and right out of the door and maybe had a better chance of survival. Instead they all headed for the truck. We dropped four more of the sick bastards with four well placed shots. The wife and daughter ran over to our house. The lone surviving parasite made it to the pick-up before we all opened up and vented our anger on the sorry piece of crap. We left them there. In this heat they’ve already started to bloat with maggots…….

We’re moving out tonight. Heading west-north-west in a couple of RV’s looking for a safe and defendable place. Anyone of a like mind can join us.

- End of Transmission

(* A bivit is a 5 pound sack stuffed with 10 pounds of shit.)

Aug. 29, 2009 - 9:26pm

- Transmission from mjporreca

I meant to write in the morning, but things haven’t slowed down until now. It’s funny, before this happened I would have thought that people would be busier at night. But, there is more to in the daylight. Gather, build, recon, plan. And the dead don’t care if its night or day, they come when they come.

That first night we had our tripwire alarms set and the cars pointed in every direction. Six of us stayed out on guard. Most of the wives and all kids were in the one house we could board up the best. We expected a hoard. The plan was simple, if we stay alive out here, they stay alive inside. I wouldn’t be able to live if the people in that house didn’t survive the night. So for me, there really was no choice, and I know I wasn’t alone in that. At around 10 pm the first trip wires went off. As soon as the rattle of the pebbled filled tin cans started, Janet ran to the Honda minivan that was pointed down the street and flipped on the lights. The creature just kept trying to walk forward. Not realizing it had heavy twine wrapped around both ankles. We all watched him…it. I almost felt like it would be rude to shoot before it figured out what happened and as able to come towards us. Everyone else must have felt the same, or were too terrified to shoot. That’s when Buster came out. Janet and Tom’s Lab something mix. He bolted out from their backyard. Buster was all snarls and teeth. I’d never seen him like that. He charged straight at the corpse, sinking his teeth deep into the neck. Janet screamed, “No!” and tried to call him back. That’s when we all learned what these zombies could do. Instead of flailing in pain or collapsing like a normal person; it darted both hands back in an unnatural way. Then it stood. It raised straight up with a 50 pound dog hanging on its neck like Buster wasn’t even there. Then in a way that looked like it should have dislocated its shoulders it lifted Buster over its head, breaking the dogs grip and taking out a hunk of neck and shoulder. The zombie, quicker than I thought it could move, bit right into Buster’s side. Ribs, fur, and muscle didn’t slow it down. It ripped Buster open then with tore him in half. Blood dropped out of the torn body as thing began to feast with both hands full. Taking gulping bites like a great white shark. I only heard Janet’s scream for an instant. I filled the night with shot from my PTR-91. The .308 round left only a sliver of shoulder holding up the zombie’s right arm. The second shot missed completely. The third, took off the right side of its head from the ear up. I’m starting think my 3rd shots really are the charm. While the creature fell everyone else opened up. We must have wasted 50 rounds between on that first one. Looking back, we need to learn some discipline, or we won’t last long.

Janet was done for the night after that. Tom took her inside and their 17 year old son took over the headlight job. He said to some degree he felt like it was payback. We didn’t mind, as long as it helped him. Five more came that night. We didn’t hesitate on one of them.

The sun came up. I thought I’d be tired, but it energized me. We felt safer, less alone with the sun up. On some level I know we aren’t, but I’ll take it. We restrung the alarms and strengthened some of the barricades. We have plenty of food, water, and supplies to last a little while. We are all grateful for that.
The sun is down again. We hear firing in the distance and see flashes of light out near the elementary school. There is not enough light to know what’s going on. I’ll cling to the hope that we will know more tomorrow.

- End of Transmission

Aug. 29, 2009 - 9:21pm

- Transmission from Dan. P.

Damn! I feel like I slept for days....even though its been a couple of hours. I dont hear the motorcycle idling anymore probably ran out of gas. It was only a matter of time. Oh Well I aquired a few useful items from my shopping endeavor.

• 2 collapsible potable water containers
• 1 case of surplus MRE's
• 8 3-volt lithium batteries
• high powered range finding binoculars
• 2 motion activated wildlife camera units
• ATN 1st generation nightvision monocular
• Lansky multi-stone knife sharpening kit

Too bad I never met my neighbor, by the looks of his apartment and the supplies I took we probably would have got along well. The big score was the NV (night Vision) monocular, although rudimentary by today's standards it is perfect for what I need. I did spot what appears to be a Stack-On gun locker in a closet, but didnt want to make any unnecessary noise jimmying it open. I'm definitely going back there with proper tools to quietly breech the safe. Its time for a nice U.S Military ham slice MRE.

- End of Transmission

Aug. 29, 2009 - 9:14pm

- Transmission from OutOfNamez

Hi world or what's left of it.

I sit here in front of some girl who I dont knows kitchen table with my best friend looking at
what "I" no what "WE" have left to keep "US" alive.

And the list reads as followed:

• MY 1954 TULU Russian SKS with 10 rounds of wolf FMJs,
• MY SIG P6 9mm pistol with 4 8 round mags of HP ammo,
• MY PA 63 9x18 mak Back Up Gun with just 1 mag of HPs
• And last but not least a 2liter of Coke

But to be fair "I" got my self into this. "I" should have known better then to listen to him and "MY" second brain and go halfway across town for some easy tail. Now look at me stuck in the middle of the hood with barely enough firepower to get out on a normal day and I should know
I grew up here.

Well no use crying over spilled milk or since I don't drink either. Man it has been one hell of a week and Ive learned alot about myself, people, this city,this world even and most importantly this outbreak.

Yes I know something and its not rumor or something a friends babymamas brother told me it came from a member of the US national guard doing house to house searches who I know is "in the know". But Ill save that for later, I have to go, the battery on this is about to die
and I just wanted to vent, and before you say it, I know I am an asshole.

If I dont get home alive, I sent my brother a copy of the last 7 days of my life and he should already be posting it up for you to read.

"Alright man Im done grab your shit"

(you mean the Coke)?

"Yea and the SKS Ill drive so I got the pistols"

(what about the computer?)

"Fuck it I got one at the house"

(can I drive?)

"You drive the RT? I told you when HELL froze over not when the world ends"

So till next time,
Namez

- End of Transmission

Aug. 29, 2009 - 9:08pm

- Transmission from Ren

Drak… As far as your gas situation goes, we have already caught more than one person trying to steal gas out of my truck. I have it parked in my back yard along with my wife’s SUV. We have them blocking in the back deck so it will be harder to enter the house. Plus we can keep and eye on the vehicles easier. I’ve also put up my Hurricane shutters to better secure us as im not sure whats going on with all of this rain and deteriorating environment. Im wondering if a Hurricane is coming or if a severe low pressure system has parked on top of us. As far as the people trying to steal fuel, Im assuming its for their generator as well. After brief negotiations with myself and a 12 gauge (Don’t worry no shots were fired) and they clearly didn’t feel like fighting in the middle of a monsoon. I gave them a few gallons to try and keep my community together. I don’t mind because my boat holds 42 gallons and it safely locked away in the garage….and siphoning some out is not a problem. Out of sight… out of mind. Luckily though the electric has been ON about fifty percent of the time, so when its on everything is pretty much operations normal, everybody hurries and takes a hot shower and we even try and get a load of laundry done! Kinda funny… it seems like the end of the world and were doing a load of laundry, gotta stay clean I guess! We could go outside and wash ... umm...screw that!.... and again…. We would like to maintain a low profile.

When the electricity is off im surprised on how long my battery backup keeps my router and switch up for my internet access. I have timed my laptop battery to three and a half hours so I know about how much I can use before needing a charge. Now I wish I would have gotten the bigger battery option when I was ordering it. Once again, hindsight is 20/20.

I am starting to get concerned. It hasn’t stopped raining since I got home on the 20th. Im beginning to wonder if I should stop taking gas out of my boat? My house is up kinda on a little hill… probably a whopping 17 feet above sea level. I am starting to get a little worried as the ditches and roads are awash with water… maybe two to six inches deep in some areas.

So here I sit, wasting time and hiding out, not only because its raining down pours outside, but we all have agreed that we should try and keep as low of a profile as possible. So far I have accumulated a few survivors. A few from church, a few family members and a marine corps buddy of mine thats out now. As soon as the rain slows, hopefully we will be able to scavenge for some food and some 12 volt batteries that I spoke about earlier. People have been trickling out of here a few families at a time, but to what avail? Where are they going, what will they find when they get there… and who are they in touch with and how? The only means of communication so far and any news has been this blog. So I guess this advice goes out to you MIKEN40. Stay put and stay out of sight. If your running into the infected… they will be half your trouble ( I have had only two encounters with them thus far). The other half are the ones still alive, that think they own everything that passes in front of them. Hence my new self taught lesson… there is nothing worse than trying to fight your way home. Only do it if you have too. I had too, I had my wife waiting for me. That’s how I got all banged up…… Good luck all, and keep your powder dry.

-End of transmission

Aug. 29, 2009 - 8:52pm

I was outside for 9 hours.

The objective I set for myself in finding fuel for the generator was a success. However the situation outside has changed.

In the morning twilight, thinking hard on my options as I opened my 36 gun safe, I chose my STAG AR because of the illuminated reticule of which the Eotech 512 offeres in low light conditions. The rifle is solid and has proven to be a very reliable AR. I should get around to posting a picture of this stick. God bless this Country and the right to bear arms, for without which my family would be absolutely defenseless right now.

I left my home the same way as before, with the same ritual. call me superstitious. My wife shouldering the full stacked AK-107 over her back like she would with one of her Prada purses, as she sealed the window. Instantly I was under open sky, my senses went into overdrive with the influx of adernaline. Kneeling next to the window I looked up through the crack, wispering one last time to my wife.

"I love you Baby. I will be back as soon as I can."

Then I took off jogging lowto the ground into to the small township fields behind my house, then across in the neighboring street back yard of row homes. Hugging the treeline and homes to hide my movement as much as possible, heading towards my first objective. Fuel. Since the begining off all this my gut senses have told me be as silent as a shadow, and to not attract attention. I was right. This was my first lesson, and the first mistake I made.

There are bodies EVERYWHERE. I did not notice them at first, as I headed on my course. I did not notice them untill I made my first auidible sound.

My first objective, was to find Gasoline. I found this at the traffic light intersection at my house.

All the cars within my neighborhood are either torched or have driven away. Probably chocking the highways abandoned, or worse. A few wrecks line the streets though, but they are FUBAR. On my first recon, I noticed a massive 10 car (at least) pile up. A massive 4 way intersection collision. Most cars, some SUV, and one large flatbed heavy duty truck. Looks like when the power went out, so did this accident. Which must have been one of the many explosions we have heard since then broadcasting across the sky.

Some of the cars have already been tapped. Every drop of gasoline syphoned out. But not every car was empty on gas. Most of the vehicles interiors where empty, but a few, ....god ....help us all.....I cannot describe in words the carnage inside those crushed metal cabins. Im not a surgion and have never seen major truama like that before, but from what i could see they looks like they have been feasted upon. My god those poor souls.

Whatever I found scavaging outside, I knew I could not bring back to my house directly. It would cause to much attention to the specific location of my home. I would have to stash it close by in a hide and come back for it in the middle of the night to bring into the house.

I carried along with me the two 5 gallon gas cans I had. I was worried it wasnt going to be enough to take back. I resolved this issue in finding a large black 55 gallon drum the flatbed truck was carrying. Most importantly was the fact that the inside was clean and free from debry. Apart from a few dings and scratches from the collision, it was peftect for what I would need.

55 gallons of Gas is to heavy for one person, so I had to roll the drum back to a safe stash location. Then I would fill it up 10 gallons at a time with my two red cans.

On my last trip, as I topped off the last gas can, I made my first critical mistake.

I was so overjoyed with what i had accomplished a laughed for the first time since all this happend. I made a sound.

This is where it all turned to hell.

As my back was turned, the first of the Dead came at me...

I must let the batteries charge now. But before I do it is essential i get these next few transmissions out.

Aug. 28, 2009 - 12:50pm

This is Drakin's Wife.

He left the house at a crack of dawn. The clock says its past noon...i am freaking out...where is he?


- Transmission from Dan P.

Finally! Some time to write....or relax. whatever. Well I have exhausted my supply of timber, fasteners and energy! Its been tense sneaking around and trying to fortify this hell hole. Upon my travels and observations these rotten "former" humans come in mass towards loud sound and assholes.....sorry, the guy WAS a dick! Well I mean the poor bastard in Bldg S with that annoying ass motorcycle. His own ignorance led to his own demise, although it helps me out a ton.
I snuck out my room to the vacated unit across the hall looking to scrounge up anything I could eat or drink or otherwise put to use. While scanning the room near the the kitchen window I hear ungodly yelling and banging from his balcony towards the end of the bldg. So this douchbag has his roommate in a dominating rear naked choke and is dragging him out the door to the balcony like a bouncer from a bar. The shambling corpses came in droves to the activity, moaning constantly and thrashing their hands or whatever appendages they had left at the commotion above. The asshole biker tries to launch his strangled friend over the railing so hard that he goes over too! The roommate is torn to shreds before he is even close to the ground! UGH what a nasty way to go, oh well..The prick somehow lunges himself away from the deceased mob below like a Heisman winning running back and unbelievably hits the ground on his feet and bolts to his bike across the parking lot. Some of the dead break free from their feast and lead chase, moaning loudly and flailing about. Suddenly the motorcycle came alive with a mechanical roar and instantly squealed across the lot towards the break in the buildings. He sped wildly around the curve with the ensuing mob behind him.....and AWAY FROM ME!!!! But, bad news! I now have noticed some of the undead must have been marathon runners because those son of a bitches sprinted after him VERY FAST. They looked the freshest killed of the bunch. I heard the sound of the bike open up on the main road..... the sound swirled quickly, then became a stationary idle. The screams in the distance pretty much explain themself. Bye Bye asshole! Sorry no remorse for the ignorant... anyway the bike was still idling and hopefully attracted the mobs.
That was my chance to quickly loot what I could from who I thought had anything of value....or nourishment. I left the unit across the hall and made a mad dash to the S blding entrance with Glock in hand. I slithered through the front door and tip toed up the steps..never know who or whats around every corner...I refuse to let my guard down. I grabbed the door knob of S-207. My lucky day! Unlocked! Noticing the renters truck with NRA stickers and a slew of hunting camo accents wasn't in the lot led me believe he was gone. Luckily no one or thing was in there with me! I went shopping! Still havent inventoried what I took.... after I snuck back here to my place.
Oh hell, enough of this. I'm supposed to be relaxing now and thats what I'm going to do!

- End of Trasmission

Aug. 28, 2009 - 5:05am

Highest priority

• Find gasoline for the generator

Im am forced to go outside today. It is imperative I find more fuel. The wife knows this and wants to come but it is just to dangerous outside. There is so much I would like to get off my mind and down into this journal, yet I am restricted by my power consumption. The food must stay cold among other things. I could do so much more, if I only had the power. I must find a more reliable source.

I can just feel the power draining from the battery of this Netbook.

Such little time.

Almost all the neighbors have packed up or have disappeared from sight. They could be hiding in there like us, but no one has taken the time to board up any of windows though. I am the only home on this culdesac of rowhomes that has taken the time to do so. Im glad I did that early on, there is no way i could risk the exposure to our home right now with the current state outside.

Those of you that have posted here, I wish you all God Speed in this dark journey that has become a battlefront for us. Watch your six, as Ren would say. Seeing what is out there, if you let it, The Dark can creep into your soul, but reading what is posted here from those of you who are riding out this mess, I see The Light. This is essential. Be cautious, but know that others who are GOOD are out there. We stand together or we fall alone.

The sun is about to rise, I just finished my cup of black coffie.
Time to get geared up to go outside. At least this time I know exactly what is in store for me.

It kills me to leave her alone.

Aug. 28, 2009 - 12:36pm

The strong survive.

- Transmission from miken40

Drak, what a huge relief to hear that others are dealing ok with all this. I’m in our cabin up in the Poconos with the wife and kids and we were caught completely off guard. First some reports on the radio, then we lost power, now nothing. We’re isolated up here so charged my Blackberry off the dynamo flashlight in the cabin and I took a chance hiking further down toward town to see if I could get a signal. I’m glad I found your blog ‘cause news on the web is either old or spotty and I don’t know what to believe. So far we haven’t seen any of “them” but I feel pretty good about our short term security because I brought along my 12 gauge to do some shooting. Now I’m conserving shells though because I may need it to hunt or fight. We were only supposed to be up here for a week so we only have a week’s worth of food, maybe more if we conserve. Water’s fine for now. Not sure what to do. Do we stay put or make a try for home? Starve here or risk running into “them” closer to civilization. We haven’t told the kids yet what’s going on. Why freak them out. I’ll try to stay in touch but the hike to a cell signal is about three or four miles and I don’t know if the signal will be here next time I come. If you have any advice, please post it here. Good luck.

- End of Transmission

Batteries are dangerously low. I used the last of the gas filling the generator. I have an idea on where I might find some fuel too keep the lights on.

I will reply to you all, I promise.

Aug. 28, 2009 - 12:36pm

- Transmission from Ren

Drackinclaw… thanks for chatting with me the other night, Ill look for a Ham radio so maybe we can talk. I gotta say…..your neighborhood looks terrible! We are no where near that bad of shape, but im not close to any major cities either. Do you think those fires are being set on purpose, or a by product of fighting of some kind? Also how is your generator holding out? Im worried about running mine too much because of the noise in attracting “them” or other “guests”. I think I will try and scavenge some 12 volt batteries like maybe 6 or 7 and just top them off now and again. That way I can at least have some lights and keep my little 12 volt cooler/fridge running, and it would be a lot quieter.

As far as me having to leave the chat so abruptly yesterday…. Ive heard of the term, “F$#@ me running in the rain”. I guess now it brings on a whole new meaning. It was raining so hard I couldn’t tell who or what was chasing….. I will guess, and say a woman, because I couldn’t clearly see down the street, it was coming down so damn heavy I couldn’t really tell what was going on… but by the time I was able to get out to help they were already out of sight. So I don’t know if “they” got her or not. It sucks that I couldn’t help fast enough. My leg got wrenched in the “accident”, if you could call it that, trying to get home a few days ago. My heads also got a severe gash in it, so my wife has now given me a buzz cut so we can keep an eye on it. All those years of sitting behind a desk has taken its toll too. Im really, really feeling out of shape, and it almost cost me my life getting home… but Ill go more into that later. Its time for me to check on the flooding situation…. Its still pouring out. Hang in there all of you, and watch your six.

- End of Transmission

Aug. 28, 2009 - 12:06pm

OK. There it is. Christ, this LED headlamp I bought has proven to be
priceless to us.

My Fathers radio is an old Collins KWM-380. This thing is built like
a tank and weighs almost 50 pounds. He had it all set up for Field
Day with a couple of 12V leads and battery clamps.

I hauled the old beast upstairs. To power it, I pulled the battery
from the new Toro riding lawn mower in the garage. Somehow, I not real
worried about the lawn right now and I'd rather not run the generator anymore than
absolutely necessary.

I grabbed about 6 feet of old lamp cord and inserted it into the
antenna jack on the back of the radio. Not good for transmitting,
but it is OK for receiving if I remember correctly.

When I powered up the old rig. I was greeted by the familiar glow
of the display. I cannot describe the feeling of freedom we had.
It meant a possible new form of communication. REAL TIME God 
miss cell phones.

So I tuned around a little to see if the BBC was out there. Hell,
I'd would have even settled for one of those religious stations
right then.

I got Nothing.

Guess most of these stations have moved on to satellite or
internet radio or something.

Then I thought about the HAM bands. There's gotta be somebody
out there flapping their jaw about what's going on.

Weird. There was nothing but some kind of odd warbling noise.
Even if someone were talking, I couldn't hear shit over that.

Ah well, it was worth a try. I guess this old radio really is
shot after all. May as well quit farting around and get back
to reality.

Suddenly, I heard something. It is faint and I almost missed it.

I tuned the dial to better pick up the faint station I was
hearing on 11.545 Megahertz.

Listen.

Aug. 28, 2009 - 7:43am

Still no contact with the family. The wife's or mine. Iv reached out in every way possible or at least every medium that still functions. Which is fundamentally just the net. Could they be in a worse situation than I am?

I'm very worried.

• water is being consumed faster than expected
• Nearly almost out of gasoline

Aug. 26, 2009 - 11:16pm

There are others out there.

- Communications from an RRC Chat with Ren

I was doing some searching on the internet on what the hell is happening and found your blog. Thank God there are other people out there attempting to keep in touch. With everything going on in the news I started taking my AR to work with me, leaving it in the truck of course….LOL… I cant imagine the looks from co-workers I would get dressed up in a suit and tie with an AR-15 draiped across my chest. Its my little bushmaster that I put together with LMT stock and eo-tech 552 on a larue riser. I just put a Daniel Defense backup iron sight on it as well. It also has a Midwest industries 4 rail hand guard with a black Tango Down for grip. Its not a bad blaster, but not as accurate as a nice bolt gun by any means. I started taking it to work with me back a few months ago when the stock market was diving down 300 to 500 points in a day. It would suck to have all my gear at home and be miles away if rioting started, and no way to protect myself. I didn’t really want to take time off… yea … I know… dumb move on my part, but I didn’t know if all of this was just media garbage or really happening…. Now I know it’s the latter. You know what they say, hindsight is 20/20.

I don’t know where all you ya’ll are from…. But down here in sunny florida its been raining A LOT. Lemme be the first to tell ya… It seems to act as an amplifier to every bodies panic down here….. this state is being chocked off I think…no food trucks… publix is ….. shit… gotta go … theres someone screaming outside….. brb.

- End of communications

Aug. 25, 2009 - 10:05pm

Before I log of, here are some uploaded pictures of what I could take clearly, while I was out on the 24th. I did not want to linger in one spot for to long.

Aug. 26, 2009 - 9:56pm

The more I read, the more cautious I get around the windows. The wife had a good idea to cover all of them with heavy drapes to cancel any light pollution from leaving our house at night. The last thing I need to deal with is attracting one or many of the dead.

Read this.

- Transmission from mjporreca

Containment in the city broke and news spread like a wildfire in all directions. We all thought the smart ones went east into New Jersey because not as many of the creatures were crossing the bridges. But when word got out that New York and Baltimore quarantines had collapsed too all those people had the ocean on one side, and literally a sea of bodies, alive and dead, on the other. I’m glad we are out West of Philly. The “experts” are saying major cities will have the biggest concentrations, so people should avoid them. The internet is now full of reports and information about the dead coming to life and feeding on the living.

For right now a bunch of us have banded together with weapons and are gathering supplies. Our neighborhood has a nice view all the way down to the Schuylkill River. We stood around for hours asking each other if this was really happening, or was this some new War of the Worlds hoax. One neighbor said she got a text message from her brother who had locked himself in his house. She heard constant pounding and wailing in the background. He was terrified. She was convinced it’s all real, but we were all still having trouble accepting it.

That’s when we saw the first one. A man came shuffling up the street. He was 50 or 60 yards away. We thought he was just tired and struggling up the hill. None of us recognized him. My neighbor’s daughter was the first to notice anything wrong. She asked, “Mommy, why doesn’t that man have a chin?” She was right. As the thing’s head bobbed up and down, she had the best view. Its jaw was completely missing, tongue, chin and a hunk of the throat all gone. The black shirt we thought he was wearing was really white with dried blood. Some of us were frozen; staring in disbelief. The rest screamed and ran, grabbing any children that happened to be there. The moaning started. That blood curdling moan that you feel in your spine. It snapped me out of the trance I was in. Reached back and pulled out the .45 I had on my belt. The 1911 boomed loudly as I fired 3 rounds. The first hit square in the dead man’s chest stopping his step. The next a little higher, in what was left of his gaping mouth. The shot sprayed out behind his head. The third shot, the bull’s-eye, square in the forehead. The zombie’s head snapped back, and the rest of him followed like a falling tree. For a minute no one moved. Then slowly, pistol pointed at the creature, a few of us moved towards it. The rest went to get weapons of their own.

We haven’t seen any contacts recently, but I’m sure they’ll be here soon. I’m worried about how much light we’ll have tonight. The plan is to run tripwires with cans, bells, and whatever we have as an early warning system. Then use our car headlights to see what to shoot. I wish we had more time. Hopefully we will be ready to move in the morning and have a plan on where to go.

Between us we have over 10,000 rounds in various calibers. Run, stay, neither option seems good at the moment. I’m amazed how focused everyone is. No one is tiring, no one is stopping. Windows are being boarded, food is being stacked. Water, gasoline, tools, first aid kits are getting set aside for whatever it is we are going to do. About the half the neighbors fled. Traffic was a mess. I’m praying for a quiet night, and some answers in the morning.

- End of Transmission

Aug. 26, 2009 - 7:46pm

- Transmission from mjporreca

I've been trying to find out what's going on since the order for people to stay in their homes started. From what I've been able to find online, a lot of people are without power, I guess in that regard we're lucky. The T.V is showing nothing and the 24 news channels are off air.

Around noon I noticed the police starting to knock on people's doors. They were moving house to house, so I had a while before they got to mine. Stories of the Katrina aftermath came back to me. I’ll sacrifice a few for the good of the many. After about an hour, A National Guard Humvee pulled up and handful of guardsmen started assisting the police.

Finally, the knock came. I cracked the door. The first thing I noticed were the black circles under the officers eyes, which were even more pronounced because most of the color was drained out of his face. He coughed, trying to clear his throat, but seemed to relax when took a good look at me.

Finally he got his questions. He asked if everyone who lived here was home. I told him yes, myself my wife and my son. He asked if any of us were sick, or overly tired, or seemed out of sorts. I told him no, but could tell he really didn't care about the answers.

I asked him what was going on, and why we were being told to stay inside. He said, there is a state of emergency declared and information will be given as soon as it's available. I pressed him for what the emergency was and waited for the rehearsed lines in response, but they didn't come. He leaned in close and whispered to me. The officer told me he didn't know exactly what it was, but something happened in the city, and it had to be bad. A lot of people must be dead. He said he wasn't supposed to say this, but to pack up and get the hell out when we got the chance, and if I had any guns, keep them loaded.

That all happened 5 hours ago, now the sun is going down. Since then I've seen every theory imaginable posted somewhere. Terrorist attack, biological weapons, aliens have landed, but I fear the worst. I think this might be the one thing every hard working, God fearing, country loving American fears.

Let's hope I'm wrong.

- End of trasmission

Aug. 25, 2009 - 11:35pm

News from the outside world, but it is not good.

TV station that had been showing the color bars test pattern has
gone off the air along with all the others. Even though it was
useless for information, there was something oddly comforting
about being able to turnon the TV and at least see something on
the screen. Now it's all just useless static.



All the AM news stations are also off the air, but there's one
FM station that's still broadcasting. Unfortunately, it's
playing an endless loop of obnoxious '80s music and
advertisements for sales that ended days ago. If I hear
"Walking on Sunshine" one more frickin' time. Ill use the
radio for target practice to sight and tune in my RPK.
I opened the 720rnd.spam can of Brown Bear 7.62x39, which I
never thought I would open.

I just wish I could figure out what's going on out there
and how widespread this aberration is.

Wait a minute. What an idiot I've been. What about my
Fathers old HAM radio?

Read this article that made me remember I had one all along.

- Transmission from an anonymous writer
Back when I was a kid, my Dad did everything he could
to get me interested in HAM radio. He was hardcore.
Only Morse Code ('CW', he called it) for him. Anyone
that used a mic and actually talked to other people
was a second class citizen, as far as he was
concerned. I studied for the tests and actually
passed them, but I could never get the hang of Morse
Code so I never got my license.

Dad tried to keep me interested by using his radio to
tune into all sorts of shortwave broadcasts from
around the world. I used to listen to the BBC World
Service, Radio Free Europe and Radio Afrika
International. I'd think of the exotic places these
radio stations were reaching and the folks that were
listening in. It distracted me from my mundane
suburban existence, at least for awhile.

Just before my Dad passed away, he was gearing up to
work another "Field Day" with a bunch of his HAM
buddies. He did this every year and told Mom that
it was all about "being prepared". I suspect it was
as much that as it was an excuse to go camping
with some buddies, play with his radio toys and maybe
drink a beer or two.

Right. Enough nostalgia. Back to the situation at hand.

Let's go see if I can bring it back to life.

Aug. 25, 2009 - 7:42pm

- Transmission from fargo007

“TARGET”

I'm momentarily reminded of how much I enjoyed watching her tiny but precise fingers form guitar chords when I taught her to play. Now, even in these dire circumstances I still feel that same pride as I see her tiny fingers rotating the large elevation knob on the NightForce 3.5-15x50, as she counts off 3.25 Minutes of elevation.

“Got it Dad.” She exclaims, as we watch the edges of the lonely glow on the ground, cast there by the only remaining street light. I Milled the stop sign right next to it. It is exactly 350 yards away.

“Keep that bolt up until we have a target kiddo. Got that?”

I'm looking through my own Nightforce down the same alleyway of houses that leads to a more populated street. Both rifles are condition 1, with a round in the chamber, and each sporting a fat AICS mag of nine 175 Sierra Matchkings underneath. This distance is a joke for these rigs, but the cases of water and canned food downstairs remind me we're paid to be here, people are depending on us, and we need to follow through on what we promised we would do.

“Ughhhh!!!.... Dad... you don't have to keep telling me every single .....”

“TARGET. “

350 yards, 11 o' clock, left edge of the intersection, no wind, slow mover, center hold is fine!”

I had tuned out her pre-teen diatribe, as Dad's are apt to do.

I hear hear “prepare” breath escape gently as the bolt knob of the FN SPR slowly and precisely drops into place. I recognize the faint sound of shuffling as she finds her natural point of aim.

“Shooter Ready”

“Send”

“Sending”

The rifle barks loudly, and the recoil causes her 11 year old frame to slide to the rear about a half inch on top of the series of dressers that we have set up as a shooting platform next to the window. This is foreign on so many levels... Ordinarily I'd be in the back of the room, shooting through a hole I'd gouge into one of the dressers or other furniture. It's not like that this time. We don't have to worry about light discipline, a barrel being spotted, or any other target indicator. I've not grown lazy. These issues don't matter, and that's good, because I haven't had a chance to work with her on them yet.

“HIT!” I exclaim, the cheerful excitement of a father in my voice as I watch the shock from 175 grains of hurt smash hard into the high torso of the humanoid figure, almost bending it 90 degrees back from the legs in an grotesque contortion before its head slammed into the ground with significant force.

I turn to congratulate her on the shot only to be pelted in the cheek by hot brass, as she smartly resourced the rifle with her eye still on the glass, and the target still in the crosshairs.

“C'mon Dad....... You're goofing off again.”

I can see it still writing, but only from about the shoulders upward.

“Should we hit it again?” She wondered aloud, her eye still rock steady on the Nightforce. "I've got a clear outline of the head against the curb now.”

“Holy Mackrel!!!” I roll my eyes, as I drop back onto my own glass. The McMillan A5 feels like home to my shoulder as I tuck tight into the rifle glass the area for other threats. Finding no other, and knowing she's ready to show me something, I catch her cheek straining a wry smile as I give her exactly what she's been waiting for.....

“TARGET.”

- End of Transmission

Aug. 25, 2009 - 3:12pm

- Transmission from lblair57

All hell is breaking loose and people are freaking OUT!. There are now mobs of refugees filling the roads. SUV’s, pick-ups, RV’s and cars with bundles of crap tried on top and on the sides and the trunks dragging low from the weight of whatever they could take with them. It looks like a mass exodus from Bombay. Some of them are on foot. They are dazed and dirty with smoke blotched faces and torn clothes. They just wander around aimlessly trying to keep moving in the same direction as the mob. The more coherent ones say that the army was keeping the populace from moving west, but the army has been overrun. They say a virus started in NYC. They think is was the jihadist. The virus kills living flesh and then energizes the central nervous system basically creating walking dead. The sole purpose of these decomposing corpese’s is to feed on and infect other carbon based life forms.

- End of Transmission

Aug. 25, 2009 - 2:45pm

Absolute desolation.

Right outside my door.

Everything is foreign. Nothing looks the same. I thought I was prepared for what I would see, but I was not. This is already the next day after I went out, and I am still at a loss for words on how to describe this. I have been working non-stop.

When I went out, it was through the backyard kitchen window. I did not want to risk breaking the seal on the barricaded doors located in the front and back of the house. It would cause to much noise, so I quietly removed the 5 redwood planks from the window, took a deep breath, kissed my wife hard, and then climbed through the window as quietly as i could. She sealed it up after me with the deck screws, the batteries on those ryobi cordless tools are really starting to get low. They suck up so much juice.

I could still hear her cursing silently about leaving her alone as I silently stalked away in the early dawn. But I needed to know what the situation was outside, I had no choice. She knows how to defend heyself and plus she has my Stag Arms AR-15 w/eotech holographic sight and 25 stacked mags to back her up. Shell be fine for 2 hours. Dressing in my khaki eotac operator pants, desert tan USMC Boots and OD T-shirt, the gear I wore was only what I absolutely needed, or what I would consider ruggedly essential. Considering what I could see from the view of my house, the panic on the net, and the fact that the word on the street is the DEAD are RISING, I took protection very seriously.

• Ak-107 dark plum Grips and triangle folding stock
• 8 - 30 round 7.62x39 steel magazines
• Multicam Esstac Bush Boar Rig holds 8 30 round magazines.
• xd 45
• 4 - 13 round .45 acp magazines
• K-BAR D2 Knife Cutting tests prove that D2 is one of the toughest steels used in knife making.
• Oakley "Gascan Frame" prescription glasses for eye protection, ear protection is foam plugs but i left those in my pocket.
• 100 feet of paracord
• Camel Back Hydration bladder 50 oz.
• Bynoculars
• Digital camera
• Backpack with various small items such as first aid kit, ect. I really should consider with more time, everything I should have in this to keep my wife and I alive. If we ever needed to get out fast.
• Chewy Granola bar hey its still food
  

But those 2 hours turned into 6. As to why, that will be for anouther journal entry. I am exausted. Just to survive, takes imeasurable energy. Then to recount everything I have witnessed.....

As soon as I returned, nervous and full of panic. Remaining as low and tight to the fence as possible, I tapped the window 5 times in a specific order. (i cannot describe to you how much hell i got from my wife being 4 hours late) When I was inside, I then determined our house is not nearly fortified enough for what is out there.

Just go on the net and read for yourself.

The quarantine zones are gone.

They are real.

Aug. 24, 2009 - 5:36am

Ok.

Within the past 30 minutes while I wait for the sun to rise, I have just read 20 personal accounts from different people all within various areas of quarantine zone closer to the city. The next thing I am about to say may sound crazy, even I could not believe it at first, but if you read what I have read and viewed within the last 30 minutes. You would believe me.

The general panic is that the DEAD are RISING. This cannot be the cause of all this chaos? can it?

It gets worse though, this panic is spreading along with the dead. Reportedly 4 quarantine checkpoints have already been breached. North, South, East, and West.

The most convincing account, is from Dan P. himself.

I gotta get outta here! I cant believe what it is...I left my room and started down the hall and the door looked as if it was pounded for years with a sledge hammer. I approached slowly and cautiously and thudded the door with my boot. Almost instantaneously the door slammed against me like a bus and knocked me on my side hard as shit. Without hesitation that 'thing' scratched at me furiously around the felled door and grinding its miserably fucked up teeth. The godamn door on top of me pinned my serpa holster to the floor underneath my side where i could not unlock it and I frantically tried to rip my Glock outta the holster to no avail. In a blind rage I thrust upward with all my might slamming the door into that motherfucker. The force ripped his left arm off as i hammered it between the door jamb. I tumbled down the hallway and knocked the hall fire extinguisher right off the wall, mount and all! I grabbed the extinguisher with both hands and belted the ghastly monstrosity in the head until it didnt move anymore.....I spit on the corpse and dashed back into my room and barricaded that bitch good! It was close but I'm glad I was on the winning end. I knew what was out there, but I just wouldn't allow myself to believe it.....well its sure as shit for real now! From now on im wearing the drop leg holster, that belt serpa had a real limitation at REAL BAD TIME. Hats off to blackhawk though, I went down hard on it and there isnt a scratch on it or my glock. Well i need to drink now and unwind...maybe load some more AK mags. I think its gonna be an interesting afternoon.

Aug. 24, 2009 - 4:33am.

Just woke up, sun is not up yet.

Batteries are starting to run low. TV has only one single broadcasting, channel 2, and its a static colored bar image.



I'm going to start getting geared up to go outside and do recon around the house at sunrise. Seems the quietest around then. I need to know whats out there, but I do not know what to expect. Nor do I know the true cause as to the lock down sunset curfew.

Aug. 22, 2009 - 5:56pm

- Transmission from lblair57

WTF is going on!? There are columns of black smoke off to the east. The TV is showing re-runs or the test pattern…..Electric power comes and goes…My neighbors have heard rumors of civil unrest, but other than the billowing smoke there’s no confirmation. I took a drive earlier and everything is closed. The only traffic I saw were first responders and they looked like they knew what they were about. Serious and focused. Four or more to a vehicle. No time stop to talk but they eye-balled me pretty closely. You could see that their vehicles were bristling with weapons including M-79 grenade launchers and LAWs. These guys are ready for some shit!

I’m locked and loaded and keeping watch on the street from the second story corner windows. My wife is scanning the back yard through the sliding glass patio doors with her AR-10. Both kids have their AK’s ready to rock and roll. We’re all wearing web gear with extra mags. It’ll be dark soon. Nobody has any night vision gear. The sun is setting in the west and we can see a red glow reflected off the smoke to the east. Tonight we’ll hunker down in the basement with a couple of neighbors. We’ll keep 2 armed guards on 2 hour shifts till the sun comes up. We have plenty of water but food will be an issue in a couple of days. We’re re-packing our go-bags but for now we’ll wait and see what our next move will be.

- End of transmission

Aug. 22, 2009 - 5:03pm

Seems like I have been making more decisions lately I would have found absolutely crazy a week ago. Spent the better part of the morning ripping up the floor boards from my backyard deck. Such as shame too, they where stained a beautiful redwood color.

As I worked as silently, the neighborhood was sporadic with different sounds. Sounds that, quite honestly, I have never experienced before in real life. Closest thing I could describe it to is some some war torn movie taking place in Serbia, and that's what it sounds like outside my door.

There where a few planks where stubborn and would not budge. When they did, they groaned as the nail was pryed out of the wood they have been set in the last 10 years. Wincing along the way, last thing I want is to draw attention to us.

Now the be planks cover all the windows of my house, except for a few places that have a tactical angle to view the surrounding area. First and second floor. I used screws instead of nails to remain as silent as possible. Now that our house is secure i can focus on other things. I need to find time to sleep.

• 3 gallons of gas reamining
• 30 days of food
• 20 days of water

Aug. 22, 2009 - 6:33am

Finally, some contact with one of my closest friends, through an RRC chat. Tough as nails this kid.

But it is what he wrote that is the most disturbing. Read for yourself.

- Communications from an RRC Chat with Dan P.

Nothing is the same now, since the 24hr curfew, this apartment complex is like a prison. Its hot as hell in here and I'm beginning to lose hope on the electric. The cops all disappeared this morning and even stranger those damn helicopters vanished. I wish they had stayed, the chilling sounds from F bldg are deafening. It really smells like a giant dumpster in here and its hard to breath. I drilled a few more vent holes threw the timbers blocking the windows.... well before the batteries went dead for good. Im glad they lasted this long. Looks like the fire in C bldg finally burned itself out too. Christ!!!! WTF!!!!! Im LOSING MY MIND!!!!!!Who the fuck is banging on the hall door!!!......I cant take it anymore! The moaning sound is strange but I think I know what it is and if im right its only gonna get worse. I have to know.......and its now.

- End of communications

Aug. 22, 2009 - 12:01am

Im feeling very vulnerable with my windows exposed, the doors are strong though. But its the windows that are the week point to this house. The wife is on supply detail, tallying up all the food and water we currently have in the house. When was the last time we went food shopping at BJ's Wholesale Club? Last week?

I can tell she is worried about our external situation outside of our front door, but she doesn't show it. I try to not reveal my sense of panic it either. Nothing new to report on the TV, however two channels that where broadcasting last night are currently white static. There is something screaming inside me saying this situation outside is going to get worse before it gets better.

As I write this now, my Yugoslavian m-72 RPK with a 75 round drum mag in the well, is sitting beside me. Giving off its comforting look of wood and parkerized steel. Im hoping its presence alone will drive away any looters. About an our ago, a guy came sprinting full tilt down my street, hopped my neighbors clean white picket fence and dissapered behind the row of homes. Was that blood on his shirt? It must have just been my imagination.

Something was definately chasing that man, but it did not follow him down my street.

I really need to get in touch with my family and friends.

Aug. 21, 2009 - 4:55pm

Cell phone lines are jammed. Text messaging still works.

The power grid went down at 7:20am this morning. Running power off the small generator that I keep in the garage for now. I only have 5 gallons of gas to feed it. damn. More importantly, I needed to test the web connection as it is my only source of information. The TV just plays 90's re-runs.

Fires in the neighborhood. The black smoke rising in billows all around our area. Mainly to the east. Not sure whats burning, but its big. Our street is still untouched. I can hear sirens in the distance all day, and what sounds like thunder. But there are no clouds in the sky except for the burning billows of black charred smoke.

I need to figure out what is going to be my next move.

Aug. 20, 2009 - 11:54pm

Finally my first piece of real information. I found the entry through one of the forums I check regularly. From what I can tell it seems local too.

- Thread intercept from fargo007,

"Bro , Things aren't looking so good....”

Ron Minatori, A good friend of mine works at a funeral home on Street Rd. He bet me a thousand dollars that he had something come in that would absolutely freak me out. I got calls like this perhaps once a year, and some were worth the trip. Others were not. He knew I spent the last 20 years in law enforcement, so this had better be good, I sez, as I braved the forty fucking traffic lights it takes to go the ¼ mile up that atrocious road. Worse than usual? Oh yeah. I saw a crowd of people gathered around the cemetery, and block after block of their parked cars along the road. What, did a celebrity die? People were in shorts & tee shirts though. This county has always been a bizarre mix of people ever since I moved here.

Pulling up the emergency brake on my truck in the back lot of the funeral home, I was greeted by the unusual sight of Minatori trying to light a cigarette that was literally bouncing up and down in his quivering, but tightly clenched lips. I had never seen the man smoke. After prying the lighter from his sweaty hands, and lighting the cigarette on his behalf, he looked at me, while the unfamiliar acrid smoke caused him to reflexively cough directly in my face.

“I ain't goin' back in there.”

“Ron – what the hell is going on?”

He threw the cigarette down, and as he continued to speak, repeatedly ground and stomped it to oblivion.

“Pickup from the hospital. 30 year old male. Car accident.” His short, choppy answers told me the real Minatori was in there.

“Tore up pretty bad. They finished the autopsy this morning. Massive internal injuries.”

Sure that this wasn't the issue, I pressed further. “So? Something you can't handle?”

I went to push the unlocked door open and look inside. I knew this was the “operational area” of the funeral home. I felt his hand dig into my shoulder with force I had no idea he could muster.

“Watch it. Just watch it, Understand???”

I entered the receiving area, where a body lay on a transport gurney. It had lost its legs above or around both knees, and the condition of the rest of it was not so good. A Y-shaped autopsy scar with coarse stiches the length of the torso. The organs are usually placed in a plastic bag, and sewn back into the torso, and I could spot pieces of the orange bag through rough gaps in the stitches.

A terrible sight, but nevertheless, I approached it. I could feel Minatori approach behind and to my left as I looked at the side of the young man's head, which appeared undamaged, and at least that much of him appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

“Stay back, you dumb-ass!”

I turned back to Minatori to reply with a clever insult of my own, the particulars of which I choose not to share. Looking back at the body, the head was now facing me, and both eyes were open, and directly fixed upon my own.

- End of thread.

I might call off a few more days, and that wood burning smell has gotten stronger into the night. I peaked outside to check if I could see any smoke on the horizon, but it is way to dark to see anything with clarity.

God I wish I had a pair of night vision goggles right now. Currently it seems worth the couple thousand dollars to be honest.

Aug. 20, 2009 - 6:04pm

Surfing the web on my net book while watching the 6 o'clock news, why do I even bother, TV sucks. Warm day out, the windows are open to let the breeze in.

I spent the day at home with my wife, I made a judgment call and decided that we should just take off for the next day or two. Something about yesterdays broadcast has just got my senses on the spike, and they are telling me to stay alert. Besides, we have the vacation days.

Wait whats this,

There is a Sunset curfew in place tonight.....is this serious?

Cant type now, I'm transfixed to this HDTV screen.

Why do I smell a wood fire burning in the middle of August?

Aug. 19, 2009 - 10:13pm

Interesting.

When the 10 o' clock news hopped back on from commercial break just now, the Anchor Sally "whats her name" looked extremely frightened. What was more peculiar was that she was looking at a piece of white lined paper, with scribbled handwriting on it. When she spoke, she wasn't reading from the teleprompter, but from the piece of lined paper.

About 2 words into her sentence the whole news program flicked off, went to white static, then switched to one of those lame ass evening comedy shows.

Something about the expression on that reporters face though, and her words. They where not strong and confident, but rather shaky and frightened...I cant explain it. It just got me on edge, but what I really would like to know is what was she about to report on.

I guess its about time to make this journal. While i search for more information.