What's the Point?

It's been a long time, I know. So much has changed. I'm alone now. Have been for almost 2 months. My friends...I like to think that some are alive, but I just don't know. In the end, we fell to the same things that have traditionally brought down civilized society--religious fervor and rampant stupidity. It was the Cult of the Seventh Seal. I'd heard rumors about them in a few of the towns I passed through--they were like born-again Christians who just snapped when the zombies came. They were convinced that this was the end as foretold in the good book (who's to say they're wrong?). They felt that people who had the audacity to try to survive in the face of God's cleansing army of undead needed to be punished, that only the chosen were meant to survive. Apparently we weren't the chosen.

They were well armed, but they never actually hurt anybody, not themselves. They smashed our fences and lookout posts and led an army of zombies into the farm, ten stood back and watched the carnage. They had snuck in and disabled our vehicles, too. At first it was no big deal. We took out dozens, maybe hundreds, but there are limits to ammunition...And we get tired--they don't. Guns ran out, people started abandoning their posts or just getting overrun. It was a chain reaction then. We kept trying to retreat, reinforce, keep some semblance of order, but in the end it was just one big free-for-all. We got cut off from each other and we ran. The cult members tried to herd us toward the zombies, but they seemed afraid of killing us themselves...Once we realized that, we just rushed them, and of course the zombies followed. They seemed almost like they weren't interested in the cult members though--it was weird. Occasionally one would attack, but for the most part they just passed right by them and came after us.

I'm pretty sure Heidi survived at least that night. Matt and Shawn...I don't know. I saw Andy running clear--I'm betting he made it. Who knows about anybody else? I ran as far and as fast as I could. I've been running ever since. I finally made it back to this cache where I had another computer, along with some guns, ammo and food, of course. I'm back on the Illinois side. I may head back to where we started, see if anyone else thinks the same way. I wonder how far this cult reaches?

Still Alive

Hello again. I'm back. Well, actually, I never left, my battery just died and I never really felt inspired to recharge it until now. We've been doing fine. The additions to the farmhouse are done, the fortifications are in and we've even had them tested once. A few weeks ago, we were hit by a wave of zombies. We don't know if this zombie herd or zombie hoard or whatever was coming from Chicago, Milwaukee, or just the outlying suburbs, but there were over a hundred of them and they all hit en masse, just like they did back in Illinois. I must say, these farm boys (and girls) can take care of business. It didn't matter if they were using rifles, shotguns or bow and arrows--it was pretty much one shot, one kill.

One of the guys, a teenager, was telling me that today was a historic day. He said on May 28th, 2012, the first documented zombie attack took place. Apparently a zombie down in Florida or Alabama or something took down this homeless guy and started eating his face. It took like 5 shots for the cops to take the thing down. I never heard anything about it--I thought the first case wasn't until late in 2013. The guy seemed pretty sure, though. He said there was the one case, then nothing for a almost a year (the government hushed everything up, he said), then the news started leaking in spring of 2013, but everybody wrote it off as pranks or something. Then, of course in the winter of 2013, we all know what happened. So, just in case the dates on these blogs are right and they really are going to somebody in 2012, watch the news, particularly in the southern U.S.--you'll start seeing clues to the beginning of the zombie apocalypse.

As for me, I'm hoping to see the end of the zombie apocalypse. These things have to rot away eventually. We've got a good setup here and we're pretty well protected. I'm going to work on getting the materials to rig this place for solar soon, and then maybe put together a party to look for survivors again. All in all, life is good again, or at least as good as it can be, under the circumstances.

R.I.P. Mothball

Mothball turned last night. The doctor warned us it might happen soon, so we had him isolated, so at least nobody else got hurt. I put him down myelf...It only seemed right, since I'm the one who let it happen. I should have amputated his arm when he was bitten. He was begging us not to do it, but I knew what was going to happen. I should have been stronger. Now he's dead.

For the better part of a year I've been more or less leading the core group by default,at least before the split. Now, with all the splits and additions to this group, we're not really sure who's in charge these days. I just know I don't want it to be me anymore, at least not now. It seems like every decision I've made for the last six months has been wrong and too many people have paid for it.

Back On The Farm

We arrived yesterday morning. It is such a relief to know we have a place to call home for a while. They were all so glad to see us. We all felt really terrible about having to give them the news about Jeremy, Dan and Eric being lost to the zombies. They are planning on having a memorial service in the next week or so. They were so thrilled to meet Dr. Mike since one of the women is expecting a baby.

They gave us a tour of the farm - they had been busy while we were gone. Since we had added more people to their group last time they figured it was time to add more living space. The shed we had parked the RV's in last time they turned into living quarters. There are 4 bedrooms in the upstairs, a bathroom space (not finished yet) and common room downstairs. They are also adding on a huge common room to the main house that will be used for us all to gather as a group for meals and entertainment. They have also had meetings with the other 2 farms in the co-op and have divided up the spring planting work - I guess we are just in time to help pull rocks from the fields. Some of us will be going out soon to collect gas, since the tractors will be running non-stop for the next several months they want to have a good supply on hand.

They were impressed with all the medical supplies Dr. Mike brought so they are now planning on setting him up with his own space so he can continue his work. Apparently one of the other farms has a building they aren't really using so the plan is to turn it into an office, exam room, lab and living space for him. He is very excited to get started on that.

While we were gone they had a few zombie visitors. They were discovered during perimeter rounds and were quickly taken care of. Since then they have been building stronger fencing and doing more patrols. So there is going to be plenty of things to do to help out. I saw Roger and Matt checking out the horses - I can't wait to watch them learn how to ride!

Zombie Health Care

I used to play a lot of RPGs (role playing games) in my younger days, and I remember it was always a bonus to find a doctor. It was usually a non-player character who we found somewhere and suddenly when he joins the band all of our hit points go up and we get repaired instantly when injured in combat and all that good stuff.

Well, none of that has happened, but we still all feel a little better having Michael (Dr. Mike, as I call him) around. Shawn's knee hasn't really improved but at least now he seems to have hope, as Dr. Mike has confirmed that there's a good possibility that it's just a partially torn ligament and he may get mobility back without surgery. I just wish he could do something for Mothball. He seems to be getting worse. Dr. Mike gave him some antibiotics and he seems to have a theory about treatment for zombie bites, but so far, no luck. As for me, I still feel old and tired and sore, but there's not much a doctor can do about that--I've pretty much felt that way since I turned 38 (before the zombie apocalypse even started).

We made a few unscheduled stops to check out some towns for survivors (no luck, but not many zombies, either), but we should be at the farm sometime tomorrow. I haven't been to a farm in decades--not since my brother used to have a farm out in Iowa. This should be fun.

Weapons, Ammo And More

Yesterday we picked up the supplies we hid at Gander Mountain. Amazingly the building had not been broken into since we left so we were able to make pretty quick work of getting everything loaded up. Both RV's are really full so we are on the lookout for another van.

Today we went to the clinic that we had driven by the first time we headed north. The place was locked up really tight. As we worked our way around the building we noticed all the windows had been covered and the entrance doorway was barricaded, so we figured there must be people inside. We started knocking and calling out "Hello." It took about 20 minutes before someone finally answered the door. He was probably checking us out good before he decided we were okay. We made quick introductions and asked him for help in getting some medical supplies. As we went into explaining Shawn's knee injury he told us he was a doctor and he would be happy to check him out. Finding a doctor is huge! His name is Michael and once the news started reporting about the zombies he packed up supplies and moved himself into the clinic and he's been here ever since. He figured once the worst of it was over he would be in demand. The guy has apparently kept himself very busy doing research and experiments. He checked Shawn out and worked on his knee the best he could without an MRI.

We told him we were on our way back to the farm and he asked if he could come with us and we were like "Hell yes!" So tomorrow some of us are going to pick up another RV and hopefully a van and load it up with medical supplies. This is so unbelievably great - finally after all this time a real doctor!

Blasting our way out of Aldi's

An Aldi supermarket is not really the type of place you would expect to see a post-apocalyptic, zombie-infested gun battle, but I've found that very little in this zombie apocalypse has gone the way it did in the movies, so why should I be surprised? The strategy was pretty simple--open one door, let the zombies trickle in and pick them off one or two at a time as they come through the door, preferably with reusable weapons like crossbows. Then a group of us would burst out through the main doors in a wedge formation and blast our way through whatever was left to get to the vehicles and go. It almost worked.

Apparently the crossbows Heidi and the farm boys picked up were not exactly competition grade--two of them had their strings break in the heat of battle (Heidi's lucky she didn't lose an eye). Corey was backing them up with the shotgun and he managed to get one shot off before the gun jammed (Matt is going to inspect the weapon--if it turns out that Corey didn't clean it properly, it's going to be his ass). Our "wedge" had to break formation and go support the door, where we now had about a half a dozen zombies wandering in with no resistance.

A swear the zombies are getting smarter. While we were dealing with the side door, they put more pressure on the main doors (we had removed the barricades in preparation for our "burst out". The doors gave way then it was a free for all. We probably dropped at least 50 zombies total.

We didn't lose anybody, but Mothball did get bitten on the arm. I know we should have amputated it, but that's a lot easier to do in theory than in practice. How do you cut a healthy man's arm off because he has a little bite on the arm. He wasn't exactly in favor of it either. I suppose we could have held him down, but it just seemed barbaric. I know, it would have been easier to chop an arm off than to put a bullet in his head when if he turns, but maybe we'll get lucky. We'll keep a watch on him and hope we can find some good antibiotics when we get to the clinic.

Anyway, we're on the road and making good time. There's not much snow, so we're able to keep a pretty steady rate. I hope we can get to that clinic soon.

The Zombie Apocalypse is a bad place to be handicapped

I had a heart to heart talk with Shawn today. The thing that's been on our minds for weeks now that we both didn't want to talk about is that his injury is slowing him down to the point that now one or two other people are tied up assisting him every time we move. Shawn is really worried that he's going to get somebody else, maybe even all of us, killed. He stopped just short of asking us to leave him behind. I share his concern, but what's the point in surviving if we lose our humanity in the process? I've known him for years, before this zombie apocalypse even started. Hell will freeze and pigs will fly before I leave him behind. I'm sure Heidi and Matt feel the same way. If the new people have a problem with it, they can go off on their own.

Shawn said he was starting to move better with the brace before they dropped him during the last fiasco. I'm no doctor, but I believe if his knee ligaments were completely torn, he wouldn't start to feel better. I'm guessing he had a partial tear and it was starting to get better. Let's hope I'm right and that this latest setback didn't tear it the rest of the way. He still remembers the exercises he did in physical therapy after his surgery, and he's going to try to do them as well as he can. Hopefully he'll get some mobility back, even if he has to wear the brace. Once we get to the farm, it will be easier--we won't be running for our lives all the time. The farm. I can't wait to see Shawn and Matt at the farm. I think they both grew up in Evanston--Arlington Heights looked like farmland to them.

What To Do

So we are still at the Aldi store. We are totally surrounded by zombies, so we have covered up the windows as best we can so we can stop staring at each other. We have spent the last few days discussing (arguing) about what to do next. We can not go back to our compound, there is just too much damage. After much persuasion it looks like we will all be going back to the farm in Wisconsin. At least it will be safe - safer than here anyway. Having spent some time on the farm I think the change will do all these people good. Roger still isn't too keen on the idea, but he doesn't have a concrete plan right now so he has decided to give it a chance. I figure getting away from the madness around here will let everyone recharge their batteries.

We have been looking at what we have as far as vehicles, food, weapons and ammo. One of the vehicles needs two tires since that was the one that drove over the fence. Food is really low, the Aldi doesn't have much left so we will have to make a stop or two along the way. Weapons and ammo are in really good shape because of the Hoffman Estates run. We will be stopping at Gander Mountain again to pick up the supplies we locked up in a back office space there.

We really don't know what to do for Shawn anymore. We need to be icing his knee and the only thing we have are those ice packs you find in first aid kits, but they only last a minute or two. We have been bringing snow in from outside, but that melts pretty quick. There was a clinic we drove by on Hwy 50 so we will have to hope there is something left there that we can use - like stronger pain pills, a decent leg brace and some crutches.

What Was Lost . . .

Well, we found our people, finally. We lost their tire tracks at one point so we wasted a lot of time trying to pick them up again. We eventually found them holed up in an Aldi store. We could see the vehicles parked outside and about 30 watcher zombies. One vehicle came in from the west and the other one from the east so we didn't blow out the windows of the store. Once we started moving in the zombies started coming at us which cleared the front of the store. Luckily Corey and Greg saw what was happening from inside the store, came out and started firing. We made pretty quick work of taking care of that problem.

Once we got everything brought into the store it got a bit tense. Greg and Corey had been with Roger, Matt and I since day one so they knew we were pissed about them leaving the compound. So they started telling us about what happened. A few days after we had left to go to Hoffman Estates someone left a space heater on and unattended. Annie and Larry were busy organizing some of the left over supplies, one of the cots fell over and knocked the space heater over which started a fire. As they ran to find something to put it out the fire spread to where the extra propane was stored and that is why half the building was missing when we got back. So there was pandemonium and while Greg, Corey, Nate and Mothball were trying to put out the fire the rest got into vehicles and took off. Now we come from bad to worse - the idiots drove through the fencing once again leaving a huge opening in the perimeter. So while the guys were working on the fire zombies were starting to come into the building. Once they realized they couldn't get a handle on the fire they decided to pull back and get the rest to help. As they were going through the building they found Shawn alone stumbling around saying "they left me the bastards left me." That's when they saw zombies in the building, so they grabbed Shawn and got to the garage. There was one vehicle left and as they made their way to it they saw several zombies just outside the door feasting on Jim and Randy. That was when Nate and Corey dropped Shawn, when Shawn fell on his bad knee he let out a scream which caused the zombies to look their way. So as they struggled to get Shawn in the truck Greg jumped in the back and started firing. They had a little problem getting the truck to start - it took 4 tries so by that time they were surrounded. Corey just stepped on the gas and drove over 6 of them getting out of the garage and that's when they saw the hole in the fence. So they followed the tire tracks the others had left and eventually found them at Aldi's.

Shawn is in a really bad way. As for the rest - with the exception of Greg, Corey, Nate and Mothball - Matt wants to bring back firing squads.

Tracking

We've been slowed by the weather, but we're tracking the rest of our group. The best we can figure, there was some kind of a fire. Probably one of the heaters caught, or something, and they had to evacuate. We don't know if the zombies came in during the evacuation or if they wandered in later. We didn't find any bodies we recognized.

The compound is wasted. The building is half burned down and the fence is trashed again. We salvaged a few things, but not as much as I'd like. I don't think we're going back though. I've had it with that place.

The tire tracks were pretty easy to follow in the snow, and we probably should have started after them right away, but we hung around a while, trying to figure out what happened and thinking they would probably come back. We're still seeing the tracks, but it's snowed pretty good since then and they're getting harder to read. What I don't understand is why they haven't come back to meet us half way. They must know we're going to be looking for them.

What just happened?

We're back. All hell appears to have broken loose. Half the compound looks like it's been burned to the ground, there are zombies wandering around inside, the RV's and vehicles are gone and we have no idea where anybody is. We've secured an outbuilding now as a base and we're trying to clear the zombies out of the rest of the compound so that we can look for survivors or clues or something. This place is cursed.

Hoffman Estates Again

We are almost ready to take off for HE again. We are taking the 4 wheel drive blazer and the van. Roger, Matt, Harry from the farm, Kenneth and Charlie from the last HE run (since they know where the stuff is hidden) and myself will be going this time. We have the 2-way radios, some power bars, water, 3 guns and a crossbow. We are traveling light so we have room for the stuff we are bringing back - also we wanted to leave the bulk of the firearms and ammo with those staying behind so they can defend themselves.

We have left Grey and Corey in charge as Shawn is still not ready for active duty yet. They have already put together a really great guard rotation so we feel confident they will be able to handle whatever zombie nonsense comes along.

Even though the weather has been good and the snow is melting the roads are still pretty deep in places so the blazer does have a plow on the front. The going will be slow, but we should be back by tomorrow afternoon.

Walking in a Zombie Wonderland

This was a weird and surreal trip. The melting snow has been forming all kinds of cool icicles all over the place, the snow is still fairly deep and undisturbed in most places, and their are clusters of zombies on every corner like some kind of apocalyptic Christmas carolers. Ever since the zombie surge that drove us out of the compound the first time (when was that, October?), we haven't been able to move without killing at least a dozen of them. I miss the good old days when we could sneak out to the store. Now we fight our way out and fight our way back.

We pretty much got what we needed. The knee brace is one of those cheapo deals that 50 year old men put on when they play softball so that they can convince everybody that they suck because of some really horrible knee injury that they're playing through, not because they're old, out of shape and generally not good at the game. I'm not sure how much it's going to help Shawn, but he seems encouraged, anyway. He's at least trying to move around more now. I would have liked to have hit the medical supply place, but the zombies were just too thick out there.

We grabbed a few more band aids and some chapstick (it's the little things that you start to miss in a zombie apocalypse). We even filled a special request from one of our group for some condoms. I'm not going to name names, but all I can say is good luck to him and godspeed. Beyond that, there wasn't much left of the old drugstore. We'll have to find a new place to scrounge.

The next trip is to get the ammo. Originally it was going to be me, Heidi, Corey and a couple of her friends from up north, but with all those zombies we ran into this time, I'm thinking it might be a good idea to bring Matt along this time. Maybe we'll thin out the herd a little on our way down and back. Why don't these things just rot away and die?

Out And About

Roger and some of the others left for CVS today and are hoping to be back later tonight. The weather has been really nice and the snow is continuing to melt so Roger figured now would be a good time to get stuff. The plan is, once he gets back, to go back to Hoffman Estates and pick up the ammo that was hidden there.

The rest of us have been busy - we got our hands on a backhoe and one of the guys actually knew how to work the darn thing! We have been burying the zombies, we had to do something, the smell is horrendous. Something we learned today is that depending on the condition of the person when they turned zombie depends on what kind of corpse we are dealing with. For example - let's say a person is desperately trying to avoid a zombie and they fall down a flight of stairs, they are going to have broken bones and probably some nasty internal damage. Okay, so, the zombie gets them and they turn into a zombie and now they are up and moving around again. Once they get killed, for real this time, their broken body is sort of like moving a water balloon. Also, zombies don't get rigor mortis. It was all really disgusting and taking a shower was number one priority when we got done.

More Foraging Runs

Well, apparently my obsession with zombie defenses is driving everyone else here nuts, so I'm going to try to do something proactive and go get more supplies. The first run is going to be to CVS or Walgreens--I want to see if there are any knee braces or anything that might at leat help Shawn to get mobile again, even if he is in pain. If we strike out there, I seem to recall that there's a couple of medical supply shops in the area, on Dundee Road, I believe. Maybe the drug store will have some Yellow Pages so I can confirm that, if we need o go that far. It might not be a bad idea to visit, anyway--I'm sure they've got medical gear we can use. Speaking of that, we've been kind of tossing around the idea of hitting a hospital. We wouldn't have even considered it six months ago because when the zombie apocalypse hit, everybody went to the hospital and the hospitals became the centers of infection. Now that the zombies seem to be on the move, though, 'm wondering if it might be worthwhile to go and see hat kind of medication we could liberate. If other survivors thought like we did, they've been avoiding hospitals like the zombie plague, so the loked med cabinets may still be locked. Something to think about for the future, before all those meds expire.

The other immediate run I have to do though is to get the guns and ammo our sort-of-new friends left behind when they ran for their lives in Hoffman Estates. It sounds like they got most of what we left behind in Cabelas and they only blew through about half of it. I think I'm going to stop at Cabelas again, too. The last time we went, I was looking for guns, ammo and survival gear, which was of course gone, but there might be something else we can use. I've been talking with some of the new crew, the cheeseheads Heidi brought with her (no offense--they're good people), and one of them was talking about loading his own shotgun shells. It brought back memories of my dad (an original Arkansas redneck) loading his own shells. I believe they've got all the materials for self-loading in the store, assuming nobody has thought that far ahead yet. It could give us a virtually unlimited supply of ammo and, if I can get him into it, it will give Shawn something to do while he's incapacitated that makes him feel like he's still helping out.

Warmer Weather

The weather has gotten warmer in the last couple days. The snow is starting to melt. Unfortunately that means the smell of rotting zombie flesh is going to get unbearable if we don't get rid of the bodies soon. Do we bury them, move them to another location or gas and a match? The only thing Roger has on his mind right now is making a trip to where he has the extra ammo hid. The last attack depleted our resources and he really wants to be stocked up.

I have talked to him about everyone coming back to the farm with us and learning other survival skills for awhile, but I'm not sure he's in the right frame of mind. It's all still about trying to stay one step ahead of the zombies. All I know is having that break was really good. It's not like I was going to stay there forever, but I learned a lot of things that can only help me in the future.

Crossbow training is going pretty well. Some people have really got the hang of it and like it better than the guns and some are still more comfortable with the guns. Either way, it's good to have options. Roger is taken with the idea of fishing with it.

Shawn has made attempts at moving around a bit - but the pain is still really bad. I wish there was something we could do for him, but since we don't have any medical staff he's stuck. This has been one of the nightmare scenarios come to life. We are all just trying to keep him from getting too depressed.

Everything I Thought I Knew About Zombies Was Wrong

Well, this has been a humbling few days. I thought having survived technically over a year of the zombie apocalypse, I was now an expert on zombies. Wrong! I thought they would just stand around outside and not try to push their way into a building. Wrong! I thought they would not be able to break through even a makeshift wall. Wrong! I thought they would freeze up and not be a threat in the winter. Wrong! I thought they couldn't move through snow. Wrong! Most importantly, I thought being out in the open was the best way to fight zombies. Wrong! Nice tight corridors are our friend. Zombies are travelling in packs now--we never see just one. In a tight corridor, you shoot two or three zombies and you've created a blockade to stop the other 10 or 12.

I've got to rethink our whole defensive strategy. Maybe when the spring thaw comes we need to find a new place, or maybe start digging tunnels and fortifying this one. We spent too much time surviving this summer and not enough time preparing. I never even met those people who died the other day, but their faces are haunting me (or at least how I picture their faces). They died because we weren't prepared, and that's on me. That can't happen again. I'm glad Heidi and Matt are back and I'm happy to meet our new friends and have real food and all that, but now I know it can all go away instantly. We could wake up with a thousand zombies at our door. We need to get the rest of that ammo from Hoffman Estates. We need better defenses. We need an early warning system.

Don't know if this was from a zombie or one of the six we lost. It creeps me out because the tracks keep on going out of the compound. Whoever or whatever it is must still be out there somewhere.

Home Again

It's funny being back in this building where I have spent a year of my life. When we left so abruptly a few months back I felt glad about being rid of the place, but now that I'm back I feel sort of like it's home.

Everything was such a jumble and hectic once we finally got back in the building with Roger, Shawn, Corey and the others we just grabbed all the supplies we brought and dumped them everywhere. We have finally been able to set up sleeping areas with the cots and sleeping bags we brought. We have a kitchen/food area set-up, we built shelving and a really nice work table for putting meals together. Roger was really pleased with everything. Our post-zombie life has been so trying it's been nice to introduce a few comforts.

We have been getting to spend time visiting with the new people - those that joined Roger after we left and those we brought with us. It's been snowing a lot, we've gotten a least a foot so far since we got back in the building, so we have not ventured out at all. The look outs continue on the roof. We have spotted zombies in the area but since we have been quiet the last 2 days they haven't come very close to us. The snow has helped cover our tracks so that's been a plus.

Shawn is still not doing very well with his knee - we really don't know what else we can do other than make him comfortable. I'm hoping that in the next day or two we can wrap it in an ace bandage and get him moving around again. Everyone else seems to be on the mend physically and emotionally.

We want to set-up a target practice area at one end of the building so we can get everybody working on their crossbow skills. As we've discovered the noise of the guns attracks zombies so if we have killing power with something quiet it will definately be to our advantage.

A Little Help For Our Friends

So yesterday morning we arrived on time, we had allowed for having to get rid of the zombies that had surrounded us. We stayed in a motel and knew they had been gathering during the night. We crawled out the bathroom windows in the back of the rooms and ran around to the front from either side, one group stayed low against the wall and the other group ran out further into the parking lot - then we started firing. It went well so we all felt good about going back to Roger and the others.

As we got close to the building we could hear gunfire so we knew they had a start on getting rid of the menace. Matt had some Slayer CD's, so we came in making a lot of noise (plus it got us all in the proper frame of mind for what was about to happen.) We drove close to the fence and just kept making passes as fast as we could so we wouldn't get stuck again. Once we got about half a block away we parked the trucks and got out. We had spread out into a half circle figuring that as the zombies came towards us they would naturally group into the center - those that didn't would get picked off by the group on the roof of the building. It was overcast, which was good, but it started snowing. The really cool thing was that with no communication we all instinctively knew to just stay focused and get the job done - it was this amazing calm that came over me, later on the others mentioned the same thing. As the zombies started thinning out in front of us we were able to send a group to the front of the building to help with the ones that were getting pushed out by the gunfire from inside. At around 10 am we saw the white flag waving from the roof, we finished off the few remaining zombies that were staggering around the front of the building and waved our white flag.

As much as we wanted to just stop for a while and enjoy the victory we still had a lot of work to do - mainly fixing the fence. So while Greg took a group to go get the other RV that was parked down the road another group of us took care of the RV that was stuck in the snow. Once we got the vehicles in the garage we started dragging the dead zombies outside of the fenced in area. We were only partially finished when Greg and the others showed up with the RV. They all jumped out and helped us get the rest out. We pulled Greg's vehicle and the RV inside and started unloading the supplies from the RV. As we moved all the food, cots, sleeping bags, cooking gear and weapons into the building another group started working on fixing the fence with the fencing we brought. With all the noise we created we knew it wouldn't be long before more zombies started showing up.

By 3 pm we were in good shape, so we were able to take stock of injuries. Shawn was still the worst off from blowing out his knee the day before so we got him on a cot, elevated is leg, packed it in ice and gave him some pain pills. We wrapped up some sprains and took care of what we think is a broken ankle - snow had covered up uneven ground so Neal had taken a bad fall so we got him set-up next to Shawn. Once that was taken care of we started setting up a kitchen and made a really great dinner of chicken, potatoes and corn all fresh from the farm. It was pretty emotional as none of them had seen any decent food for almost a year.

Well the others are starting to wake up now so I will need to get the coffee on. It's still snowing so all the dead zombies look like snow covered hills which definately improves the view outside.