Zomblog 05: Snoe's War (11 page)

One of the things that I am counting on is the fact that we did sabotage several points along the railway. Nothing that is not repairable; we didn’t have anything that allowed us to be too intricate. It was mostly prying a piece off here or there—by the way, that is much more difficult than you may think if you have never tried it yourself.

When the first day came to an end, I was making a fire. Selina came to me and I could tell that she had something on her mind. I knew it could not be something mundane like her wanting to actually watch how I built a fire. When I got it going, I decided to make it easy on her. I asked what was on her mind. Turns out she was wondering where the zombies might be hiding.

I actually had to explain to her that they were rarer than most people might believe. I told her about the rumor that there was a herd numbering over a million just standing in the aptly named Death Valley. Rumor had it that their eyes had shriveled away to nothing. Also, there was supposedly a place out in the plains of the Midwest…a huge valley of grass surrounded on three sides by a series of cliffs with several hundred thousand just standing there. Most encounters were with singles or small groups. On occasion you might encounter a herd of a hundred or so, but over the decades. Many of the larger groups had come together and formed super-herds which, due to their size had pushed their way into a place and eventually come to a stop in the face of some natural obstacle. The Grand Canyon has stories so fantastic that they are now regarded as myths.

The second day, we saw a few stragglers that we had to take down. I imagine that the train will attract plenty of attention and it will be us that will have to deal with it. Although, I did notice a few large number kills which is pretty smart. They would not want to bring a bunch of undead with them. By the time they reach their destination, it would be likely that they have a bit of trouble on their hands.

I don’t know why I didn’t just stick with the train tracks before when I made this trip. While there are spots that leave you exposed, those are easy to go around (so far). And even if they get tricky, I am sure that a person using their head can come to a solution that is workable. That is the key here…I will need to use my head. I cannot let my emotions get the best of me.

So much is swirling in my head, and as I look at the sleeping figures of Mary and Selina next to the fire, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed.

Tuesday, March 9
^th

Today we thought we had caught up with them. Just outside of the actual city of Portland, heading east along the Columbia River, we spotted a train on the tracks that was not moving and surrounded by hundreds of the undead.

This was the point where the train actually crosses over into Washington. I guess that might be part of the reason why I did not take this route. If I would have crossed over, I’m not sure that I would have been able to get back. The bridge has been repaired since the dam farther up broke and sent who knows how much water this way, wiping out several small communities, but it was hit pretty hard and I don’t know if I would have been able to use it several months ago. Obviously Dominique’s people came in and took care of it since that event.

This bridge crosses at an island in the middle of the river that looks like it practically had a city on it judging by the ruins. I do not have any recollection of being out here, but Mary told me that several tribes live there and are not known for being too friendly to people who trespass.

That is not very encouraging because we are camped in a building that looks out at the Washington side of the river. From the looks, I think it is safe to assume that this place used to sell boats. There are what look like the remnants of docks and dozens of boat-related things everywhere. This little cove shows signs of that flood. Everything has been “washed” to the west as we look north from the dreary ruins of this building.

Mary did not bother to tell me until we made camp. I asked her why she waited and she said that she didn’t realize where we were until she was out gathering some wood for the fire. She led me to a tree where two bodies are hanging. I have no idea what the story is, but two soldiers from the NAA are dead, strung up by a hangman’s noose.

Have you ever walked in to the end of a conversation and wondered what the hell people were talking about because you hear something that is just so crazy. Well…that is what I am feeling right now. It doesn’t make sense. Two soldiers…just hanging from a tree. No signs of a big struggle…the bodies do not look like anything strange has been done—other than the hanging that is—and they don’t even have their hands tied.

The only thing good about camping here tonight is that Mary says there have not been any walkers on this island for over a decade.

Wednesday, March 10
^th

I don’t think I slept all that well last night. I heard a lot of hoots and whistles and other strange noises. I was almost certain that we were going to end up getting grabbed by the people who call this island home.

When the sun broke, I felt silly…until we went to leave. There was a sign on the upside-down skeleton of a boat. It said simply: If you return…you die.

I guess Mary wasn’t kidding.

Thursday, March 11
^th

We have been moving along without any real troubles since we left. Sure, we got a nasty note, but if that is the worst thing that happens to me during this trip, life will be pretty sweet.

Today, it was almost surreal. We had sunshine and blue skies. Mary had us stop early for camp tonight and went down to the river. An hour later, she returned with two of the largest salmon that I have ever seen. We ate so much that I had to unbutton my pants. It has been a while since I felt like this. It was almost like I was…happy.

Until I sat down to write this entry, I think it was the first time in weeks that I did not have my Mama Lindsay on my mind at every single moment (I don’t think that I am exaggerating). I’m not saying that I am over her death…not even close. However, today was kind of nice. And it seems that Selina is the master of dirty jokes, so…that was fun. I have never laughed so hard while being simultaneously embarrassed in my life!

Tomorrow, we are moving up into the hills for a bit. When darkness started to fall, we were able to see several fires start up to the east. Not sure if it is one big settlement, I seem to remember a bunch of people on sailboards, but I was certain that it was several miles ahead. Of course the dam breaking could have caused a lot of people to relocate.

Friday, March 12
^th

From here, we are actually able to look down into a walled city! You can actually see where the water came so close to their walls. The land is basically a brown, mud-bog up to the slope that the city rests atop.

The big question is what their deal is. They could be loyal to the NAA. After all, the train had to pass within a stone’s throw from their walls. I can’t see them just letting a train pass by without having some sort of interaction with the people.

I know that is how we first came into contact with the NAA to begin with. Back before Dominique took over, Sunset Fortress, Warehouse City, and the entire length of the Corridor were just an independent entity. We did our own thing.

One day, a large regiment of soldiers arrived. The president at the time welcomed them in and there were several meetings over the next year. It was then that the deal was signed that sent some of the citizens from the Corridor to serve in the NAA. That is also when we had three windmills brought in and added to our tiny power grid. Plus they helped with some trenches that acted as an initial defense against hordes.

All in all, it was a decent exchange. And at least early on (from what I was always told) the recruits were volunteers that signed up for service. Some even returned after however many years. I know of one guy who served in the EEF. Also, supposedly, the two people who wrote the actual EEF manual were former NAA that came back to Warehouse City after their time of service was ended.

The town that we are looking into reminds me of stories I heard growing up about such things. While they still have three huge bonfire pits in place that were lit at sunset, they also have lights on inside of several buildings long after dark. While we had power at Sunset Fortress, nobody was so wasteful as to use it for something as trivial as lighting inside the home at night. Everybody made their own candles. That was one of the best uses for the bones of the undead after the body was torched. And there are lots of other things in nature that you can find as well.

Electricity was for important things like the surveillance cameras and motion detectors and things involved in keeping everybody safe. Personal consumption was just not something we used it for.

As I sit here and write this, I wonder what life is like in a place like that. I am tempted to stick around for a day just to watch what goes on, but greater things call me.

Saturday, March 13
^th

We almost ended up being “visitors” in that town after all.

Just before sunrise, Mary woke me and Selina. A large group of people had apparently left the town and were heading up towards our general direction. We have no actual proof that they were coming for us, but they were heavily armed and had these strange backpacks. Mary said that they held some sort of flammable liquid and that they could shoot a jet of liquid flame that did terrible damage.

That leads me to believe that they are on the side of Dominique and the NAA, but of course that is just a guess. It seems logical, but…who knows.

Once we put most of the day between us and that hunting party or whatever they were, we had actually crested the foothills that border the Columbia River Gorge. At some point we made our way down and into the valley and found ourselves in some very dense forest.

There are visible signs of tribal activity, but we have not seen or heard a living soul all day. As night falls, I went up a tree that gives a pretty spectacular view of the area. There are platforms mounted at three different heights (somebody not only put them there, but they are well-maintained), but not one wisp of smoke or glow of a fire in any direction.

In the morning, we will move out and spend one more day on this side of the ridge before coming back on to the side where the river is. I can’t be sure, but I almost swear I heard what sounded like a train just before my watch was over.

Monday, March 15th

Well, we finally got some of that zombie action that Selina seemed so excited about…until it actually happened. We were coming over the ridge yesterday and spotted a winding opening where I imagine some road used to run.

When we got down there, not much remained of any road, but the forest had not yet reclaimed the land. The saplings that were taking hold were little more than waist high. I imagine that if I have a child and she ever comes this way when she reaches my age that the area we were travelling through will be just another part of the forest.

We were sort of spread out, probably about thirty or so feet between each of us with me in the lead. (That is one of the things that I learned in the EEF…do not stay clustered together when travelling, it reduces the chance of everybody getting hit in an attack.) I was enjoying the sun on my face as we were heading almost directly east at a steady uphill climb that would have us over the final ridge and back alongside the river where we could walk the train tracks if we chose.

The first zombie stumbled out of the woods up ahead of me by a good fifty yards. I signaled everybody to hold up. My concern that this might be the leading edge of a herd prevented me from just walking up and putting the pitiful creature down.

One of the things that have added to just how pathetic the undead are now versus what they probably were back in Meredith’s and Sam’s era is the fact that, unless they are a recent kill, they are naked. Any clothing has long since rotted away or been torn free. A naked zombie is a pretty sad sight. And then there are all the injuries sustained over the years in addition to whatever happened in the attack that infected them to begin with.

The creature did not seem to notice me and just kept trudging along. He had angled slightly and would be heading down the same path that we intended to take. Of course that meant we would have to deal with it sooner or later, but I was being cautious. After what seemed like forever, but in reality was probably closer to ten or twenty minutes, I gave the signal for us to move.

When we had to round a slight but long bend in the road, that is where we came upon our surprise…

There was some sort of bridge that had long since been washed away. However, and this was probably an after effect of the dam breaking, there was a huge build-up of silt and really thick mud judging by the hundreds if not thousands of zombies caught in it; some up to their knees, other to the waist. It was like a sick and perverted zombie farm.

To be honest, I heard something up ahead, but I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. What we had unwittingly stumbled upon was the rear of a herd!

I wanted to run…one of the first rules in the EEF manual states that if the number of undead is overwhelming, you run away. Nothing fancy or extravagant…just run. I guess that is there for a reason.

I glanced at Selina who was so wide-eyed, I seriously thought those orbs might bust out of their sockets. I made up my mind that we were not in any real danger. It was obvious that the zombies could not get free from their muddy trap. That is why I shrugged as if to say ‘what the hell.’

I might be trying to spread the blame, but I figured that if it were too much, Mary would step in and say so; after all, she is older, and more mature. She lived out in the wilderness with her tribe. My assumption was that she had to have encountered her fair share of zombies. I would find out after this little encounter that, despite the fact that they live outside our walls, and that we see zombies wandering, they have trips, trenches and such in place. They seldom actually fight the zombies if and when they encounter them.