Zomblog Saga Box Set (Books 1-6) (81 page)

An update on Jeff. Phaedra set his wrist as best she could. There was a room with all kinds of wraps and braces and bandages. John actually laughed and said he couldn’t believe that nobody ever thought to hit this place for medical supplies. It seems that professional sports teams have a hefty amount of some of the first aid basics on hand.

Saturday, July 14
th

We will have to wait another day before we make it for the bridge. There was a huge mob of walkers down by the road that runs along the waterfront.

I know what I saw.

There has been a lot of talk about people doing things when they become one of the walking dead; stories about zombies aping things that they did when they were alive. One of the reasons that we are so careful with our own casualties in the field is the fear that they might lead a herd to the Corridor. Not that we aren’t equipped to withstand it, but because it is senseless to fight a thousand when you only need to kill one. (That is from the EEF manual.)

I saw Captain Vaughn. He was missing an arm, and it looks like his clothing is all torn off. The walker that I saw leading the mob was fresh. Old blood is not red. It is black…maybe a brownish color. Only fresh blood is red. Very few zombies have red bloodstains these days. In fact, if you find one that does, you do an intense search of the area for possible survivors. (Very few people with the exception of the
Travelers are out in the wild by themselves—also in the EEF manual.)

I don’t know if anybody else saw him. When we saw the size of the mob, the decision was made quickly to return to that big arena. I stayed on one of the balconies that opened to the outside for a while to watch them pass. I was scanning them with my binoculars when I saw him.

They were headed for the Steel Bridge. So you tell me…why would a bunch of walkers just happen to migrate towards the Steel Bridge? I think the captain is finishing his mission. He probably has no idea why he is drawn to that bridge, but my concern is where he will go after. How long before he decides to head for home?

Sunday, July 15
th

Today we went down to the industrial area by the waterfront. The main goal was to find the big tools that we would need to destroy the rails on the Steel Bridge.

This being the first operation of its kind for Corridor 26, I don’t think everybody has the same idea as to the best way to go about this. I think it is a play-it-by-ear operation. I got the first real hint of that as we were actually crossing the Steel Bridge this morning. Until then, we really hadn’t had a full understan
ding of what it would take to accomplish the task. It may prove harder than we expected.

For one, we have to get everything from the other side of the river. Most of Old Portland is a burnt up mess. Several of the buildings look like crayons left out in the sun. I can’t imagine the size of the fire that it took to do all of this damage.

Once we actually got a look at the bridge and the tracks, Jeff called everybody together to “brainstorm.” He said that the rules of brainstorming are for one person to jot down what everybody says. We all had to blurt out ideas of how we thought it would be best to handle this. We were told to just say whatever comes to mind no matter how silly.

I didn’t really pay attention to everything that was said. However, once we ran out of suggestions, Jeff and Phaedra looked over the list and talked quietly. After a while, they seemed to have an idea as to what they wanted and the angle of approach for the job.

My favorite part up to that point was standing on this bridge as the sun made its slow march across the sky. It was a warm, sunny day. The water looked so sparkly and blue. I have seen pictures of this river from before, during the days when people didn’t care what they did to the world they lived in. The water was a murky sort of color. We learned in our History class that companies used to dump their waste into this river. (Not just this river, but in rivers all over the country.) They knew it was bad for the water and the fish living in the river, but apparently nobody in charge cared.

I looked out at the river and couldn’t believe how anybody could ruin something so pretty. Of course, I enjoyed looking at the river, and seeing the mountain off to the south just added to the beauty. However, as pretty as it was, my job was to watch for walkers. Eventually, we headed across the bridge in search of what they would need to do the job.

So, while Jeff, Rodney, and Phaedra searched through the dozens of warehouses, John and I kept watch. By late in the afternoon, I’d dispatched two creepers and a dozen walkers. I was really starting to feel like a veteran.

We (meaning Jeff and Phaedra) found something very inte
resting. In one of the warehouses, there were barrels and barrels of some sort of alcohol. Not the drinking kind. Jeff said it was probably some sort of fuel. Unfortunately, they are just too heavy to lift. It would have been great if we could’ve loaded them onto a wagon or something and hauled them to the bridge. I bet we could’ve blown it up. After all, it was pretty heavily damaged from all those years back when Old Portland burned. The NAA rebuilt it. Of course, that works in our favor. Jeff says that we would probably have a hell of a time doing more than superficial damage if this bridge was made from Old World construction.

We will blow up the warehouse when we have everything handled as far as the Steel Bridge is concerned.

Monday, July 16
th

More standing around while the “grown-ups” work on the bridge. I am noticing that we are starting to attract more attention. I killed at least twice as many zombies today as yesterday.

When we got back to the arena, I asked how long this might take. The answer: Until we are done. I thought that was kind of rude. When I mentioned the fact that we drew a bunch more zombies today than we did yesterday, Rodney asked if I was bragging or complaining. I don’t know what is eating at ever
ybody, but I found a spot up here in the upper level by a window that looks out at the river. I am spending the night here, because, quite honestly, I don’t care to be around those people right now. I realize that I don’t have all this incredible experience out in the wilderness, but I work hard and do as I’m told. For them to treat me like I am a pest, or less valuable for some reason…well, that’s just mean.

Tuesday, July 17
th

I spent the day down on this access ramp with Phaedra. There was a strange vibe all morning that I tried to ignore, but I finally had to ask her about. It seems that Jeff and Rodney aren’t too fond of my keeping a journal. They both felt that Meredith made them seem like cowards. I guess they are worried about how I may portray them in
my
journal.

When we got back this evening, I asked them both to their faces if they wanted to read my journal. If they wanted to see how I was “portraying” them. I got a bunch of sputters and pr
otests. They both acted surprised that I confronted them, and of course, neither wanted to read my journal. After all, it isn’t like Sam’s or Meredith’s journal. Lots of people keep them now. None of them have become best-selling books. I don’t think that anybody cares anymore. The originals were novelties. It let people connect over a similar experience. At least, that is what Mama Lindsay always said about the books.

Phaedra found me a while ago up here in my private little spot on the upper tier. She said that Jeff made a comment she thought I would be interested to hear.

“That girl is just like her mother. If she keeps it up and can stay alive, she may just be one serious badass.”

I guess that is a compliment.

Thursday, July 19
th

I am probably more scared right now than I have ever been in my life. For the first time in my life…I am alone.

I think I have found a place where I will be relatively safe and still be able to keep an eye out for the others. I have to hang on to the belief that they are all alive and watching out for me like I am for them.

The day was going so well. After my little confrontation with Jeff and Rodney, they seemed to be a little more accepting and easy to be around. Rodney even asked me to help him in the warehouse with all the drums of alcohol. He was rigging it so that we could blow it up. The trick would be setting it off while giving us enough time to get back to the bridge, finishing our job there, and getting out before every zombie in a hundred mile radius showed up.

I was up on a platform laying a trail of splintered pallets that would act as a fuse. We had soaked them all in the alcohol for a few hours and then lit one to see how it would burn…if it would. Not only did it burn, but it was a pretty shade of blue. (Rodney laughed when I made that very same comment out loud.)

When I heard the scream, I couldn’t tell if it was male or female, but it was much too similar to the scream I’d heard from Captain Vaughn. Rodney didn’t hesitate and ran for the big doors. I was climbing down when he yelled for me to run.

I did. I ran after him.

By the time I’d reached the entrance to the warehouse, he was already down the hill and climbing the embankment on the far side that led up to the on-ramp to the Steel Bridge. By the time I was down the embankment, he was out of sight…and the screaming had stopped. When I say stopped, I mean that it stopped suddenly. It was like somebody threw a switch.

I scrambled up the hill, and what I saw made my heart feel like it was going to take off without me. There were thousands of them. They were in this gulley that used to be a road or som
ething as far as I could see in either direction. That meant that they’d been there for a while. It also cut Rodney and me off from the others.

The only thing I didn’t understand at first was the scream. Then I saw them. It was like a small part of a river breaking away to cut its own path and become a stream. Several hundred had found a gap in the shoulder-high concrete corridor. It really wasn’t much larger than to allow them to funnel off single file. Yet, I guess if a steady stream of zombies break away from a huge herd even one at a time, it adds up after a while.

I would guess that a few hundred were stumbling across the Steel Bridge. I looked for Rodney again, knowing he couldn’t have made it across. I didn’t want to call for him because I sure as hell didn’t want to bring the attention of so many of those things my way. Also, if I am being honest…I was terrified.

There is something indescribable about seeing so many of them so close. I could hear and
feel
the vibrations from that many feet moving. Zombies don’t walk so much as drag themselves along. It was enough for it to feel like a constant vibration that tickled the bottoms of my feet.

I backed away from where I’d stood until I could just barely make out the tops of a few of the heads bobbing as they passed. Still, I couldn’t see Rodney anywhere. There was no sign of Jeff, Phaedra, or John on the bridge. However, as I ducked down, I did catch sight of the cart that Jeff kept all his gear in that he was using to sabotage the tracks. It was surrounded by a cluster of
them
.

I ran back down the hill and made my way through that warehouse. I stood in the middle of the ground floor for several minutes…or maybe it was only seconds. I don’t know. I consi
dered everything that I was certain of at that exact moment. The biggest were that somebody had fallen to the zombies, my group or a stranger I had no idea. Jeff was gone and I had no clue where the others were…or if there were others anymore.

Before we left, Mama Lindsay had sat down with me and had a serious talk. She explained that she was not happy that I’d been selected for this mission. I was undertrained and in no way prepared. She felt that somebody had a hand in this and that they meant to do me harm.

She wanted me to understand the importance of this mission. Our first priority was to hamper the NAA in whatever way we could. She didn’t know what I might encounter out here, but she wanted to stress that if I saw something important, I should remember it for when I got home. However…if it looked like I might not make it home, if I had the chance…I needed to do as much damage on the way down as possible.

At the time, I just thought that she was being silly. Not to mention a bit of a downer. I was hoping for a pep talk and a little bit of “I believe in you and you will do great!” Instead, what I got was, “If it looks bad, take as many down with you as you can.”

That is why I made my way through the warehouse one more time. That is why I spent a few minutes looking at what exactly Rodney had been doing before we’d been interrupted. That is why I struck flint to steel and started the fire.

I had to run. The one thing I hadn’t really taken into account is where I would go. I had to think fast.

To the north, I could see a four-level structure. It was open, but the weather wasn’t an issue. Besides, if it got nasty, I could move to a lower level and have cover.

As I approached it, I recognized it as a parking garage. It was strangely reminiscent of the Sunset Fortress. I think that may have been a subconscious element in my choice. I sought something familiar.

As I ran, I noticed a few walkers on some of the side streets that I sprinted past. I probably should have moved with more caution. I know that, for the next few hours, I had to take out several dozen of them as they came stumbling into the area. However, most of them were drawn to the sudden loud noise when the warehouse blew up.