by Wood, Gareth
Still heading north. We reached Vermilion, a small college town, and passed around it without incident. We saw many undead on the streets there, and a few on the roads around the town. They tried to follow us, but it did them no good. Cold Lake is about 175 km from Vermilion, with only a few towns and a lot of trees between. We should be there tomorrow, if all goes well.
December 26
Three days. That’s how long it took us to get back here to Cold Lake from Vermilion. We arrived on the morning of the 18th, our battered and cold survivors extremely relieved to be surrounded by other living humans, offered food and medical attention, and warm places to rest. The ordeal was over, but I have to record it here.
We drove through areas familiar to my team, finally arriving at the farm of Colin and Betty Dawson. This was the 16th, and we’d seen numerous undead in the fields, on roads, and around farms, their numbers increasing slightly as we moved on. When we were a few kilometers from the Dawson farm we noticed the barricades across the road ahead. They were placed at a ‘Texas gate’, where two series of fences came right up to the road. This was all new, with fresh lumber and recently dug earth. We saw the pile of soil nearby, and the horizontal metal pipes looked reasonably new. There was a burned pile of corpses about 50 meters from the gate, on our side, but there was nobody living around. A few undead were standing at the gate, and one was actually trapped in the gate itself, its legs wedged between the pipes where it had tried to walk over them. It was a simple matter to deal with the three mobile undead here, and then to destroy and remove the trapped one. I had a look around the gate while the others removed the bodies, and in a wooden box I found a notebook and a pencil. The book appeared to be a log of activity near the gate, and on the last page I found a note:
To any survivors reading this, I’m sorry there’s nobody here to greet you. We were forced to abandon this area due to increased activity by the zombies. It’s December 1st, and we are making the trip to Cold Lake, which is populated and safe. We hope to be back in the spring, with soldiers and supplies. In the meantime, there’s a farmhouse ahead that is secure, surrounded by fences, and there’s a radio and supplies there. Call us on Channel 5, and we’ll come get you. Good luck, C. Dawson
I showed Eric and Kim the note, and then put the book back in the box. It was relieving to know that the Dawson’s were probably alright; they were decent people, and I liked them a lot. We all got back in the vehicles and drove over the gate, and a few kilometers later we arrived at the farm. There were new chain link fences surrounding the main yard, reinforcing what had been there before. The gate was closed, but with a manual lock that was easy to move if you were alive and had a functioning brain. I got out and opened the gate, and the cars all drove in. I noticed the Pathfinder was making a ticking noise as it passed. We’ll have to check that out. I closed the gate behind the last car, and secured it again. Then we went to check out the house.
As promised in the note, there was a supply of wood for the stove, canned and preserved food, several cases of bottled water, blankets, and cots for ten people. There was also, in the upstairs room (the one with the balcony) a small generator, instructions for fuelling it and starting it, and a radio capable of reaching several hundred kilometers. We also found four boxes of 9mm ammo for our Brownings, and two boxes of 12-guage shotgun shells. These were very welcome.
I detailed Kim and Sam to get the survivors settled here, and Eric and Darren and I went outside to do a check of the area. As the sun was setting we entered the barns and made sure they were clear. The outbuildings were beyond the fences, but looked closed up and secure. There were no undead within sight, and our search revealed no walkers anywhere. Feeling safer, we returned to the house to find dinner being made, the stove heating the house, and many very relieved people. Eric and I went upstairs to the generator and radio, and worked on getting it going. As the smell of hot food began wafting through the house, making us salivate and become aware of our hunger, we started the generator. I plugged in the radio set and started a check on it. It appeared to be fine, so I dialed Channel 5 and said hello with our call sign: CLST 107. The surprised reply came a moment later. We were acknowledged and asked our situation.
I told them that we had arrived at the Dawson farm, there were a total of nineteen people, the farm was still secure, and that we were safe. The woman on the other end said that they would dispatch vehicles in the morning to retrieve us, and that it was good to hear from us.
I asked her then if she could get word to Jess that I was alive, and told her my name, and all our names. She told me she would see it was done, and that we should wait at the radio in case anyone wanted to talk to us. I said we’d be sure to listen for it.
Kim brought us both some hot food, and she sat down with us by the radio. She told us Darren was outside checking the perimeter with one of the prison survivors. I told her the good news from Cold Lake, and she went back downstairs to spread the news. We heard an excited cheer from below, and a few minutes later Sam came up looking pleased and relieved. We bedded down for the night, set sentries, and left the generator on so we could have the radio running. About two hours later, with many of the people asleep on cots, hot coffee on the stove, and three sentries outside walking the fence, Sam and I were sitting in the radio room when it squawked. Cold Lake was calling. The operator told me some people wanted to talk to me, and a moment later I heard Jessica’s voice!
I talked to her for a few minutes, and then Sarah was on too. I didn’t notice until later, but Sam had left the room, leaving me to talk to Jess and my sister in privacy. It felt so good to hear them. A weight seemed to vanish from me, and I realised I had been worrying about both of them for so long I no longer noticed it until it was gone. We talked for about ten minutes. I told them roughly what had happened, who we had lost. I asked about Michael and Megan, and was told they were fine. Sarah also told me she’d tell Mandy that Darren was okay. Mandy was apparently Darren’s girlfriend who he never talked about, but she’d been hanging around with Jess since our plane went down, hoping for news. We had to sign off then. There was too much to talk about, and not nearly enough time on the radio to do it. I signed off, and sat down in the quiet, empty room and cried with relief for a few minutes. Finally, I found a cot, and went to sleep. It was one of the best sleeps I had in months.
The next day was cold. We stayed inside most of the day, except to go to the outhouse or check the perimeter. We had coffee and hot chocolate, pickled eggs and canned soups, and we gathered enough snow to melt for a bucket or two of wash water. We waited. We talked to Cold Lake once more, and they told us the relief vehicles were on the way already, due in a few hours.
Around 3 p.m. they arrived, four vans with a dozen soldiers. And Jess. She got out of the lead van as they pulled up, and ran to me. She was wearing fatigues, a black jacket, and carrying her rifle. I didn’t see any of that, though, at first. I was too busy looking at her hair. She’d cut it shorter, and it was dyed red now. She crashed into my arms, and we stood there holding each other, her saying she had thought I was dead, and then we kissed each other, and the world went away.
Someone was standing nearby clearing his throat. I looked up and Captain Couper held out his hand, which I took. He looked pleased, and said it was good to have us back, that they had feared the worst when our plane went down. He called me ‘son’. We went inside, and over tea and hot soup and fresh bread the soldiers had brought with them we told our story. Sam interjected a few points, and Couper and Jess both had a lot of questions to ask, particularly about Stan. We talked about that for a few minutes, and then Couper told me that a few other Stan-like zombies had been noticed. Not many, just three since October, all separated widely and unconnected. The theory was that the last of the brain functions in the oldest ones were failing now, and that we’d be seeing much more of this kind of case by spring. I felt some hope in me again. I grasped Jess’ hand on the table, and squeezed it.
The next morning we had an early
breakfast, and then killed the fire in the stove. We packed everything up, leaving more supplies at the house, and replenishing the woodpile. If any other survivors came in we wanted them to have a chance too. We shut off the radio and generator, and closed up the house. Everyone piled into the various vehicles, much more spread out now, and we departed the farmhouse. Several hours later, and a few zombie sightings past, we came within sight of Cold Lake. The perimeter had been extended around large parts of the town, and three new towers were visible. We all had to stop at the gates and go through checks, but I was so happy to be sitting there with Jess that I didn’t care.
Perhaps another hour later and we were all cleared. Sam and I parted ways with a hug and a handshake, and Darren and Jess, Kim, Eric, and myself all went home. Sarah met me at the door when we pulled up, and that was another tearful reunion. She’s grown her hair a bit, and looks good. Inside, Michael and Megan came running over, and jumped on me. They’ve both grown so much. I’ve been away only a few months, but they both have shot up so much. I got introduced to Mandy, who dragged Darren away to her place at the first opportunity. Kim stayed with us, and Eric went back to the base after dinner. For the next few days we all rested, reported to the base for interviews and reports, and caught up with the situation here.
Now, it’s the 26th, the day after Christmas. The population gathered in churches and halls last night to sing and dance and generally celebrate the season, and Jess and I took the kids out to see the lights and trees and hear the songs. Then we came home just as it started to snow, a pure white fall of crystals larger than my fingernails. It snowed through the night, and got colder. Today the sun is out, the air is freezing cold, and we are staying inside to drink warm cider and enjoy each other’s company. Darren and Mandy came by, and Kim and Eric showed up together, with Couper. We are taking the kids outside to build snowmen in a few minutes. We talked about the situation with the town a little, but I want to find something right now to make the snowmen’s noses and eyes with. More later.
December 30
President Rumsfield, from Hawaii, has announced his plan to “retake North America from the undead hordes” and “reclaim our American way of life”… the broadcast was intercepted by the Cold Lake communications station, and relayed to the town with some amusement. Rumsfield seemed to be implying that the islands of Hawaii were the sole remaining bastions of freedom and civilization, and that all of North America was an infested wilderness of barbarians and undead legions. Certainly the States seem to be far worse off than Canada. While I was away Cold Lake established contact with several towns across the north and another base, CFB Shilo in Manitoba, an Army unit that has held out and gathered a few thousand survivors. Cold Lake has already sent a few flights there to maintain contact, and to transfer a few personnel. Also there was a brief radio contact with a US base in Montana in early December, but they haven’t been heard from since.
Apparently the few Navy ships we have in service have joined up with a number of US Naval ships and a few stray British and Russian ships in the Atlantic, and have maintained contact with Europe. The British government has surfaced again, as well as the French, but Germany is silent, and so is most of Russia. A few local areas have managed to hold out against the undead, but the severe population levels of zombies in Europe means they outnumber the living survivors by a huge amount. No one has heard anything from China, Japan, or most of Asia, since before I left. There are several US ships in the Pacific, but we have heard little about them. Most appear to be based at Hawaii.
In Cold Lake there was a murder a few weeks ago. A survivor brought in with a group got into a fight in town with a local, and ended up killing the man. The military took custody of the killer, and after a short trial they shot him. Apparently there was a protest by some who were upset that the military shot the man, but the base CO told them to stick it up their ass. Most people I have talked to about this agreed with the actions of the military. I do too.
Jess and I have had regular visitors. Sarah is staying with us, and Darren and the Coupers have been by often. Mrs. Couper, Anna to her friends, is a very nice lady. She and Jess hit it off well, and Anna likes Michael and Megan a lot. Sanji came by the other day and we caught up. He’s been off in the north with a small unit doing exploration, and is in town to gather supplies and more personnel. He’s doing well, and it was good to catch up with him. Jay is apparently still very busy, being one of three dentists in the area. Lots of problems getting dental amalgam, apparently. I’m glad my teeth have always been good.
The Major wants to talk about replacements for the team members I have lost. I am not up for that yet. The memory is too fresh still. I told him in a few days. I admit it’s something I’ll have to explore soon.
Truth be told, I don’t want to leave again. I want to stay here with Jess and the kids and get old. I want to go out for dinner, to the movies, and eventually take the kids to Disneyworld. I want things to be normal again. I miss my cat. Weird, but I haven’t thought about my cat in ages. I wonder what happened to her. Her name was Fuzz, and she was a tabby that used to dig up my plants and crap in the garden. I left her behind without a thought when Sarah and I fled Calgary back in May. I hope she survived.
It’s fucking cold out today. Probably around -20. Most houses here have heat, either due to a limited amount of gas they have secured, or due to having electric heat or fireplaces. It’s not as warm as we were used to a year ago, but we’ll live through it. Everyone dresses in layers, and we all have thick blankets on the beds. Humanity lived in these conditions for thousands of years, so I imagine we’ll live through this too. And if the theories are right, this time next year we’ll have far less undead to worry about as well. One thing they’ve noticed, the undead seem to maintain a body temperature of about 4 degrees C in the winter. Somehow they are avoiding freezing solid, even with no insulating clothing, and often very little more than rotten flesh. How the brains up at the Base figured this out I’ll never know.
Again, this brings up some questions. How? Why? It makes no sense, and a biologist I spoke to yesterday agreed. The zombies don’t adhere to the basic biological laws, and from what the scientists understand there is no apparent reason for them to be animated. As can be imagined, church attendance is a lot higher now than it was before. People are turning to God to help them understand this nightmare. Somehow, I don’t think that we’ll ever really know what happened.
January 1, 2005 – New Years Day
The cries of “Happy New Year” last night were muted and somehow reluctant, as if nobody wanted to say the words, for fear of the spreading tragedy of our times taking notice and crushing all our hopes. So it was quiet celebrations and small gatherings, rather than a large group. Here at our place we had Darren and Mandy, Eric and his friend Samantha (girlfriend or not? It was hard to tell.), my sister Sarah, and the Coupers stopped by on the way to the base New Year function. All the officers got told to come to that, so they were only here temporarily. I imagine Sanji was there too.
The group of us talked this morning about what’s happening here. It’s freezing outside, snowing, and there’s a grey overcast extending to a blue curve on the western horizon. We sat inside while the kids ran around playing, and drank tea and hot chocolate and talked about the future. The main thing we talked about was the cold. There are over nine thousand people here now, and that many people create supply problems. Food is rationed, and fuel for heating and power is in short supply. A lot of houses have been fitted with wood burning stoves, and a lot of wood has to be burned to keep a house warm. Something that some people have been doing is establishing small groups on farms, with fenced in areas like what the Dawson’s have. Several of these groups have moved out of Cold Lake into the nearby countryside. It’s easier to gather firewood for a smaller group, and foraging for food could be simpler as well. We talked about this for a while, and we might try it. Finding an appropriate place would be simple enough, and gathering the supplies a pretty strai
ghtforward thing. The base CO will provide chain link fencing. We’d still have to forage for supplies for the town, but we could do that from whatever place we find. This group here will be the foundation, I think. I have to give this some thought.
Jess has asked Sarah to stay on here with us. She’s agreed to stay, and she can find work at the hospital here in town easily. If we move on to a farmhouse and set up a communal project, she’ll come with us as our medical expert. Darren and Jess and Eric and Kim and I will be the core of the scrounging and salvaging team, CLST 107 reborn in a slightly different form. That reminds me to ask Kim about this, since she wasn’t here last night or today. I’m sure she’ll be interested. Any others we need will be easy enough to find, but this is the group I think we need to start with.
January 4
Cholera. It was bound to happen eventually. Fourteen cases of cholera in town here, and the water utilities got cut off this morning. So now the vibrio cholerae bacterium is in our drinking water. The base is telling everyone not to panic. Fat chance of that. As soon as they announced it yesterday people started freaking out. That dimmed a bit when they explained how you get it and how to treat it. The good news for us, we already boiled ALL of our water. Habit we picked up on the road. The base is telling people, boil it all for ten minutes, sterilize with bleach, and above all don’t panic. How the cholera got into the water we haven’t heard. I suspect there’s a zombie that wandered into the lake someplace near the water reclamation plant.