Zomblog 05: Snoe's War

by T. W. Brown

  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 12th

  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 13th

  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 tri
ps, trenches and such in place. They seldom actually fight the zombies if and when they encounter them.

  A few were still moving and had not gotten stuck. We went for them. Again, I feel the need to say that I did not expect anything too crazy here. And when we had cut down the few and Selina tallied her first kills, I thought we were done. Of course we would just follow the inlet to the water and cross on the railroad bridge.

  Heading into the woods that lined the banks of the inlet, that is where we came upon the first few creepers. The first one surprised me. It was in some thick brush and its arm snaked out as I walked past. It didn’t trip me, but it did make me yelp.

  I brought my blade down on its head and kicked it once or twice for good measure. I should have been more vigilant after that. I never even thought that the lip where the bridge has washed away—only a couple of feet at the most—would be enough to deter the creepers.

  Then Selena shrieked. She had tripped over one that was so filthy that it looked like part of the forest floor. The thing had her foot and was gnawing on her boot in absolute futility.

  Of course, if you have ever had a zombie chewing on you, it is hard to be reasonable and rational. You wait for it to break through and reach skin even if you are wearing body armor and the zombie doesn’t have any of its teeth left.

  I moved to help her and five more came out from the space between a fallen tree and the ground. One of them was a child that was probably five when she was bitten. I only know that it was a girl now…at the time I had no idea. Besides being naked, most zombies are almost hairless. It has either fallen out or been torn out over time making gender identification more difficult.

  The funny thing is, with the society that existed when the zombies came, there was a real problem with obesity from what I have been told. I don’t wish to sound insensitive, but some zombies are unidentifiable unless the actual genitalia remains, and for the men, sadly that is not always the case. Things that dangle are very prone to being ripped off.

  Anyways, I moved in and started swinging. It was then that I realized that all the brush around us was rustling. That was when we realized that every single creeper had taken a detour. The woods were literally crawling with zombies.

  I screamed for everybody to run. We grabbed Selina and made for the river. It was quickly apparent that we were not going to make it. Just as we had come up on the tail end of the herd, we had also just been encountering the rear of the creeping horde of undead that were all now very aware of our presence.

  That left us with one choice—we had to try to wade through the mud. I could not believe how we managed to move as deep into their midst as we did…but we were surrounded and there was no other alternative.

  The first two steps were fine, and then I sunk to my knees. I could not get my legs free. I threw myself forward; that was my next mistake. I had seen some of the zombies move across the snow that way. Unfortunately, I sank several inches and now I was worse off than before.

  It was Mary that told me to “flop like a seal.” It was slow going, but I managed. I have no idea how long it took, but eventually we made it to the actual stream. That was when I discovered that, despite the fact that they were laced tightly to just below my knees, I had lost the boot on my right foot.

  We spent a little extra time cleaning ourselves off…in the FREEZING cold water that comes down the mountains from the snow melt. While we were cleaning up, I believe that Selina made some comment about not wanting to ever see another zombie again.

  Tuesday, March 16th

  It would seem that we are not the only ones bent on taking down Dominique. Or…maybe they just don’t like trains. Tonight, we are camped on a ridge where we can actually see the train Dominique took out of Warehouse City. We have not been able to get close enough to actually confirm that she is with them, but where else would she be?

  The track has been sabotaged far better than any of the petty crap we managed. If we had arrived here any earlier, I might have gotten a better look, but from here, it looks like at least fifty feet of the track is destroyed! That is a feat in and of itself.

  Now, it cannot be said that Dominique and her people are not well-prepared because they have soldiers on the perimeter keeping watch while a work crew is busy repairing the damage. Twice I have heard a commotion, but it is too damn dark and far away to really get a good look. If I had to guess, I would say that there are people taking shots at Dominique’s army.

  Wednesday, March 17th

  Work continued all day. It was difficult for me to stay put. She is right there…I have seen her with my own two eyes.

  We moved down early this morning to a better vantage point. Mary and Selina have suddenly started deferring to me for some reason. I actually expected an argument over my decision to move down the hill and set up on a little bluff in some bushes. From that spot we have been able to see everything, but even better, we can often hear.

  So, the work crew is made up primarily of people from the sweeps that the NAA performed with actual soldiers overseeing the work. I felt my heart drop a bit. I spotted Betty. It looks like she has been fighting. Her face is pretty beat up. She has one eye completely swollen shut and as hard as it is to actually tell, it is obvious that her nose has been smashed. One hand is wrapped up, but to her credit, she is outworking just about everybody on her work crew.

  Once, for a brief moment, I was almost certain that she had spotted me. She was hoisting a railroad tie (all by herself when most people are working in teams) and stopped. She stared right at me. It was as if she could see right into my binoculars and into my eyes. I will swear forever that I saw a tiny smile curve on her lips.

  Late in the day, my other suspicions were confirmed…and it almost cost us. Whoever sabotaged these tracks—and I have to assume that is who it was—started firing arrows. The thing is, they did not hit any of the workers; all of their shots tagged a soldier. I almost laughed when Dominique actually sprinted for her little travel car. It was obvious they were going after the NAA folks.

  The trouble started when there was a lull in the action and the soldiers started trying to flush out their assailants. A few of them passed within ten feet of where Mary, Selina, and I were hiding out. I knew better than to move, but I had never been through anything like this with either of them and I was honestly worried—more about Selina than Mary, she is the least accustomed to this sort of thing as far as I know.

  When they finally gave up, I felt much better about Mary and Selina. Neither had blinked when things got risky.

  It was clear as the night came that the train was going to be stuck for at least another day, maybe a couple. I have made up my mind…I have to make my move now. It is not likely that I will have a shot like this again. Who knows what is farther up the line. Also, I cannot count on anybody else creating the sort of problem that offers this sort of opportunity.

  Tuesday, March 23rd

  I will never be the same now.

  I will do my best to relate what happened…what was said. I will do my best not to paint myself as “good” in this, nor will I apologize. I did what I believe (even now…days after it happened) to be the correct course of action.

  So, that night when I decided what I had to do, I pulled back with Mary and Selina and explained to them my plan. And actually, I can’t say that I had what could constitute as a real plan. It was simply a choice to act. I told them both that I would not be upset if they chose to stay back and not get involved in what might very well be a suicide mission.

  Both of them said that, for their own reasons, they had a score to settle as well. I pretty much knew what Mary’s was, but I would not discover Selina’s until later.

  I warred with the decision to simply act immediately or wait. I was afraid that, if I waited, the train would leave and my window of opportunity would vanish. On the other end of things, I knew that the soldiers would be alert for trouble considering what had already occurred earlier that day.

  It was Selina who offere
d to create a diversion. I asked her what she had in mind and she smiled really big.

  “I have no idea, but you will know it when you hear it,” was her reply.

  She slipped away and Mary and I started creeping towards the rear car of the train where Dominique had vanished. Sure enough, a half dozen soldiers were posted around the car and two more on top. I was actually prepared to call it off and just go for an attempt at assassination the next time she showed her face. I knew for a fact that my main driving force for what I was attempting was the need to try and get some answers from this person who had sent my Mama Lindsay to her death. I did not want to kill Dominique from a distance…I wanted her up close so I could look her in the eyes and ask one simple question: Why?

  Just as I was about to give up, there was a loud “whump” and a fireball rolled skyward. There was a brief moment where the darkness was pushed back and fortunately for me, I was looking the opposite direction so I did not suffer from being flash-blinded.

  Seconds later, the people surrounding Dominique’s car were running towards the explosion. I imagine it was instinctual, that is the only reason I can think of for them all to abandon their post. The only ones remaining were the pair on the roof of the car. I took one and Mary took the other. I know that my bolt caught mine in the chest, I had to step over his body as I ran to the train car. However, it should be noted that Mary’s caught her target in the left eye! Now, we were a good fifty feet away at least when we took our shot; that is impressive.

  I reached the door just as it flew open. Dominique was standing there in almost nothing. (It seems that she had company of the male sort.) I did the first thing that came to mind—I punched her square in the face.

  She fell back and landed on her butt, however, to her credit, she had a knife in her hand in the blink of an eye. I don’t know where she kept the thing considering what I had obviously interrupted, but this was a clue I would miss initially. In fact, I was about to have so many revelations dumped on me that it will probably take me days if not weeks to sort through them all.