A Dead Man's Tale

Chapter 13 (Howard)

The days have blended one into another and the miles have gone by just as fast. Second company has moved to the far end of West Virginia and it's been hard fighting the whole way. Coalridge says we are "doing great" but I don't think anyone really believes him, everyday we lose another person either from the corpses, some other disease, starvation and sometimes even suicide. No, we aren't doing great!

The only salvation we have that distracts us from our constant war of survival is the occasional meeting with the helicopter or a plane to drop off supplies. Every so often a bag of letters is given and exchanged from the loved ones back at the refugee camp. Ashley's letter is among those and Daniel keeps those of us from our own group informed of the events happening at the camp. It keeps us hopeful that there's somewhere safe for us to return to one day with those kids. I don't have anyone to write letters to. I don't think I can go to that camp, there's no one waiting for me so I'd just leave to get my family. Maybe even bring them back if it was safe enough?

Some of the people in the unit that have been drafted resent Coalridge for forcing them to fight. I can't blame them but I also don't blame him, he's doing his job in one of the worst situations this country- the whole world- has ever seen. I keep thinking about leaving the unit to continue west but I know that's a bad idea. Supplies are handed out only in certain circumstances so no one can run off with a decent amount of gear. Plus I would be alone. At least the unit offers safety in numbers. As much as I hate to admit it I'm stuck with the unit for now. I have been gaining experience in surviving; shooting, scavenging, sneaking and other things I didn't know how to do when this whole catastrophe started.

***

We are trapped! We are stuck in a large storage warehouse with a hoard of corpses surrounding us. They are pounding on the walls, windows and door trying to get in. It started over some stupid argument about a handful of beef jerky. The yelling brought the horde right to us and we didn't notice them before it was too late. Coalridge ordered as much of an organized retreat as he could. We fought our way this far losing at least ten people while a few others just ran off, I wish them luck, that's all we can spare for them. The double chain link fence seems to be doing a good job at holding the bulk of the hoard but the pressure is straining the fence. I don't know if the building can stand the press of bodies pushing against the walls.

We have barricaded the doors and windows so now it's a matter of waiting and hoping that the corpses get distracted by something else and that we don't go insane from their moaning. It's so loud. I'm remembering what it was like back home in the first days of the outbreak surrounded by the corpses of my neighbors. How they moaned and circled the home in their search for food. That feeling of being surrounded and the damn waiting! THE FUCKING WAITING! THE MOANING!

Daniel has been 'promoted' to radio operator and was able to contact a command center for another of the roaming military units. We are supposedly getting air support and some kind of evacuation. God knows how they have held out or how they have working planes but it will be at least a day before they can proceed. MORE WAITING!

Someone just went crazy, yelling and waving his gun everywhere. Was rambling about how his wife was out there and had to go to her. He started tearing at the barricades and when we tried to stop him he pointed his gun at us, threating to shoot. As the man turned to the barricades again Coalridge shot him in the back. His body fell against the pile of desks and crates. Coalridge and another man stuffed the body into a locker and with a combat knife stabbed the man's skull preventing the dead man from coming back as a walking corpse. I think his name was Drew. Everyone is quiet, which is good, but it's in the worst way.