An update from Gainesville, FL and a plan to keep safe
Around 11:00 a.m--It would have taken some by surprise. That scare last year involving that comet has been written off so easily by the skeptics. They don't know what it was like; they weren't there. Some of my friends who were caught in the hysteria back then have even dismissed it. But I remember. So when I woke to the strange sound of, well, nothing, my sense were on alert. My sister left for work as usual, my brother took the bus over to the plasma clinic; I haven't heard from either of them since.
I first noticed the neighbors acting strangely soon after dragging my ass out of bed. It's not uncommon to see people hanging around in the parking lot outside their apartments, working on their cars, chatting; it was the fact that they were doing none of these things that set me on the alert. Some seemed to just be...standing there, staring at the sky, others were wandering aimlessly. And then I noticed one frantically packing her car, trying to get her kids away; she was so focused on her panic she didn't even see them closing in around her. The ghouls were attacking before the poor woman could even get the key in the ignition. I had to look away but I could still hear it, those terrible noises, the screams...
This is it, this is the what the "false alarm" was about last year. Who knows, maybe that was just to get us ready for this; maybe someone knew this was going to happen and tried to prepare us. Maybe I'm not crazy and it really did go down just like I'd thought it did last year. Last year I ran. This year, I'm standing my ground.
ETA: 12:36 p.m.--A quick check of the internet revealed that this is happening all over. beguine has posted some useful information here and thorninthefoot has a theory about that tomato scare that's hit, among other places, my native Florida hard. On the other hand, Jeff posts a report on undead squirrels here. Still not able to get a hold of relatives in New York; phone service, and that's satellite based as well as dial-up, seems to have gone out fairly quickly. A friend has a theory that it's all about containing the panic.
Firearms are helpful but, let's face it, anything that's gonna make a difference is kind of impractical; you're luckier if you have a garden shed to raid. Took-to-brain contact seems to be the absolutely most efficient way of taking one of these suckers out, even something as blunt as a shovel as long as you have enough strength to put behind it. My friend talked about trying to raid a pawn shop around the corner on Archer; I told her it's too risky. The zed seem to be interestedly mostly in the more populous areas at the moment, and that means the University and the two main roads in town: Archer and Newberry. It'd be safer is we were on the eastern side of town but we'll make do.
ETA: 1:00 p.m.--Our "gated" community's offering the most minimal in security at the moment, as there's a foot path right beside the main gate. I'm more worried about being locked in with my infected neighbors. There are many still uninfected in the neighborhood but most are distrustful; they've already had to put down family members.
joshuwain reported sometime this morning/last night that the comet's back. That fucking comet. I knew it! Though I'm still not discounting the tomatoes. My sister brought home fresh ones a co-worker had grown just the other day. Both she and my brother partook; I did not. It could be why I'm not hearing from either of them: they're already infected.
ETA: 1:22 p.m.--My friend began joking about not having a castle nearby, to fortify ourselves. Let's face it, the power's not going to last much longer if things keep getting worse, and my apartment is going to over very precious little afterwards. The least we can do is find somewhere safe to try to wait this out in. And if this is the end of the world, well, we can make our own little home. I'm not expecting anyone to come and save me; the police are gone, there hasn't been the sound of a siren in about two hours, when you'd hear one every few minutes or so. we're on our own, at least for the time being.
My mind instantly flashed to Gainesville, Florida's very own version of a castle: the gated community in Haile Plantation in Haile Plantation North. Talk about fortified! That place houses the richest of Gainesville's elite, from Basketball coach Billy Donovan and football coach Urban Meyers to the best doctors Shands has to offer! Doctors! Plus, there's all sorts of shops and a grocery store about half a mile away. It's surrounded by woods, the mansions have security systems and motion sensors and, most likely, generators! It'll take some effort to get in ourselves, but if there are enough of us and we're organized enough...
It's a bit of a walk, even for me, but I sincerely believe this is our salvation, our place to make a stand. The roads are dangerous; it seems like everyone and their brother got into a car infected this morning which makes them dense with not only the walking scavengers--as some of the zed don't seem at all adverse to feasting down on their own kind--but as well to those with enough cognition left in their rotting brains to roll down a window or, God forbid, open a door. I've seen these zed do both.
We're going to make a go for it! Update later.
Peace, Ghani
I first noticed the neighbors acting strangely soon after dragging my ass out of bed. It's not uncommon to see people hanging around in the parking lot outside their apartments, working on their cars, chatting; it was the fact that they were doing none of these things that set me on the alert. Some seemed to just be...standing there, staring at the sky, others were wandering aimlessly. And then I noticed one frantically packing her car, trying to get her kids away; she was so focused on her panic she didn't even see them closing in around her. The ghouls were attacking before the poor woman could even get the key in the ignition. I had to look away but I could still hear it, those terrible noises, the screams...
This is it, this is the what the "false alarm" was about last year. Who knows, maybe that was just to get us ready for this; maybe someone knew this was going to happen and tried to prepare us. Maybe I'm not crazy and it really did go down just like I'd thought it did last year. Last year I ran. This year, I'm standing my ground.
ETA: 12:36 p.m.--A quick check of the internet revealed that this is happening all over. beguine has posted some useful information here and thorninthefoot has a theory about that tomato scare that's hit, among other places, my native Florida hard. On the other hand, Jeff posts a report on undead squirrels here. Still not able to get a hold of relatives in New York; phone service, and that's satellite based as well as dial-up, seems to have gone out fairly quickly. A friend has a theory that it's all about containing the panic.
Firearms are helpful but, let's face it, anything that's gonna make a difference is kind of impractical; you're luckier if you have a garden shed to raid. Took-to-brain contact seems to be the absolutely most efficient way of taking one of these suckers out, even something as blunt as a shovel as long as you have enough strength to put behind it. My friend talked about trying to raid a pawn shop around the corner on Archer; I told her it's too risky. The zed seem to be interestedly mostly in the more populous areas at the moment, and that means the University and the two main roads in town: Archer and Newberry. It'd be safer is we were on the eastern side of town but we'll make do.
ETA: 1:00 p.m.--Our "gated" community's offering the most minimal in security at the moment, as there's a foot path right beside the main gate. I'm more worried about being locked in with my infected neighbors. There are many still uninfected in the neighborhood but most are distrustful; they've already had to put down family members.
joshuwain reported sometime this morning/last night that the comet's back. That fucking comet. I knew it! Though I'm still not discounting the tomatoes. My sister brought home fresh ones a co-worker had grown just the other day. Both she and my brother partook; I did not. It could be why I'm not hearing from either of them: they're already infected.
ETA: 1:22 p.m.--My friend began joking about not having a castle nearby, to fortify ourselves. Let's face it, the power's not going to last much longer if things keep getting worse, and my apartment is going to over very precious little afterwards. The least we can do is find somewhere safe to try to wait this out in. And if this is the end of the world, well, we can make our own little home. I'm not expecting anyone to come and save me; the police are gone, there hasn't been the sound of a siren in about two hours, when you'd hear one every few minutes or so. we're on our own, at least for the time being.
My mind instantly flashed to Gainesville, Florida's very own version of a castle: the gated community in Haile Plantation in Haile Plantation North. Talk about fortified! That place houses the richest of Gainesville's elite, from Basketball coach Billy Donovan and football coach Urban Meyers to the best doctors Shands has to offer! Doctors! Plus, there's all sorts of shops and a grocery store about half a mile away. It's surrounded by woods, the mansions have security systems and motion sensors and, most likely, generators! It'll take some effort to get in ourselves, but if there are enough of us and we're organized enough...
It's a bit of a walk, even for me, but I sincerely believe this is our salvation, our place to make a stand. The roads are dangerous; it seems like everyone and their brother got into a car infected this morning which makes them dense with not only the walking scavengers--as some of the zed don't seem at all adverse to feasting down on their own kind--but as well to those with enough cognition left in their rotting brains to roll down a window or, God forbid, open a door. I've seen these zed do both.
We're going to make a go for it! Update later.
Peace, Ghani