The Facility.

The military facility was a disturbing place. I learned some very helpful information though.

I arrived at the building around 10am. I had some implements that I thought would be helpful in breaking into the building. Turns out I didn't need most of them. My first thought was to get on the roof somehow and go in through the ventilation system. I was able to get in the building next door and get to its roof. The alleyway between that building and the government facility was only six feet wide max. I could jump that. On my way up I noticed shuffling noises from many of the rooms. I didn't stop to check any of them out. I made it out on the roof and walked to the edge facing the government facility. From 5 stories up that six foot gap looked more like 60. I couldn't bring myself to jump. I worked my way back down. I had moved fairly rapidly down to the first floor but I tripped on a rug in the hall and was immediately rewarded with a moan from behind the nearest apartment door followed by pounding. The moan was quickly echoed by others in nearby rooms and a cacophony of door beating and zombie moans began. The sound filled the whole building in seconds. I made it to the side door of the building and I looked out the window to see a detachment of soldiers rushing out a side door of the government facility. I ducked back a bit and watched as they circled around to the front of the building I was in. As the last man exited the door slowly sung closed but did not latch! I bolted across the alley just as I heard the soldiers enter the apartment building.

I ducked in to the government facility. The lights were bright and the floors were surprisingly clean. The building looked to have been a court house. I started down the first hallway stopping to peer into the rooms that I passed. I saw one that had a big desk with an air duct directly over it. I slipped in and climbed on the desk. I pulled the vent cover off with the multi tool I had brought along. Reaching into the duct I began to pull myself up. It's not like they show in movies. The whole duct work was coated in dirt and grime. It was disgusting. I managed to get myself in but every slight move made the thin metal ducting pop and bulge. This was obviously not going to work. I climbed down and headed for the door. Just as I was about to go back into the hallway I heard steps in. I ducked down and listened.

"Gather up the men that are still in the building. Bring them down to the holding cells. The Lab Coats say they got something to show us."

"Yes sir."

The two men passed and I stood up and peered out. If this information was important to them it would be important to me too. I needed to get to the holding cells. I stepped out and began searching the nearby rooms for anything. I came across what looked to be a makeshift supply room. There were uniforms! The movie style duct crawl didn't work but perhaps this would. I slipped into one leaving the supplies that I had brought in the closet of the room. I looked down and realized my face and hands were a mess but the uniform was spotless. I quickly headed back to the room with the desk and duct. I crawled in and rolled around a bit. That made the uniform dirty enough to match the rest of me.

I stepped back out and began to roam the halls. It didn't take long to run into a group of soldiers.

"What the hell happened to you private?"

"The damn Lab Coats had me working on ducts sir." I replied in my best military voice.

"Well shit. You can shower up when we're done. Fall in. We're heading down to the cells for a tutorial," he scoffed.

I stepped in with the men and we headed to a stairwell. We went all the way down to the basement and entered the holding cells through a security gate. It was like some strange Devil's laboratory or something down there. They had zombies in all states of dismemberment from fingers gone to nothing left but a head. And they were all still trying to to bite. Zombies were hooked up to machines. They were being operated on. And at some of the stations it just looked like they were torturing them just for the hell of it. We were led into a sectioned off cell at the back of the room. There was a zombie chained to a wall in the cell behind what I am assuming was a one way mirror because it didn't seem to react to us. The zombie had a hastily stitched ragged wound on its neck. The Lab Coat began his spiel.

"Gentlemen we've made an important tactical discovery. Please watch this monitor. Johnson."

He motioned to another Lab Coat who turned out the lights. The monitor showed a green image of the zombie in the cell.

"Now as you see the Uncle-David does not react when the lights are switched off. Now see what happens when we send in a live one."

On the monitor we see a Lab Coat enter the room wearing what I assume are night vision goggles. As soon as he's in the zombie reacts. It's mouth opens and it begins reaching for the Lab Coat. As the Lab Coat moves around the room the zombie follows. Watching this I figure out what the neck wound on the zombie is: they cut out it's voice box.

"As you can see gentlemen the Uncle-Davids can still attack very effectively even in the dark. We believe that whatever is causing the transformation makes these creatures rely equally on all there senses. Unlike us they don't rely extensively on sight. This makes them especially dangerous at night. Because of this we are suggesting that all night operations be suspended. It's just too dangerous."

The lights came on and the captain or whatever he was took in this information and rolled it around in his head.

"We'll take that under advisement. Is that all you got."

"Yes sir. We thought it warranted immediate attention."

"Shit, we already knew they were dangerous in the dark. Let's go boys."

We all turned and headed out of the holding cell labs. When upstairs the captain told the men to get some grub and told me to hit the showers. I turned and started toward the supply room.

"Where the hell you going private? Showers not that way."

I froze in my tracks. I turned and with all the composure I could muster said, "Left my tools out. Need to clean up my work space, sir."

"Make it quick. We ain't holding up grub for one soldier."

Once out of sight I went to the supply room and gathered my gear. On my way out through the side door I could see flashes and hear gun fire in the rooms of the third floor of the building next door. I made my way back to Jan's as fast as I could. It was getting dark and after what I just saw I didn't want to be caught outside.

Government Intervention.

It looks like the government is still involved. Jan and I went scouting for supplies last night and we ran into a little surprise. We rounded a corner coming out of an abandoned storage facility and we spotted a large military vehicle. A modern version of a deuce and a half basically with a cage built onto the back portion. We ducked behind a burnt out car and watched. What I saw I couldn't believe. It was just like Jan had told me. There were soldiers rounding up zombies! They were using what looked to be modified dog catcher gear to wrangle them into the truck. Three soldiers stood guard while two gathered the "herd". One remained in the drivers seat. As we watched they filled the truck with the last couple that would fit. They all mounted up and headed out.

"We have to find out where they're going." I found my self spurting out.

"They could kill us," was Jan's response, "We'd better keep our distance and keep quite."

We started after them. The roads were so littered with debris that the truck was having a slow go of it. They didn't stop for things in the way though they just relied on the makeshift ram on the front of there truck to nudge things to the side. For once I was thankful for the traffic in LA.

The crew didn't have to go to far. They entered an underground parking structure at a federal research building not more than a mile and a half from where we had been. We waited about 30 minutes. We could hear the soldiers unloading the zombie cargo from our hiding position across the street.

"We should go in and check it out."

"No. We need to get back to the girl. We know where it is. We can come back."

Jan was right one of us would have to check it out alone while one of us stayed with the girl. We weren't set up with the right equipment for breaking and entering anyway. We will do it later.

I am prepping now for my return to the government complex right now. I will relay what I find on my return. I have put my password for this blog in an envelope for Jan that she is to open in two days time if I don't return. Please check back soon as I hope to be the one writing you with more information and hopefully some answers.

I can't believe what happened. It was horrible. I had to kill someone. Jan and I managed to get my things over to her apartment. We got everything set up and I was able to get reconnected to my pirated Internet. Everything was going fine. It was nice to have other people around to talk to. After a few days I decided to go back to my place for some kerosene that I had left there for the generator. I told Jan to stay and I would go alone. No sense risking more than necessary.

I headed out to my place. It was an uneventful trip. A few Draggers and that was about it. I didn't even have to confront any of them. I got the kerosene and loaded it onto my cart and started back. About halfway to Jan's place I was walking past an alleyway when suddenly I was on the ground. I turned around and my eye sight was hazy. There was a figure. It rushed me and as it came into focus I saw what it was. It was not a Thorpe it was a man and he had a pipe! He swung at me just as I rolled out of the way. The pipe struck the concrete and sparked. I scrambled to my feet and the man turned towards me.

"What are you doing?! Stop! We can help each other!"

He just lunged at me again with the pipe swinging wildly. I side stepped and with out thought I pulled my pick/hatchet from my belt and swung it. It sunk deep into the back of the man's head and he went down twitching. I didn't know what to do. I rolled him over. I shook him - shouted at him. There was no response. I had killed him. A man not a zombie. I had no choice. As I stood in disbelief the moans of the undead slowly started to register in my ears.

I started to come out of the fog of what I had just done and realized that the shouting and struggle had attracted zombies from all directions. I grabbed my cart and started to run. I only made it about half a block when I remembered the pick/hatchet. I turned back and sprinted for the body leaving the cart where it lay. I retrieved the implement and turned for the cart when a Thorpe grabbed hold of me. It flung me to the ground and I dropped the pick/hatchet. I struggled with it for what seemed like an eternity. I got hold of it by the chin and held it at arms length. My free hand searched the ground around me until it grasped the earlier attackers pipe. I struck the Thorpe in the temple sending it sprawling. I stood up and was filled with such confusion, rage, and fear that I pummeled it until there was little left of the head. I then pulled my pistol from it's flap holster and dispatched the Draggers that were close enough to be a danger. I rapidly made my way back to Jan's.

I still have not fully shaken the feeling that washed over me when I took his life. I don't know if I ever will. I don't know if I ever should...

Damn Fine Espresso.

I made the next meeting with Jan on time. We met at the coffee shop as planned. I gotta tell you Jan makes a mean espresso. Probably the best I've ever had. Maybe that's because I haven't had any for quite some time. I am sorry for the length of time between posts. Things got a little crazy after the espresso.

Jan and I were finishing our cups in the cafe when a couple of zombies wandered up to the gate. Not a big deal. Just a couple of draggers right? I went over with my pick/hatchet and decided to dispatch them quietly so as not to attract any others. It seemed simple enough. Don't underestimate these things. I stepped up to the gate and swung through a gap and struck the nearest one square in the head. It went down before I could pull the pick free. As I struggled with the pick the other one had a surge of speed and grabbed me! It started pulling my arm towards its' mouth. I put my foot on the bars and tried to pull back. I heard something pop and felt a tingling shoot through my ankle and foot. As I screamed in pain Jan's shotgun rang out loud and clear. The zombie fell to the ground headless and I pried its' cold hand off my arm. Jan helped me up. I tried to put weight on my right leg but pain rocketed through my ankle.

"We gotta get you to my place and fast. That gun shot will draw more of them."

Jan was right. Her place was closer than mine and she had to take care of the girl. I couldn't ask her to help me all the way to my apartment. We headed out the back door; which she had a key for; and through a couple of alleys. We could here a crowd of them moaning and gathering at the coffee shop as we put distance behind us. We made it to Jan's apartment without encountering any more of the undead. Once there she got some ice for my ankle and took a look. It seemed to be just a dislocated bone in the ankle. At least that's what she thought from her time spent at the doctors from sports injuries sustained over the years. Jan had been a competitive soccer player in her younger days. We decided - or rather she decided and I was in no condition to argue - that I needed to stay there for at least two weeks to let it heal completely so that I could run if need be when I left.

The stay did give me time to get to know Jan a little bit. As I said she was a competitive soccer player. Apparently she even played professionally for eight years. She gave it up because her knees and ankle were taking a serious beating and she wanted to quit before she permanently affected her mobility. She ended up going into video editing - working mostly on sports videos. She had a partner who had owned the coffee shop we were at. Her name was Launa. Launa had come home from work early a few months ago and said she had been attacked by a crazed homeless man outside the shop. She had a bite wound. She rapidly deteriorated. Launa was the first zombie Jan had to dispatch. I can't imagine how difficult that must have been for her. Jan has just been trying to stay alive ever since. I can still see the competitor in her. She will never give up until the final whistle blows.

The girl living with Jan was another story. She is thin and pale. Must only be about 12. I wasn't able to coax anything out of her as far as words but I did eventually get her to sit with me. We even drew a picture together. It was a bear with a hat and thick glasses. It made her smile a little.

I healed up enough that I was able to convince Jan to let me head back to my place. We are planning to meet again this Tuesday. After much debate she has convinced me that I should stay with them. I will gather my things over the next couple of days and we will move them on Tuesday. The last thing I did before leaving was to tell Jan about this blog. We will continue to report anything we learn. Hopefully the next post won't be so long coming.