Day 4.5
An hours worth of work, in this World of the Dead, takes alot more than an hour.
It does if you wanna live.
[ Quest Complete. Physical Training [Heartrate] - 20/20 minutes. Constitution Increased ]
Quest completed with in the first 30 minutes. He actual felt better after that increase.
Colin spent 3 hours slowly, quietly, shifting box after box of supplies from the garage to the living room. Somewhere around 3 dozen of them
The bakery van took another 2 hours. For only a dozen boxes.
None of them light.
The van, being out by the road, was a special kind of nightmare for him. It had those decals printed over the side and rear windows that let's you see out without people seeing in. Or Dead to be precise.
Lets hope i can keep getting physical increases. What was that zombie movie that had a list of survival rules? Cardio being the number 1 rule?
Going through some of the boxes got him more of the same stuff in the pantry.
He'd save the rest of the boxes for another time.
Entertainment was in short supply lately.
Must be about dinner time eh? Let's see what I can cook.
Turned out, nothing. The Power was out.
Fuck me! Thought it would last longer!
Gonna have to hunt for gas bottles and a cooker tomorrow.
Not that he was completely helpless without gas. He could cook on the Potbelly, if he had any firewood on hand.
Add that to the list Colin-me-boyo. It may end up more work than finding gas bottles.
But gas bottles didn't grow from the ground.
So what's the plan for tomorrow Boyo? No more taking it as it comes like you've been doing the last few years.
Get the Dead out of the Village.
Block the roads.
Divert herds of Dead away from the village, give them a different path to follow.
Fuck mate! Just that easy is it?
Leading the Dead out? Yes
The rest of the plan? Not so much.
He already lead a few dozen out when he got the bakery van.
So do it again. A slow drive around town should get all the Dead not locked in houses.
Which means your gonna need that other bakery van.
Too late for that kind of mission tonight, of course. It's vampires that are " children of the night", not this guy.
Next up, Weapon Training. Or more like " Colin Braithwaite's patented ave a stick around in a meaningful way " Training.
He did actually make an effort at some kinda of Form and Balance training, as best he was aware of, while doing what he saw as Thrust and Cut technique.
[ Quest Complete. Weapon Training - 20/20 minutes. Strength Increased ]
[ Contender Daily Quests Complete.
Constitution Bonus.
Weapon Quality Increase ]
Colin looked his spear over. The shaft seemed more purposeful, less makeshift.
The blade attached to the shaft better, the blade itself looked stronger.
Well that's a sweet deal he thought
Now we feast! On fruit.
Day 5
[ Contender Daily Quest Available.
Cull The Cursed - 0/10
Physical Training [Heartrate] - 0/20 minutes
Save The Innocent - 0/2
On today's episode of Fuck Around and Find Out.
The first two Quests were obvious.
The third however was not so clear.
But what has been so far this week.
Colin felt that way this morning, moving along the back fences again towards the bakery.
Morning had come with a thick fog, so Colin had waited for for it to mostly burn off.
Better to see the Dead at a distance than up close in fog.
With his trusty spear, he moved with more confidence today. He had been here once already, and was ready to use the same tactics as last time.
His situational Awareness was on edge. He soon found why.
He almost cried when he reached the chain link fence of the bakery.
Atleast a dozen Dead stood in the parking lot. The closest seeing him instantly.
It's growl alerted the others, all turning to him almost as one and began their stumbling walk towards him.
Colin rolled his shoulders, hoping to gain some confidence back.
One Daily Quest is getting done quick. The one he dreaded was turning out to be the simplest.
This was gonna be bloody.
The new spear blade slide into the first Dead head fine, it dropped quickly.
The second Dead, and random numbers after that? The blade would skid along the roof of their mouths, lodging in the back of its throat.
It would take multiple attempts for the spear to hit the brain.
Two of them had their spines severed. He'd call them a draw. Stabbing them where they lay.
He also had to keep the Dead away from the bodies of the drivers, not wanting to have to dig up the dead suddenly buried in the Dead.
20 minutes later Colin knelt panting on the ground, drenched in sweat and on the edge of throwing up.
[ Quest Complete [Heatrate] - 20/20 minutes. Endurance Increased ]
[ Quest Complete. Cull The Cursed - 12/10. Bonus Acquired. Strength Increased ]
Getting the job done was its own reward.
Where he would stayed there for another 10 minutes to fully recover control of his breathing, and his stomach, he felt energy wash through him. No rest for the wicked needed it seemed.
But why were so many Dead here anyway?
He followed the fence around to the front and jogged round to the back fence. Searching the other drivers pockets got him the keys he needed, so he was good to go.
Jogging over to the van, he pulled on the handle, which was now locked?
What the hell? Wasn't locked before, I searched it for the keys!
The remote on the key chain triggered the door locks when pushed.
It also triggered a squeal from inside the van. A face appeared in the drivers side window, a hand slamming the doorlock down. A young boy looked at him with terror in his eyes.
"Uh hello" Colin greeted the boy with a surprised tone. " how's it going lad?"
I figure froze, and just stared.
"Uh can I get in? I don't wanna hangout here incase more Dead show up", gesturing towards the Dead corpses lining the fence.
The reason for those Dead hanging around here becoming clear.
The boys eyes followed Colin's hand movement, his whole body flinched at the carnage.
"Triss! Their all gone!" The boy disappeared into the back of the van. Colin unlocked and opened the door, climbing in quickly, closing the door behind him.
Partly hidden by the now open boxes, sat a girl slightly younger than the boy.
The boy crouched in front of her protectively.
"It's OK kid, no Dead around, but we're gonna have to get out and walk. I've got a safe place for us to go. Lots of food and no zombies"
Trying to lure kids OUT of a creepy van. That's new.
The boy spoke finally, nervously.
" There's no more of those things out there? They followed us here. We thought there would be food at the bakery"
Colin smiled, hoping to calm the kids with his relaxed attitude.
" I took care of the Dead in the carpark with my handy-dandy Spear", he briefly lifted his spear for them to see.
" Best we get out of here though, in case more show up. There won't be any Dead on the way back to my house. But we gotta get moving OK?"
Both kids nodded, Seeming to calm down a bit.
"Now here's a secret about the Dead. They can't see us from far away. But they can hear us if we make too much noise"
This seemed to perk their interest. Colin figured they probably needed something to take control of their fear of the unknown.
" I'll go check the coast is clear, then we go OK?" The kids nodded again, maybe with a little more determination this time.
Colin slipped out the door and walked out to the road. He didn't run or crouch, no Dead were in sight to hid from. Not close anyway.
He returned the same way to the van. Leaning into the van rather than getting in, he addressed the kids.
" Your names Triss right? What's your brothers name?"
"Bradley. My name is Teresa. Triss for short."
" OK. Triss and Bradley. I'm Colin."
" Alright Troops. No enemy in sight. We are clear to move out and return to base."
Effecting a military bearing, hoping to instill confidence in the kids, while portraying the need to follow his orders. Hopefully.
" Let's move out troops"
The kids scrambled out the drivers door, Colin waited till they were out, gestured for the kids to follow, and with a slight bentover posture headed for the road where the chain link fence ended.
A glance behind him showed the kids on his heels walking with the same posture.
Colin paused at the roadside. Multiple Dead could been seen in the distance.
He stood up straight, and pointed at them.
" See how dumb they are?" he said, speaking quietly to the children. He waved his arms at the Dead, who continued to ignore the group.
"If we're quiet, they can't even see us. "Always keep watch for any that are close though". Give them knowledge and they won't be victims was Colin's thinking.
" We know that already" Bradley said quietly.
"Grandad turned into one of them. He's still in the backyard. We closed the curtains when he tried to get in and he just stopped trying"
Poor kids. They've had to go through alot the last few days.
But they're alive. They're Survivors!