Fall is upon us. It’s begining to get cold, and our safehouse is without any method of heating. We bit the bullet last night and burned some of the heating oil I found at one of the homes near the coast, but that didnt last the whole night. Our rations are making out quite well, I’ve got stacks of canned goods that should last us for months, thank god for grocery stores.

Ammunition has proved to be a problem, as of yet we’ve only got what we’ve brought with us. I’ve been making do with my Knives and Nicks found himself a Shovel he’s quite fond of, but melee range is putting us at a great disadvantage.

I’ve already managed to injure myself. trying to dodge a few roamers I flung myself into cover, and landed squarly on my stomach, stabbing myself with a sharp metal shaft jutting out of the ground. I assume it was part of a support beam at some point.

Thats another thing I should note, the level of destruction on Elm Island. Most parts are merely weathered and aged, leaving the buildings dilapitated and in disrepair, but other parts look like they were destroyed by man made weapons, shrapnel and large chunks of cinder thrown and strewn through the streets, metal support beams bent and twisted by heat and force. Its a bit suspect, I continue to wonder if we’re truely the first forces sent into Elm since the infection.

With a great deal of difficulty I was able to locate Valium at the Grocery Store’s pharmacy, this should help me cope with the pain. 24 stitches seems like a lot to me, but I’m no medic. It looks like hell. I just pray theres no internal damage, though it didnt look like it penetrated that deeply.

The odd radio chatter from Alpha team tells me they’re not making out any better, sounds like they’ve run low on food. If there werent thousands of fermented, bloated zombies strutting around between here and bravo team I might be convinced to run them up some beans, but common sense is still on my side.

I sign off this evening with these words: Be prepared. I regret not spending more time studying medicine, injuries are inevitable in survival situations, and it only takes one bad infection to kill you.

This is a post requesting your feedback. Yeah. You heard me. Your feedback, tell me what you wanna see on blog of the dead. Tell me what you expect me to produce for you, give me suggestions, give me criticism, just don’t spam me or you’ll be redirected to horse porn….seriously, I’ll do it.

You can either leave a comment below or tweet me @Blogofthedead

And if I’m bored enough, I might even respond!

Yes stairs. Stairs are your frieeeends. Nearly every building has them, and strategically they are your best bet for:

A) Gaining higher ground

B) Funneling zombies into a single path

C) Traps.

Observe the following crudely made image (Click for larger copy):

Removing several steps prevents zombies from being able to climb up to your hiding place. Zombies have very limited motor capabilities, and extremely limited intelligence. Most are smart enough not to fall into a hole, but they tend to bunch up and shove each other.

In the event that a zombie does in fact make it across the hole, it is a good idea to barricade the upper parts of the stairs with furniture. You can hobble over them, Zombies cant.

Blocking off the basement is always a good idea, thus creating a nice pit of undead which tends to scare off raiders. Makes them pretty easy to kill off as well, literally shooting fish in a barrel.

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “But Nick! If I barricade the stairs and rip up the floor boards, HOW AM I GOING TO GET IN AND OUT!?”. Carefully. I’m fond of swinging on a rope over the stairs a la Pitfall.  Some people have had success with rope ladders, I personally don’t like the idea of dangling myself out a window. If you are planning on a long term safe house you could throw a set of monkey bars over the hole and climb over, Zombies don’t handle Hand-over-hand so much…

I want to start this entry by apologizing for my infrequency in posting…What has happened to me, and to my crew in the last few months is…unspeakable.

My name is Zane Conner, I’m 22 years old, and I’m a …well the job title is Special Tactician, but these days it seems a more fitting title would be Survivor. My crew and I were hired by Blue Harvest Incorporated to “reduce a security breach” on their Elm Island research facility. All my life growing up in Nova Scotia, I was led to believe the Island sank due to off-shore drilling…but it was all a cover-up.

Zombies. I’m growing to like the word now, I never used to be able to say it…felt funny in my mouth…I’d call them…the walking dead, the undead, the roamers, the creepers, but not zombies..

Let me explain. As near as I can figure out, something these bastards were making or doing or building or something they’ve discovered, has woken every dead being on this god forsaken island, its taken over every living person in the research facility, a faculty numbering in the hundreds of thousands of people. It brought the dead back to life. The dead killed the living, and they came back to life. And now they all roam the fucking streets looking to get a piece of yours truly, and my band of mercenaries. One bite, and I’m toast.

We’re armed, heavily armed, but supplies are scarce. I’d like to think my training is the only thing keeping me alive right now, I’m sure my men would say the same. Your only hope is these mother fuckers cant swim…and if you ask me they look like they’re getting smarter.

Theres no telling how long before one of these corpses floats out to sea and washes up somewhere…or worse, Blue Harvest releases whatever caused this to the world.

YOU  ARE  NOT  READY.

Don’t pretend your B.B. Gun or your favourite pocket knife is going to protect you from them. You need training, and you need knowledge, and I’ll be damned if I die here on this island without providing you with at least what I know. If I can inform just one of you, and help you survive when the shit hits the fan, I wont have died in vain.

The WIFI connection I’m getting on this island is weak at best, I’m patching my laptop through a TV-Station receiver and picking it up from the mainland…I only hope this is making it out there…

Please if anyone reads this, check back frequently, you have the right to know, you have the right to learn, and to be prepared for the worst. I need to move from this position for now, and stock up on rain water… Stay safe. I’ll be back.

A County Medical Examiner report from 1971.

The body was found washed up on shore in Halifax. Apparent cause of death was a mutated strain of Influenza. The body had been shot several times with 9mm rounds, but the wounds were postmortem. During examination the body appeared to move and make sounds periodically, until the brain was removed.

Dear Mr Conner,

My name is Shirley Glenn. I represent the Human Resources Department of Blue Harvest Incorporated. This is a message is in response to your interest in our Special Tactical team we are developing for several Research and Development contracts we, at this time, cannot disclose. We have reviewed your rather short, but albeit detailed resume, and have agreed to escalate you to the final round of our hiring process.

Your training in survival techniques and firearms has lead us to believe that you are an ideal candidate for our project. You will be required to undergo rigorous stress-tests and combat scenarios in order to prove to us that you are able to withstand the job requirements. You and your team will be required to endure long-term survival missions, where discretion is key. Stealth techniques as well as abilities to properly ration food and munitions will be crucial to your success with this company.

We appreciate your interest in our company and hope to hear from you soon. Please find the enclosed application form and return it once filled out to validate your acceptance.

Shirley Glenn

Human Resources

BLUE HARVEST INC.

—-Excerpt from Halifax Times October 26, 1968 —

Tragedy strikes remote Island Village

Flood waters reach never before seen levels, Elm Island evacuated

Saturday, October 26, 1968

Adriana Pascal, (Staff Reporter) — With flooding currently at record levels, the village of Elm Island was all but been washed away in the twilight hours of October 25th. The last few days have seen record flood tides in the villages rivers and streams, overflowing into the streets and avenues, knocking out electrical and telephony cables and overflowing plumbing.

Late into the evening, black helicopters were reported over the village, followed by armed policemen, escorting citizens out of their homes with little more than the clothes on their back and whatever they could fit into a duffle bag. Pets and personal belongings were left behind, with the promise that Blue Harvest Inc. would reimburse them at a later date. The citizens were rushed onto ships, aeroplanes, and helicopters in a matter of hours, and the village was, as depicted, left to the dogs…..

Read more ›

—-Excerpt from Elm Island Gazette October 1, 1968 —

Blue Harvest Inc. Loses another ship in Atlantic Ocean.

Environmental impact unknown.

Tuesday, October 1, 1968

HALIFAX (AP) — Blue Harvest Inc, Nobel Prize Winning Bioengineering firm, has lost another ship to the drink last night. The crew of 24 has been declared dead, however no bodies have been retrieved from the wreckage.

This is the third such ship in the past 8 months, and the 5th in 2 years; this ship, the Lazarus, being the closest to mainland Nova Scotia. The freight-liner sank off the coast of Elm Island, a remote village 80km from the mainland, its cargo spilling into the bay.

Emergency crews are unsure of the affect on the wildlife in the area, but say the villages drinking water supply ’seems unaffected’

“…The chemicals stored in the Lazarus should have no ‘lasting’ affect on the flora or fauna of Elm island. No further comments can be made at this time” says Robert Clute, Blue Harvest inc. Spokesman.

Contact at this time is limited to telegraph, the phone lines being damaged by the debris of the sinking freighter; Repair crews on the scene expect services restored in 24-48 hours.

Chief of Police, Tobias Koswolf, had this to say on the matter “…We’re currently undergoing a lengthy investigation into the cause of the freighters crash…” citing that the transmissions from the ships crew at the time of the crash seemed “..Cause for suspicion”. No word yet on the nature of these suspicions, or the nature of the disaster.

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…not with a bang, so much as a whisper. The early beginings of a website that will one day be something great….now resting in its prepubescant state…growing, changing…

I leave with you some information that you may find valuable.

Http://twitter.com/zane411

http://twitter.com/blogofthedead