Hell in a Handbasket

Cruising down the zombie-infested streets of Freedom City we saw that there was still hope. Not all of the citizens had been infected, there were survivors. We were flagged down by a group of fighters and they told us rumors of some military bunkers in the woods east of the city. I told them to spread word of this to any survivors they should happen to meet and make way for the forest. Hey, strength in numbers right? And some hope is better than no hope at all.

We made a quick stop at Milo’s apartment building, where we found no survivors (zombies everywhere) and Milo’s father dead from alcohol poisoning. Looks like he killed himself when he heard the news of the apocalypse. I can’t really blame him for it, but then again, he was never any good to Milo, so I have no pity for the man. When Andy came around with the van, we found that we had been robbed by some other survivors. So much for cooperation in the face of danger. After some more exploring, we came upon a police station barricaded to prevent anybody’s entry. Although the head officer there was a total ass (abandoned his duty to protect and serve at the first sign of danger, pah!), Andy struck a deal that if we were to bring food and weapons, he would allow five people entry to the complex.

First thing’s first, we needed some more cars. We found an abandoned car dealership just down the road and each of us picked up a new set of wheels. Our objective: the local food supermarket downtown. As we drove about, we passed by the Hotel Arts where the outbreak started and were greeted by the sight of the manager running towards us pursued by a fresh hoard of zombies. I stopped just long enough to let him in, and I remembered this was the same guy I had spoken to on the phone just a couple hours ago. After some pretty kickass driving by me, we lost most of the zombies (one was stuck to my goddamn roof), but not unscathed. The straggler had been bitten. He was infected and bound to turn into a zombie at any minute. I was about to kick him out when he promised me news of where my parents were if I kept him safe. This I couldn’t pass up, so I spared him.

When we arrived at the supermarket’s parking lot, the straggler ran (again) but this time from us when I had my back turned. How stupid was that? Leave a zombie-infected man unguarded, what the fucking hell was I thinking? Anyways, the moment he ran Milo jumped back in his car and gave pursuit. While he was off chasing this asshole I saved, Andy and I killed the zombie on my roof and decided to load up on supplies. I remember hoping Milo would have enough sense to be careful in the zombie-infested streets of Freedom City. Then I remembered he was insane enough to chase one guy into the streets, so yeah, I was kinda freaking out for his safety. I’d really hate to lose one of my only friends at the end of the world as we know it.

Andy and I found that the doors were locked. Someone was inside. I knocked on the door and a police officer by the name of Max Rosewood answered. He seemed friendly and helpful enough, so we all agreed to join forces. The good sergeant had a gun, a car, and access to all of the supplies we could need (STILL NO CHEETOS TO BE FOUND, WHAT KIND OF TRICKERY BULLSHIT IS THIS). We loaded up our three remaining cars when Milo blundered out of the store (how did he get there?) followed by a young woman. She told us her name was Lucy Lynch, and together we hit the road to find a particular store on the western outskirts of the city that supposedly had weapons for the taking. We may have lost a car (gj Milo), but we gained two new allies and a gun.

It took us a good few hours to reach the small shop, but when we did arrive we were greeted by a rather large (sorry dude) fisherman named Hank. He told us he had been giving out whatever supplies he could to any survivors that happened by, including us. In terms of weaponry, Milo, Lucy, and myself got some crossbows, a handgun to Andy, and a hunting rifle and bullets for Rosewood’s shotgun. Hank was also kind enough to supply us with tents, sleeping bags, compasses, flashlights, and other gear we would need. By the time we were all geared up, the sun was setting. As a group we decided that it would be too dangerous to travel at night, so we decided to hang around a campfire in the parking lot with Hank.

But it didn’t look like the universe was quite done with us yet. Bloodcurdling howls broke the happy tune of Hank’s banjo, and before you could say “ZOMBIE COYOTE” we had barricaded ourselves in Hank’s basement, guns and crossbows at the ready. It looks like this disease hadn’t just infected humans, but the local wildlife as well. We were attacked by a group of zombie coyotes. The first one fell within seconds thanks to Milo and me with our sick aim. The second one almost bit Milo, but I felled it quickly enough with my bat, followed shortly by me breaking the back of the third and final zombie coyote thing (I love you baseball bat). That’s five zombies I’ve killed so far in one day alone. In all honesty, I’m not sure I’m cut out for this stuff. I wish my dad were here, he’s gone through this before, and I could really use some comfort.

Anyways, it was obvious that this shop wasn’t safe, and that Hank would be a zombie if we didn’t take him with us. Before we left we tuned the radio and were met with an insanely familiar voice. It was Andy’s dad, Simon, on the radio giving survival tips! I always liked that guy, and it looked like he saw this coming a mile away (Andy, what are you complaining about? You’re Dad’s a total boss!). We agreed (some of us more easily than others) that we should try and find him first thing in the morning. Andy’s Dad’s an expert, and we could use him, plus he’s Andy’s Dad! I’m not gonna abandon him! We hit the road looking for a place to sleep. Andy, Milo, and myself have been awake for almost two days straight, and we needed some shuteye. Badly. Luckily, we found a cafe a couple miles down the road that we made camp in. Lucy and Rosewood took the first watch, followed by Andy and Hank, and finally Milo and myself.

To think that just yesterday we were all going about our humdrum lives in peace. Now, the city’s become a zombie wasteland and battlefield with people struggling to survive. Day 1 of the Zombie Apocalypse was over, but I had a feeling many more would follow. We needed to find as many survivors as possible and figure out how to fix this. This day marked the beginning of the Freedom Fighters. This is Rufio Willis, co-founder and general of the Freedom Fighers, signing off.

—Rufio Willis

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License